Ratatouille.

Thursday night was one of those evenings where it seems that everything is going comically wrong and you have absolutely no choice but to embrace it. Dan went out of town for two days, which was just long enough for insanity to ensue. I returned home exhausted from my holiday shopping only to find a little gift on the rug from one of the dogs, which was my first clue that something had gone wrong. After letting the dogs back in from their walk, foxy denied my treat, which was the next red flag. Then I noticed that her stomach was HUGE. I am talking pregnant-with-ten-puppies-and-due-tomorrow huge.

(This is the aerial view of the pear shaped fox)

I immediately investigated the dog food and discovered that the lid had come off the Sadie's food container. Ut-oh. Inside I found a large crater where foxy had helped herself to at least 10 cups of food. With-in minutes of this discovery, she threw up about 2 cups of food that looked like it never even made it down, which meant she still had about 8 cups in her belly. After consulting with my dog expert (Jenn Scales), I confirmed that she would survive the event but that it would result in on very upset tummy.

I decided to stay up late watching a movie so I could keep an eye on her, which was a good thing because she needed lots of walks. By the time we got to the second movie, it was already 2am. As I was loading a new movie, I heard something moving around in our utility closet area. Having been silently at war with a small furry home intruder for weeks, I knew that my time had come to spot the suspect. I grabbed both dogs by the collar and slowly led them towards the sound. When I turned the corner, I was face to face with a large rat! He had brazenly come out, thinking that the coast was clear but to his disappointment, I was ready for action. I immediately yelled for the dogs to get him and the chase began! The rat ran so fast it didn't seem like it even had feet and before we knew it, it had found a temporarily safe haven. I soon realized that this was going to be a hands-on endeavor, so I put on my rain boots (I didn't want him touching my toes!) and grabbed a broom. Before I knew it I was moving furniture, screaming in a giddy voice for the dogs to "GET IT!!" while pointing to his new escape route, throwing pillows, lifting up couches/beds, and running from room to room like a lunatic (I can only imagine what my upstairs neighbors thought). At one point, the rat panicked at with no other choice but the dog's mouths, he threw himself onto the top of my boot which resulting in me screaming like a kid on a roller coaster and running for my life. In my panic, I hit foxy in the face with the broom and she immediately hid from me. In the commotion, he made a v-line for the kitchen and to our great disappointment, he disappeared into a hole in the wall behind the oven. I stuffed the hole with tin foil (its all I could find in a pinch) and decided to call it a night.

I put foxy's collar and leash on and attached her to me so I could get some sleep without worrying about her having an accident. I awoke an hour later to the sound of her whining, so I threw my legs over the bed, took a step and whoooooops, I slipped in her mess, almost went down but thankfully managed to land back on the bed. Ick. So much for not going in the house. I washed myself, her, and the floor. I felt that I had earned another cup of tea, so I walked into the kitchen but when I turned on the light, a kamikaze rat flew threw the air and dove under the table. Cue boxing ring bell.

ROUND 2! My boots went back on, I shook Sadie out of her slumber, coaxed Foxy to trust me with the broom and we were off again. This time the dogs went bananas! Sadie's jaw was shaking with excitement as I pointed at the Rat's every move and she dove for him. He tried the chimney, the filing cabinet, laundry piles, and dressers but the dogs were on his tail. I thought for sure we had him but he pulled a Houdini in the closet and was no where to be found (trust me, I took everything out.) My best guess is the slight gap between the flooring, the wall, and the baseboard in the back corner, but I will never know.

By the time we finished it was well after 4 am and I took the dogs out for a last walk. We were all high on rat-chase adrenaline and the air was crisp, so it was a nice outing. When we got home, we piled back into warm cozy bed and all fell asleep immediately. The next morning I awoke to find no more accidents in the house and two very tired dogs. While I went around the house fortifying all of the rat escape/entrance routes with wood, the dogs slept without stirring.

So now foxy is back to her original size, the dogs think I am a golden god for providing them a live chase, and hopefully the rat has given up living with a crazy person with rat obsessed dogs that will stop at nothing to catch him in the middle of the night.

Sustainable Agriculture Conference

This is a picture college from the Sustainable Agriculture Conference I attended in Winston Salem, NC courtesty of Lowcountry Local First's Growing New Farmers program. It was fantastic! I went on two tours, took several classes, ate tons of fresh local veggies, met great people, played in the snow, hung out with my grandma, and helped plant a tree!

Thankful.

Although many people have begun associating Thanksgiving with extra vacation days, excessive eating and discounted consumerism, I still like to focus on the thankful aspect.

So perhaps my year was full of twists and turns down roads I never expected but along the journey there have been delights, silver linings, and so much love. While it is easier to wallow in the disappointments and what-ifs, I think it is far more productive to embrace the hard lessons I have learned and focus on wrapping myself up in the warm fuzzies that I have experienced.


I am thankful for all of the people in my life. For their willingness to love me unconditionally, to accept me for who I am and who I want to be, and all of the support they provide. The fact that my friends are all ages and from all different backgrounds speaks volumes about the ability of others to accept me into their world. On top of having great friends, I also have the kind of family that will come into town and spend the whole time helping me with my job and actually enjoying it. And even more, my boyfriend was willing to add 3 hours of driving time to our trip to help me rescue an injured owl because he knew how much it matters to me. It is these people that make it worth it and their presence in my life that makes every day possible.

I am thankful for having a sound mind and body. So what if I am allergic to everything and have the stomach of a 60 year old... I am healthy enough to pursue my passions and live the active lifestyle that I love. Whether it is genetic, spiritual, or a result of my unique upbringing, I am lucky to have a mix of book and street smarts that has gotten me far.

I am thankful for all of the opportunities that I have been given. Construction Worker, Graduate student, College Recycling Coordinator, Student activist, Program Manager, Cyclist, Case worker, Farmer, Executive Director...just in the last four years. If I keep this up, I will be able to host my own career day expo and a never ending stream of stories to entertain with!

I am thankful for all of the small things. My dog making me laugh out loud, living near the water, sunsets, the smell of tea olive trees, singing out loud to a good song, hot tea, slow-dancing, discovering the broccoli is ready to harvest, learning random facts, and falling asleep on a full sized bed with Dan and both dogs.

I am thankful to live in a place that allows me to post my feelings on a public blog, where I can vote, protest, live on my own, practice any religion I chose, and live without fear of guerilla warfare in my backyard but instead, raise chickens!

There is so much more than I am thankful for... it would take a lifetime to list it all. I hope everyone takes time, if only a moment, to think of how much they have to be thankful for and maybe, just maybe, tell someone else.

Today I had two chefs order 10 pounds of rutabaga.... but I assumed that perhaps they would like more than one. So I went back in the field and harvested more reasonably sized roots. But alas, I did not want this glorious specimen to go to waste.

So I cleaned up my new friend along with the others and then I introduced him to the rest of the farm.

But just when I thought I had a farming ally, my new rooted friend takes my job as the tractor driver! I guess in this economy, its hard for everyone to find jobs... even rutabagas.

Made to Order.

Standing in his field full of crops that he intends solely for donation, Charleston's most generous man shows off his beautiful purple top turnips.

I have had the pleasure of spending the last few weeks out on Wadmalaw Island on the property of a man I shall call Farmer John. We connected through an organized gleaning but he is becoming a regular fixture in my life. He is so genuine, giving, and funny that its hard to stay away! Today I brought one of my friends out with me to visit the property and we were treated to a tour of a number of other farm properties. For anyone that does not have a lot of farm experience, it might seem if all farms are probably pretty similar. The reality is, that every farmer has their own style and every property has its own unique features. I could visit every farm in SC and probably never get bored. One may have a three acre long irrigation pond, the other relies only on rain. Some have animals, others are strictly vegetables. One farmer only grows tomatoes, another every vegetable possible. Organic, conventional, or a mix of both. Most of them will tell you that they way they farm is "the right way"- convinced that they have perfected the exact seed source, planting time, irrigation schedule, pest control, harvesting technique, and packing material. At any given time I have been told it is not possible to grow corn, citrus, pumpkins, bananas, or peaches in Charleston but I have seen them all here. I was told it is not possible to grow organically here but I have worked on two successful organic farms AND those farms are nothing a like. Clearly what works and possible for one person on their land can be drastically different with a different farmer on another property. That is one thing I am really starting to love about farming- that it is a custom operation. You can grow what you want, how you want, and give it to whoever you want.

If I had a farm, it would be designed using the principles of permaculture, with a little bit of everything, and animals galore. I would do it out of love and just like Farmer John, I would give what I could to those in need. Until then, I will continue to learn from the genius, creativity, and ingenuity of the farmers that have spent their life finding their own way.

Chasing Arrows.

A mentor once told me that the choices I am making today should be aligned like the stem of an arrow that points toward its eventual target, my long-term goals. This appealed to me because it implied an element of control. Control...that is something I often find myself clutching to with white knuckles. All I have to do is plot out short, medium, and long range goals, shoot my arrow and then start making decisions that will help me to connect the dots until, voila! I am on target!!

I strung my bow when I was young.... I was going to be a marine biologist. Then I spent time training, studying, and getting to know those in the field. Nope. Not for me. It was a young arrow, so I was not worried. I restrung my bow with the hopes of being an Environmental Educator and shot my arrow into the world with three years of interning and a degree. Who doesn't want to play outside for a living? I did... but my job was more politics and paperwork than anything. So I decided to set my bow down and picked up a hammer to build Habitat homes and reflect on what "more" I needed. I let this experience shift my direction into that of a working academic.

This time, I triple strung my bow with classes, construction, and activism. I was going to cast out multiple arrows, just to be safe. Ahh, but the winds of change blew hard during that round. My body let me know that something was wrong- no more wheat, dairy, or alcohol. Meanwhile, a friendship of ten years crumbled and a relationship of three years followed shortly after. Then my advisor left... taking my motivation to continue the pursuit of a published thesis with her. One arrow seemed strong and I threw my hopes into continuing in the sustainable building field. But alas, I had already given away the milk for free and that arrow too fell short of the enviable goal as I was put out to pasture. Quite literally.

So here I stand, my arm sore and my bow worn, but with no other choice, I string another arrow. I want to put hope into the life of farming. Oh, to be able to combine my love of helping people with my passion for cultivation! But this time I am jaded and wary. All I can see is the financial insecurity: working dozens of side jobs, having to re-fill my ulcer medication with my credit card, and continuing to live on food stamps. I am an expert archer but I cannot seem to hit my target.

In the last few months I have had so many of my friends and family say things like "I just can't keep up with you!" "What are you doing these days anyway?" "I've given up trying to figure out what you want to do." I am sure most people think I am just loving every second of my wild adventures, especially because it seems as though I am actively choosing to restring my bow. I love the experiences that I have had, the people that I have met, and the opportunities put before me. If I could go back, I don't think I would change anything. Yet as much as I love a good adventure, I have been stringing my bow to find stability and full-fulfillment, not excitement. I did not plan on living this dizzying lifestyle. I feel like I planned to go on a three month road trip that turned into a five year pilgrimage.

I just want to stop moving so I can appreciate the things around me. Imagine being a person that is constantly changing direction; with every new change, you must put forth more effort, heart, and hopes. In the end, I feel like I never have time or energy for the little things in my life that I cherish so much. I want to spend time with my friends and family. I want to make a quilt, ride my bike for pleasure, write letters, cook injera, learn bonsai, have my own chickens, learn how to play the bones, study Spanish, use my kayak, go diving, or maybe even just take an unnecessary nap.

Soon I will be down to one low-wage part-time job that I want so desperately to become a full-time position than does more than just make ends meet. Although I am tired of chasing arrows, I am hedging my bets on this one little arrow- my hopes riding on the tips of its feathers.

As I watch it fly, I will do what I always do, which is try to delight in the journey. I am so thankful I have such supportive and loving people around me to ease the falls and join in on the adventures that inevitably ensue. As always, I know it will be interesting to say the least.

Jumping in Feet First.

Things are rolling right along with the new job, new farm, new house, and new roomate. My Director position with Fields to Families has been keeping me happily busy but most of all, it has been great practice in the art of letting go. Since I can only work 20 hours a week, I have to simply embrace that I cannot finish it all and know that it will be waiting for me the following week. Yet even with the time contraints, I am already feeling pretty productive. Beyond the general office work, email checking, and call returning, I have also helped with the Day of Caring event (click the pic below to see all the action)...

as well as working the Farmer's Market pick-ups...

and attended the volunteer appreciation party...

On the days that I am not working with F2F, I am back on the farm... working in McClellandville, SC on Thornhill farms. It is a beautiful organic farm that also serves as a host site for Adaptive Gardens and McCrady's Garden. As part of the Growing New Farmers "Grower's Group" program, we actually ended up on the farm for a lesson and some dinner.

Matt Frye picking some Red Russian Kale

McCrady's Sean Brock working the filets. If only I ate fish. Damn.

In addition to all of this, I spend my nights slowly unpacking boxes and moving myself in. Daniel and I found a place together by Hampton Park that is perfect for us... the apartment is spacious and bright but most importantly it has an epic backyard. I just borrowed a tiller from Lowcountry Community Gardens and in the next week we will have the beginnings our own urban farm! What can I say... I love playing in the dirt :-)

Hurricane of Spice.

“Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor”- William Cowper

The winds of change are so strong these days it is starting to feel like a hurricane (Luckily, not a real one like Earl).

(Winds of Change at Thackery Farm)

The last month I have been juggling so many random jobs and trying to plan for the next few months of my life, that I have a hard time knowing what is next in my world, so I am sure that those of you around me are equally as baffled as to what direction I am heading next.

Here is a picture summary of the last few weeks:

Foxy chillin at the Farmers Market

Sarah and Beach Watering the Bogarden (I was their nanny).

Cloud watching on my way to a gardening job.

Admiring good stickers while walking the doggles.

Chicken coop I built for Joseph Fields, complete with
Kilwins Ice Cream bucket nesting boxes.

Here is the latest and greatest.

As of yesterday, I am now the Director of Fields to Families. What is that? Nikki got a job... in her field... in Charleston?!? Yes, yes I did. But reign in that excitement. While it is uber exciting and full of potential, I will still only be working 20 hours to start off until I can raise some funds for a full-time salary. Bring on the grants. So yes, I will still be working at least two jobs.

What does this mean for my Apprenticeship? Well, I will be shifting to 20 hours a week but still working up in Thornhill Farms in McClellandville. My main role will be harvesting and selling produce for the farm but I will also be working with LLF closely on partnerships between our organizations.

Since most of my time will be spent in Mt. Pleasant and downtown, it doesn't really make sense for me to live on the farm, so Dan and I just got a place on the peninsula. We will be close to Hampton Park and according to Dan, we can try to score a tandem bike so we can bike the bridge together (since he knows that I cannot make it over without walking my bike). I can see it now.

Ahhh... the spice of life.

Stay tuned...

Highs and Lows.

I have had this quote on my facebook for a while and it is more true now than ever. "I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center." -Kurt Vonnegut

Although I am a little exhausted from the extreme shift in highs and lows, I am not sure if I would be any happier in the middle.

High: House sitting job that comes with this view...

Low: Billy-the-goat died Friday. Cleveland let me cry on his shoulder and then helped me bury my little friend in true farm style, with a backhoe. I had to leave work early and I couldn't bring myself to come back until Monday. He will be missed. I am thankful for him teaching me so much about goats, I just wish I had learned it all before it was too late.

High: A whole weekend off (this is a rarity for me)...starting with a house-cooling party... I somehow managed to have zero pics of this fantastical day but close your eyes and imagine a steady flow of friends, dogs, and children... swimming, playing lawn games, sharing food, and laughing. Then Dan and I spent Sunday making food, sharing drinks, swimming, playing video games, and napping.

Low: Medical Bills.

High: Storm-clouds heavy with much needed rain.

Low: Temperatures up to 100 degrees with 100% humidity and heat index up to 120 degrees.

High: Dan got free tickets to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes...

And why not one more High: Best email subject line ever... thanks to my awesome Mom...

Freeeeedom!

http://www2.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/wild_chickens_roam_georgetown_streets/228853/#comments

Goat Update

Some of you are wondering how Mr. Billy is doing... and I am still not really sure. He has been hiding out in the chicken A-frame shelter, hiding underneath the roosting bars for the past two days, as seen above. Twice a day, every day, I force him to get out and walk around, drink water, and try to eat. Yesterday, Kipp from Burden Creek Dairy came over and gave him once over. His rectal area is extremely inflamed which is clearly making him uncomfortable but he does not have a fever or diarrhea, so there is a little hope. His stomach area is also still swollen but I realized that he might have a urine blockage. Since I needed feed and supplies anyway, I headed out to Tractor Supply where the manager Durwood showed me some basic vitamin "drenches" to give the goats as well as a great website: www.tennesseemeatgoats.com. After talking to a few locals, I found a woman named Casey Price that is with Jeremiah Goat and Dairy on Johns Island. What a wonderful, intelligent, goat loving woman!! She was extremely helpful in talking me through the symptoms and invited me right out to her farm to give me some tools to help the goat. After a lot of discussion, we decided that the most likely problem is Urinary Calculi which is basically a blockage in the urethra. Unfortunately, it is a little late in the game to be diagnosing this and ammonium chloride can help in the early stages but he may already have a severe blockage and need veterinarian assistance. He is still eating and drinking which is good, except if he has a blockage and continues to drink, his bladder could explode! I cannot handle this helplessness! Here is a diagram of the male system:

The crazy part about goats is that they were one of the first domesticated animals and are currently raised for milk, meat, and skin in almost every country but there are few people in the United States that are professionally trained in medically treating goats. In Charleston County there is only one vet that handles goats and most people do not use him because of the costs. Everyone I have talked to has taught themselves and learned from experience which is crazy considering the goats often suffer. There is a 90% chance that my goats illness is due to uninformed care taking... just today I learned that I should not be giving them corn, too much (if any) feed with molasses, peaches (or any pit fruit), and that they need baking soda/salt mixtures out in their pen. Apparently branches, leaves, and bark are suppose to be their main food (of which I have been given them zero) and they are forages partially to regulate their stomach. They don't even have teeth on the top of their mouths since they are not grazers! Goats are susceptible to so many kinds of diseases, I don't know why people would ever keep them as pets unless they had some kind of training or experience handling them first. This is definitely becoming one hell of a learning experience.

Goats with bloat.

Billy, Peanut and Bob (Black, Tan, White).

Every morning I spend an hour or more playing with my three darling goats at Josephs. I never have quite enough time to build them the palace they deserve but I try to spoil them with greens and horse feed. Sadly, my little guy Billy hasn't been feeling so good. When I came in on Saturday he didn't come running with the other two and just stood wobbling looking a little drunk. By the time I got into the pen, he had laid down and was coughing. His little tummy is so bloated I feel like he might pop! I have spent the last three days trying to figure out what is wrong and what I can do to help him. The kind folks at Burden Creek Dairy have been helping diagnose and treat the little guy...but its still a mystery. Taking care of goats is so intimidating because there is so much that can go wrong. I have to admit I considered taking him home so I could check on him during the night so I won't stay up thinking about him. Hopefully he will pull through, so keep your fingers crossed for my little darling goat friend!

Articles to Share.

Here is a little ditty about women in farming:

http://www.rodale.com/women-farming?page=0%2C0

Where are all the farmers?

My new favorite magazine:

http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/

City Farms in Detroit

And finally, if you are in the south and looking for a great Newsletter... check out this one.

Playing catch-up

Sadie, the goat whisperer.

Obviously I do not have a lot of time these days to sit down and write, which is unfortunate, because I have so much to share. The past few months have been a time of change, adventure, learning, and the occasional hurdle. Alas, I am forced to try and fit many weeks of stories into a handful of entries :-) In an attempt to get things rolling I will start with a little bullet point action.

Things I have learned, in no particular order:
- radish seed pods are tasty when they are fresh
- it is next to impossible to get a student loan forbearance without excessive amounts of paperwork, some determination, and A LOT of patience. This also applies for food stamps (now called SNAP benefits). In the end, I got them both. YEAHYA.
- rutabaga and turnips look almost identical to the untrained eye (and yes, I sold "baby turnips" to some chefs without any of us knowing any better.)
- chickens LOVE melons
- sharp knives ARE more dangerous than dull ones when applied to your finger. So, when you are hosting a baby shower and the mother-to-be is taking a pre-party nap, do not try to cut tomatoes with freshly sharpened knives, because you will cut your finger to the bone and end up at an urgent care. See picture from last post.
-my dog will fetch random over-sized vegetables and toss them into the air and sometimes hitting herself, which in turn makes the field workers laugh
- tomatoes exposed to irregular watering will lose calcium and develop blossom end rot.
- the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo books are addictive. I am on the last one and I would read it while driving, showering, eating, and working if possible.
- the amount of edible flowers and "weeds" is unreal
- part of my endless stomach problems have been caused by stomach ulcers (after an endoscopy and colonscopy).
- anesthesia from said procedure made me laugh uncontrollably as I was going under and apparently I grabbed a nurses arm while he was trying to put the oxygen tube in my nose and said " Isn't this HILARIOUS?". I mean, why are there not more comedies centered around colonoscopy and endoscopy? Apparently they are a hoot :-)
- cutting a goat's hoof is not as scary as I thought, but still very intimidating
- there is a dwarf pig that is not potbelly but something with a mohawk (they have them at Legare Farm... and I want one
- no one works harder than a farmer. Seriously. My boss is up at dawn and awake till midnight. He drives to Columbia, Asheville, and Savannah every week to sell his produce while also working six local markets. Pick, prep, pack, load, unload, sell, re-load, unload, maintenance, planting, and repeat. Six days a week.

So thats is just a brief list to cover a few points. A lot of people have been checking in with me lately because I have once again started to disappear. The reality is, the program I am in only pays me enough to cover a minimal part of my bills, so I spend a lot of my time working other jobs. I garden, I babysit, and I build things. The program also has me in a class called FastTrack for first time entrepreneurs, which is phenomenal, but the homework is yet another responsibility that I find myself juggling. While I am learning something new almost everyday, I feel like I have learned very little about actual plants and farm animals, so moving forward I am going to actively seek resources to learn about cultivation. I have been making contact with a number of people that I want to learn from and so far, so good. Hopefully in the near future I will be learning more about chicken manure, propagation, grafting, soil treatment, pest control, indicators, and even sheering sheep.

As far as my "plan for the future", well, that is a work in progress. The other day, I sat at lunch with two of my favorite ladies, as we discussed the complexities of life in your late twenties. All three of us are hard working, driven, well educated women with the ambition to take over world, but all of us find that we are simply lacking the opportunity. The same conversation has taken place amongst a few of my other friends that also find themselves working themselves to the bone for meager wages and no job security. Are we all victim to a bad economy? Is it self inflicted? Is our inability to settle causing us more harm than good? What is the "right" choice, job, or city? And in the end... who the hell keeps getting the jobs I want?

When faced with growing debt, I ultimately have to make decisions that are financially sound but I know myself well enough to know that I will never settle for a well paying job I hate. My currently temporary solutions for the near future include being a nanny, building farm buildings, and working farmers markets. So these are not exactly resume goldmines but for my personal health, sanity, and bank account, they are the best options at this point. In the meantime I will celebrate the wealth that I have in my family, boyfriend, and friends while enjoying the ride :-)

Photo journal

Sadie and Peanut about to knock me over...

Joseph and I

Jill and I building a shed.

My finger all wrapped up for work... I tried to cut it off while dicing tomatoes.

Squash field.

Dr. Seuss Turnip.

a whole new world.

What the? Where did the last month go? Its all a blur of strawberries, beans, onions, and dirt. Needless to say, we are not growing computers with wireless internet, so I have not exactly had a lot of access to upload my thoughts and pics.

So what the heck have I been doing?

Every day I step into my new office...aka...Joseph Fields Farm on River Rd (much roomier than the cubicles and shared office spaces I had gotten used to). My co-workers are all splitting up into their individual tasks for the morning: picking, packing, planting, weeding, watering and well... the list could go on infinitely. The staff is a mix of local Johns Islanders, Mexicans, and Guatemalans plus myself and two others that are directly involved in selling to chefs. Most people have a pretty regular schedule and know their jobs when they arrive, with the biggest factor being what to harvest, which field, and with whom.

Joseph Fields, my new boss.

At some point I get been pulled into one of the above listed jobs...

When I work with the field workers, I pick first thing in the morning then wash and pack the produce for one of seven markets and dozens of clients. Half of my thoughts are lost on how to translate my conversation into Spanish and the other half are focused on mastering the art of quick picking. What exactly am I picking, you wonder? Well, what is in season of course :-) Right now that is peas, strawberries, all kinds of greens, turnips, carrots, onions, and broccoli.

As the weeks progress I find myself harvesting specialty items on my own...quietly working my way down the field listening to the sounds of the farm. Last week I found myself surrounded with rows of English peas, cheering on ladybugs as they hunted aphids...the glory of organic farming!


When I am not picking, I am shadowing the rest of the crew in various jobs. So far I have: planted potatoes, weeded, helped lay plastic and irrigation line (tractor attachment to the right), shelled peas, learned a little arc welding, built a play table for the goats, painted some signs, worked the farmers markets, gone on deliveries, and given quick tutorials on the farming equipment. Everyday is different from the previous, which makes my weeks pass quickly.

The one constant in my days is the animals. Since I was gravitating towards them every morning anyways, I have inherited critter duty. I could spend all day feeding peas to the chicks, scratching behind the ears of my favorite three-legged goat(left), and trying to convince the lone friendly rooster "Roy" to let me pick him up.

The hardest part would be getting into the laying coop...oh how those roosters (fighting cocks, really) protect their ladies. Sweet jesus, they are mean. Joseph said he picked two varieties that are known to fearlessly fight to the death against ANY predator. We are talking lethal, bloody thirsty, fighting machines. Okay, so maybe I am over exaggerating, but they are nasty little birds. Regardless, just imagine stepping into a five by ten room and having two 5 pound flying, spur happy, pecking birds coming at your legs and head simultaneously. Meanwhile, you are simply trying to provide them food and water (how predatory of me). Joseph confidently strides in with a one by one tomato stake and pushes these birds around with finesse. Meanwhile, if they see me coming near the door, they will rush it, ready to attack.

Doesn't he just look mean?

Last week, I opened the door only to have one fly straight at my head and escape. I slammed the coop door before the rest followed and with no defense, I had no choice but to run. Yes, I ran...all the way to the house. And that little punk chased me (they are really fast by the way) all the while I was screaming for Joseph like a five year old yells for her father. I stopped running when I heard the sound of chickens fighting and turned to see Roy, my friendly rooster, defending my honor! I was so proud of my little voice-cracking, outcast, little bird friend. He continued to protect me while Joseph and his wife corralled the nasty one back into the coop. Since then, I have not attempted to re-enter the coop... I will leave that to Joseph. Instead I spoil Roy, the chicks, and my lovely goats.

Roy, my hero, stands guard in front of the coop.
(I think he is quite handsome.)

Farming Apprentice: Week One

Moving forward, there is a good chance that I will also be doing a blog for Lowcountry Local First that is exclusively on the farming program, at which point I will continue with this blog while also linking to the farming one. In the meantime, I am simply going to share it all here as I have been :-)

Today marks the first week of my working in the program and so far we have focused on paperwork, getting to know each other, and figuring out the program. Here is the daily breakdown for the past few days:

Monday: Johns Island for Field's Farm tour in the AM and Rosebank Farm tour in the PM
Tuesday: Beaufort for Habbersham's Community Farm tour
Wednesday: Mcclellandville for Our Local Foods/Thornhill farm tour
Thursday: West Ashley and Charleston to meet with all seven restaurants including: Med Bistro, Al Di La, Glass Onion, McGrady's, Fig, Monza, and Fish.

Here are some pics from Wednesday at Our Local Foods:

Everyday we also take time to talk about logistics, funding, and schedules since this truly is a pilot program. It is really interesting coming into a new program in which you are able and expected to be a part of the decision making and development team. I am one of three apprentices- all of which have very different backgrounds. My last few months has been spent running a program, case working, and starting a garden. Matt graduated from CofC last spring with an English degree, decided to stay around and work in restaurants while working in his garden. Josh had been working as an Engineer in Orlando, FL but wanted an opportunity to get into organic farming, so he quit his job and moved here. Needless to say, we all have something different to the table.

We will all live with each other at some point in the house on Johns Island but there is always one apprentice living on the farm in McClellandville. Regardless, we will see each other every Thursday when we bring all of our produce together to sort and deliver. In addition to the apprentices, there is also Elizabeth who is running the Sustainable Ag program and Julie who is helping her specifically with the pilot. We have been spending our days squished together in cars at at tables for the last week and it seems as though our personalities weave together quite nicely.

From this point, we still have one site visit to do tomorrow at the Limehouse distribution facility to see how a program like ours operates on a large scale, which should be facinating. Then Monday, we all go to our farms! I start at Fields Farms for the first two months, transition to Rosebanks for two more, take classes during August, and then head to McClellandville for three months. Let the farming begin!

Celebration!

Although I did not get a vacation in between my job transition, I did however get to go up to my hometown in NC to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. My friend Sarah Whitmeyer is a professional photographer that was there for the weekend to capture a few shots of the family. Check out the photos on her blog HERE and HERE.