autumn in nova scotia

make no mistake. autumn is here, and with it, sudden and alarmingly cold weather. it's not yet the end of september and already, my fellow farmers in training and i are wearing layers, down vests, wool sweaters, winter hats, which canadians call tuques--it's the french influence!--and scarves. YIKES! i fear the colder days that will soon make today feel "mild."

despite the cold and shorter days, autumn in nova scotia, is lovely. the farm is surrounded by greens--the lettuces, the forest behind the farm, blues--the bay, the sky, and warm oranges and pinks--the setting sun. autumn means prime time harvest season so even the colors of the produce, the cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, rainbow chard, and lettuces seem to be glowing more vibrantly. even they know the inevitable.

beyond the farm, about an hour and a half drive away in terence bay, nova scotia, lies hearn island. i was invited to kayak there with friends of friends and take part in "hearn-apolooza" an annual birthday celebration where dan, the birthday boy, and his friends partake in a most amazing and delectable feast of foods prepared over the campfire. the spread was impressive! coolers filled with grapes from dan's backyard, homemade grape juice, a ridiculous amount of cheeses and accompanying baguettes, chips and fresh spicy salsa--courtesy of yours truly, baked potatoes, veggie and feta cheese foil packets, grilled frog legs, caviar with cream cheese on top of belgian endives and cucumbers, roasted duck, smores, banana boats and to top off the evening, before falling into a satisfying sleep in my down sleeping bag, a final round of roasted marshmallows. DELICIOUS!

being removed from all the hubhub of city life means that i get to observe and delight in stars! unaffected by the dim of metropolitan lights, the stars from hearn island were beautifully bright. the milky way was mesmerizing and i even got to see two stellar shooting stars! star-riffic.

i love feeling this connected to nature and the wonderful opportunities to embrace the simple and wholly satisfying moments: the sounds of water from my kayak paddle, the wing span display of a sunning cormorant, the full scope of a sun dog, my hair smelling of campfire. being physically removed from an active urban existence has helped me to re-balance, to be more aware of the subtle differences in this rural life. finding an inner sense of quiet while harvesting lettuces or transplanting seedlings has become easier and i find myself feeling and celebrating gratitude more often.

muddy hands.

the skin around my fingernails are mud-stained and cracked, remnants from my first week on the farm. it's hard to believe that only a week has passed, my time here feels significantly longer than seven days. maybe this feeling of length is from all that i've already observed and learned.

four seasons farm in maitland, canada is an organic farm that specializes in lettuces but also grows AMAZING heirloom tomatoes among other delicious vegetables. it is owned by nancy and david, co-managed by their son, owen, and german farmer to be, sina. (prounounced "xena" in correct german pronunciation.)  the fall 2011 intern team includes melissa (who has been here since may), nick (who arrived in august), renee (who arrived one week earlier than me) and me. i am the only american and i occasionally get made fun of/applauded due to my 'merican accent, quirky sayings and expressions. i don't mind it at all, it serves as a fun platform from which many jokes emerge. and to further display my american pride, i proudly belted out the national anthem, with my hand over my heart, while sina hummed the tune on her kazoo and the others watched from their seats around the glowing campfire. i tried to channel whitney houston as best as i could during the highest notes.

it's nice to sit here and write, to let my thoughts wander and have my time, be that. MY time.  to make farm working times efficient, schedules have been set in place. the work day starts at 7am with an oatmeal break (i find that to be so cute and greatly appreciated! an OATMEAL break!) at 9:30 am. the bulk of the work day is from 10-ish until 2pm, when we sit down for lunch. thankfully, lunch time is an hour so after we eat, there's generally 30 minutes to rest, to check email, to read a chapter of a book or whatnot. i really enjoy working as a team (and feel grateful to be with a group of like-minded people with similar life values and interests), and i'm also finding that in between those social working times (when we harvest collectively or work side by side) i appreciate my time alone. it's nice to have that balance--of community and solo solace. after lunch, we work from 3-6, sometimes though, when duty calls, such as preparing produce for market days, we work until all the tasks are done and dinner is served at 7pm. i like how the duties are shared and as a team, we look out for each other. household duties are also divided and shared, so even the least fun tasks are more enjoyable.

one of the things i noticed immediately (and love very readily) about being here is that farm work helps me see and appreciate life in the simplest, fullest ways. i am aware of the smallest of shifts, a strong breeze that will temporarily prevent a mosquito from biting me, a sudden break in the sky on a grey cloudy day that yields a bright blue, sunshine after the rain, the warmth and mesmerizing swirls of a camp fire, the joy of the first bite of any and every meal, the crisp smells of freshly cut cilantro, basil, and tomatoes, resting my head and falling effortlessly into sleep.

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!