Life On and Off the Farm

Though my first few days at Back To Earth Organic Farm in New Smyrna Beach, FL were not exactly what I was expecting, I soon discovered that it wouldn't be too hard to adapt to working and living in Florida. I'm now almost through with my second and final week at the farm. Every day, I've grown to appreciate the farm and the way Kirk lives more and more. And being able to escape to the beach or the golf course in the afternoons hasn't been a difficult transition whatsoever. Would I want to keep this up for months? Probably not. But am I happy with the way my two weeks at the farm have panned out? The answer couldn't be anything other than a "yes."

Planting, Watering, and Other Odd Jobs

It's cool being able to say "I planted that." And highlighted
by the warm Florida sun, my work turned out to be beautiful.

I've yet to divulge any details about what I'm actually doing every morning at the farm, mostly because for a while, I was still getting a grasp of the place. After ten work days, I am proud to say that I've had a hand in the upkeep and progression of nearly every inch of the farm. If you haven't realized it already, this place is small, and I don't even know if it fits under the true definition of a farm. Since it's so young (we're only beginning the second planting season), Kirk doesn't yet have an established market for his produce. But in my opinion, he needs to find one soon, because I alone have planted more seeds and seedlings than anyone could eat in a year, assuming the plants grow and succeed.

Yesterday I watered the entire place--a job that took all morning--and as I moved from bed to bed, I was delighted to see that so much of my work was already sprouting. The peas, which were a two-day project, were just poking through the soil. In a week they'll latch onto the fence and then there's no stopping them. And the squash plants, pictured above, were all growing taller atop their mounds, which I had shaped to begin with. Everywhere I looked, I could point and say "I weeded here" or "I planted there." After fewer than two weeks of labor, looking across the farm gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I see why farming and gardening can be so rewarding--not just to be able to pick and eat the final product, but also to be able to say "I was in it from the beginning."

Kirk and I have become friendly, and though I still don't usually know what to expect from him, I value the times when I sit down on the couch with him after a long day and he opens up to me. I know this isn't easy for him--he's not a farmer by trade--but he keeps an attitude of "we're all learning together." I feel absolutely no pressure when I'm working for Kirk, but at the same time, he tried to stress that we should all take pride in what we're doing. He told me a few days ago that it's too bad I won't be around when everything I've planted is ready to harvest, and that was when I knew he valued my efforts. 

Read, Run, Golf, Eat, Write, Beach

Right there is a list of just about everything I do and think about, in order of importance, when I have free time. And I do have plenty of free time. I work every morning, from eight until noon, and then more often than not I'm finished for the day. New Smyrna Beach has a lot going for it, and though I'm not your typical vacationer, I think I've discovered a lot of what the town is about. So let's quickly go through the list.

• Read - There isn't much to do on the farm after dinner, so I've been happy to devote my evening hours to reading. So far I've finished This Side of Paradise and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk--two very different books, but both easy to read and thought provoking. 
• Run - If I was here for longer, I would've looked into a soccer option. But for these two weeks, I've been all about my daily runs. There's a huge town athletic complex right across the street from the farm, and I've gone there plenty of times to use the track. And I've found that runs on the beach aren't bad, either. 
• Golf - For me, Florida and golf go hand in hand. I chose a February in Florida not because it would be nice enough to go to the beach, but because it would be nice enough to play golf. I've played a few afternoons each week, none better than my round at The Deltona Club. Florida soil is all sand, so when this course was redesigned a few years ago, much of the rough was replaced by white sandy waste areas (see the photo below). I'd never played a course with this look before. It didn't hurt either that it was a gorgeous day and that my drives were going straight. 
• Eat - I've enjoyed a lot of good cooking from Anna, a fellow WWOOFer from Poland, but it's also been fun to shop and cook for myself. Though I like to cook, I'm not the type of person who wants to prepare a meal for two hours before getting the chance to enjoy it. I'm pretty good at crafting quick, simple meals. And once in a while, I treat myself to a dinner in town. Last night I grabbed a few tacos at The Taco Shack and ate them overlooking the ocean as the sun set. 
• Write - I already knew I loved to keep this blog, but having another adventure so completely different than the first has been a great experience about which to write. I usually come to the public library after lunch and hunker down for a few hours of typing and catching up on the internet world (no wifi at the farm!). 
• Beach - I think it's fair to use "beach" as a verb here. The New Smyrna beach is a cool spot, good for runs, walks, or grabbing an ice cream cone slowly eating it in the warm ocean breeze. I have yet to throw a towel down on the sand and "sun bathe"--an idea that doesn't really appeal to me or my skin. Though I'm not dedicated to coming back home with a mid-summer tan, I've still had plenty of fun on the beach. 

Sandy waste areas replace nearly all of the rough at The Deltona Club

So there you have it, my life on and off the farm in New Smyrna Beach. It definitely feels like it's drawing to a close. I'm not ready to be done with Florida yet, and thankfully, I have two whole weeks more--this time with even fewer responsibilities. There are plenty of rounds of golf,  stops in Vero Beach, Placida, and Dunedin, and a whole lot of fun planned for everywhere I go.