House In The Woods CSA Blog

Here is the final excerpt from Jordan’s farming journal about her experience interning and living on the farm for two weeks. Enjoy.

Jordan’s Farming Experience, Part III

Day 7: worked from 8-9:30 (1 ½ hours)

            I woke up and helped milked the goat, which is becoming more frustrating because I can’t seem to get the perfect amount of milk out.  Oh well, if I just keep trying… It’s weird because my right hand is so much better than my left, but as I kept going I started to get the rhythm of it so that was nice.  Then I just came back from watering the greenhouse for an hour, and it was SO cool because a little baby praying mantis landed on my hand!  That was amazing.  Because it’s Sunday, it’s another relaxation day.  After pancakes and watering, I am helping Ilene make homemade strawberry jam!  We used the strawberries we picked yesterday, and just finished one batch.  [We went canoeing for a special break and] I was sitting in the boat thinking how I wish I had this life, and how I hope to someday raise my kids like this.  Everything is always so happy here and relaxed, even though they work hard, they know how to take it easy.  Nothing is ever rushed or hectic, and even though I’ve struggled through working and being tired a lot, I have always stayed content.  Even today when I was watering the greenhouse for an hour, I kept singing.  It was kind of weird to me, but I wanted to sing and see how I felt.  I felt happy, even while being sweaty and hot.  I wish I didn’t have to leave on Friday.  At least I have some more days here (Its Sunday night).

Day 8: worked from 8-3 (7 hours with breaks)

            Milked the goat at 8 today with Ilene, it was great!  She said by the end of the week I will be drinking the milk I milked myself.  I am getting so much better at it and I really love doing it.  Then I went to watering for an hour, which was nice again because it was relaxing but at the end of the watering there was this HUGE jumping spider that was near the plants, so I really didn’t want to finish.  There is a new intern that just started today from University of Maryland, Mike, and he’s really nice.  Together we put in an irrigation system for some of the vegetables.  I also planted another two rows of sunflowers today (I transferred there from the greenhouse) but it is 98 degrees outside and I am basically dying.  We also uncovered the zucchini from the mesh white cover it was under to protect it from bugs, and it was so beautiful after.  Ilene and Phil are having a few friends (and their kids) over for dinner tonight and then to pick strawberries, I look forward to it! 

Day 9: Worked from 7-9 (2 hours)

            Watered the plants earlier this morning, it was fine but I was totally paranoid about spiders.  I woke up to the HUGE spider on the edge of my bed, and basically freaked out.  I’ve gotten used to a lot of things, but giant spiders are still not what I want to see right when I wake up.  Luckily Ilene managed to get it out of my room, but it was seriously the most disgusting thing ever!  I helped milk the goat after watering which was good because I keep getting better at it.  Not perfect at all yet though.  Breakfast is almost ready, and then later today I go to Shannon and BJ’s farm because Ilene and the boys have a busy schedule (just like last Tuesday) so this will be fun.

(After getting back from the farm)

The farm was nice, but it was super hot out so Shannon took me and her little boy, Luke, to get a weed wacker and some ice cream.  I only really worked at her farm for a half hour today, which was great because I couldn’t bare the heat.

Day 10: Worked from 7-9 (2 hours)

            In anticipation of the busy busy busy Thursday and Friday ahead, I’ve had an easy week.  It’s also been too hot to really work on the fields (It’s been a 100 degrees) so instead after my daily routine of learning how to milk a goat and spending an hour watering the greenhouse, Ilene took me and the boys to “park/beach” day with their home school group.  It was really nice because all the home school kids in this particular group, and their moms, meet at a different park every week [during the month of May and the summertime].  This park had a little beach, so all day I sat on a towel, slept, and read.  It was nice to just totally relax, I felt like I was on vacation.

Day 11: Worked from 8-5 (9 hours with breaks)

            I have fallen into routine here, I’ve become comfortable not only in this place, but with this amazing family.  I wish I wasn’t leaving.  This morning I woke up at 8 and helped milk the goat, but this time was different.  I truly milked Avenille, I got almost an entire mason jar full of milk, and it was incredible.  It totally just clicked today.  Then I spent a long relaxing while singing and watering the greenhouse plants, today it took an hour and a half.  Yesterday was really hot, so I have to over water today.  It was a really interesting day; Amanda and Mike were here (the two other interns).  Phil already plowed 6 rows for more vegetables to be transplanted into (the vegetables in the greenhouse) so we put down drip tape that rolled out along all the rows, and then used black cloth over them where the plants will grow out of.  This took literally three hours, and it was really windy but we got it done.  We used special “staple” things that we put into the ground over the cloth to hold it down.  Tomorrow we are going to use a blowtorch to make holes in the cloth so we can transplant the plants into it.  I love being part of this process because I get to see the end product (csa pickup) to the beginning, making rows for the plants. Also, the most beautiful thing happened today.  The plants that we planted five days ago started to germinate today.  They all popped up.  I loved that so much, I planted them all, and I watered them, and I gave them life.  That was very special to witness. 

Day 12: Worked from 8-6 (10 hours)

            My last day, and also CSA day. The day was amazing, because after harvesting everything for the CSA we helped plant the flowers in the black cloth from the day before.  It was really nice to see the whole cycle come together, from watering plants, and me harvesting to me seeding and transplanting plants.  It was beautiful.  After CSA day was over we had a bonfire, and then my aunt picked me up.  It was so hard to leave, but bearable only because I know I will be back every Thursday and Friday.  This was a spectacular day, better than I could have imagined. 

Two days after leaving

Although it is nice to be home, I desperately miss the farm.  The more I reflect on my time there, the more I realized I have never learned so much in my life, or felt so at home and complete.  It was truly a blessing to have been there.  Although I appreciate the lifestyle I have, and know I am very fortunate for everything I have, there is something inside of me that knows this isn’t the right way to live; we are constantly focused on how others perceive us, and would rather spend time caring about ourselves then caring about our environmental impact.  Things are much too fast paced around here.  A large reason why I enjoyed being on the farm was not only what I learned from hard work and farming, but also being able to see a happy family.  My parents have been divorced since I was 9, so this was such a nice thing to see a family so completely happy with each other…  I loved learning from Noah and Jonah, they are so smart and such beautiful children.  They are given so much independence and freedom and truly know how to just enjoy themselves and enjoy nature.  Some kids I know are constantly on their own itouches, and although I love them deeply, they rely on technology (television, computer games, music videos) for entertainment, and don’t eat anything but “fake” food and processed junk food.   [I’ve grown up] being afraid of bugs, being rushed around to different sports growing up, being stuck in a school building all day, shopping for “cute” clothes, and eating bad food… I am finally seeing a way of life that I’ve never been exposed to, yet it’s a way of life that I’ve secretly craved for so long.  Now that I have seen such a simplistic and beautiful way of living, it is all I can think about.  I hope the rest of my journey in life revolves around the beauty of food and nature and finding happiness without conforming to what is socially acceptable or socially right.  I wish to free myself of everything I know and pursue my dreams of traveling, opening my eyes to many different ways of living, and to one day have a farm of my own where I can teach and learn from other people, as well as maybe even have my own CSA one day and help nourish others with completely organic and local food.  I hope that I can help change this world through showing that we must help nourish our planet rather than destroy it.  But the most important message I learned while being on the farm, was to be proud of who I am, and to always be myself because it is all I have.  Ilene, Phil, and the boys opened my eyes to a way of life that makes more sense than anything I have ever known.  My senior project was the best experience I have ever had so far, and will carry the lessons I have learned from working on a farm forever.  I am forever grateful. 

 Note from Ilene:

This internship was of Jordan’s design, to fulfill her final high school senior project for her graduation from The McLean School. She was graded on her choice of internship activity, her journal, and her presentation to the senior class and all the teachers of the upper school. Jordan was one of two students in her class to receive highest honors.

Here’s Part II of our farm intern’s experiences on the farm.

Jordan’s Farming Experience

Day 4: Worked from 8-4 pm (with breaks)

            I forgot to mention yesterday because I was too tired, but I harvested 30 lbs of garlic scapes, and we all took them (including some tomato plants) to the Common Market to sell.  This was quite the experience because I got to see the full circle of the farm: starting from planting the food, to selling it to others to eat.  I loved this fulfilling experience because I really got to understand what it meant to be a farmer.  On another note, today I woke up and watered plants for around an hour and a half.  Watering today was really relaxing.  I also got to see some of the seeds growing, and the progress of them was amazing!  I feel fortunate to have witnessed their growth.  After that I harvested strawberries for the CSA tomorrow.  Even though I worked really hard today: tried to milk the goat, picked some eggs, watered plants, planted sunflowers, and harvested strawberries, I had a really fun day hanging out with the whole family and getting my hands dirty!  Plus, the most important thing:  I ate chicken today for the first time in two years!  How exciting.

Day 5: Worked from 8-6 p, (with breaks)

            The CSA was today!  I don’t think I will ever forget the experience.  We started harvesting at 9 and didn’t finish until 6.  It was so amazing though.  We got to see all the customers for CSA come out and get their vegetables, and it was so wonderful to see everyone so happy to just be there, and show their kids around, and everyone was so friendly.  I loved seeing the whole experience and being part of it, and harvesting the vegetables was even fun, especially because Amanda (the intern) was there.  She is coming every Thursday and Friday for the next ten weeks in order to get school credit, and she lives in Rockville so we decided that I am going to come also, even after senior projects.  I am really excited about this because even though it’s hard work, I’m not ready to really leave the farm.  I love it here too much. Basically, I had a blast today and enjoyed seeing the whole cycle of food: from field to customer.  It was also really nice today because I Ilene, Phil, and Noah and Jonah are so much fun to be with, and I feel like I’m learning so much about our food system and how crazy it really is!  I wouldn’t pass up this experience for anything in the world.

Day 6: Worked from 1-2:30 and from 3:00-4:00 pm

            Today was a lazy day because it is Saturday.  I was exhausted all day from the business of yesterday; my body is sore and tired.  However, this morning Noah, Phil, and I played around a two hour game of monopoly which was so much fun!  I loved seeing Noah get so excited about winning.  Afterward Phil and I went out to the greenhouse to seed some plants, which took around an hour and a half.  That was a little hard just because I was so tired today and it was hot out, but it wasn’t horrible.  Later in the day I helped pick strawberries, but I realized I forgot to eat lunch and cut the strawberry-picking short because I was starving.  I’m still super tired tonight, and all I am thinking about is sleep, but I enjoyed having a nice relaxing day.  I feel bad for not helping out that much though!

FARM INTERNS SPEAK…in this category I will present the writings of interns on the farm. Here, Jordan shares her experience. She’ll keep you posted again soon on how her farming experience continues through the two weeks that she spends with us.

Jordan’s Farming Experience

For my two-week senior project, I could have chosen anything in the world to do.  My friends are painting furniture, the other two are cooking together, and two others are traveling to New York to restaurant hop.  All though all of these things sound interesting, I decided I wanted to live and work on a farm. Why?  Because no matter what we do in life, everything still revolves around food; food that comes from a farm.  I want to strive to be as environmentally conscious as I can be, and I think that starts with immersing myself in farming and learning how to get my hands dirty and be around food without having to go to a grocery store to get it.  This is my two-week experience of a suburban raised teenager who hates bugs going to live on a farm.

Day 1: Worked from 12-6 (with breaks of course)

             I got dropped off here at 12 noon today.  This is a culture shock already, but a lovely one.  The farm was thriving with rows and rows of vegetables, and wonderful animals like cows, chickens, and goats.  There is even a huge greenhouse here for the seedlings and other plants.  When I got to the farm, I was sent to pick strawberries with Noah and Jonah.  This was really fun, and a great way to get to know the kids.  After that I was sent to help weed potatoes.  This might sound easy, but it was hard for me.  I wasn’t used to all the bugs around me, bending down for a long time, or the heat of the sun.  Needless to say, I got sunburn on my shoulders.  Even though it was difficult, I really enjoy the experience.  I was able to relax, ease my mind, and get into a weeding rhythm.  At the end of the day Ilene took me to yoga class, which was great because I was definitely sore and tired from weeding all day.  Even though it was difficult at first, I became even more excited about this challenge and the beautiful farm. 

Day 2: Worked from 7-6 (with breaks)

             This was an exciting day, because it was the first night I slept over.  I woke up early to help Phil with the chores: we moved the chicken’s house, got eggs, watched a goat being milked, and spent around an hour or hour and a half watering the plants in the greenhouse.  At first this was fun, but then got a little tedious, as it was really hot out.  Even still, it was nice to clear my mind once again and relax by having this routine.  I really enjoyed being around the plants.  After breakfast I went to pick some more strawberries so we could freeze them, which was nice because I ate some while picking.  After all the morning chores Ilene dropped me off at her friend’s farm because she had errands to run that day.  It was really nice to get a whole other farm’s perspective and to see how not all farms are the same.  I really enjoyed working on this farm as well, but was excited to get back to Ilene’s and be with her family.  I was exhausted when I got back, and once I was in bed I fell right asleep.  That was a tiring day!

Day 3: Worked from 8-4 (with breaks)

             This was a quieter day.  I woke up at 8 to watch (and try myself) a goat being milked.  I can’t get over what an amazing experience this is.  I love the animals here!  Afterward, Phil brought me into the field to pick 30 pounds of garlicscapes.  That was a lot of hard work, because I was in the fields for around three hours, and had to keep going back to the veggie shed to empty the bucket I was given.  This was a challenging day because I was sore from the previous two days, and the heat was almost unbearable.  I somehow managed through all the picking and ended up really enjoying my alone time.  I find that even though farming is hard, it is also relaxing.  The one thing I have noticed the most though about farm life, is that even though there are many chores to be done, I never feel rushed or chaotic.  Everything here moves in a slower pace compared to the city, and I think that is one of the reasons I am so attracted to this lifestyle.  So far I can say that my time on the farm has been a worthwhile experience and that I already feel like a different person.