The Last Day

Wednesday was my last day of working at Moose Hill CSA Farm. I have invested the last two summers into this job so it was sad to say my last farewell. I have met so many incredible, thoughtful, and heartfelt people through working here. I could not have asked for a better community to work alongside. I will have so many memories attached to this farm. So many frustrated moments, so many new experiences, so many laughs, and so many heartfelt conversations.

The farm had an incredible energy. I liked when you would be buried in a crop for a few hours, you could feel the fatigue and frustration setting in when you just want to be done and then you would get a feeling that you should look up. You would look up and just breathe in the farm. All around you is green and clean vegetables, the air smells fresh, and there might even be a whisper of a breeze that touches your face. Or those rainy days in August where it is warm and you just get soaked by the rain while you are surrounded by corn and it feels incredible.    

Thank you to all of the farm workers and apprentices this year for making the decision to be part of the farm life. Christelle, thank you for always keeping me up to date on your love life. Haley, thank you for always doing your signature snort (if that is what you call it). Christabel, thank you for spending that stormy afternoon with me banding rubber bands for over an hour. Ethan, thank you for always voicing your opinions and being the only one who decided to swim with me in the lake out back. Yadin, thank you for the real talks, I hope our paths cross in the future. Alex, thank you for showing me the beautiful world of RHCP, I cannot wait to hear about you and Ethan's adventures around the world. Mathew, thank you for being our fearless leader and always supplying the snacks :)

 Despite a fantastic two summers, I think it is time for me to explore new horizons and find new experiences. Who knows,  maybe next summer I will be white water rafting in Charlemont, working as a polo groom, or working in another country!

Thanks for the memories Moose Hill <3

Stop! Tomato Time!

The Tomatoes are in! Thousands a day! So many tomatoes! I love tomatoes, so this is an exciting time for me! I can gorge on an obscene amount of delicious, ripe tomatoes while harvesting! Every girls dream, right? Lemon boys, sungolds, cherry, brandywine, striped german, green zebra... the list goes on and on of delectable tomatoes!  

Currently, there is an abundance of produce on the farm. In addition to the 15-30 tomatoes each family may get, we are also harvesting a lot of corn, onions, beets, beans, eggplant, potatoes, and a variety of peppers.

In lieu of all of these veggies, I decided to make salsa. There is something gratifying about creating a dish completely produced from the farm. After my shift, I harvested a couple ears of corn, onions, jalapenos, bell peppers, cilantro, and tomatoes for this salsa. The salsa was made within, two hours of being harvested. Short of making it in the field, that is about as fresh as you can get!

Food is a great way to bring people together! Everyone eats, so why not all eat together? Eating is deeply ingrained in our American culture. Eating can be a very social occasion and is often a common place for thoughts and ideas to be shared. It is considered a time for bonding with other human beings. Although in the 21st century, we have strayed from the sit down meal with the family and have migrated to dinners in front of the television. It still can be considered a time to mix and mingle with family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. 

However, diet can also ostracize us if we do not conform to dietary norms. Speaking from personal experience, last summer, I decided to try vegetarianism for health reasons, to practice self restraint, and as a social experiment. Whenever I was at a social gathering and there was food involved people became uncomfortable with the fact that I might not be able to eat everything served. Some would dismiss me and tell me to fend for myself (which I am fine with I can scavenge), while others would flutter around asking what else they can serve me. There was a lot of cajoling to just try a piece of that steak, chicken, burger, etc. and stop being vegetarian despite my personal choices. I felt that as soon as I mentioned I was vegetarian in situations like this it brought me one step down on the social food chain (excuse the pun). I found my experiment useful in showing how much food influences our daily lives and social interactions. However, this is only one person's observations, I am sure other dietary restrictions in other social groups and geographical areas would produce very different results.