I have been learning way more than I expected out here in West Virginia. I knew I would learn a lot about growing food, but thanks to my “wise teacher”, Rebekah, I have learned so much more.
Claymont, the spot I have spent the last six weeks working and living, is not just a farm. It is an intentional community where people have come together from all walks of life to live…well, intentionally. And no, it is not a cult. The property has its own spring as a water source, the work to maintain the 350 acres is all done in exchange for housing by the community members and they grow and make much of their own food. The people are wonderful and skilled at many things, and one of those people made my entire experience here more amazing then I could have hoped for.
What has my experience here been like?
Well, we start our days at 8:30 a.m. sitting in meditation and then checking in with everyone. Then we go off and work in the garden, the orchard, the greenhouse, the kitchen or maintaining the grounds/buildings a bit. During all that, I’ve learned everything from plant identification, to making compost tea for the soil, to building garden trellises, digging new beds, and learning the complexities of certain crops and how to deal with diseases, pests and heat to keep them from dying. But I have also had the chance to learn a lot in the kitchen: preserving foods through canning, making bread and pasta from scratch, pressing cider from apples by hand, dehydrating fruits and cooking all sorts of meals with the food harvested here. I’ve learned about running a CSA, living as part of a community and even learned about astrology, medicinal uses of plants and herbs, and so many cool things from the amazing Rebekah.
When Harvest Day came this past weekend and friends from D.C. came out to join in apple picking, pressing apple cider, pasta making and a big feast, I was really excited to show them around and share some of the knowledge I have soaked up here. It was a perfect day and we all had a lot of fun being on the farm and working together.
But the proud moment for me came when it was time to give everyone a tour. I put my geek face on and pranced around the gardens pointing out all the plants, spouting facts about each of them and answering everyone’s questions. All the while Rebekah quietly peeked in on the tour, and I couldn’t help but notice her quiet, proud smile as she realized how much I had soaked up from her over the past six weeks, and how happy I was to be able to spread that knowledge.
That moment for me, was a perfect closure on my experience in West Virginia, but it also reminded me that certain people come into your life to teach you something special and you should always take the time to soak in as much as you can.
just last night mikey was asking to see pics of you on the farm, and then we woke up this morning to this beautiful post!
thats really cool…i would love to make my own pasta and pick my own apples……the pics were great!….has your time in WV ended, moving on to another farm now?
the pic you took of the flower with the bee inside was amazing…so cool!…..LOVE IT!
Ms. Bowens – I just became aware of your blog. I am the Associate Director of Research at West Virginia State University, an 1890 land-grant HBCU university. I am also interested in the sustainable food movement and am looking for farmers to partner with, especially for our research program and students. WVSU is in Institute WV. If you have a minute, please respond. RJB
I saw your story in the Grist newsletter. Good to read your story. I am a woman of colour and live in the multi cultural city of Toronto. I worked on a film in 2008 about organic farming and unfortunately we could not find any farmers of colour to feature in the film. Very happy to find your site and look forward to reading your posts. Thank you for sharing.
thank you Sandy, we should try to make another film then!
Glad to know another Latina is dedicated to this! Moving from the Hill to a nonprofit organization to work on environmental policy, minority outreach, and government affairs was a daunting challenge especially given I would enter a world where I did not “speak the language”. While my new position is incredible and I feel more passionate every day about increasing this nation’s investment in environmental responsibility, I continue to be saddened at the lack of color in this movement. I am encouraged by your work and thank you for creating this site!
I know what you mean! Thanks for reading! Best of luck to you in the movement!