Plan B

After a disappointing stint at the famous restaurant farm, I said a premature farewell to Plan A Summer and its 7-day-a-week, 16-hours-of-work-a-day isolated madness in hopes of finding some greener, friendlier pastures. It wasn't long before I had engulfed myself in Kingston's local food scene. To my surprise there were some great things going on, and the establishment of Plan B Summer was like putting together a puzzle where every piece is so exciting that you want it to be the biggest. Goal: learn as much as I can about growing organic veggies, raising animals and preparing local food. 

In week one of Plan B I visited four businesses, each one playing a role in Kingston's local food movement. An organic veggie farm, a cafe that sources food from nearby farmers, a chef-run farm that is building a cooking school, and a veggie farm that is smack in the middle of an organic dairy farm: Root Radical.

Right away I was offered a job working for Emily with Root Radical and a month of vegetable cultivating began. I braved the hot July heat working with some great people, developed proficiency in wheel-hoeing, and witnessed a business model where employees are paid fairly for their work - a not-so-common feat in small-scale organic farming, as I have learned.

Me, Moe, Natalie, Barb and Emily = Root Radical harvest team

Like an eager school kid, working just 8 hours a day wasn't enough, so I asked Emily's parents if I could get in on some cow-milking action. Diane and Peter graciously took me on a few nights a week and showed me the ropes of running an organic dairy. They answered my millions of questions (this was completely new territory for me) and I got really familiar with cow teets - to the point where a quick look at the udders would allow me to identify individual cows by name on the pasture. Weird, right? I became so infatuated with these cows that during my last week, when my help was not needed for milking and the only job on offer was mucking out stalls (read: shovelling calf shit), I jumped at the opportunity.  


Slowly but surely, the breaking-in of the city girl begins.

"Lady Luck", daughter of cow #649 who was born during my 2nd last week. Not realizing that almost all dairy cows are pregnant, I became obsessed with the fact that there would be new life on the farm! (what a nerd) Of course two days later another calf was born and the novelty kinda wore off. Don't worry though Lady, I still think you're a special.