Keeping OSA’s research farm in Chimacum, WA, clear of pesky weeds is a challenge for us, as it is for any farmer. When our research team has needed extra hands this season, we have gratefully enlisted the help of dedicated volunteers to hoe and hand weed alongside the field crew. These volunteers not only lightened our work load, but gave us a sense of support and added a community connection to our research that has meant so much to us.
These weedy Wednesdays have been fun as well, with the volunteers joining the OSA crew for a locally sourced lunch on the porch of the Brown Farmhouse at Finnriver Cidery. After our most recent weeding morning, we were able to create a lunch entirely from the veggie varieties found in our field: ‘Ozette’ potatoes; ‘Chioggia’ beets; ‘Provider Bush Beans’; ‘Genovese’ and other basils; as well as ‘Holon’ lettuce and ‘Siletz’, ‘Fireworks’, and ‘Matina’ tomatoes from our NOVIC trials.
We are enormously grateful to our volunteers and hope more will join us at our next Wednesday Weed ‘N Feed on September 6. If you’d like to be added to our volunteer email list, please contact Cara at cara@seedalliance.org.
