Hey Steemers!!
Today my classmates & I volunteered at beautiful Bouldin Food Forest in Austin, TX! We are so lucky to have lots of options for organic, locally grown food here in the city of Austin - it was awesome to connect to the source of food that we are so fortunate to cook with every day at the Natural Epicurean!
When we arrived at 7:30 am this morning, the crickets were still chirping & the fog was creeping through trees. It reminded me of the summers I spent at my grandparents house when we'd wake up early in the morning to work in the garden. So serene!
Bouldin Food Forest practices organic, sustainable farming, but are not yet organic certified. It's quite expensive to get the organic certification, but everything we did & witnessed today was true to the organic farming practices.
In fact, meet the pest patrol - three ducks that go around snacking on the little grubs & slugs. No pesticides here!
Bouldin Food Forest is also permaculture farm, & as you can see, the rows are not straight but slightly curved. I've seen farms like this, but didn't understand the difference between straight & curved, or contoured, lines. Apparently, contouring the rows to the shape of the land helps control the water flow. It makes since as this plot slopes downward towards the Colorado River, only about 300 ft away. We spent over an hour just spreading a layer of mulch down all of the aisles - I'm feeling it in my arms for sure!
While half of the group mulched, the other half put up string to help support the fall tomatoes - yes, that's a thing in Texas thanks to the year round growing season.
Next, we spent a couple of hours weeding the beds. It was actually quit meditative until I had a run-in with this little devil of a plant, the stinging nettle. Not the most comfortable plant to accidentally sit on.
We also made a new friend (or foe?) on the farm - a chubby catapillar that's obviously been eating good for awhile. The pest patrol can't get everything all the time & it sure beats eating pesticides ;)
After a long morning of hard work in the Texas heat, we were treated to some goodies from the garden! We each got to take home some sweet potatoes, red & green okra, and tons of different herbs!
If you've ever thought about volunteering at a local farm, but you're worried you don't have enough experience, just do it! The best way to learn is hands on & there's always plenty to do! It's also a great way to get some free, fresh food in exchange for a little hard work. Plus, for some reason the food always tastes better if you feel like you earned it :)
We'll be visiting the Sustainable Food Center & Urban Roots farm tomorrow - stay tuned! :)
Lindsey