Weeks 4/5, Summer ‘21
Like our apprentices, these past two work weeks have been full of love, learning, laughs, and leadership.
On Monday, we started with a big ‘ole load o’ research! Tuo rode into the cornfield and took our weekly soil cores, Gavi taught Joey how to Flux (fluxing is a research method used to measure the amount of Carbon capture), and the rest of the team took pH measurements and soil cores Across the Road and in Goat Garden. After Goat Garden was pHed, Grace and Eric finished trellising and pruning the tomatoes and they look so good!
In the afternoon we had some compost to deal with, so Sophie and Eric went out and raked up dead grass to maintain the perfect ratio of green and brown matter, and then spread and turned the compost so it would decompose properly (more on this in our recent Instagram post @ZumwaltAcres!). We are still in the process of organizing our produce distribution, so Joey looked into fridge work and insulation, and Gavi began signing the agreement to sell produce to Down at the Farms LLC! We’re so excited to be able to sell produce to Will and Marty Travis!
For dinner, we ate chickpea beet curry with naan, rice, and a kale salad [Hannah + Patricia].
On Tuesday, some pests were getting to our veggies, so we started by getting a tutorial on how to properly use Neem Oil, an organic pesticide. Finally the cucumbers in Goat Garden were ready to be harvested! We took our first batch of cucumbers of the season and they were delicious. We also finalized merch designs and orders to have stickers and t-shirts ready for the upcoming weekends.
On the topic of our upcoming weekends, Tuesday afternoon we finalized details and invites for our community event this August! In addition to the community event, Miracle Garden was overflowing with rainbow chard and beets, so we got in there and harvested!
For dinner, we had veggie bowls with tofu [Joey + Sophie].
On Wednesday, the day started with a trip to the food bank at 8:30am to donate our produce. Then, JR arrived and had a meeting about infrastructure projects with Joey, ATR plans with Grace and Eric, and brought Max (the Zumwalts’ dog) for moral support. We also did some research work on soil porosity.
In the afternoon, we cleared all the turnips from Miracle Garden and transplanted summer bib lettuce. After the planting, the rains hit, so Tuo did some work on our G-Suite, we made a harvest plan for the food bank, market, and Down at the Farms, Joey made a pesticide spraying schedule, and Grace finished painting the Zumwalt Acres sign we’ll put out in front of the farm!
For dinner, we had fried squash flowers stuffed with mushrooms, rice, and salad [Jesse + Steph].
On Thursday, work was lighter, and we prioritized attending the Savannah Institute Agroforestry Conference throughout the day. Aside from those Zoom calls, we planted flats of broccoli and kale, and weeded the Bayit beds.
For dinner, we had TVP tacos, jasmine rice, and roasted carrots and beets [Tuomas + Jesse].
On Friday, meetings were a high priority. We had a meta meeting about meetings (how to make them more efficient and compassionate), and talked about what it meant to be a community. This was really important going forward, as intentional living, along with our work, is one of our main priorities here at ZA. After the group talks, we started trubing the East Shelterbelt, and Sophie ordered the merch and t-shirts we had been designing earlier in the week.
For Shabbat dinner, we had chickpea soup, braised cabbage, kale salad, and challah of course [Gavi + Hannah].
Week 5, Summer ‘21
On Monday, we started the day off with a visit from a new furry friend… a black cat showed up in the backhoe and (just like Shlomi) made himself at home! He has been with us since Saturday and is a valuable addition to the ZA family, giving us love and affection. After acclimating to our new kitty, trube nation (aka Jesse, Tuomas, Joey, and Sophie) set out to the east Shelterbelt to continue trubing the chestnuts, pawpaws, service berries.
In the afternoon, we talked about something exciting-- our first field trip! Tuesday had a lot of visits in store, and we planned what the next day would look like so we would be prepared to visit a few of the innovative sustainable areas in central Illinois.
For dinner, we had veggie spring rolls with carrots, cucumbers, tofu, cabbage, and peanut sauce [Jesse + Steph].
On Tuesday, we field tripped all day! First, we visited Spence Farms and Down at the Farms LLC, learning about how farming can be more sustainable and how business methods can be adapted to fit the needs of farmers. Second, we visited the Refuge Food Forest in the town of Normal, where we saw a multitude of fruit trees that are available to the entire town to pick from, free of charge. Lastly, we visited Henry’s Farm, and learned about Henry’s operations, utilizing biodiversity and accessible CSA’s to make farming in the Midwest more sustainable.
All in all, we learned SO MUCH, and we’re so thankful for the opportunity to see these places! More information on these visits can be found on our Instagram or Facebook page!
For dinner, we had a free-for-all since it was field trip day!
On Wednesday, we got right back into it after our busy field day, and continued harvesting, trubing, innoculating mushrooms, and spraying. We had all hands outside in different places, and got back into the farm work we all love so much!
For dinner, we had pesto pasta with salad [Jesse + Hannah].
On Thursday, trellising cucumbers and burning biochar were a very high priority due to all of the fallen trees we have piled up. Stephanie and Patricia took turns monitoring the biochar in our new kiln, while others went out to Goat Garden and trellised the cucumbers. In other news, Hannah, Tuomas, Jesse, Joey, Gavi, and Sophie finished the final section of the East Shelterbelt that needed trubing! Now all of our trees (besides the pines that we’re waiting on stakes for) can be less pressured by pests, animals, and wind.
For dinner, we had a mediteranean themed night, with homemade falafel, pita, hummus, and a veggie platter [Gavi + Joey].
On Friday, it was a mushroom and tree day. Joey, Gavi, and Sophie got halfway done inoculating the shiitake mushrooms, and Hannah, Patricia, Jesse, and Tuomas mulched the trees in the East Shelterbelt that had been trubed the day before. In addition to that, Zaria and Grace put the finishing touches on our cukes and tomatoes, and Eric and Stephanie attended an all-day Zoom meeting to get us food safety certified!
For Shabbat dinner, we had celery soup, beet hummus, turmeric hummus, blue tortillas, sweet potatoes, beet greens, and rainbow challah [Patricia + Tuomas].
These past two weeks have been very full, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We all have been loving the work we’ve been doing here and love knowing that it’s contributing to a greater goal of making this world a better place. Rain or shine we’re out there (and inside) doing all we can to make sure ZA is the most conscious and sustainable community we can be, and since we’re halfway done with the summer, we wanted to take a moment to step back and reflect on the work we’ve been doing within the farm and our community. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us through it all-- we appreciate everything!
