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A Change of Pace


I have been gardening for almost 10 years. There is no one in my family to hand down the skills of a gardener, so I started out small with a raised bed and relied on books and the internet as guides. The space in the yard producing food has gotten larger year after year and a few fruit trees have appeared in what I now call the orchard. Some endeavors have been successful and others…not so much. I refuse to use the word failure because they are all learning experiences. I have often said, “If I win the lottery, I would like to do an internship on a nearby farm and learn.”

I have been working in retail management for nearly 20 years and it has taken its toll on me. I found myself holding three phones at a time while being peppered with questions from employees until multitasking left me standing like a deer in the headlights. Although I had not won the lottery, I began to ponder working as an intern with a farm in mind: Down To Earth Farm. I finally mustered up enough courage to ask Farmer Brian about the internship while shopping at our local Saturday market. Brian told me a bit about the program and asked if I knew someone who was interested. I said, “Me.” He looked a bit surprised and smiled knowing that I worked as a retail manager at a local business. I smiled in return. At the end of our conversation he invited me to visit the farm and experience it firsthand.

On a Friday afternoon, I visited Down to Earth Farm and Farmer Brian took the time to give me a tour. He gave me

tasty samples of strawberries, sorrel and broccoli he plucked fresh off his organically grown plants. I had been to the farm in the past and it had expanded to four times the size I remembered! We harvested and washed radishes together and I met the crew. At the end of the day, Brian suggested I work one afternoon per week to get a taste of the experience.

Over the next several weeks I continued at my retail job and spent Friday afternoons at the farm. My afternoons were filled with blue skies, hawks flying over head, fresh air and yes…hard physical work. Over the next four weeks I could picture myself at the farm, working side by side with the crew outdoors. By the end of our weekly agreement, Brian offered the internship I had been hoping for. Three days each week seemed like a good fit!

I just completed my fifth week at Down to Earth. I’m past the initial phase of sore muscles and my formerly tight-fitting cloths are now droopy. I get filthy-dirty-sweaty everyday. I work in perfect weather as well as rain. Soon the Florida heat will set in. As part of the gig I get lunch, usually cooked by Brian. Everyone pitches in to contribute to the meal, and each person working there, whether volunteer or intern, seems to “want” to be there. Throughout the day appreciation mingles into our conversations as we work and interact. There are also times when I am alone with my thoughts in a vast field as my hands work the soil.

Friday is the highlight of the week. After all the market and CSA vegetables are harvested, cleaned and packed, we gather in the wash station surrounded by buckets of gorgeous, freshly picked flowers. We assemble bouquets to sell at the market and deliver to local businesses to sell. There are sweet smells and vibrant colors. Brian wraps each bouquet and rests it in a pail of water. The comments start to flow and I listen. “Look how intense that purple is! I love the texture in this bouquet! I LOVE making bouquets! We worked hard today! We work hard everyday!” We smile and laugh. We tell stories and talk about the books we have been reading along with a myriad of other subjects.

As you can see, It is time for me to connect with the soil, regain some quality of health and learn to grow more successfully in my own yard. The internship has also afforded me more time to get in my studio to paint: to transform the positive energy and color of the farm onto canvas. I have resigned from my retail life at least for a season. I have joined in the passion, energy and hard work that goes into bringing food from your local farm to your table.

I am continuing to learn the importance of supporting this movement and encourage you to make purchases at your local farmers market or participate in a CSA. I hope you will eat and shop at the businesses in your community that purchase from your local farmers as well.

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