First few days at Epicurean Supplies Limited

The farm I’m staying at is called Epicurean Supplies Limited. Clyde Potter has been running this farm for 14 years and he is very passionate about organic farming. They grow fresh herbs and a diverse range of organic produce. They supply it to restaurants, food processing, distributors, organic outlets and the farmer’s market. I have learned so much the last couple of days. I’ve had various jobs around the farm such as weeding, planting and harvesting. I got to harvest rosemary, thyme, chives and oregano. I love this job because of the aroma that fills the air when I snip each herb. I got to plant celeriac and leeks (which is a very tedious job). I’ve harvested peppers, eggplants and tomatoes of all varieties. I’m always asking questions and jotting it down so I don’t forget anything.

Since they don’t spray here it can be very hard to keep all the produce and herbs pest free. They’ve come up with ways to help reduce weeds and control pests (i'm still learning this process) but with organic farming it can become a real challenge. With the exception of a few tractors, everything is done by hand here. It ensures the quality of the produce. In just a few days I’ve been able to look at food differently and appreciate where food comes from. I’m very excited to apply this to my everyday life – I will definitely start a home garden on my roof deck in Chicago when I return. I’ve always wanted one but just didn’t have the knowledge or the motivation. You don’t have to live on a farm to be self-sufficient.

They do a good job changing up the farms jobs for everyone on a daily basis. I like how this place runs and I like the group I'm with. We have chickens (have been gorging on fresh eggs!) and a damn roaster that likes to wake everyone up at 4AM then again at 6:00AM. Bastard. But he's got a busy job mating with the chickens on the farm so they can pop out delicious fresh organic eggs for me to eat. He can stay. The accommodations are rough but I’ve heard from other WWOOFer’s this is one of the worst so I’m happy to hear that because it’s only going to get better from here on out…I hope.