So, friends and family, this is the blog in which I will document (hopefully consistently...) my time WWOOFing on Maui. I've explained the title, and now I'll get to the substantive stuff (though I'm sure the mention of group showers has piqued your interest a bit). I arrived in Maui Wednesday evening and was picked up by the Hale Akua Garden Farms office manager, Wendy. During the 45 minute ride to the farm, we exchanged pleasantries and I expressed my excitement at having arrived in such a beautiful place. Wendy mentioned a woman should not swim in the ocean while "on her moon" seeing as it is shark season. I replied, "how terrifying." (I did not join the other WWOOFers on a surfing excursion today). We drove home by the light of a nearly full moon which reflected off the ever-present Pacific Ocean and illuminated the Coastal Landscape and distant Haleakala Crater. It was lovely.
The next day I was put straight to work. I, along with six other indentured (JK!) workers aged 17 to 26, and two farm managers spent the day weeding, thinning, transplanting and weeding some more. I worked mostly with beets, fennel, carrots and parsley and battled "nut grass" and "sensitive grass." Both these grasses are frustrating: nut grass because if you don't pull the little nut in the root system out of the ground, it pops back up in two days and sensitive grass (though fascinating because it leaves fold in on themselves when you touch it) because it has a nasty little thorn at the base of it. By hour four, my body was experiencing what i would describe as intense discomfort. Every time I moved up or down, which i did quite often, my knees cracked to remind me I was tormenting them. My back (upper and lower) was also less than thrilled and I was contributing to its discomfort in a way I had not forseen--all the crouching and hunching had resulted in pretty constant coin-slot exposure to the sun. Though I had carefully covered my Irish arms face and legs with SPF 50, I had not thought to protect my butt-crack. Needless, to say, I now have an angry and awkward sunburn. I guess this isn't a joke.
After a dip in the pool (salt water--oh so sustainable), Lulu and I decided we'd go with the other WWOOFers in to town. When we got to the car we were the last ones there and there was no room for us. It was awkward. Being the new kids, we held our chins high and ever so good-spiritedly declared (mother--stop reading, or worrying. I LOVE YOU!) that we would hitch a ride in to town. It was surprisingly easy. On the way there, our farm manager picked us up and on the way back we only had to wait for one car to pass by us before, as lulu put it, "exactly who you would imagine would pick up hitch-hikers on Maui" picked us up. For my mother's sake, let's just leave the character details to dreads, reggae, Jesus, and a funny smell. (Check out Lulu's take of hitch hiking in Maui here.)
In between rides, we went to the town of Paia 20 miles south which has everything you need--a local health food store, coffee places, a gelateria, a post office, and a farm to table pizza place. (By the end of day two of farm work, I was already restless enough to consider sending a letter of inquiry to this place. I guess the kitchen is hard to stay away from.) We also found a place called the "Wine Corner" where we bought a sampler six pack of Maui Brewing Co's beers. The owner hails from San Diego so no surprise they (Coconut Porter, Bikini Blonde, and Big Swell IPA) were all quite delicious. I was also totally enamored of the packaging style--cans.
The next day we harvested and packaged the produce we had orders for. We sell to local markets and restaurants (that pizza place and an upscale farm-to-table fish restaurant being among them). It was educational to be on the farming side of that interaction. As a cook, you really don't think about the labor that goes in to your produce before you have a chance to put your hands on it. I feel i did as much peeling and sorting as I would have done in a restaurant. PEOPLE: THERE IS SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY THAT GOES IN TO THE FOOD YOU EAT. SAVOR IT. LOVE IT.
I mentioned earlier that I was restless: farming kind of sucks. It hurts, it's repetitive and the work is never done--there will always be nut grass. This being said, I'm excited to go to work on Monday and love that I have learned the correct way to harvest Bok Choy and Basil. I'm composting, I'm cooking with incredibly fresh produce that my hands nurtured, and I'm foraging for things like bananas, passion fruit and strawberry guava. It's all retrospectively awesome and I'm praying that I can get past the mind-numbing boringness and land in the zen of efficiency i had become used to with bread. Right now, I'm pretty optimistic that this is possible.
For my next post, look forward to notes on the weather, my coworkers and things I've eaten/cooked.
Miss you all!
CMC
photography courtesy of Lulu McAllister. Thanks LU!
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