On Volunteering at Clagett Farm

 This post was written by Pat Burke, a shareholder, worksharer, volunteer and dear friend of the farm.

A friend wanted to know why I volunteer at an organic farm. After all, I’m a nurse, and nursing jobs are plentiful. Why would I leave paying health care work for “stoop labor” in the fields?

I tried to explain. My life had changed radically. I had just returned to graduate school, and was taking on considerable debt as well as a double course load. Instead of being outdoors, I was spending my hours sitting in lectures and libraries and hunched over the keyboard. My food was increasingly coming out of vending machines instead of from the organic market. I was stressed out, not exercising, not relaxing, and eating scary things out of cellophane.

When I found out that there was a CSA nearby, and that I could exchange 4 hours of farm work a week for a share of fresh organic produce, I thought it was too good to be true. I could be outside, get exercise, get a break from studying, and afford organic "veg" again! I expected that the work would be tedious, but thought I would give it a try.

To my surprise, the work gave me far more than delicious produce. I met wonderful people, heard great stories, and gained a new appreciation for the work of farmers. The staff and volunteers at Clagett are hardworking folks. They are cheerful when things are going well, and creatively resolute when challenges appear. Time together in the fields yields friends and fond memories.

The farm itself is an oasis of quiet in an increasingly unquiet world. At the farm, the sounds are of birdsong, the drowsy hum of honeybees, the welcoming bark of farm dogs, the murmur and laughter of volunteers sharing stories as they plant, transplant, mulch, weed, stake, hoe, clip and pick.  If you want to be with people, there is plenty of opportunity. If your day requires silence, then you can have that, too.

The work is varied. For those who want a physical challenge, there are plenty. There are many full wooden crates of produce to hoist upon a scale. Or fields of pumpkins or watermelons to pick and load into a van. But there are also flats to be seeded, carrots to be thinned, strawberries to mulch and potatoes to wash and sort. One day the “work” was to pick flowers and bunch them for the Dupont Circle shares.

Farm lessons are for free. Volunteers told me how to preserve abundant harvests for winter. Experience taught the sweet contentment that comes with working with a properly sharpened hoe. I’ve learned that the taste of heirloom tomatoes is indescribably good. That not all weeds are bad. I’ve learned that okra flowers look like hibiscus, and that kohlrabi looks like alien spaceships. And that raw sweet corn eaten in the field is a treat best enjoyed in moderation.

Most of all, I learned that a few hours of volunteering brings so much more than fresh organic produce. Three years have passed since my friend asked me that original question. I’m still volunteering at Clagett, and my life is richer for it. Come join us!

Comments

[Christine Somosi]

I would like to send part of my vacation time this summer voluteering on your farm.
Can you please e-mail me and let know if that is possible. Also, the informaiton you have on this site is great, however, it does not say where you are located (city, state)?

Please advise.
Best,
Chris Somosi