Week 3, Summer 2023
Hello all, welcome! Woohoo, another week for the books! I can’t believe it's been three weeks already, time flies. Lets see what happened around the farm this week:
Monday:
On Monday, we started off the week with bottom-liner check-ins. Each member of ZA has chosen a specific spot on the farm that they are responsible for watching and advocating for at weekly meetings, so once a week we take time to sit and observe our areas so we can be in-tune with their needs. After this, the team split up into different areas of the farm to do some much-needed wedding! I pulled out SO much lambs quarter, a popular weed we find here in our gardens, as well as chopped back some comfrey so our new plants have enough sunlight. During the later hours, we got to planting some sunchokes and harvesting some delicious and crisp snap peas! After lunch, Daniel presented his context conversation about the history of enslavement and agriculture in the US in honor of Junteenth. Our context conversations occur once a week and are super important for fostering deep and meaningful conversations and critical thinking about topics related to the work we are doing here at ZA, as well as in the midwest agricultural scene. Before the day ended, we also got to chopping some straw that we use for mushroom inoculation later in the week.
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we had our friends from UIUC return for some more sampling for their research project! This time, we were out taking samples from a nearby corn field instead of in the soybean fields. After, I assisted our mushroom team in deep cleaning the grow-tents and the buckets where the mushrooms grow in. Weekly deep cleaning is crucial to ensure that there are no bacteria, pathogens, fungal infections, pests etc, that would disrupt the fruiting process, since mushrooms are very sensitive to what is in the environment around them. Throughout the day we also worked on soil blocking, which is a process used to create healthy soil to grow seedlings in before transplanting them into the ground. In essence, we combine basalt, compost, peat moss, biochar, and finely chopped alfalfa with water in a large tub before pressing them into a mold to create little blocks of soil that we can direct seed into! It's a messy but very fun process. Later in the day, our marketing team harvested mushrooms, snap peas, and mixed greens to be brought to the Sheldon Food Pantry. Lastly, we began planting some flowers around the farm to spruce everything up for summer! (What's your favorite flower?)
Wednesday:
On Wednesday,
We started a mushroom inoculation, which is broken down into the following steps:
Day 1:
Breaking down straw into small pieces using a lawn mower and storing in bags (usually we aim for 4 bags)
Prepare 12 buckets by power washing and sanitizing them
Day 2:
Fill 55 gallon drums with water and lime supplement so that pH is around 11 for pasteurization
Add 2 bags of straw into drums (straw will not be fully sterilized so we leave it to soak overnight)
Day 3 and 4:
Weight out straw and spawn before mixing them into newly cleaned buckets (buckets go downstairs for two weeks before being put into grow tents to fully fruit!)
A few of us spent the morning collecting soil samples from one of our sampling sites - a great opportunity to listen to some throwback playlists on spotify- while others were planting nasturtiums and bringing our harvests to the Sheldon Food Pantry! (Zoe, one of our new cohort members, went to the pantry for the first time and loved it! She met some of the locals and got to learn more about the local community!). After our end of the day meeting, we had our Weekly Weeds session, where we each shared how we are doing physically, mentally, and emotionally, as well as any concerns we have about the living space and conditions we share. It is a great time to learn about one another’s communication and lifestyle habits, as well as to make sure everyone is as happy and comfortable as possible while staying at Zumwalt Acres! To end off our day, we took a quick trip to the pool down the road for an after-work cool down. It was the perfect weather for a swim and a fitting way to celebrate the 1st day of summer!!
Thursday:
Thursday was super productive; in the morning we got right to work taking on a huge reorganization effort in the tool shed! I personally love a good reorganization moment and had a lot of fun trying to plan how to rearrange the space. We found some really cool items while digging through the shed, such as garden decorations and antique planting pots that we brought into the greenhouse. It seems the ongoing theme this week was weeding - there were so many weeds that we filled up at least 8 wheelbarrows worth! - so major weeding happened in our smaller gardens, to target choke ivy and burdocks, as well as the weeds in the strawberry patch. Zoe and I had lots of fun throwing the weeds like javelins across the patch to see who could get them the farthest! During weeding, the second mushroom inoculation of the week happened, as well as the beginning of trellising the tomatoes! We also began establishing some new drip lines for some of our trees. Finally before heading in, some of the stakes we had set up were moved from the peppers to support the cucumbers. We have been getting crafty here at ZA, from painting to crocheting, and today we did a group tie-dye session after dinner which was super fun! Some of us tie-dyed socks and shirts, and some of us did hats! Super excited to see how they turn out (Stay posted for a photo soon!) Oh, and most exciting of all..drumroll please…NEW ARRIVAL ALERT! Welcome Olivia (They/Them) to the farm and stay posted for their apprentice spotlight on instagram this week. Phew, what an exciting day for us!
Friday:
On Friday,
We started off the day with a good and long watering for all the areas not attached to drip lines (it's been hot this week!). We did another walkthrough of the farm to see what is ready to harvest - we have some beets, kohlrabi, snap peas, dill and turnips that are ready to be sent off! I was personally excited for strawberry weeding pt. 2, it was very satisfying to clear up the area and see all the strawberry plants again. Along with all the weeding we did this week, we also set up a lot of drip lines (so much so we placed a new order for more; never enough drip lines!). We now have drip set up for our sunchokes and performed some patch-work in areas where leaks were discovered. Part of our routine is doing weekly and sometimes daily rounds to ensure there are no leaks in the drip lines, so that way all of our plants are getting properly watered! Lastly, we ended up planting some more flowers and nasturtium in various locations on the farm. It has been a super productive and successful week, it is amazing to see how close we as a cohort have become and for people to really be stepping into their roles and taking on more responsibility and autonomy. I am so proud to be working alongside such an amazing group of people! I’ll be back next week with more updates, until then have a great weekend!
Best,
Malia
P.S.!! I want to take a moment to acknowledge an exciting opportunity we have with the Good People Fund! Without the financial support we receive at Zumwalt Acres, we would not be able to accomplish the incredible work we do. From training apprentices to become passionate individuals for sustainability, equity, and resilience in our food systems, to cultivating a vibrant and inclusive Jewish community, and engaging in groundbreaking climate change research, every achievement is made possible by your generosity. We currently have a $10,000 matching grant with the Good People Fund. They are an amazing organization committed to tzedakah, the Jewish practice of charitable giving, and are giving us $1 for every $1 we raise. We are over halfway to our goal, and would appreciate any support!! To make your tax-deductible donation and have it doubled, donate at https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/how-can-you-help/mitzvah-donate/ and mention Zumwalt Acres in the comments. We would like to thank you all for being here, for supporting our work, and for being a part of our ever-growing community. We would not be where we are right now without you!
Good People Fund Mission: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/about-us/mission/
