Rock & Roll Farm

Saturday! Sep 18 2004 // 4:35 pm //

The first two weeks.

Today was my fourth Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market experience as a vendor. I’m exhausted from two weeks of work, and a little play. Tonight I may get to attend a party at a friend of a friend’s house in Ypsi, but I’m not sure yet. I sure could use a little outside socialization besides the market days.

My day-to-day work is a lot of vegetable picking and loading or unloading various vehicles. Wednesday I worked about 18 hours, with an hour’s worth of canoeing thrown in around dinner time. That morning I’d gone to market at 4 a.m., then returned at 3 p.m. to help pick 2150 lbs. of squash. After the canoe trip, we loaded the squash for delivery.

Thursday I received my first knife. It’s small, and has a wooden sheath. There’s a friend of the farm, Ben, who has made knives for other interns here, and made one for me after he noticed me admiring his other works. I’ve been using it to harvest and cut slices of melon for people to sample at market. You are all so jealous.

I live in a loft space in a timber barn with one other intern. We sleep on futon matresses, and use old dressers for our belongings. It’s very cozy up there, and it feels kind of like sleep-away camp all the time. The other night my roommate got up to use the bathroom (which is really just the weeds outside - this is a farm, you know) and cut her leg on a wooden crate that was near the door. She ended up going to the emergency room at 2 a.m. and got 20 stitches. So far that ‘s been the only emergency here. I imagined there would be some big crisis happening all the time, like a cow in the lower fields or deer eating all the squash. But really it’s been sort of the same thing day after day.

I did get Giant Hogweed, though, and I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.

Matthew

Sunday! Sep 19 2004 // 4:13 pm

"Giant hogweed has been introduced to Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States as a garden curiosity. Because of its tenacious and invasive nature it soon becomes a pest within the ornamental garden and readily escapes. It has naturalized in many of the places where it was first introduced. Growing along streams in Ontario, on Vancouver Island, and in Great Britain it forms a dense canopy outcompeting native riparian species and results in an increase in soil erosion along the stream banks where it occurs. The plant exudes a clear watery sap which sensitizes the skin to ultraviolet radiation. This can result in severe burns to the affected areas resulting in severe blistering and painful dermatitis. These blisters can develop into purplish or blackened scars. Proliferating populations in urban and suburban areas represents an increasing public health hazard.

Giant hogweed is currently on the federal noxious weed list. It is listed as a Class A weed on the Washingon State Noxious Weed List. Its placement on these lists were due to its potential menace as a public health hazard. The number and size of populations in the Seattle area, where it has been observed over the past four years, continue to grow annually. Literature reviewed indicates it naturalizes readily once it escapes from ornamental gardens where it is often cultivated as a garden curiosity. Populations throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Ontario, Vancouver Island, and in New York State are all thought to have gotten their start in this manner. Once established it crowds out other native plant species and increases soil erosion along stream banks. Giant hogweed is a tenacious perennial which is difficult to eradicate. Targeting all known populations for control will prevent the further spread of giant hogweed in Washington."

*excerpted from Washington State Department of Ecology

Someone forward this to the White House grounds crew. There must be one Democrat among them, or at least a rabblerouser.

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