The Community
Supported
Garden
at
Genesis Farm
Apprenticeship Program
|
CSG The Community
Supported Apprenticeship Program |
| The Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm (CSG) has been a pioneer in the community food movement for over 20 years The farm started as a garden with roadside sales and grew into a CSA that includes over a hundred different vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, seasonal or year round distribution, fields newly dedicated to grain and oats, and a thriving apprenticeship program. The CSG takes on four apprentices each season (April 1 to mid-November). |  |
 |
Our 300+ member CSA biodynamically manages more than 125 acres on 300 acres of farmland (under Farmland Preservation) in northwestern New Jersey near the Delaware Water Gap. We share the land with the Genesis Farm Ecological Learning Center. There are 20 acres in vegetable production, four acres in grain (wheat, oats, rye, spelt, and triticale), 3.5 acres of orchards and berries, and the remainder in meadows. In recent years, the CSG has offered whole grains and freshly ground flour to our members. This venture has brought about plans for a community oven which is currently under construction. All produce and grain is distributed through a community supported agriculture program. |
| Applicants should be seeking a
hands-on learning experience on a production oriented
farm. We offer apprentices their own room and board,
stipend, shared lunches, educational opportunities, and
involvement in garden festivals in exchange for up to 50
hours of work per week. Apprenticeship housing is in an
old farmhouse on the farm. It is recommended that
applicants visit the farm to evaluate the suitability of
the position. For more detailed information about the
CSG, please click on the details link.
lnterested individuals should send a resume and a letter
outlining goals and interests in agriculture to: Judy von Handorf What do our apprentices have to say about their experiences? We wanted to know, so we asked them. The panel below contains segments written by six apprentices who worked in the program over the past seven years. We believe it gives a good representation of what the experience means. (Segments all written summer, 2009) |
 |
Steve 2002 -2003 Relative to many
other apprentices to move through the CSG, I had very
little time at the Garden. I worked there right out of
college from When I return to the farm almost every year I am struck by the continual growth of the garden. The recent addition of neighboring land has expanded opportunities for apprentices to try their hand at different types of farming. Similarly, there is a regular improvement of the facilities, most recently with the addition of a new seed closet, an office outside of the kitchen, and several more tractors. I’m excited to see what’s next. That said, I am always relieved to find that the gardeners have not changed one bit. They remain as cheerful, caring, easy-going, and hard-working as they were when I was an apprentice. They are all good friends, and I’m thrilled to know them. Steve |
|
Esther 2006 I was lucky to have found the CSG at Genesis Farm for my first farming internship. Someone once said that you never fully appreciate the impact that a place has on you until you leave it, which is definitely true in this case. The daily workings of Genesis Farm offered a wealth of knowledge—I participated in a diverse set of agricultural activities with farmers who know an incredible amount about the land that they work. I harvested greens on frosty October mornings, hoed weeds from rows of broccoli in penetrating mid-day sun, and peeled barrels of garlic cloves to be seeded for next year. Each activity that I took part in left me with a fuller ability to adapt and flourish, and a sense of empowerment in having discovered what I was capable of accomplishing. At lunch, I sat down with people I worked beside in the field, eating food we ourselves had prepared. While the work was often challenging, it was balanced by a little humor and simple human camaraderie. These intangible qualities, the spirit that animates the work, led to a profound experience of connection to the people I worked with, the land we worked and the food that we grew and ate. I have since gone on to work at two other farms, and I now participate in academic research on agriculture and food production. However, my time at Genesis Farm sparked an abiding love for the work and lifestyle. Though I am still in the process of finding the proper expression for this affinity in my own life, I am very grateful to have discovered it. Esther |
|
Delia 2006 April, 2006: My long awaited 1st day in the garden finally arrived. I spent the day in the greenhouse sowing seeds in flats. Judy walked me through the process: she showed me how to mix potting soil with water in one of the garden carts until it was just the right consistency; fill the flats as quickly as possible; use the vacuum seeder; water the flats and place them in the germination chamber. I will never forget that first experience as I fumbled along, trying to do my best, but feeling that I would never become fast enough. By the time I said goodbye to the garden, I could power through this process like a pro—it was amazing how far I had come over the course of the season. While I gained the knowledge that I had come to receive, I took away far more than I had ever hoped to acquire—friendships, moments of grace, and memories that continue to nourish me and keep me connected to earth even while living in an urban setting. I frequently call to mind one particular day in April when a young mother came into the kitchen with her beautiful baby boy as the garden team was having lunch. She looked at the baby and pointed to all of us and said: “These are the people who grow our food; let’s say thank you!” My heart cracked open, as tears filled my eyes—I don’t believe that I have ever felt more honored or proud in my entire life. Spend time in the garden and be changed forever! Delia |
|
Anthony 2006-2007 The folks at the CSG at Genesis took a chance and welcomed me well on short notice during a busy part of the season and many transitions in the life of the CSG. I had a couple months of vegetable growing under my belt but by the end of my first season at the CSG my eyes had opened to a vast new world and way of bringing food and people together which helped to initiate a hunger for great food, community, fellow farmers and friends to share the work with, and a passion to build my own confidence, knowledge and skills to navigate farming and life in general. That hunger continues today, nearly three years since my beginnings at Genesis, in a search to begin a farming venture bringing a great diversity of food and community together. The CSG at Genesis farm granted me great vegetable growing and community building skills I've carried throughout my tenure on other farms and helped give me direction on my path ahead. Anthony |
|
Meghan 2007-2008 The Community Supported Garden has been a great stepping stone in my farming career. I joined the team knowing little about farming and left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the plants and the land, as well as about myself. The work challenged me physically and mentally. As apprentices, we participated in every aspect of the farm, including sowing seeds, preparing beds, transplanting, weeding and harvesting. One of my favorites was feeding the chickens! Often times, on Sundays I would walk the land and soak in the fruits of our labor. Mike, Judy and Smadar worked with us side by side and were open to any questions that arose. I am grateful for the knowledge they shared. In addition, the community welcomed me with open arms, and because of their acceptance, I felt like an important part of the farm’s family. I am currently farming with LotFotl Community Farm and hope to have a farm of my own in the near future. Meghan |
|
Hannah 2008-2009 This farming experience was so great because I was outside all the time working hard, getting blisters and backaches, hoeing the onions all day with people who loved it as much as I did. I learned, alongside my fellow apprenti: Meghan, Steve, Gar and Charlie, both the facts and attitudes necessary to farm this land well. Judy, Smadar and Mike, our teachers, bosses and friends, intimated this knowledge each in their own way, from their experience on this land as farmers. I began learning how to nourish the soil, myself and my community and how each in turn nourishes the other. Now I am continuing on, deepening this learning of farm life. Hannah |
|
