Esther, Apprentice 2006

I was lucky to have found the CSG at Genesis Farm for my first farming internship. Someone once said that you never fully appreciate the impact that a place has on you until you leave it, which is definitely true in this case. The daily workings of Genesis Farm offered a wealth of knowledge—I participated in a diverse set of agricultural activities with farmers who know an incredible amount about the land that they work. I harvested greens on frosty October mornings, hoed weeds from rows of broccoli in penetrating mid-day sun, and peeled barrels of garlic cloves to be seeded for next year. Each activity that I took part in left me with a fuller ability to adapt and flourish, and a sense of empowerment in having discovered what I was capable of accomplishing. At lunch, I sat down with people I worked beside in the field, eating food we ourselves had prepared. While the work was often challenging, it was balanced by a little humor and simple human camaraderie. These intangible qualities, the spirit that animates the work, led to a profound experience of connection to the people I worked with, the land we worked and the food that we grew and ate. I have since gone on to work at two other farms, and I now participate in academic research on agriculture and food production. However, my time at Genesis Farm sparked an abiding love for the work and lifestyle. Though I am still in the process of finding the proper expression for this affinity in my own life, I am very grateful to have discovered it.