Meet the Interns, Part 1

My name is Logan Buckley, and I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. I am now a rising sophomore at Oberlin College hoping to major in creative writing and biology. I found out about Stoney Lonesome from Katherine, (another intern) whom I knew from high school. I believe she found out about it by googling "farm apprenticeships in northern virginia". Over the past year I've become interested in sustainable and organic farming both from an increased awareness of environmental issues due to the activist climate at Oberlin, and from reading Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food" (about eating whole foods, balanced diets, etc. instead of highly processed foods that are so common today). Apparently, according to Pablo, many of the pioneers in sustainable agriculture in northern VA went to Oberlin as well--must be something in the air. My favorite part of the job is harvesting. It's fun to see the vegetables go from being in the ground to shareholders taking them home, and it's also a great social atmosphere between Pablo and Esther, the other interns and the harvest helper--interesting conversations are unavoidable. I also enjoy planting, then coming back later to see how much the plants have grown. In general working on the farm is more satisfying than any other work I've done, simply because of the tangible results--seeing different crops grow from week to week, picking the vegetables that people take home, and in general taking part in the whole process of food production, from seeds to finished dishes. My favorite new discovery has been the Swiss chard--gorgeous greens, colorful stalks, delicious in omelets. I don't think I'd even heard of it before starting work on the farm. I haven't had any vegetables yet that I didn't like, but I have some trepidation about fennel--smells like licorice, which I'm not a fan of. Pablo calls it "the most polarizing vegetable". But of course, given the opportunity I would try some to find out for sure--wouldn't want to miss out on it if it turns out I do like it! One of my favorite things to make is pesto made using the basil and garlic from the farm, along with some walnuts and olive oil; mozzarella wrapped in Swiss chard and baked for a short time is also delicious (haven't made it myself yet, but Diana shared some with me that she made and I highly recommend it).

always plenty of weeding to do...

Thanks for your hard work Logan (and others!) We appreciate it each week when we pick up our shares.
The other interns will be featured in upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned.