We hitchhiked halfway up the mountain to Foxglove Farm not because we were lazy. Our egos are intact enough that we don't need to conquer that 45 degree incline at 7pm before a workday on Foxglove Farm. We arrived before sunset and we found a fully loaded kitchen, hot outdoor showers and a newly plowed meadow for us to camp in. We slept deeply and got up early the next morning to start our volunteer shift on the asparagus field. The farm isn't incredibly large but the land that is used is insanely well kept. It's a testament to the farmhands that work there how clean and organized everything is. Seon, Patrick, Janet and Claire were our guides for the day and showed us how fast asparagus grows (we noticed the elevation they gained within the few hours we worked alongside them), how suspending raspberry plants at a 90 degree angle pulls the fruit to one side to make harvest less prickly and how you can utilize green house space by hanging melons with hairnets. Some ingenious stuff is going on up there.
Us Birds spent the day clearing out tomato plants, raspberry bushes and spinach.Thanks to Janet we ate one of the more delicious lunches we will ever eat (shred your yams and fry your bananas). The rainy morning cleared into a hot afternoon and though we were beat, we were happy to help out and get some dirt under our fingernails. The other farmhands kept working late into the afternoon as we had to take meadow naps and warm lake swims, but Clarie was kind enough to give us a tour of the entire farm. Not only does Foxglove have the garden and orchard and greenhouses that we worked but in order to diversify their crops they're growing their own wheat on a back field. As of now there are no animals on the farm though previously it was cattle land, which makes the soil nitrogen rich and perfect for farming. Michael and Jean Marie, the owners for the past five years, have done some amazing things with the land. Claire told us how farming is like any other form of expression- a painting on the land.
In addition to the agricultural aspect of the farm, Foxglove offers a variety of workshops, retreats and camps. It's considered "a centre for arts, ecology and agriculture". Though we didn't see much of this side of the farm the days following our departure they were to host a workshop on mushrooms by Paul Stamets, and how they can save the world. We can't thank the Foxglovers enough for their kind generosity, their inspiring dedication and all the knowledge they shared with us.
Our visit was documented mainly by video, which is time consuming to edit. We will post these soon!
Us Birds spent the day clearing out tomato plants, raspberry bushes and spinach.Thanks to Janet we ate one of the more delicious lunches we will ever eat (shred your yams and fry your bananas). The rainy morning cleared into a hot afternoon and though we were beat, we were happy to help out and get some dirt under our fingernails. The other farmhands kept working late into the afternoon as we had to take meadow naps and warm lake swims, but Clarie was kind enough to give us a tour of the entire farm. Not only does Foxglove have the garden and orchard and greenhouses that we worked but in order to diversify their crops they're growing their own wheat on a back field. As of now there are no animals on the farm though previously it was cattle land, which makes the soil nitrogen rich and perfect for farming. Michael and Jean Marie, the owners for the past five years, have done some amazing things with the land. Claire told us how farming is like any other form of expression- a painting on the land.
In addition to the agricultural aspect of the farm, Foxglove offers a variety of workshops, retreats and camps. It's considered "a centre for arts, ecology and agriculture". Though we didn't see much of this side of the farm the days following our departure they were to host a workshop on mushrooms by Paul Stamets, and how they can save the world. We can't thank the Foxglovers enough for their kind generosity, their inspiring dedication and all the knowledge they shared with us.
Our visit was documented mainly by video, which is time consuming to edit. We will post these soon!
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