Hello everyone!

It would seem that the changing of the seasons is upon us, bringing us to the doorstep of the end of the growing season (and our CSA box deliveries, unfortunately). Here at Oz, that means a few different things. It means lots of time spent out in the orchard harvesting untold numbers of apples as they ripen, it means preparing the crop beds for their rest over winter, and for the apprentices it’s a time of reflection as we come upon the end of our apprenticeship.

At the beginning of the season (and our learning curves), we learned to “wake up” the fields from their winter slumber, using a broadfork to aerate the soil, adding any nutrients that may be lacking, and installing irrigation lines that would keep our new crops thriving. After a season of rest, we worked hard to realize the potential in the grounds we lived and worked on. This was by no means an easy task, and more than a little nerve wracking at times. There were certainly days that our work felt like climbing a mountain of marbles.

Over time though, sprouts began to appear and we began to grow alongside them. Harvest mornings (which had started as a hectic 6 hour rush) started to fall into a rhythm as we got used to the workflow and the amazing crops in our care. I realize now that all this time we were working the Earth, Mother Earth was working us right back. Over the course of the season, I’ve felt myself being reborn into a stronger version of myself. One that is no longer so daunted by the seemingly never ending challenges of being in true communion with the land.

And now, coming to the close of the season, there are still more lessons yet to be learned. Now we will be learning to “put the beds to bed”, and prepare the fields for their season of rest. We’ve been harvesting and pulling up beans, corn, and squash crops, taking out and storing irrigation lines, and pulling silage tarps over whole plots like giant quilts. Tucking the land in for bed.

Enjoy the abundance.
Heidi, Farm Apprentice