Hi Folks,
It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Santa Cruz, the sun is shining and a nice ocean breeze blowing up the hill. I am doing some laundry though, trying to expel layers of dust, manure, flour and dishwashing grime out of my farm clothes. I don't mind missing a little sunshine time though since I am outside a lot working, eating, hanging out and brushing my teeth even.
So far, things on the farm are great. Time seems to operate on two levels here. On one hand, it seems to be speeding past, the two weeks I've been here feel like a blink. But on the other hand, life is so full of new people and experiences that hilling leeks, which I did on Friday, seems like ages ago. The farm is also quickly becoming its' own little world. I rarely leave, especially during the week, and since I am without a car, everything feels that much farther away. It's really a wonderful experience being able to live, eat, work, shower, sleep and socialize all in the same place, a drastic shift from the long bike and BART rides that were a big part of my life in the East Bay. Also refreshing is to be able gaze across a verdant green sea of cover crop and then the blue waters of the Monterey Bay beyond every time I walk from my lovely tent cabin to the farm center. It's also wonderful to take an outdoor solar shower after dark and listen to the sounds of the frogs croaking nearby. I am fully aware that I am living in a bubble here on the farm, a world away from the panhandlers and gun shots that were a fact of life in Oakland, especially when I lived in the Fruitvale district, but after being in a place like that, I don't mind being in this bubble, and feeling that much farther from the troubles of the world.
It's been a wet spring here on the Central Coast, which means that everything is a little greener but also that our soils are still too waterlogged to cultivate. The cover crop, which is usually turned in earlier in the spring or even in late winter, still stands tall on the six acres that comprise the 'field', the site where most row crops are cultivated for our CSA program. This means we've been able to concentrate on building compost, feeding and mulching the myriad fruit trees that grow here and doing other smaller tasks that often don't get completed during the frenzied time of spring planting. It also means that when things finally dry up enough, such as on last Monday before the most recent rains swept in, we really hustle to cultivate and plant the beds. Our food supply depends on it.
Slowly, us new apprentices have been taking over the running of our daily lives on the farm. Last week, we started chores. I was lucky to be put on bread baking, which means my partner and I bake ten loaves of bread twice a week. Luckily, I did a lot of baking the weekend before coming here to the farm, and my fellow bread baker Meredith is more experienced than me and has guided me through the ins and outs of producing a delicious, crusty loaf. Next week us apprentices start cooking. So far, we've had guest chefs, mostly former apprentices who kindly give up a long day of their time to come and prepare delectable and hearty farm fare for us, three meals in a day. Cooking on the farm is no joke: breakfast served at 6:45 AM, then lunch at noon and finally dinner at 6:30. The two cooks do it all. I am both excited and scared when my turn to cook rolls around. I am starting out small and cooking breakfast this Wednesday; the second years are responsible for the rest of that day's meals.
Sometimes, all of this can be a bit daunting. Mostly, it is the transition of living a more solitary life to one that is very communal. I acknowledge that this is a good thing for me, and it is really an incredible opportunity to be able to work, eat, bake bread, sing and brush teeth in the company of a fascinating array of individuals with whom I share the love of plants and growing food. But sometimes it can be overwhelming too and as my time proceeds, I will have to forge a balance between wanting to be around others with the need to spend some time alone.
I will update this post soon with some photos of the farm...
It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Santa Cruz, the sun is shining and a nice ocean breeze blowing up the hill. I am doing some laundry though, trying to expel layers of dust, manure, flour and dishwashing grime out of my farm clothes. I don't mind missing a little sunshine time though since I am outside a lot working, eating, hanging out and brushing my teeth even.
So far, things on the farm are great. Time seems to operate on two levels here. On one hand, it seems to be speeding past, the two weeks I've been here feel like a blink. But on the other hand, life is so full of new people and experiences that hilling leeks, which I did on Friday, seems like ages ago. The farm is also quickly becoming its' own little world. I rarely leave, especially during the week, and since I am without a car, everything feels that much farther away. It's really a wonderful experience being able to live, eat, work, shower, sleep and socialize all in the same place, a drastic shift from the long bike and BART rides that were a big part of my life in the East Bay. Also refreshing is to be able gaze across a verdant green sea of cover crop and then the blue waters of the Monterey Bay beyond every time I walk from my lovely tent cabin to the farm center. It's also wonderful to take an outdoor solar shower after dark and listen to the sounds of the frogs croaking nearby. I am fully aware that I am living in a bubble here on the farm, a world away from the panhandlers and gun shots that were a fact of life in Oakland, especially when I lived in the Fruitvale district, but after being in a place like that, I don't mind being in this bubble, and feeling that much farther from the troubles of the world.
It's been a wet spring here on the Central Coast, which means that everything is a little greener but also that our soils are still too waterlogged to cultivate. The cover crop, which is usually turned in earlier in the spring or even in late winter, still stands tall on the six acres that comprise the 'field', the site where most row crops are cultivated for our CSA program. This means we've been able to concentrate on building compost, feeding and mulching the myriad fruit trees that grow here and doing other smaller tasks that often don't get completed during the frenzied time of spring planting. It also means that when things finally dry up enough, such as on last Monday before the most recent rains swept in, we really hustle to cultivate and plant the beds. Our food supply depends on it.
Slowly, us new apprentices have been taking over the running of our daily lives on the farm. Last week, we started chores. I was lucky to be put on bread baking, which means my partner and I bake ten loaves of bread twice a week. Luckily, I did a lot of baking the weekend before coming here to the farm, and my fellow bread baker Meredith is more experienced than me and has guided me through the ins and outs of producing a delicious, crusty loaf. Next week us apprentices start cooking. So far, we've had guest chefs, mostly former apprentices who kindly give up a long day of their time to come and prepare delectable and hearty farm fare for us, three meals in a day. Cooking on the farm is no joke: breakfast served at 6:45 AM, then lunch at noon and finally dinner at 6:30. The two cooks do it all. I am both excited and scared when my turn to cook rolls around. I am starting out small and cooking breakfast this Wednesday; the second years are responsible for the rest of that day's meals.
Sometimes, all of this can be a bit daunting. Mostly, it is the transition of living a more solitary life to one that is very communal. I acknowledge that this is a good thing for me, and it is really an incredible opportunity to be able to work, eat, bake bread, sing and brush teeth in the company of a fascinating array of individuals with whom I share the love of plants and growing food. But sometimes it can be overwhelming too and as my time proceeds, I will have to forge a balance between wanting to be around others with the need to spend some time alone.
I will update this post soon with some photos of the farm...
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