adventures of a midwesterner: An update

I thought I'd post some info and pictures about my current job farming in Colorado!

But first, here's a look back in time at some fun things from the past year:

I took a trip to Arizona in October to visit my friend Ryeon from Americorps. This is Sedona!

We hiked a couple miles in the Grand Canyon--amazing!

Colleen, Ryeon & I at Montezuma's Castle, a national monument where Ryeon interned.

Hiking in southern Ohio

Spring break trip I took to the Smoky Mountains

At a brewery in Asheville, NC (aka one of the hippest towns I've ever visited)

Spring in Glen Helen meant beautiful wildflowers! Like this Trillium.

The interns at Glen Helen at the end of the year

Now onto Colorado! So far I'm liking the lifestyle here, it's definitely a new and interesting landscape and I learn a lot every day. Seven Meadows Farm is about 70 acres, with around 5 acres devoted to vegetable/fruit production with the rest being pasture and native juniper woodland. Crops grown on the farm are sold at the farmer's market as well as sold wholesale to restaurants and natural food stores. The owners (Laurie & Rusty) also own a small bistro in town (aptly named "The Farm") serving salads and sandwiches full of local produce. I work at the bistro one day a week, and at the farmers market every few weeks. The farm is Certified Naturally Grown, which is essentially the same as Certified Organic. CNG is an easier certification for farmers to achieve, with less complicated criteria. I work with two other interns doing whatever needs to be done on the farm. Usually that involves weeding, seeding new crops, preparing beds for planting, transplanting, and harvesting on fridays. Right now we are harvesting salad greens, chard, kale, bok choi, scallions, sugar snap peas, and strawberries.

The farm has a number of chickens for eggs and are also growing three turkeys for meat. There are also three goats, two horses, and four dogs. Needless to say, there are always animals making noises! I recently was a part of an attempt to milk the adult female goat (aka doe), Ricky, but it was mostly a failure, as she is still freaked out by the process and hasn't become comfortable with humans handling her. I am thoroughly enjoying the work here, I like doing physical labor and seeing the farm progress and change every day. I know that the work is leading to the ultimate goal of providing fresh, local, chemical-free produce to people living in the area. I believe strongly in the local food movement and am happy to be a part of a small farm. Since working on the farm I've learned a lot about what it takes to grow food in a sustainable way, by promoting soil fertility, keeping down weeds, tackling pests, etc. It's all very interesting and exciting to me, and I am becoming convinced that sustainable agriculture is an area I should focus on in the future.

The southwest is an interesting environment, it is dry but the soil is definitely able to support plant life. It's almost always sunny here, and I think it's rained twice since I've been here. The summer is monsoon season, meaning the storms will come over from the eastern mountains and bring rain and strong winds during the afternoon. So far they haven't done much, but I've heard the monsoons can be intense. Irrigation is vital out here, and the farm owns a certain share of water, which comes from the La Plata mountains. Water not only goes to the market gardens but to the hay fields, which are cut and baled twice a year. I do enjoy the lack of humidity out here, it makes working outside much more enjoyable. A swim in the pond also helps with the heat. :) I've gone hiking a handful of times, and hopefully will do much more in my time out here. I'm still getting accustomed to the Rocky Mountains, they are pretty monstrous compared to the Appalachians, and can be intimidating to me. There is a remarkable variability in the landscape out here, which amazes me. Anywho, here are some pictures!

Small canyon to the north of the farm

Hike up to Alta Lakes, near Telluride

Trail went by the old mining town of Alta

Ricky and her two kids

There are lots of old things on the farm...

The farm! view of the southwest beds, where lettuce and corn were recently seeded

Lettuce and spinach rows, covered to protect against the intense sun and wind. La Plata mountains are in the background. And yes, that's a school bus in someone's field. Strange...