will work for food

I Ain't Gonna Work On Martha's Farm No More

2009-08-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Whoa, this is way overdue (we talked about writing a final blog post with this title for quite some time, but I guess we never got around to it)

Sorry that we sort of forgot about the whole blogging thing about halfway through our experience

Anyway all there really is left to say is that our 2 months on the farm will be remembered as some of the best of our lives. It was really incredible and beyond even our most ridiculous dream expectations and we cannot show enough gratitude to those who made it that way.

Negligence!

2009-07-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hello out there!

It has been far to long since we have spoken. Sorry about this, but we have discovered the merits of sleeping immediately after dinner, and this has curbed our blogging significantly.

Everything is going well here, we have had two beautiful sunny days after what seemed like endless days of rain and mist.

The Strawberry season has reached its end here at Silvermine which will drastically change our daily routine of early morning berry pickin, but thats alright, there are plenty of other things to do.

Also, a few days ago, we learned the art of chicken plucking, it was quite the experience.

In other news, new goslings continue to appear almost every week, they are adorable, but closely guarded by their mothers.

Today was spent clearing fields of irrigation tubes and old greenhouses to ready them for plowing and later in the day we constructed some enclosures of chicken wire to contain the rapidly growing chicks

Good things lie ahead as some of our earliest planting near the point of harvest and the weather and company stay pleasant.

hope all is well!

- B&D

Update!

2009-06-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

First post in a while, sorry for the delay, we have been rather busy and tired. Its been raining up here for the past week, but the work continues. We emerged triumphantly from numerous battles with bind weed and each of us got to try our hand at running the farm stand and selling produce at farmer's markets in Worcester. We drove up to Vermont this weekend where Ben administered a tour of Middlebury. It was quite a relaxing weekend.

On the way back down to Sutton, we had the opportunity to stop at Overlook Farm, which is one of Heifer International's few education centres in the states. We had time to contemplate what we will do with our farming skillz.

There was also a fair amount of camel/bro love time.

We have always been big fans of what Heifer does, and it was interesting for us to consider how our experience here could possibly tie into their line work in the future. Teaching sustainable agriculture internationally would definitely be cool.

We returned from the weekend to work and more rain. Ben spent some time scurrying around under the barn installing some PVC pipe to allow us to wash copious amounts of greens in a bathtub. We also picked tons of delicious snap peas. mmmmmm.

hope ya'll are feelin fine!

- B&D

Food, Inc.

2009-06-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

A new week brings new projects here at Silvermine. The Worcester Farmers Market opened for business on Monday and Mike was the intern representative selected to attend. Meanwhile, back at the farm, we harvested radishes and greens for the stand and got a good bit of weeding done in the carrots. Every day gets more exciting.

We stopped work a bit early to head to Cambridge. Jeff was able to get the whole family including the interns tickets to a prescreening of Food, Inc. a new documentary on the USA's industrial agriculture system. Think of it as a movie version of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma. It's a fantastic film that outlines where our food comes from and impact it has on our society and our planet.

The film was followed by an interesting discussion panel that featured to director, Robert Kenner. He explained to the audience that he had an opportunity to screen the movie for Tom Vilsack, the current Secretary of Agriculture. After seeing to movie, Vilsack told Kenner that the industry could change if there was a movement for them to follow. We all can be part of that movement and that change. Truly inspiring, this was a wonderful reminder to the both of us why we chose to spend our summer this way. We highly recommend that you see this film and spread the news to everyone you know. Its time to get this ball rolling.

Got back to the farm late and got up early this morning a bit sleepy but empowered. We kicked the morning off deliciously by picking organic strawberries. The rest of the day pushed the interns to new levels of incredible through a fierce hunt for dock weeds. None were spared.

In other news, we would like to thank everyone who so generously has sent us letters, cookies, mix cd's, and other tokens of affection. You have won our hearts.

Much love,

-B&D

Berries and Goats

2009-06-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

The work goes on here at Silvermine Farm, we awoke early on Wednesday to pick a few quarts of strawberries for the opening of the farm stand.

This was a very enjoyable task as slight snackage was inevitable and delicious. Other than this, we have been transplanting tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant with our fellow farmhands for most of the past few days.

It is very satisfying to see the fields fill up and some of the seeds we planted earlier begin to sprout.

Much of our time recently has been occupied by chasing around Mila,

a very mischievous and accident prone goat who refuses to be contained by any enclosure, including Daniel's expert electric fence-work.

In addition, we have welcomed some poults (baby turkeys) to the farm, and they are adorable.

We hope this post finds all of you well

- B&D

Preparing for Strawberries

2009-06-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Rain plagues the soul. This morning was spent transplanting tomatoes and peppers in a steady downpour. It was cold, wet, and muddy. We accomplished a lot in a short time thanks to the many hands at work. Morale was high, namely because we have recently returned from a very enjoyable visit to our friend Grace Voterro.

Martha, being a merciful farmer, allowed us to assist in cleaning the barn after lunch instead of continuing the endless transplanting. Refrigerators were moved, floors were swept, and countless piles of pigeon excrement were removed.

We also did some mild exploring of the hay loft.

The farm opens for the season tomorrow so everything was made to look resectable. There is a large Pick-Your-Own Strawberries operation here which we hung up signs around town to advertise. If you live in or around the Sutton, MA area please stop by 96 Eight Lots Road any time between 8AM and 7 PM for good pickins and fine times.

We moved into a new trailer today, which is larger and more accommodating. We have space to store our massive backpacks, more comfortable beds, and room for entertaining.

Classy!

Until next time,

-B&D

Objective Observation #1

2009-06-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ben and Daniel introduce the newest section to “Will Work for Food”. This segment will consist of interviews conducted by acquaintances on their weekend days off. Each interview will explore Ben and Daniel’s mental well-being and other nonsense.

I, Grace Emerson Vottero, professional Blabbity Blah, had the joyful pleasure of hosting the two slightly dirty but enthusiastic farmhands, Ben and Daniel, at my home over the past weekend. We engaged in a plethora of pleasant activities, including (but not limited to) getting a pedicure, eating an entire rotisserie chicken, enjoying free ice cream cones, going for walks, and meeting Bird.

I chose to ask them the following questions:

What’s the most strenuous task you’ve encountered at the farm?

B: Hand seeding spinach.

D: Hand seeding spinach. It was very methodical and peaceful but still strenuous

B: It just really hurt my lower back and was seemingly endless. It was like 2015 ft of spinach 1 inch at a time. Just us two.

Biggest lifestyle change?

B: Dirtiness.

D: I’d say, having something to do all the time that I really enjoy.

B: Yes, it’s been very nice to be outside all day everyday

D: A little overwhelming even

B: A lot of lifestyle changes

D: It’s been very strange to be coming to a new family and having them take us in

B: That’s been the least awkward in my opinion.

D: But it is a big change.

B: Yeah, getting up early and doing relatively monotonous tasks has been a change. But the time has passed quickly.

D: Good company.

Most stimulating conversation you’ve had at the farm?

D: We’ve been doing a devotional about every night. Just like a daily thing that gives an essay on faith.

B: Yeah, we’ve had some stimulating conversations about truth and faith and stuff like that. Also talking with Martha and Jeff about their different approaches to farming.

D: Jeff works with a nonprofit that heads up and regulates all the farmers markets in the state so it’s very nice to talk to him about policy and where he sees the local movement going and the like.

The most magical thing you’ve found at Silvermine?

B: The old carriage and sleigh are pretty sick.

D: As far as physical things, there is the Jaguar in the barn is pretty cool.

B: Most magical thing - sense of hospitality.

D: Sense of place.

B: Feeling like we belong there. Also our friendship with Mike is pretty magical.

(plays voicemail from Mike:)

M: “And make sure Sir Daniel puts the digits into his phone as well! I’ll see you cats on Monday!”

B: Most magical thing: Cripple Creek Ferry.

What’s the yummiest thing you’ve eaten grown entirely on the farm?

B: Strawberry shortcake, easily.

D: Yeah.

B: Choosing a farm where strawberries are a big part of their operation was a good decision.

D: But not geese, never trust a goose

Hot Sun, Cold Dirt

2009-06-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

Things continue to go swimmingly here.

Since our last dispatch, we have attended a CSA steering committee meeting with Martha which was very informative. It's interesting to see the direct interaction between the growers and the shareholders. We have learned a lot about the politics of farmers markets from Jeff as well.

Yesterday was spent preparing a children's garden for local kids. We tilled up a small portion of the front yard and made things look respectable around the barn.

The tire busted a flat in the process while hauling compost which Ben learned to repair. Meanwhile, Mike and Dan put up a new electric fence to keep the ornery goats at bay. The children came, planted their garden, and left. The malicious geese left

most of them unharmed.

This morning was spent in the green house planting squash. We moved to the barn later to clear out old furniture and discover a bounty of antique treasures.

The afternoon was full of education as we learned how to seed the fields and a bit about the complexities of farm mathematics and crop planning.

The days have been full and tiring, but very satisfying and we continue to share good times with the family and mike.

We are happy and hope you are too!

- B&D

The Rock Harvest

2009-06-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

We arrived on the farm mid-day yesterday after a wonderful stay in Williamstown with the generous Whatley family to Martha's smiling face and a delicious lunch. Straight to work afterwords planting broccoli and peppers. The work went by quickly as we became acquainted with the other farm hands. The other intern, Mike, is a total baller.

Dinner was a bit elaborate as it was Jeff's 53rd birthday. Faith, the youngest daughter, is quite the culinary expert. We can only hope that some of this rubs off on us. Supper was accompanied by stimulating conversation and mild celebration with the family. We find ourselves quite at home here.

After christening our new home with our first slumber,

we hit the fields and finished digging up the pepper rows.

The majority of the day was spent clearing rocks from the lower filed to prep for plowing. We prevailed.

In summary, things are good here; the work is hard and we are still adjusting to that, but the great company, weather, food, and beautiful surroundings are making it as easy and pleasant as possible.

Much love,

- B&D

Welome

2009-05-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all

Here you will find tales of our adventures on the Silvermine farm in Sutton, Massachusets.

We chose to do this out of our love of agriculture and the environment and to learn more about these pursuits and ourselves. Indeed, this is a quest for understanding, to reconnect with the land, to simplify things, and to seek hypertrophy and hyperpigmentaion.

more info on the farm can be found here: http://www.silverminefarm.com/

Anyway, in short you can keep track of us here, and we will miss all of you greatly

Love,

- B&D