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For the last year I've spent my time working in a greenhouse at Stone Barns, persistent in my desire to learn and understand that complex space and all that went with it, I didn't take time venturing into other places on the farm. I honed in on a specific set of skills that helped me dig deep into my initial understanding of farming. One of the gratifying parts of working at Four Season Farm is the variety and range of tasks I have had the opportunity to participate in. Everyone is involved with every aspect on the farm. In the two weeks I've been here, I've had the opportunity to work on many projects ranging from standard vegetable harvests for markets and restaurants to rare tasks such as roof building for the new chicken slaughter house. The philosophy involves everyone being able to do anything on the farm when it's needed most. The skills and concepts come from Eliot Coleman's methods, which he has been perfecting for decades (over forty years and going strong) and his wife Barbara Damrosch, who has been a leading voice in horticulture since the 1970's. Our development and understanding of these methods come through the experience of working, but also by clearly explaining the information and guiding others as we work. The beauty of this layered teaching method is that information is shared through necessity, which helps develop an understanding of the why. Skills are taught and directly applied under the pressure of a "real life" situation i.e. restaurants need their weekly orders filled and delivered, market stands need to be filled, customers are waiting for freshly cut herbs, weeds are growing out of control and transplants and seeds need to go in the ground. There's no orientation week or handbook that preps us on the inner workings of a farm, you drop your stuff off in your little room above the wood shop and dive right in. One of the rolls I've been wanting more exposure to is...
