Week One

So far, SO GOOD. We have stacks of books and articles, shiny new tools (sanded, oiled, and sharpened ourselves), and about 45 new friends! Guy jokingly calls them such beautiful people. But really, the goodwill and motivation of each individual involved with this apprenticeship is something for which we already have a deep, mutual reverence. We come from a variety of locations and backgrounds, yet share a common purpose: that all should be nourished well – people and planet – by maintaining natural balances. Food is beautiful, and the processes involved in its creation should be no less so.

We are here to learn. The staff and second-year apprentices (seven folks who help us navigate both work and community life) have made it quite clear that our first priority should be to gain knowledge and skills while taking good care of our bodies. I have found it a relief to switch gears after a few years of high-pressure labor at Even’ Star Farm, though it’s taking a bit of mental rewiring.

Here is a sample day’s schedule:

6:45 AM – Breakfast (Ex: butternut squash quick bread, scrambled eggs, sautéed swiss chard and onions)

8:00 AM-12:00 PM – Morning work session or lecture & demonstration

12:00 PM – Lunch (Ex: yellow daal, curried spinach, whole wheat chapattis, and yogurt) and chores

2:00-6:00 PM – Afternoon work session in the field or garden

6:30 PM – Dinner (Ex: brown rice, chili, salad with meyer lemon and tahini dressing, and cornbread)

If there was a trace of doubt in anyone’s mind about whether they are in the right place, then Friday afternoon surely expelled it. After hours of chopping cover crop with spades, layering it with horse manure and food scraps into six 125-cubic foot lasagnas of compost, the 4:00 Cookie Fairy came around with a tray full of homemade baklava (because it’s layered like a compost cube!). Talk about a morale booster. Not that spirits were low to begin with…everyone seems pretty happy here all the time. When is it my turn to be cookie fairy?!

Mer