Farm was great today!! Personal is still being turned over, as everyone gets different jobs. Mark has also graduated (woo! Black boys getting educated! He’s in Kingston for a semester before he applies for UCLA which is incredible! Still aiming for marine biology!) but Ayesha and Paige are great as tour guides. Kev has a good love and Jeremy is new but hard-working and knowledgeable.
I was supposed to show up w like 3-5 friends but only Justin ended up showing, but that was no problem. We met a great guy from Brazil, Raja who is a beer sommelier! He was trying to find inspiration to make his city have urban farms and that seemed like such an awesome idea. I really want him to succeed and I would like to help him. Also beer contacts are great.
As always the farm is an incredible space doing awesome things. The work is rewarding and fun even when it is literally chopping up rotting vegetation. I like being there, I like contributing and I like the environment. I like the neighborhood that is friendly and rowdy and diverse.
Justin also had a great time. We shared some experiences w the youth. Cool cross generational/cross culture moment over shared work. We talked about how the work at the farm is satisfying and enjoyable because it is manual and tangible. This makes it feel rewarding. I am often reminded of what it’s like to be human, because physical labor is engaging.
Our first job was compost. [always the most fun!] We had donations from the local church of food they were throwing away; carrots, cucumbers, onions [greens]. They had already started rotting, and it was our job to chop them and mix them with leaves and cardboard [browns] to help the decomposition process along. We ended up essentially making the world’s grossest mirepoix and shoving it into the composting bins.
Then we did some manual watering of the garlic patches, because the water system was busted. It was heavy to lug buckets of water back and forth, and it never seemed to be enough [partially because watering during midday]
Our last job was laying down a plastic tarp over a bed that was destined for tomatoes. It protected the fruits from blight, cut down on weeding, and kept the soil moist. We had to bury both sides and keep the tarp tight. Justin, Raja, and I partnered on the project and we got it done in about an hour or so.
I also helped Pauline take a few pictures of her planting spinach. She wanted to send her hard work to her lazy family back in Jamaica [her words, not mine!] I also learned she has a twin, so be prepared for that. She hasn’t made any hot sauce this year, but I hope that changes so I can buy some.
There were a few little kids, part of some tour groups. They were adorable and contributed by adding vegetation to our chopping pile and did some watering. It was great to see them included and involved.
I really feel incorporated now into the community, because it’s my second year volunteering. I’ve gotten to know lots of the people and it’s just nice. I want to continue to make an outsized impact by being present and including more of my friends to do the work.
I’m really excited to see a growing cycle and plan to be by at least a few times in July and August, etc.