Now Playing: changing colors & new stories 🍂
Hello to fall, goodbye to frequent heat waves & hopefully soon to fires
Summer came & went on camp time (how I describe the phenomenon where a day can hold so much activity & excitement but the weeks & months somehow rush by) and it’s already been 2-and-a-half months since I’ve updated you! 🌞
July on the farm
One month into my farming experience we started harvesting the beginnings of the season’s produce. The squash & cucumber plants we helped plant were starting to fruit. Harvesting several plants on a semi-frequent basis added a new task to focus on, adding to the vibe of “Okay we’re taking care of this farm — whatever the plants tell us to do, we’re doing!” 🌱
We hosted a field day for farmers, master gardeners, regionally-based masters students & those curious about Regenerative Ag. Although I learned some of the concepts at a high level in college, there’s a whole world of plant-centric knowledge that I’m still nascent to. Sharing my experiences & having others correct me on some of our practices was a strong reminder of how much time I could spend in this world without ever understanding the full picture of how our soil works. In preparation for the event, I soaked pre-inoculated shiitake logs so they’d fruit when people arrived — shiitakes quickly out-paced our basement oysters for those 2 weeks! 🍄
July was full of playing host. The weekend after the field day, the Avodah chapter in Chicago came for an end-of-year retreat during a heat wave, joining us for stargazing & appreciating nature. Having some post-college energy on the farm felt fulfilling, and it was beautiful seeing so many other people who were also on their wandering paths for this stage of life.
I went to the dunes off Lake Michigan a few times with farm friends, enjoying day-time exploration (the dunes are shouldered by a heavily wooded section) and night-time hangouts (the new moon provided an ominous background for our swim-sesh). I went to the farmer’s market with Malia, where we learned *plenty* about people’s personal stories (people out here love to share their life stories when they meet you, a skill & overshare I really respect).
August, still on the farm
We visited Janie’s Mill for a convention they were hosting on transitioning farms to organic practices, where I learned about many of the pest- and weed-pressures farmers are concerned with when considering the switch. We had some *amazing* pastries made from their flour (which is grown locally on their connected farm) and toured their farm & mill. We use their flour to bake on the farm and I HIGHLY recommend buying flour from them. The family-run business cares about offering people top-quality flour, and other apprentices vow the difference is noticeable.
I took my 2nd trip to CHI to visit some previous ZA apprentices I met when they traveled to the farm, along with an old USY friend who’s lived there for over 6 years. I visited the National Puerto Rican Museum & the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago (was very moved by the art in the PR exhibit), I sat in *many* parks, joined in late-night lake culture with my host, and spent more time with my new Avodah friends at the new Moishe House they’re starting in Rogers Park. I visited a pin museum (such an old collection of pins!), saw the bean (now under construction), bought a mushroom hat (it really fits my vibe), and returned back to the farm a day early because I missed being surrounded by plants. When I got back, there was a fairy ring (I spent hours reading the Wikipedia page for them, I highly recommend taking the time to be in awe of their long history of superstitions!). 🍃
When I got back, people started heading off the farm to go back to their lives (mostly off to college). Over a 3-week period entering September, there were only 2 days where farm personnel didn’t change. And right when the harvest really picked up! For ~10 days I had the most knowledge about the farm’s inner workings and teamed up with Claire (she’s worked on other farms & came early for the Fall cohort to help out) to teach people how to harvest, bale hay, mulch & plant, and preserve our crazy abundance. I learned how to can & make tomato jam, we outlined a potential farm music festival, and I learned how we get our produce out to market. 🍅
I started the month with lots of letter writing & got a couple of letters back — still waiting on many people to send some back my way! Message me for my updated address please! 🙏
Finally, September
I went back to Chicago one last time to see Brandon & Edden (a last-minute plan that *just barely* put itself together). We sight-saw, joined Brandon’s parents for a night of tasty CHI-eating, tried Detroit-style pizza with Zu from Avodah (superior), spent quality time with Emily (and I devoured their self-published book, Growing Pains), and went to the Museum of Science & Industry (I love experiential science so much). So glad to see my friends before Edden went back to Israel & we all moved into the next stages of our lives. 🍕
I went back to the farm & met the new Fall cohort, and immediately felt cared for by the new community. The last few days were bittersweet; it was time for me to move on & find out what’s next for me, but I enjoyed living in an intentional community and our daily work structure. I created deep bonds with the land & my friends on the farm and am looking for ways to spend time on the farm again soon (hopefully while working on other life activities as well). The midwest started getting chilly by the time I left. 🌬️
I flew to Philly to catch up with friends (it’s been 6 months!) and get some work done (I’m currently working part-time). I’m heading to the PA Renaissance Fair next weekend (I enjoyed it so much last year) and will be on the East Coast until Sukkot (flying Sept 28th), then will fly home to build a sukkah & spend time with family during October.
What’s on my mind 🧠
Purpose. Traveling this past year has given me lots of time to reflect on my care for community and the ways I want to live my life, but I haven’t felt like I’ve been working towards a purpose. I want to work on climate change by working with natural technologies (like mycoremediation & biochar) to increase our soil’s ability to sequester carbon. For the next stage of my life, I'm trying to focus on purpose-providing activities.
Related, I found out today that the USDA is giving $1.2B in grants for urban forestry projects! A huge deal for cities all over the country & potentially a great way to support cities using mycelium. 👀
Defining relationships. A frequent conversation on the farm was about the difference between a platonic relationship versus a romantic one. The best answers I’ve heard (and felt) focused on the feelings you experience with romantic relationships (the nervousness you experience in each interaction, thinking about them in your future, wondering how they think), and the tangible structural differences (like the priority or future-focus you put into each relationship) have quickly dissipated anecdotally. I’d love to hear what you think! The topic has helped me understand more clearly how often I’m attracted to people who have lifestyles that feel unique to me (or, at least, less understood by me) and how that impacts my dating decisions.
Looking for crowdsourced wisdom on what’s next: I’m looking for suggestions on what’s next for me. Here’s what I’m working with, and would love to gather anecdotes/ideas/cash/checks/job offers from you all:
I want to work on climate goals more tangibly and make it my career.
I’m considering full-time roles with climate-focused organizations, studying for a Master’s in a related field (here are the programs I’ve found so far), or working more seriously on a fungi startup to help speed up carbon sequestration in trees & soil.
I’m not tied to a physical place yet, but it would be nice to do something I can either work on remotely or something that includes a sense of community.