Week 13, Fall’21
It’s the final week for the fall cohort here at Zumwalt Acres and it seems very fitting that it is week 13, which is Taylor Swift’s lucky number and therefore ours too. We reiterate, dear readers, that we at ZA are #swifties. We started off Monday morning with our final Monday Meeting and we prepared thoroughly for the ultimate (in both senses of the word) week ahead. After the meeting, everyone broke off to accomplish their morning goals. Eric, Maranda, and Julia thinned radish seedlings in the freezing cold until their fingers couldn’t handle it anymore. Joey and Marya cleaned the toolshed and research equipment very thoroughly and then met up with the radish thinners to build low tunnels in Goat Garden, finish the big mulch of ATR, and finish fastening the conifer cages into place. Overall it was a satisfying morning of tying up loose ends and completing tasks. In the afternoon everyone packed one last time for Down at the Farms market delivery. After that, we wrote up standards of procedure for various farm tasks so that we can pass on our knowledge to the next cohort as clearly as possible. In the evening Maranda and Julia made a hearty radish microgreen salad with nuts, roasted acorn squash, couscous, and lentils. Overall it was a smashing start to the end of an era.
On Tuesday morning Marya, Maranda, and Eric harvested the last of the daikon radishes, cherry belle radishes, lettuce and carrots. They then washed and packed them in the greenhouse. All the while Joey fluxed out in the corn field and Julia took over Maya’s role as produce delivery driver. When Julia returned from the final market drop off she took Eric’s place in cleaning up the greenhouse post-harvest while he sprayed deer repellent in the Perennial Patch and around Miracle Garden. Safe to say, the deer will not come near our precious garden beds this winter! In the afternoon Marya took over the fluxing gig while Maranda and Julia worked on communications related tasks and Eric and Joey organized harvest data and codified farm methodologies to pass on. When the work day ended everyone piled in the trusty dusty hybrid and headed to Heidelberr Farms, a small alpaca farm around thirty minutes away from ZA. We saw the most lovely alpacas and learned how similar they are to cats in how simultaneously shy, sweet, and curious they can be. After the farm tour we bought some high quality alpaca wool products and touched some raw alpaca wool that was as soft as a cloud. When we returned from the field trip Marya and Eric made a delectable acorn squash soup with homemade focaccia bread. We love our squash soup here and we will miss eating it at least once a week all together.
Wednesday was tinged with a deep sadness at the farm. We woke up in the morning to find our beloved farm cat, Goop Moishe Antonio, had passed away in his bed overnight. The sky was overcast and rain drizzled down on us all day. Pathetic fallacy? We think not. Everyone was in a bit of a daze upon hearing the news of our beloved cat’s passing, but felt that working was a good distraction from the grief. Marya and Maranda went to the food pantry with a whole lotta lettuce, green peppers, squash, daikons, and watermelon radishes in tow. Everyone else continued the big task of mulching ATR. In the afternoon Eric, Marya, Maranda and Julia harvested the season’s last chard while Joey did some indoor work. We ended the day early to hold a burial ceremony for Goop. We spoke about our favorite memories with him, laid him to rest with his favorite belongings, and burned a piece of fake money (that Joey drew) in his honor so he’ll be rich in the afterlife and to honor ancestors, as per the Chinese tradition of burning joss paper representing money during the Qingming Festival, also known as the Tomb Sweeping Day. We will miss Goop very much. May his memory be a blessing. For dinner Marya and Joey made black beans, rice, a lettuce based salad, and roasted potatoes all served with avocado sauce.
Thursday morning everyone sat down at the dining room table to write some season, notes, feedback forms, standards of procedure, and a template for a Zumwalt Acres almanac. We want to create as much cohesion and institutional continuity as possible for the next cohort. It felt really exciting to build the foundational blocks of such a new organization. But, by the afternoon we were antsy to get off of our computers and go outside. Everyone headed out to none other than ATR garden and finally completed the deep mulch we’d been chipping away at for weeks. Huzzah! In the evening Julia and Lexi made good use of the leftovers in the fridge and served a fennel and eggplant stir fry with couscous, and green beans
Friday was the last workday for our fantastic group of apprentices. It was hard to comprehend that this was really the end and the mood was bittersweet from start to finish. In the morning Marya and Maranda drove to Kentland to mail the final soil samples of the season to none other than Yale University. Meanwhile, Joey, Eric, Julia, and Lexi cleaned Giuseppi’s Ice Palace (the walk-in fridge) and claimed veggies to take home to their families. When Marya and Maranda got back they hopped on the fridge clean before everyone transitioned into harvesting our abundance of kale in Goat Garden to take home and donate to community fridges and mutual aid organizations in Chicago. Thanks, Lexi, for facilitating the drop off. After the kale was harvested, packed, and ready to go, everyone gathered in the tool shed to finish building bat boxes. They were so cute and we hope the little bats enjoy their new homes. If you ever find yourself walking in ATR, keep a look out for the boxes up in the trees and let us know if you see a bat or two! Extra points if you see our signatures and special messages we wrote on the boxes. In the afternoon Lexi led us in a final spirituality session. We wrapped up our season-long conversation about the shmita year, what it means and what it means for our farm. Then we talked about medicinal plants on the farm and tried a motherwort tincture that Lexi had made. Motherwort can be used to ease fast heartbeat and other symptoms of anxiety. Afterwards we took mindful solo walks around the farm and reflected on our memories with the land. Finally we gathered around in a circle with the remaining farm cats and thanked each other for all of the learning and growing we accomplished this season. When the workday was done we all packed up our things and regrouped in the kitchen for a celebratory happy hour with smoked salmon, baked brie, and homemade crackers (Thanks, Lexi!). We continued laughing and reflecting for the rest of the evening. We all agree that it may take some time for us to fully process our overall experience at Zumwalt Acres, but are so glad that we have a close-knit group of comrades to process with. As everyone endeavors into the next step of their lives we wish each other all the best. Dear readers, I leave you with one final note before I pass the glorious farm journal torch onto the spring communications coordinator; Never Forget the Beans.
