Week Four of Farming (a tragic goodbye with Chang)!!
Sorry for the later than usual post, I've been caught up in the whirlwind that is graduation! Sydney and I finished working at the farm this Thursday, which was bittersweet. Thursday ended up being the perfect day to finish on, however, because it was so fun! We started with some weeding of cucumber beds for about an hour (which passed by rather quickly) and then were greeted by Patrick and Maureen! We got to give them a tour of La Finquita which was lovely - and saved us from extra weeding :) After they left, we were tasked with preparing milk for Tommy the calf, which was a lot more difficult than anticipated. I realize now I have NO idea what 98 degrees feels like in a liquid, and we ended up heating the mixture up too much. After multiple ice baths and checks from Lyn we finally got to feed Tommy, which was a wonderful way to end our time at La Finquita. After that we packed up and headed to Pumpkin Ridge, to help Polly prepare for market. This consisted of the dreaded dirt scooping but also some fun seeding of cukes, pumpkins, and squash. Overall, it's been such a pleasure working outside these past 4 weeks getting my hands dirty and learning about farm life. I can't recommend this project enough to any student looking to spend some time outdoors, moving around. I not only learned way more about farm life, and improved (slightly) my patience, but also gained the unintended skill of dealing with bugs! And though I cannot speak for Sydney, from my end it was awesome to have a partner on the farm. Talking with her while working made everything worthwhile, even weeding. I'd say that the cohort idea was stellar on Catlin's part, and it should continue to be an option. In any case, I'd say this project was a success and I really hope to visit this summer and maybe harvest some of the vegetables that we planted this month!
Image Info:
Top - Feeding Tommy for the last time :(
Middle - preparing tommy's milk in the outdoor kitchen
Middle #2 - saying goodbye to Chang
Bottom - Me and Syd scooping dirt to fill flats
Tulip, thanks for your blog. I enjoyed following your adventures in farm life, and finding out about your experiences and growth through this project. It makes me wish I could take the last month of school off to work on a farm too! Looking forward to your graduation!!! Wendy
ReplyDeleteIt was so great to visit you and Sydney at the farm, and to see the literal fruits of your labor (plants popping through the soil!). You did amazing work at the farm and it's clear that you've learned so much. I have really appreciated your work on this project, Tulip!
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