So we woke up on Sunday morning and checked the PermacultureAction.org site trying to find the least packed location for action day. We saw that the Boulder one had just been added last minute, so we called the number. The lady -Jennifer (super nice)- told us that no one had showed up or called from the TPA crew yet. It sounded like she actually needed urgent help, and also since it was the closest location to my place in Boulder anyway, we decided to go volunteer there, instead of the Denver locations which already had enough hands on deck.
The farm was @HardPan Horticulture, a local community food farm up in North boulder that desperately needed some volunteers to help them clean up and harvest their land as they were given an abrupt 48 hour eviction notice on Friday. Long story short, the landlords had received a much greater lease offer, as the marijuana legalization in CO has literally quintupled the lease prices of all “farmland” statewide- unfortunately for the local traditional family farmers of actual FOOD that have already been here for years. So they needed to pack up all their stuff and leave the land as empty as possible by end of day, offering people to come grab as many of the free fruits and veggies as they wanted so that the harvest would’t go to complete waste.
When we showed up I really didn’t know what to expect. Not only do I have zero gardening and farming experience, I rarely even cook my own food, let alone grow it. But Jennifer was extremely kind and welcoming and showed us exactly what was up immediately. Our first job was to harvest the celery patch and get them watered in buckets for passing visitors to pick up.
As soon as I started digging the shovel in the soil around the first celery and pulled it from the ground, chills literally started moving down my entire body. There’s nothing else like it. With each subsequent dig of the shovel, all previous worries about my life seemed to vanish. All my artificial hangups and complaints -whatever thy were- about my lifestyle, society, work, relationships, etc. all seemed to completely disintegrate.
While we were the first ones to arrive, other people started pouring in mostly from off the street (due to the “free veggies” signage). Throughout the day, a good 25-30 people showed up to help. A handful of the people were from other local permaculture co-ops such as @Feed Denver, w/ only a few of us via TPA action (it was in the cut of North Boulder, and was barely advertised at all, not on the flyer, and added to the TPA site last minute). And while the generous farmers insisted that people just come grab some fruit and vegetable buckets to take home, each person that came by instead actually just wanted to help out on the farm and contribute by pitching in their hands and working (though of course the free farm fresh organic food was a plus too.)
It was my first time doing anything like this; getting my hands and feet dirty working on a farm digging up fruits and vegetables all damn day. Carrots, kale, spinach, beets, sweet potatoes, celery, arugula, bok choy, cabbage, flying artichoke , garlic, onions, chamomile, mint, herbs, gooseberries, horseradish, and plenty of other fresh Earth goodies that I can’t remember or pronounce. The revelations and inspiration of working on a farm for the first time was insurmountable. All the aromatic smells of the earth’s soil and food seemed equally as therapeutic and nutritious as eating the nutrient dense veggies themselves. Eating the fresh arugula straight off the ground- like an animal- tasted like an ultra multi-vitamin powerhouse within just a single bite. I’m convinced that there’s no other activity or experience more fulfilling than this.
But it wasn’t just the work itself. The physical exercise, meditative serenity, and human bonding opportunity aspects on the farm were omnipresent. While we weren’t working or communicating deeply with each-other, I would take small breaks under the tree in the shade, feeling the pleasant autumn Colorado breeze wash over my being, smelling the sweet aroma of the lush farmland, subconsciously digesting and reflecting the magnificence of what we were accomplishing, as basic as it was.
We all got to know each other pretty well, learned a whole lot, and exchanged contact information so that we can continue where we left off. I met a couple local permaculture hobbyists that live in my neighborhood who are going to help me get my garden going. I Learned about what grows, and what doesn’t grow in CO. The soil. Greenhouses and alternatives. furnace heating. best varieties. best practices. irrigation. recipes. harvesting techniques. transplanting. shading, mulch, composting, alpaca poo, and lots more!
This next connection however I thought was particularly special. My friend who I went with is a juvenile probation counselor for the City of Denver. Now she’s able to arrange to have her clients (the kids) come out to volunteer community service hours at the local urban farms- such as Feed Denver- to learn all about permaculture and growing their own food hands on!
These farmers were the nicest people on the planet. Of course it was sad to see them being kicked off their land (illegally, for which they will be fighting in court, and will hopefully win). But even in the face of such adversity, we all were having a great time; smiling and laughing over jokes and stories and blessing it the whole time. I guess that’s just part of the definitive euphoria that comes with this permaculture territory.
Like I said, it was nothing short of miraculous that your permaculture action day fell on the last day that these awesome people needed such urgent help with harvesting their farmland. Unbelievable. Again, what your doing is pure organic magic. And still, even this drawn out essay cannot justifiably capture the enlightenment, revelation, and inspiration which was yesterday’s groundbreaking day on the farm. Borderline Metaphysical stuff. It completely changes my view of the world, and my lifestyle going forward.
In conclusion, I just want to express my gratitude and love for the message of growth and contentedness to Earth that you’re actively cultivating and promoting. I’m not sure when -if ever- I would have discovered the healing power which is permaculture without your outspoken support and motivation. Thank you.
Keep up the good work, Ambassador!
