Picking apples, pressing cider, herding
turkeys, making greenhouse beds and planting seeds. These are just some
of the activities that Farmers & Foragers have participated in so
far this fall. This week we held circle around a campfire, drinking
cider and eating other local treats (apples, carrots, cheddar cheese and
popcorn). At our circles we share stories, songs and farm experiences.
We also discuss what we are getting into that day and why.
“What
does it mean to sustain?” The F & F kids ponder and roast their
carrots on the fire. Cassidy (15) shared that sustain was a vocabulary
word for her this past week. She offered, “It means to continue.”
I ask, “What does it mean to sustain this fire?”
“Give it wood.” “Feed it!” “Keep it going.”
What does it mean to sustain yourself?”
“Feed yourself!”
The
conversation goes down the path of health and maintaining one’s energy.
We use Jeremiah’s recent running feats as an example.
“What does
Jeremiah need to do to be the best runner he can be?” What does it mean
to sustain the land and keep the environment around us?” “To keep it
healthy?”
In a world where the concept of sustainability often
seems abstract or intangible (it is one that many adults stumble over),
these kids understand what it means in its most basic and important
sense. Keep the land and the environment healthy and it will continue to
be that way for the future. It will sustain itself and us.
Sustainable
agriculture implies that methods be used that will maintain the health
and security of our food supply and of the environment. For this, we
turn to many techniques. On this particular crisp fall day that we sit
around the campfire talking and eating, we are preparing ourselves to
plant in accordance to the forest ecosystems that surround us. We will
mulch heavy and consider the interactions of the surrounding species.
In gratitude,
Marty
Farmers
& Foragers fall session began Monday October 7. Enrollment is
ongoing and mid session entry is welcome. Check out our new Fall
registration form at
www.theorchardschool.org
Marty grew his first potato when he was 12 year old on a worn out piece of ground behind his parents’ house. He’s been attracted to the idea of growing food ever since. He started growing seriously in 2001 with his wife Ellen’s guidance and has worked on several organic farms prior to moving to Orchard Hill. His passion is in integrating all aspects of the farm; the gardens, animals, buildings, water systems and so on. Marty has been raising heritage farm animals since 2003, and started training his young oxen Boss and Chez to do some of the farm work in the winter of 2012. Marty graduated from Antioch University New England with an MS in Environmental Studies and currently teaches Farmers & Foragers and summer camps at The Orchard School, as well as Permaculture Design Courses at Orchard Hill.
