CAS During Summer – Luke DP2

My family, a few friends, and I went to volunteer and help a community that runs a very rich and beautiful farm. We didn’t really know what to expect or what we were going to do, since during every season there are different things that need to be done to maintain the vegetation, such as planting certain fruits and vegetables or harvesting them. 

When we arrived, we were introduced to the farm and shown where everything was located before we started working. After getting to know the place, we were led to the red beetroot harvest, where many of the beets were ready to be taken out of the soil. Before picking one, we were taught how to check whether it was large enough to pull out of the ground or if we should leave it to grow. It was very satisfying to dig through the soil, although it wasn’t as satisfying to get it all over my white shirt.

After harvesting many rows of beetroot, we moved on to planting salad plants. The process started with using a wheel-like tool that rolled in a straight line and created small dents in the soil where the plants would be placed. Then, crates of salad plants were loaded onto a wheelbarrow and brought over to the field to be planted. By the end, we had planted more than a hundred of them.

After all of the salads were planted, we walked through passion fruit, mango, and orange trees to pick their fruits and place them into crates, occasionally eating a few along the way. In my opinion, one of the best fruits was the bananas because they were chewier and sweeter than the ones we usually get from grocery stores. 

After doing all of this work, we were completely wrecked, but we were rewarded with a few bags of fruit. It was a great experience, especially because we got to experience a community where people who normally live in crowded, large cities come to enjoy a calmer environment and work on the farm. We met new people who we got to work with, and they were kind and talkative as they told us where they came from and why they had decided to come help at this secluded, vibrant farm.

As we left, the feeling of touching the soil and simply being in nature made us feel calmer and more grounded. Even though we were exhausted, we felt like coming to help at the farm had been a good choice and a worthwhile experience.