Urbavore

I'm so excited... I just found out that I get to be an honorary Bad Seed this summer! I've been going to the Badseed Farmer's Market ever since we moved here. It's the only one around here that stays open for most of winter, and while many vendors are regulars, the owners also sell their own produce. It's local, organic, the real deal. (Sadly, even this market closes down at the end of February and no local markets open again until May).

Anyway, Badseed hires interns every summer, and the more I think about my "farming" experiences, the more I realize I am a much happier person when I spend time outdoors. My relationship with food is also healthier when I'm more connected to it and more familiar with where it comes from. Well, you can't get more familiar than this!

Brooke and Dan, the owners of Badseed, are expanding beyond their backyard lot and recently bought 13 acres a little east of downtown Kansas City. This new farm is called Urbavore, and due to the intensity of literally starting a farm from the ground up, they needed a few more interns than normal this summer. I applied to be a part-time intern (15 hours a week) and they 'hired' me! Here's an explanation of my new 'job' straight from the horse's mouth:

New life is emerging on Kansas City’s East Side; a living, breathing organism that both feeds from and provides food for its urban surroundings. BADSEED Farm moved up the food chain, and is taking root on new land and in the new form of URBAVORE.

URBAVORE is presently seeking one part-time apprentice and two volunteer apprentices for the 2011 growing season to aid in the creation of one of the largest and most diverse urban farms in the nation. This season, apprentices are tasked with much more than assisting to produce a crop of vegetables; they must also help to establish infrastructure, perennial fruit plantings, animal pastures and diverse natural habitats on 13 acres of raw land only 8 miles from downtown Kansas City[...]

In exchange for labor, URBAVORE will provide a share of the farm’s bounty, and many opportunities for learning. Apprentices will develop skills in no-till, “beyond-organic” vegetable production, integrated livestock management, orchard planting & tree crop maintenance, windrow composting, direct marketing, food preservation, homesteading skills, and more.

So yes, this does tie me down from March 1- October 31 this year, but oh my word-- what an experience! I can't quiet express how excited I am and what an opportunity this is. It's the polar opposite of my 'real' job, but this is a true passion of mine. One of my many dreams is to have a huge backyard garden. And on-site teaching for "beyond organic" production, homesteading skills, and livestock management (they already have chickens and goats and I met them when I interviewed)? Yes, please! Once you've followed something through from seed to harvest, you gain a wonderful appreciation of the way things should be; the way things can be if you let nature take it's course.

I can't wait to share more with you once we get started next month. You can't put a price on this kind of education and yet they are thanking me for my willingness to put in the hard work! Brooke and Dan are so great and I'm going to learn a lot from them. They certainly have the courage to do what I would love to do, but don't have the guts or determination to follow-through on, so I'm honored I get to be a small part of their big year!