labor day.

i think it's funny (or perhaps astutely fitting!) that on a federal holiday that celebrates all the social and economic contributions of workers, a day that most north americans have off work, is the day that i began working. (also interesting to note is that peter j. mcguire, the man who first proposed labor day in the states was inspired by the labour day celebrations he observed in...OH CANADA!)

i have just finished my first day of my internship here at four seasons farm in maitland, canada. i'm nestled quite nicely here in my own room, completely furnished with two dressers, an armchair, a futon/couch, twin bed and bookshelves. (the only thing that would make this room even better is a desk--i'm sitting on the floor, writing with my laptop on top of my makeshift desk, my luggage!) i am definitely in halifax. right before coming to canada, my friend and i set up our own mini-bookclub. with canada on both our minds, complete with a skype bookclub meeting to be determined, we agreed to read about and discuss a classic heroine which we both have not yet read: anne of green gables. days before my departure, i failed to get my hands on a copy and i boarded my plane hoping that i'd find a copy online. wouldn't you know it! just before i began my online search, i looked at my new room's bookshelf and lo and behold, what do i see? that's right. anne. of. green. gables. that's canadian pride right there.

this morning, i woke up at 6am and was sleepily excited to begin my farm education. there are four interns in total: melissa, renee, nick, and me. melissa was on water duty, which, i'll learn more about soon, while the rest of us harvested lettuces. with my basket in tow and scissors in my hands, the sole hired worker, german farmhand, sina, instructed me on how to properly cut romaine freckles lettuce, an heirloom variety--think of traditional romaine lettuce and then add purple freckles throughout!--and green oak leaf lettuce. when you want lettuce to grow a second (or third round) of leaves, you cut two inches or so above their station in the ground. (a secret to enjoying sweeter tasting lettuce is to harvest only during the early morning hours, which is what we did!) once the leaves have been snipped, a white milky liquid emerges. this "milk" gives lettuce its slightly bitter flavor and its scientific name, lactuca sativa is derived from the latin word for milk.  four seasons farm specializes in organic lettuces. there are rows upon rows of all different kinds of lettuces, the kind you often see labeled, "spring mix" in your grocery store are the kinds they cultivate here. it's lovely. once the lettuces have been harvested, they are then washed, bagged, weighed, and sealed. today, i bagged them into one pound bags for them to be shipped to various halifax restaurants tomorrow.

i also harvested yellow patty pan squash and heirloom cherry tomatoes, which taste like sunbursts in your mouth, they are SO GOOD! while harvesting, i made made good of the "seconds" (those not suitable to be sold.) by eating them...ah, the fruits of working on a farm. (YES! pun intended.!) did you know that tomatoes ripen from the top of the vine to the bottom? did you also know that growing tomatoes and basil together increases the health (of the tomato because basil repels insects) and enriches the flavor of both crops? high fives to learning, growing and cultivating the heart, the mind and tastebuds!