Week 2: Crews, Exploring the Food System, WEEDING

Zofia (center) works with her crew to weed the collards.

Week 2: 7/7-7/11
We started off the week strong by splitting into four smaller crews that we will continue to work with for the remainder of the summer.  We worked on many tasks such as staking, trellising tomatoes, seeding, mulching pathways and of course WEEDING.  It was lovely watching the crews work together and start to get to know one another as individuals rather than just faces in the crowd.  

On Wednesday we spent the day at LACS in our first development session of the summer.  We worked in crews to break down the process behind one item of food.  By doing this we discovered just how convoluted our food system is and the fact that most of the time we (the consumer) aren’t even aware of where our food comes from. 

We were lucky enough to have a guest speaker: Jhakeem Haltom, founder and manager of Congo Square Market, who gave a new, eye opening perspective on what it means to live in modern society.  He captivated the room and held our attention throughout with his views on the modern day slave saying that “the worst kind of slave is the one who does not know that they are a slave.”  By the end nobody knew what to say- still reeling from the power of his statements and the questions that he posed.  

In addition to Jhakeem, we had the opportunity to work with Frank Purrazzi to build an unforgettable lunch menu.  We made homemade ramen with greens, eggs, and some delicious kimchi with fresh ingredients from the farm.  It was an excellent development session that left everyone thinking about some really important issues that effect us all whether we are aware or not.  

Something that stuck with me this week was the question “what is a food system?” posed by Joseph and Rafa.  As we sat in the barn, one could almost feel the ideas forming- the sound of gears turning, connections being made.  It wasn’t necessarily the question itself, but the fact that the group took the time to analyze and break it down to make the answer their own.  The discussion left many with a new perspective on what we are doing here on the farm and what we can continue to do in the larger community to improve and build upon this concept of creating a sustainable food system.  

All in all it was a really strong week and I look forward to seeing where the summer takes us and what knew ideas will be formed.

 By Zofia, crew leader summer 2014

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