Need Inspiration for your Internship?

Senior student Naomi Perryman is set to graduate this fall. I would like to share a written account of her community involvement these past two years while attending The Natural Epicurean. Naomi is a true inspiration! She is preparing to take a tour of the Northeast and hopefully she will keep us posted on new projects. We will miss you!

Internship at Hands of the Earth Farm
www.handsoftheearth.com
My internship began May 1, 2008 and will end on August 5, 2009. Throughout the internship I camped on the farm and received a small weekly stipend in exchange for an average of 40 hours of work a week. Working at HOTE gave me the firsthand experience of growing organic vegetables, maintaining a CSA program, and selling homegrown produce at the Sustainable Food Center’s farmer’s markets. During the extent of my internship I also got lots of experience teaching different skills involved with organic hand farming to volunteers and fellow employees, which further cemented my knowledge. HOTE also introduced me to many amazing people and the Urban Roots program.

If you have the desire to work at an organic farm it is not hard to do. I started by googling “organic farm internships” which pulled up a very helpful website- http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/internships/ - in which I was able to sort through farms by geographic region. It is possible to work on farms all over the world by joining WWOOF or by directly contacting farms. I would recommend choosing a place according to your preferred climate, especially if you’re considering becoming a full time farmer yourself. Marysol Valle, my friend and employer at HOTE, may possibly be seeking interns in the future. Her website is www.handsoftheearth.com, where you can find her contact info and updates on the farm.

Another cool thing that I’ve learned about while farming is CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Many small organic farmers choose to do CSA, in which a person can become a member by purchasing a season’s worth of produce up front, thus providing the farmer with the capital to buy seeds and supplies for the vegetables in which the member will soon partake. Joining a CSA ensures that you get the freshest and most local food available and that you have a connection to the source of your food. Eating according to what is available seasonally and locally challenges your cooking creativity and is very rewarding. If you’re interested in becoming a CSA member you can search the Internet for available farms or talk directly to farmers at the Austin farmer’s markets.

The SFC Farmer’s Market at the Triangle
www.sustainablefoodcenter.org
While working at HOTE I have worked this farmer’s market, which is sponsored and run by the Sustainable Food Center, probably 40-50 times. This involves transporting all of the goods from the farm to The Triangle, setting up the farm booth and creating an appetizing display of vegetables, helping customers and answering questions, and then packing everything back up into the truck and heading home.

This market is held on Wednesdays the whole year round except during extreme weather. It is located in the park at the center of a triangle shaped group of condos and businesses where Guadalupe St. meets Lamar Blvd. In summer the market runs from 4pm to 8pm, and at some point in the fall it switches to 3pm-7pm to account for the shorter, colder days. There are a variety of vendors selling vegetables, prepared food and snacks, bread, honey, meat, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, tea, and fruit, and usually there’s live music. This is a major hot spot for families, kids, and dogs. Farmer’s markets are a great way to meet local farmers and artisans and ask questions about their arts. You can get the low down on all the SFC Farmer’s Markets and check out volunteer opportunities at www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. They’ve got lots of great stuff going on throughout the Austin area.

SFC Farmer’s Market at Republic Square Park
This market is similar to the Triangle market except much bigger and more bustling. It is held every Saturday from 8am-12pm, weather permitting. In spring, winter, and fall it runs from 9am-1pm. I’ve worked around 10-15 of these markets all told. Vendors include the usual suspects times ten, plus those selling pastries, t-shirts, potted plants and ceramics. This is another great way to revel in the Austin community of farmers and small business owners.

WIC Farmer’s Market by the SFC
www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/default.shtm
Another program that the SFC set up is weekly farmer’s markets that are held at various WIC offices and recreation centers throughout Austin. WIC stands for “Women Infants Children” and is a state-funded non-profit organization that offers financial assistance with the purchase of certain WIC approved foods and various services to low-income women who are pregnant or have children. Only one farmer is present at each market because there is such a limited amount of customers. The SFC organizes when and where and who. Farmers accept WIC vouchers, food stamps, checks, or cash at these markets, and are often known to mark down their prices to accommodate their customers. Personally I’ve only worked one of these markets, which was 2 hours long. It was cool to talk to the employees at WIC who drifted by and I got to practice speaking Spanish. If you’re interested in WIC check out www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/default.shtm

Urban Roots Volunteer Crew Leader
www.youthlaunch.org/programs/urbanroots.php
An offshoot of Youth Launch, Urban Roots is a non-profit organization that teaches leadership skills, community involvement and social justice to high school aged folks through the medium of organic farm internship, activities, field trips and community service. Mike Evans and Max Elliot, the two main supervisors, are both immensely talented in the fields of teaching and farming. Participants must apply, do an interview, and be specially selected to become involved. Each year there are more applicants than there are spaces available. Interns are paid for all of their work and receive a bi-weekly paycheck. This year 18 interns were hired, including 3 that were rehired from the previous year (also the first year of the program) to expand their individual leadership skills by each directing a team of new interns. Urban Roots’ garden occupies a portion of Hands of the Earth Farm while in session from February to mid-August. There are plans for U.R. to expand their operation over the entire farm starting in January of 2010.

As a VCL with Urban Roots I volunteered for 11 weeks of the spring on Saturdays from 8:30am to 12:30 pm. My job was to work with Vivian, one of the ACLs, and her crew of interns, to support her while she stretched her leadership muscles. This gave me the opportunity to be more closely connected with the Urban Roots program and people, which was an immense pleasure. UR brings so much laughter, enthusiasm, and inspiration to the farm, and the transformation that each intern undergoes as they become more confident with the tasks of farming and the less tangible skills imparted by Mike and Max is amazing and moving to witness.

Urban Roots Community Volunteer Days
These are held on various Saturdays throughout the summer season, and usually involve a group of people who may or may not know each other coming out to the farm from within a particular community, such as Whole Foods employees or paralegals. During Community Volunteer Days, first year interns take turns testing their public speaking and leadership skills by directing a team of volunteers, demonstrating farming techniques and guiding them through fieldwork all morning. Volunteers and Interns play team-building games together and are encouraged to discuss their ideas and experiences with each other while they work. By lunch time the farm is much improved from all the extra care and everyone is tired and satisfied. I volunteered at two of these Community Days and would recommend them to anyone who craves a firsthand experience with farming and/or is excited by the amazing things UR is accomplishing. To learn about volunteer opportunities and read more about the program check out www.youthlaunch.org/programs/urbanroots.php. You can also request to be placed on a mailing list to receive notices about Community Volunteer Days or other UR events. You can also check out Urban Roots at their booth at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays at Republic Square Park throughout the summer until mid-August.

By Naomi Perryman