On The Farm

My mum is a farmhand at an organic local farm that's about 26 miles outside of our town.  This is my first time visiting the farm: my motivation?  I wanted a taste of what it was like to spend a day on the farm, but more than that . . . well, you'll find out under the break!

Quite honestly, I'm an indoors person.  I love air conditioning.  I love my computer and all of my other gadgets.  I love my cozy little room.  I love all the comforts that a house can bring and offer. However, there are moments where I desire to roam outside.  I believe nature is a beautiful thing, and I wish I took more time to appreciate it (and not just from a distance).

My mum told me that this particular day would be a better day for me to come out to the farm because she would be here for a smaller amount of time.  (She usually helps out at approx. 7:00am, and arrives back home at 5:00pm.  This particular day, we arrived at around 7:00am and left around 3:30pm).

Today's objective was to harvest garlic.  The other farmers needed some extra help, and harvesting garlic isn't a hard task, so I helped out a bit.  Granted, I wasn't out in the fields for awhile since I tire out easily, but I was proud at my little stack of harvested garlic bulbs.


This is what I look like after being out in the field for about half an hour:

Yes, I am wearing lipstick and eyeliner!  You can perfectly see my skull earrings in action with that first picture. I should also mention that it felt like 100 degrees F outside (about 38 C)

I spent the majority of the day roaming the farm and taking pictures:

The above picture is a shot I took lying down.  Whenever I was exhausted, I had several trees to lie down under.  I had a lovely view of the gentle hills (as you can see).  At one point, I settled underneath a peach tree.  Imagine -- sitting underneath a fruit tree, being able to pick the fruit right off the branches, and then tossing the fruit onto the ground . . . where it will return to the earth, once more.

For lunch, all of the farmers and farmhands (not a lot of us . . . I think there were six people) gathered inside one of the farmer's houses for lunch.  We had grilled cheese sandwiches with sharp cheddar cheese and tangy provolone with a fresh tomato slice.  There was also pasta salad, bean salad, watermelon, and cookies.  I would have taken a picture of lunch, but I gobbled it up so quickly!

After lunch, I washed up and got myself ready for what I was waiting for . . .

Yes, the number one reason why I came to the farm in the first place . . .

Are you ready?

I came to the farm . . .

For chickens . . .

Yes, chickens!

I met the ever so lovely miss Fluffynutter, a very fluffy hen (if you couldn't already guess from her name).  I held another chicken prior to holding miss Fluffynutter but she wasn't as cooperative as Fluffynutter.  Needless to say, it was an interesting experience, and I can't wait to hold more chickens.  If you have the opportunity to hold a chicken, I'd recommend it.

Now, entering the chicken house was even more interesting . . .

The hens instantly swarmed around me like meat in a piranha tank.  The awkward birds started "bawking" louder and louder, and several of them started to pull at the laces on my boots, my pants, and my fingers.  Now, when a chicken pecks you, it isn't as painful as you would think: in fact, it tickled!  

Now, away from the chickens . . .

Before my mum and I left, we had to stack the harvested garlic onto a truck.

Piles, upon piles, upon piles . . . of garlic . . .

The pictures don't really do justice to convey the mammoth of the garlic harvest.

It helps illustrate just how much garlic we dug out of the ground, though.  

This is what hours of harvest work looks like!

The next time you eat produce, especially organic produce ... think of the farmers ...

 I should also mention that you can find me with the chickens on GothsWithChickens here and here, the main reason why I wanted to go out and be with the chickens!  Next up, I'll see if I can submit something to GothsUpTrees ...