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Hello August and Book & Plow Family,
We're in an extreme-heat afternoon so I'm sending off the summer newsletter. Countdown two-weeks 'til new students arrive on campus. Important for students, you can apply to the JR1401 Book & Plow Farmer work study position. We're taking applications for the next 2 weeks. I'd also encourage students to apply to work in Dining Services. Both jobs are opportunities to be involved in the campus food system and work with your hands!
Here are some photos from the summer.
For Book & Plow,
Maida
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1. This is a Phoebe bird that I watched fledge. It dropped down from the nest above the shed door and watched us wash produce for a while. Will helped to shepherd it into the woods where it's encouraging parents were waiting.
2. A full hangar. Take note of the curing garlic (hanging to get rid of any moisture for proper storage). Behind the fan is our new-used battery-powered cultivating tractor.
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3. Here's Kaylee looking at our eggplant. Unfortunately, the plants are affected by a fungal disease called verticillium wilt. Luckily, it has not prevented the eggplant from fruiting. We had our first harvest this week. We will have to be mindful of what we grow in this field in the future and choose either crops that are not affected or varieties that are resistant to the fungus.
4. Dylan and Julia wash curly kale for delivery to Valentine Dining Hall. This summer we planted summer crops (beets, carrots, squash, cukes and greens) at the Core Site for the first time since the farm's inception.
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5. Dylan unfolds his tie-dye t-shirt at an event organized by Kaylee.
6. Julissa lays out violets to dry. Throughout the summer we harvest these flowers for crafting projects. We also harvest herbs to dry for tea.
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7. Julissa bagging up garlic scapes for donation to the Amherst Survival Center. We remove these edible stalks from the garlic plant so they put more energy into larger bulbs. Next summer we plan to send the scapes and basil to Val for campus-grown and made pesto.
8. Here's Will planting in the perennial herb garden. We mulch this space a lot to prevent weeds and poison ivy from growing up.
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9. Here's Colin bunching oregano in that same perennial herb garden. We sell herbs to the dining hall and Amherst Mobile Market. We also harvest herbs for donation---regular harvest helps them produce later into the season.
10. Ayo on the 385 mowing a field called RTHigh. We are working to open this field up again after many years fallow.
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11. SERF students came up to the farm for an awesome field day. There was boba tea, ice cream sandwiches, lawn games, and a water balloon slingshot.
12. Colin, Kiana and Julissa rubber band their t-shirts for tie-dying. Working with a full crew on slightly smaller acreage allowed the summer interns to spend time on independent projects, take some field trips and do some fun activities in addition to weeding carrots, planting kale, and trellising tomatoes.
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13. and 14. Professors Dave Jones and Becky Hewitt stand with Kaylee and Carolyn in a field of buckwheat. Carolyn spend the summer collecting soil samples from the farm to measure carbon.
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