A Farm Fresh Kosher Supervised Blog

So, I may have this. A few of us were harvseting parsnips Tuesday morning for the first and only time this season, and each of us got this terrible problem on our hands and forearms. I have it by far the worst, though. Regular parsnips, as opposed to wild/cow parsnip, should not cause such bad skin irritation. But we did let them grow for too long and get a little woody, which may have created even more toxic leaves. Have you ever seen a parsnip with its leaves in the grocery store? Nope. But bunches of carrots? They often have their leaves in tact.

Here are some pictures of my arms. Enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of video embedding. I realized that it costs nearly $60 to have that feature. No thanks, WordPress.

Here is a picture of me setting up for our big last meal all together, though:

ADAMAH is winding down. We have two weeks left after this week. Every Friday we receive the coming week’s schedule, and it’s kind of scary that tomorrow will the second to last schedule we receive. Everyone seems to be getting kind of antsy and angsty, even a little on each other’s nerves sometimes. But we all love each other a lot and we’re pushing and pulling each other through these last two weeks, and it’s going to continue to be fantastic here.

Last night was the last night we could all have dinner together (because a couple fellows have to leave the program early for commitments). D and B cooked up a storm, all 14 of us came, plus all staff that was in town, and we had a woooonderful and beautiful dinner and time together. Many of us were skeptical that it could get all pulled off in such a short amount of time (the idea only came to fruition around 11am yesterday), but in the end it was fantastic and I think we were all really happy that D had that idea for us all to be together at a meal one last time.

I got my bike upgrade material in the mail the other week. My tires and tubes and seat have been changed, and I’m really happy with them. Still need to take care of the pedals. I can’t wait for our next training ride. I’m sure there will be one this coming week.

Okay, time to take care of stuff relating to my future. I’ll come back and post some pictures and videos from our dinner last night.

xoxo

I just sent this email out to many of my friends. If you didn’t get it, but you read this blog, I want you to see it too.

—- A Life Update: Where I Am, Where I’m Heading, and Why —

Normally, I would apologize for sending a group email. How impersonal! But I don’t feel that way right now. And I’ll tell you why. I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life, and with that blessing, comes the curse of a lack of time to speak or write to each one of you individually. Here on my farming fellowship, ADAMAH, at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, my schedule is jam-packed. But I truly believe that the work that keeps me so busy here is making a difference in this world. Our classes focus on environmental, agricultural, and Jewish issues and perspectives, as well as building leadership skills for us. We spend much of our time on the farm — planting, weeding, hoeing, and harvesting. We milk goats and care for the chickens, schlep the compost, help with chores around the retreat center, hold daily prayer services, and much more. We also spend time working on value-added products — making pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled beets and beans, jams, and goat cheese! Although the pickling and cheese work we do is partially for fun and educational purposes (creating a sustainable, local food system involves pickling and canning your fresh produce in order to have delicious food in the winter!), it is also to grow a profitable ADAMAH business and help to bring money to this important program. As with most non-profits, especially in our current economic climate, ADAMAH struggles to stay financially solvent.

ADAMAH has grown in enormous ways since its formation in 2003 as a tiny, several week long educational farming opportunity. Now, the program is for 14 people each in the summer and the fall, for over 3 months. ADAMAH now has 15 acres of farmland that serve the retreat center as well as 50 shares in our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). But the CSA and our thriving pickling business are not enough to keep ADAMAH successful into the future. ADAMAH also relies on generous donations and grants. One of the largest grant suppliers to ADAMAH is HAZON. HAZON is a wonderful organization that works to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community and world for all.  HAZON’s support for ADAMAH is invaluable. And, in turn, to help support HAZON, each summer cohort of ADAMAH participates in the Labor Day weekend HAZON New York Bike ride. Not only are we directly supporting HAZON, but the money we raise for the bike ride inevitably comes back to support ADAMAH. By supporting HAZON, we support ADAMAH.

This bike ride is extremely important to me. About 2 months before I came to ADAMAH, I bought my first bike for just $90. I started riding, and I was doing okay, not great. But once I came here to Isabella Freedman, I was riding every day. It is our main mode of transportation around here — great for excercise and the environment. I am now a proficient biker, very comfortable on two wheels. I even ‘pimped my ride’, i.e.: upgraded my bike with a new seat, tires and tubes, and pedals with straps. We have had a few training rides so far this summer, with more to come. So far, my longest distance is 25 miles. Not bad! For the HAZON ride, we can choose to ride 30, 55, 80, or 100 miles. After we do all of our training rides, I will make my decision, but I am currently planning to do the 55 mile route. If I feel I can do 80, I will!

A year ago I would have never guessed I would be where I am today. I was working in publishing, not too happy at my job. I was becoming more and more interested in issues around the environment and food choices. When I was told in November that I was to be laid off in May, my whole life changed. Suddenly I felt possibilities opening up all around me. I started considering going back to school. Now here I am, on this wonderful program, about to embark on an amazing bike ride. And after working my butt off on the GREs and a Human Bio course and the application to school (while working full-time and part-time), I am happy to report that I was just accepted to graduate school for an MS in Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the Tufts University Nutrition Science and Policy School. If you’ve ever wondered how quickly you can turn around your life, keep my example in your mind.

I hope that you can feel my enthusiasm through this email. It takes hard work on everyone’s part to make this world a better, safer, and healthier place for our plants, animals, and future generations. We need to overhaul our food systems, support our local farmers, eat in ways that don’t endanger our own bodies and the earth, and focus on practices that reverse the deterioration of our planet. I am proud to be able to be working on these causes this summer and to be going back to school to focus on them too. But I need your support today to help the organizations that I am working with, that I know are helping to make a difference in this world.

Please help me support ADAMAH when I bike in the HAZON New York Ride:
http://hazon.kintera.org/2009nyride/adamah_laura

I got into grad school! Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy – an MS in Agriculture, Food, and Environment.

I am now in a stressful position of figuring out whether I can attend in September or if I have to defer due to monetary considerations.

I am just so thrilled that my big plan is starting to come true. Many of you know that in November when I got laid off, I quickly created a new life plan — take the GREs in Spring, take a Bio class at community college that I needed for my application, apply to school (all while working full time and part time) and then go to ADAMAH… and now the school plan has worked out!

Life can be really hard and harsh sometimes, but I am very lucky person. My dear friends here, especially my fellow Adamahniks, have been and continue to be so supportive — as has my familiy. I am blessed.

Wish me luck in my decision making process!

xoxo

There is less than a month left of Adamah Summer ’09. Scary. Sad.

News…. let’s see…. everything worked out okay with the rusty nail. I did not need to go on antibiotics.

My bike upgrade material did not arrive in time for last week’s training ride out to Twin Lakes (and past), but I did borrow a pair of biking shorts, which helped a lot. I successfully rode 25 miles! At some point the group split in half and I was in the lead pack the whole time. We navigated our own way and kept a good pace. I did tend to fall behind on each hill, but I always caught up with my pack. We got back, and I dunked in the lake. It’s always a nice celebration to do that, especially when we only have time to eat and go to class, and not shower.

Anyway, my bike stuff has finally arrived, and B will be helping me put it together later this week. I really want to go for a ride right away and see how much lighter and stronger I feel. I have a very busy schedule this week, with no training ride scheduled, unfortunately. Next Sunday is Gabe and Amy’s wedding, so I’ll be in Long Island — no biking that day. So I don’t know when I’m going to get a ride in. It’s hard when you don’t bike on Shabbat.

Our schedule this week is as packed as usual, but I was tapped to be the Farm Manager Apprentice for the week, underneath Biz who is Farm Manager while Anna is busy running the Taste of Adamah learning program (because Shamu is going on vacation). It’s so nice that they asked me to do that. I’m kind of surprised. I think there are other Adamahniks who seem more inclined to want to be a Farm Manager, but it’s nice that they want me to do it and have confidence in me and trust me. So, because of that job, I’ll be in the sadeh for every morning and afternoon shift this week, except for two. Crazy! I’m pretty sure I will be intensely burnt out by the end of the week. Shabbat will be more important than usual, so that I have the energy to travel to Long Island and be festive and see old friends.

What else… some tough stuff this past week for a lot of people in the group, including myself. Just trying to muscle through and keep having fun. I love it here and the people, but sometimes other stuff gets in the way and brings you down. It’s impossible to always be happy, right? To get away for a little while, and try to be happier, I went to NYC for 4 hours on Thursday. We had the afternoon and evening off (because we had worked all day Sunday at Feast in the Field), and J needed to go to Brooklyn to look at an apartment. H also wanted to take care of some stuff in the city, and T and I wanted to get away. So we piled in the car, drove to Wassaic train station, took the train for 2 hours, were in the city for 4 hours, took the train back for 2 hours, and were in bed around 1am. And it was totally worth it. While J and H took care of their stuff, T and I wandered around Greenwhich Village, ate at a delish vegetarian restaurant, drank iced coffee and ate frozen yogurt while walking on the street, went into stores that were too expensive and looked at the pretty things, and I managed to pick up a couple inexpensive things (a ring from a street vendor and a straw hat with flowery ribbon that I can where in the sadeh and in the picklearium). It’s just nice to walk around the city. I haven’t been there in years (pretty sure not since Feb. ’05), so it was just fun to see the Empire State Building, Flat Iron Building, Washington Sq. Park, Union Sq., etc. I didn’t expect to go to the city while I was here this summer, so it was fun to take an impromptu trip.

Feast in the Field last Sunday was a success. Mom and Dad came and it was nice to show them my current home and what I do here. Unfortunately it was pouring rain for most of the day, so the tour of Isabella Freedman was done in the car. That was a bummer. But it was a nice visit. And the set up of the big white tent in the sadeh, with all the delicious food, was so nice. Jill Zenoff, former Adamhnik and chef, cooked the food, with the help of Segulah. They did a great job.

Tonight is the Isabella Freedman staff talent show. I actually have no idea if anyone is performing. It was kind of a last minute announcement, and with a lot of people having personal issues going on, I’m not sure if anyone is in the mood. I kind of feel like cuddling up and watching a movie, personally. But I’ll probably stick around and watch it to support people.

I’m really not fundraising enough for Hazon. Happily, they scheduled in time for us to work on letter writing this week. If you want to avoid getting a personal request, please donate!
http://hazon.kintera.org/2009nyride/adamah_laura

Alright that’s enough for now. This last few weeks will be fast and sad and scary and stressful.

xoxo