Coming Full Circle

I have been thinking about circles a lot lately. I was visualizing the cyclical nature of the seasons the other afternoon as I was cleaning up our vegetable learning garden here at the farm. As I pulled pepper plants from black plastic by the roots, I remember the hot, sunny day in which I planted them. I remember how full of life and bedding plants the greenhouses were at the time. Now they are empty and cold. I can even remember the chilly spring days in which I sowed the first seeds of carrots and radishes, learning from Cat how to interplant both crops at the same time to save space.

I was also in this nostalgic frame of mind when we were working at Thetford Elementary school a couple of weeks ago. We witnessed the very same kids who planted the gardens use their strong muscles and willpower to completely clear and clean up the raised beds. However, the kids had grown, now in a different grade, assuming a new responsibility in the garden. We encouraged them to search for seeds and to save them for next year to continue the circle of discovery and exploration. Morning glory, black popcorn, rat tail radish, calendula, scarlet runner beans and nasturtium seeds were collected and admired. It was exciting and inspiring to see kids recognize the possibility and potential of seeds. They totally get the magic behind them.

From entering and then editing recipes on the website, to turning the compost in spring and then adding everything to it in the fall, to setting up the Hello Cafe and then shutting it down, I have come full circle here at the farm this season. Two festivals, countless shots of espresso, several tours, and hundreds of yummy carrots later, I have gotten such a well-rounded experience at the farm this season and I am grateful for all of it. I leave the farm with this model of community-minded agriculture ingrained in my heart. Somewhere near the circle of cedars is a farm that provides for its community. What they offer is not simply high-quality organic produce. It’s so much more.

-Lauren Harris, Education Assistant