A Gajillion Pounds of Grapes and Apples - by Amy Zhang, Garden Intern

9/18/2014

The stalwart juicer.

My first week at Songaia ended with what seemed like an army of Songaians wrestling with a gajillion pounds of grapes and apples, and pressing them into juice or sauce. Really, it was only 360 pounds, but try telling that to my sore muscles.

I came to Songaia knowing nothing about gardening except that the stuff that comes out of gardens tastes pretty good. Now I know almost nothing about gardening, which is a step up. :) My background is filled with books, problem sets, and white offices—pretty different from the semi-chaotic, sun-dappled garden at Songaia. It’s a welcome change.

Some things I’ve learned, in no particular order:

Grass is the most annoying weed.
Composting. In more detail than I probably wanted to. :P
The word hugelkultur sounds like a German pastry, but is actually a method of creating a nutrient-rich bed you can plant things in.

And also that permaculture is pretty cool. It feels to me (warning: garden novice :P) like it mimics the variety and complexity of nature, which I think is usually the best tactic. A lot of great technology comes from taking techniques from nature.

How does this apple press go together?

And, since this is my first blog, I guess I’ll close out with some things about myself:

I love food, which is why I’m here. Grazing on the garden’s various fruits is one of my new favorite pastimes. A couple of years ago, I volunteered at a restaurant kitchen for fun (just chopping up vegetables for broth and watching them during dinner service).
Hobbies include games, mostly of the card and video variety, and reading. My favorite book is Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind.
Buzzfeed tells me I’m pretty evenly right- and left-brained. Buzzfeed is a pretty trustworthy source, so I guess it must be true. :)

Cheers,
Amy