I am a plan maker. I like to have the order of things, the sequence of events, more or less mentally lined up before I get started. I like to think through the tasks of the day before I get out of bed. I like to know when the onions are going to get chopped and the water put to boil before I step in the kitchen. You could say I like to know what to expect.
Part of coming to Iowa this summer was a lesson to myself in being more comfortable with the unknown ways in which life continues to unfold. Sure, we knew we were coming to work on a farm for the summer, but what next? This internship only lasts until October, and what then? This was probably the most common question we heard (and continue to hear) from friends and family as we shared news of our move, and the most difficult question for me to (not) answer. Shrug the shoulders. I don't know. We'll see. Cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess.
We're not exactly ready to literally cross the bridge, but we are approaching the half way point of our time here. It is time to start having conversations about what we want to do and where we want to go from here. And (I can't decide if this is surprising or not) we are pretty much in agreement - the plan should be to find another internship. One more year on another farm with different systems and different markets. If we do another CSA farm we'll likely try to get on somewhere bigger, to get a feel for what a larger operation looks and feels like. We're tossing around the idea of trying to get on with some kind of livestock operation. If you know us even moderately well (or taken one look in the fridge), you know the deep relationship we have with dairy products. Maybe we should learn about cows. It would probably save us a lot of money in the long run.
So, that's where I am in the long term planning process. Now if we could only pin down an area of the country to shoot for. Much as I'm loving our time here, I don't think Iowa is forever. East Coast? Back to the Left Coast? Southern Indiana?? So many more decisions yet to make. Plus, even if we line up something that starts in March, that leaves a little over 4 months to fill this winter. Deep breath. Good thing I have some practice at not having every little piece and parcel planned out. Even if it doesn't always seem like it, a little mystery is good to have around.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
A day in the life for real.
So what exactly do our days look like here at One Step at a Time Gardens?
They have a real rhythm and routine to them, which is pretty great when one really looks forward to and enjoys the tasks that repeatedly fill the days. It's also helpful that the rhythm and routine includes quite a bit of quiet down time at the beginning and ending of the work day, since we don't have TV, internet, or even phone service in our little house. And, since the mosquitoes have been so swarming and hellaciously bothersome this week, I've had even more quiet down time since I'm not willing to brave the outdoors after work. It is such.a.nice.change. from the pace of life I was keeping in Portland with two jobs and an active social life. The active social life part I could stand a little more of here in north central Iowa, but I'm perfectly content with a single job.
But, back to the day-to-day routine. We're woken in the morning (usually about 5:30) by the singing and chirping of dozens of varieties of birds. The combination of the 500 acre wetland reserve across the road and the diversity of the landscape and crops at the farm makes it a lovely place to be bird in the summertime. It's pretty astounding how loud they all are.
We're up by six or so, and coffee gets made and stretching happens. Lots of stretching. I've gotten back into running a few days a week, and on those days I try to be out the door by 6:15. I've got a couple of different routes measured for distance, and depending on energy level, humidity percentage, and how good the chapter of my book was the night before, I try to run between 2 and 4 miles. Another round of stretching and a quick rinse off shower before breakfast about 7:15. Dishes get done, we check the weather, shoelaces tied, pockets get packed with snot rag, earplugs and watch, sunblock is applied, and water bottles get filled for the morning.
8:00 starts the work day, and we gather in the pack-out shed to run through the priorities for the day. Our crew is a little different each day, and we range anywhere from 5 to 11 present for work.
The priorities are a little different each day as well, depending on where we are in the CSA delivery schedule, but there are a few chores that get done every day. The greenhouse gets watered, the wash station sinks filled, and the electric fences turned off by one person. Another two people head out to move the chicken tractors to fresh pasture and refill the chicken feed. Someone else wipes down the pack-out counters and may fold CSA boxes.
There is a wholesale delivery on Tuesday, and a CSA delivery on Wednesday and Thursday each. We try to harvest for those deliveries the day before, so we spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning harvesting, processing, and portioning produce. We usually go out in a couple of different groups - one group harvesting broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and chard and the other group going after peas, raspberries, and green beans, just as an example. Freshly picked food is brought back to the wash station and dumped in cold water, swished and swirled around to remove as much dirt and bugs as possible, and put into large tupperware containers in a large walk in cooler.
It's 10:30 or 11 by this point, and the cook of the day heads off to start making lunch. The rest of us work on portioning what we've just harvested and processed - 65 bags each of: 1 lb lettuce, 1/2 lb spinach, 1 lb. snow peas, 1/2 pint raspberries, 1 head broccoli, and whatever else it getting put into the box that week.
About 12 or 12:30 we break for lunch, heading to the kitchen to find out what the cook concocted using whatever veggies and pantry staples are on hand. We've been eating lots of salad and lots of stir fry so far. No complaints here. =)
Afternoons are spent either finishing up last bits of harvest that we didn't get to in the morning or working on general farm and crop maintenance projects. This translates to weeding. We are spending lots and lots of afternoons weeding these weeks, but Jan and Tim keep saying this is when the weed pressure is the highest. If we can yank the weeds that have already germinated before they go to seed then we'll reduce the seed bank for later in the year and next year. It is tedious work, but satisfying when you look back at a row that was not recognizable and see hundreds of perky little beet leaves waving in the wind.
We head in from the field about 4:30 to take care of end of the day chores; tying up chicken feed, watering the greenhouse again, wiping down harvest totes, cleaning the wash station, and generally end the day right about 5:00.
That's also right about when a beer gets opened and consumed on the shady front steps of the little house, boots and socks stripped off an lying on the grass a few yards away. This is generally when something mindless like Facebook surfing happens, and maybe a conversation about what should be for dinner. Showers ensue and by 7 I'm putting something together for dinner and trying to decide if I should read for education or for entertainment that evening. Sometimes a Netflix movie gets put on, but rarely does it get finished. 4 nights out of 7 I'm asleep by 10.
So there it is. That's the daily routine, more or less. I gotta tell you it feels a lot more exciting than it sounds! We do a lot of laughing and talking throughout the day, ask a lot of questions, walk a lot, do a lot of quick counting and calculating, and just generally pay attention to the world immediately surrounding ourselves. Did you see the beets germinated already?! Those bean plants really need to get harvested. Another couple of days before we can harvest a good crop of raspberries again - there's a good amount yet but they need to ripen a bit more. How many eggs did the hens lay this morning?
There is much changing detail to discuss within the generally structured framework of the week. Some of it is obvious and in your face (did you see how big the squash got?!) and some of it is more subtle. I'm really appreciating the variety of scope there is in this work, even within the predictability of the day to day tasks. Now for some more visitors......anyone?
They have a real rhythm and routine to them, which is pretty great when one really looks forward to and enjoys the tasks that repeatedly fill the days. It's also helpful that the rhythm and routine includes quite a bit of quiet down time at the beginning and ending of the work day, since we don't have TV, internet, or even phone service in our little house. And, since the mosquitoes have been so swarming and hellaciously bothersome this week, I've had even more quiet down time since I'm not willing to brave the outdoors after work. It is such.a.nice.change. from the pace of life I was keeping in Portland with two jobs and an active social life. The active social life part I could stand a little more of here in north central Iowa, but I'm perfectly content with a single job.
But, back to the day-to-day routine. We're woken in the morning (usually about 5:30) by the singing and chirping of dozens of varieties of birds. The combination of the 500 acre wetland reserve across the road and the diversity of the landscape and crops at the farm makes it a lovely place to be bird in the summertime. It's pretty astounding how loud they all are.
We're up by six or so, and coffee gets made and stretching happens. Lots of stretching. I've gotten back into running a few days a week, and on those days I try to be out the door by 6:15. I've got a couple of different routes measured for distance, and depending on energy level, humidity percentage, and how good the chapter of my book was the night before, I try to run between 2 and 4 miles. Another round of stretching and a quick rinse off shower before breakfast about 7:15. Dishes get done, we check the weather, shoelaces tied, pockets get packed with snot rag, earplugs and watch, sunblock is applied, and water bottles get filled for the morning.
8:00 starts the work day, and we gather in the pack-out shed to run through the priorities for the day. Our crew is a little different each day, and we range anywhere from 5 to 11 present for work.
The priorities are a little different each day as well, depending on where we are in the CSA delivery schedule, but there are a few chores that get done every day. The greenhouse gets watered, the wash station sinks filled, and the electric fences turned off by one person. Another two people head out to move the chicken tractors to fresh pasture and refill the chicken feed. Someone else wipes down the pack-out counters and may fold CSA boxes.
There is a wholesale delivery on Tuesday, and a CSA delivery on Wednesday and Thursday each. We try to harvest for those deliveries the day before, so we spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning harvesting, processing, and portioning produce. We usually go out in a couple of different groups - one group harvesting broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and chard and the other group going after peas, raspberries, and green beans, just as an example. Freshly picked food is brought back to the wash station and dumped in cold water, swished and swirled around to remove as much dirt and bugs as possible, and put into large tupperware containers in a large walk in cooler.
It's 10:30 or 11 by this point, and the cook of the day heads off to start making lunch. The rest of us work on portioning what we've just harvested and processed - 65 bags each of: 1 lb lettuce, 1/2 lb spinach, 1 lb. snow peas, 1/2 pint raspberries, 1 head broccoli, and whatever else it getting put into the box that week.
About 12 or 12:30 we break for lunch, heading to the kitchen to find out what the cook concocted using whatever veggies and pantry staples are on hand. We've been eating lots of salad and lots of stir fry so far. No complaints here. =)
Afternoons are spent either finishing up last bits of harvest that we didn't get to in the morning or working on general farm and crop maintenance projects. This translates to weeding. We are spending lots and lots of afternoons weeding these weeks, but Jan and Tim keep saying this is when the weed pressure is the highest. If we can yank the weeds that have already germinated before they go to seed then we'll reduce the seed bank for later in the year and next year. It is tedious work, but satisfying when you look back at a row that was not recognizable and see hundreds of perky little beet leaves waving in the wind.
We head in from the field about 4:30 to take care of end of the day chores; tying up chicken feed, watering the greenhouse again, wiping down harvest totes, cleaning the wash station, and generally end the day right about 5:00.
That's also right about when a beer gets opened and consumed on the shady front steps of the little house, boots and socks stripped off an lying on the grass a few yards away. This is generally when something mindless like Facebook surfing happens, and maybe a conversation about what should be for dinner. Showers ensue and by 7 I'm putting something together for dinner and trying to decide if I should read for education or for entertainment that evening. Sometimes a Netflix movie gets put on, but rarely does it get finished. 4 nights out of 7 I'm asleep by 10.
So there it is. That's the daily routine, more or less. I gotta tell you it feels a lot more exciting than it sounds! We do a lot of laughing and talking throughout the day, ask a lot of questions, walk a lot, do a lot of quick counting and calculating, and just generally pay attention to the world immediately surrounding ourselves. Did you see the beets germinated already?! Those bean plants really need to get harvested. Another couple of days before we can harvest a good crop of raspberries again - there's a good amount yet but they need to ripen a bit more. How many eggs did the hens lay this morning?
There is much changing detail to discuss within the generally structured framework of the week. Some of it is obvious and in your face (did you see how big the squash got?!) and some of it is more subtle. I'm really appreciating the variety of scope there is in this work, even within the predictability of the day to day tasks. Now for some more visitors......anyone?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A day in the life. (Or, why it takes me so long to write a new post sometimes)
Helllloooooo world! I think it's been almost 3 weeks since I posted last, and there are at least a couple of notable things and events I should have already shared. My folks came for a very short, but very lovely visit. They jumped right in harvesting lettuce and trimming onions, and were present for the inaugural use of our air conditioning. ( I chose to roast a chicken for dinner on an almost 90 degree day. Maybe not the smartest decision I've ever made.) My dad noted that all the birds chirping and flies buzzing seemed unnatural - where were the sirens?! But overall he gave the farm a "cooler than I expected" rating. It was really great to have them here - made it all seem a little more permanent and real to be able to share the experience with them.
That same week I had the chance to attend a state-wide "working group session" at the Leopold Center for Sustainability (at Iowa State University in Ames) convened for the purpose of creating a Food and Farm Plan for the 2011 Iowa State Legislature. It's slightly involved and complicated to explain, but it was essentially a gathering of folks involved in local food systems at every level (farmers, livestock producers, aggregators, grocery stores, economic developers, legislators, academics, etc.) intended to hash out what kinds of local food systems already exist, and what the barriers are for expanding local food systems further. The result will be a plan of action presented to the legislature with the goal that they will enact some policies aimed at increasing the local food network, and access to it, in Iowa. It's a pretty exciting time to be involved with local food here, and it was a real experience to be a fly on the wall at that meeting. It was amazingly inspiring and really got my wheels turning in thinking about all the different directions there are to go with this subject. Super exciting. Did you know you can get a Master's in Sustainable Ag with a focus in Sociology??
The next exciting thing to happen was a trip to Madison, WI to see Eli's sister and brother-in-law. Holy mini-Portland. I kept having deja-vu and thinking maybe we never left the Pacific Northwest at all. Fixed gear bikes, skin tight cut off jean shorts, full sleeve tatoos, Chacos, boutiques, cafes, and jogging strollers were all present in abundance. It was amazing.
Even more amazing was the time we got to spend with Erika and Michael - they absolutely took care of us and showed us an incredible weekend, complete with the country's largest farmer's market and an evening on one of the lakes in a 1981 competition ski boat. I got to drive.
It was really fun to be in an urban environment, but I was surprised at how closed in and sped up I felt. We'd only been on the farm 5 weeks by the time we visited, and already I'd adjusted pretty completely to the rhythm on this rural place. Kind of baffling, considering I've spent 26 years as an urban-ite.
This would be a perfect segment to the topic I intended to sit down and write about - what a day on the farm is like. BUT, I've been trying to make these posts shorter. If I was just an innocent reader I think I would think it tedious to read through looooonnnggg paragraphs of my mental rambling. And, it's 6:47pm and my belly says it is time to eat. It also leaves me good fodder for the next post, which will hopefully come sooner than 3 weeks from now.
This week we are majorly battling mosquitoes ( like, MAJORLY battling. I've never seen anything like these suckers, to be honest), harvesting green beans, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, sugar and snap peas, and broccoli. We are also weeding like crazy, and I am finding such a strange satisfaction every time we finish a row. Also planted beets and carrots, and have some peppers to transplant. I'm going to Friday market tomorrow with Jan, and Eli is off to Saturday market for the first time. Down to Grinnell (just outside Des Moines) for a Field Day on weed management on Saturday afternoon, and then hopefully a low-key day on Sunday.
Thanks, thanks, thanks for reading (and by extension caring), and feel free to drop a line letting us know what all you loved ones are up to. Much love!
That same week I had the chance to attend a state-wide "working group session" at the Leopold Center for Sustainability (at Iowa State University in Ames) convened for the purpose of creating a Food and Farm Plan for the 2011 Iowa State Legislature. It's slightly involved and complicated to explain, but it was essentially a gathering of folks involved in local food systems at every level (farmers, livestock producers, aggregators, grocery stores, economic developers, legislators, academics, etc.) intended to hash out what kinds of local food systems already exist, and what the barriers are for expanding local food systems further. The result will be a plan of action presented to the legislature with the goal that they will enact some policies aimed at increasing the local food network, and access to it, in Iowa. It's a pretty exciting time to be involved with local food here, and it was a real experience to be a fly on the wall at that meeting. It was amazingly inspiring and really got my wheels turning in thinking about all the different directions there are to go with this subject. Super exciting. Did you know you can get a Master's in Sustainable Ag with a focus in Sociology??
The next exciting thing to happen was a trip to Madison, WI to see Eli's sister and brother-in-law. Holy mini-Portland. I kept having deja-vu and thinking maybe we never left the Pacific Northwest at all. Fixed gear bikes, skin tight cut off jean shorts, full sleeve tatoos, Chacos, boutiques, cafes, and jogging strollers were all present in abundance. It was amazing.
Even more amazing was the time we got to spend with Erika and Michael - they absolutely took care of us and showed us an incredible weekend, complete with the country's largest farmer's market and an evening on one of the lakes in a 1981 competition ski boat. I got to drive.
It was really fun to be in an urban environment, but I was surprised at how closed in and sped up I felt. We'd only been on the farm 5 weeks by the time we visited, and already I'd adjusted pretty completely to the rhythm on this rural place. Kind of baffling, considering I've spent 26 years as an urban-ite.
This would be a perfect segment to the topic I intended to sit down and write about - what a day on the farm is like. BUT, I've been trying to make these posts shorter. If I was just an innocent reader I think I would think it tedious to read through looooonnnggg paragraphs of my mental rambling. And, it's 6:47pm and my belly says it is time to eat. It also leaves me good fodder for the next post, which will hopefully come sooner than 3 weeks from now.
This week we are majorly battling mosquitoes ( like, MAJORLY battling. I've never seen anything like these suckers, to be honest), harvesting green beans, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, sugar and snap peas, and broccoli. We are also weeding like crazy, and I am finding such a strange satisfaction every time we finish a row. Also planted beets and carrots, and have some peppers to transplant. I'm going to Friday market tomorrow with Jan, and Eli is off to Saturday market for the first time. Down to Grinnell (just outside Des Moines) for a Field Day on weed management on Saturday afternoon, and then hopefully a low-key day on Sunday.
Thanks, thanks, thanks for reading (and by extension caring), and feel free to drop a line letting us know what all you loved ones are up to. Much love!
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