Farm Field Trip

Pumpkin patch field trips are some of the best memories I have from elementary school. I loved going out to farms on the Dungeness River delta and running with my classmates into fields full of bright orange pumpkins in the crisp autumn air, looking for just the right one. Now, I enjoy going along with my children on their class pumpkin patch field trips. This year, our class at the Waldorf School went out to Wintergreen Farm to pick the pumpkins they planted in the spring. I was more than happy to come along!

Wisps of morning mist still hung low over the valley where happy cows grazed on green pastures.

Winter crops of kale, cabbages and other hardy things spread out in green rows all around the red barn and farm buildings.

Farmer Wally came out to meet us and tell us about their Biodynamic agricultural practices. He took us first to the cow pat pit to see where some wonderful, rich compost is made. They fill the brick-lined hole with cow manure and nettles among other things. He got out a big jar of the finished product to pass around.

It was dark and crumbly, and all the children said it smelled like chocolate cake.

We walked over to see the water system he uses to dilute and mix the compost to spread it on the fields. He talked a lot about the spirals in nature, in the swirling water, in a teasel seed head, in a lettuce plant, in the galaxy, and in the hair pattern on top of our heads. We saw how a whirlpool of water mixes the Biodynamic preparation before it is ready to apply. It only takes a couple of handfuls to cover several large fields!

Then Farmer Wally took us on a hayride to see the fields and visit the very cows who created such lovely compost to help the crops grow. These are also the cows from which we’re getting 20 Lbs. of ground beef later this week from a friend! It was a meet your meat day for my kids.

We also went to visit the strawberry field where the strawberries were still ripe in the middle of October! We’re having such a warm fall, there were ripe red berries all over for the children to wander about and pick. What an unexpected fall treat! They were truly delicious.

After lunch, we went and picked our pumpkins. I loved seeing what that special one was for each child, and how different they all were. Some picked small pumpkins, some lumpy, and some large. One girl tucked hers into her coat to keep it warm and said she was working on naming it. Pumpkins are a thing of joy.

Everyone came away with pumpkins, bellies full of berries, and a good feeling of connection to this earth that provides so much for us. There was much to be grateful for. Speaking for myself, I am overflowing with gratitude for pumpkins, organic farms, local food, and my children’s school.