The garden has been overflowing with produce for the past few weeks. I think now that it is mid September we are beginning to see things slow down, but we still find ourselves harvesting 20 lbs of this and 50lbs of that. The branches of the fruit trees are crippling under the weight of the ripening fruit and begging to be plucked. Mainly what we are pulling from the garden are apples, pears, plums, beans (so many beans), and potatoes. 

The garden is home to a variety of beans, tall beans, flat beans, purple beans, skinny beans.  Every few mornings the other interns and I will go out, baskets in hand, and pick up to 50lbs. We will typically freeze or can the majority of what we harvest. The entire process from collecting the jars to getting them in the pantry can take about 4 hours, but it is incredibly satisfying to see these glimmering colorful jars stacked  together in neat rows at the end. So far we have canned plain and salted beans, garlic and chili infused beans, and tomato and garlic beans. I wish I could be here to taste test all of them in December!

One of the things I may regret most about leaving are the spiced peaches. Danielle came across a great deal and we ended up with something like 80 lbs of peaches. We spent a few afternoons tightly packing these beautiful juicy fruits into mason jars decorated with star anise, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamon seeds and pepper. I may have to sneak one back to Virginia with me...

The next step is figuring out how to handle the abundance of produce.  Having so much of one ingredient makes for an interesting array of recipes that hit  our tables, but try as we might, we can't seem to feed bowls of beans to everyone for dinner. Naturally, the next idea is preserving. WINTER IS COMING! 

If you like fruit desserts, may I suggest an amazing plum crisp? Or blackberry crisp? Or a plum, blueberry, blackberry, pear and rhubarb crisp? All of which are to die for. Outside of fruit pies, we have also started experimenting with dehydrating plums and Asian pears. Maddy and I had our first chance at using a 3-in-one peeler, slicer, corer that looked like a torture device and worked like a charm.  I was skeptical at first about how good Asian pears could be dried, but they are amazingly addictive. The dehydrated plums are sweet and sour enough to keep you coming back for more and make a great hiking snack!

The season is turning. This morning, I jogged past gaggles of school kids waiting for their bus. Yesterday, I crossed out an "8" and replaced it with a "9" while writing the date on the harvest record. It is hard for me to believe that is it already almost midway through September, that summer has past us by, and that I have not returned to school for the first time. I still feel a vague sense of anticipation as though my first day of university has been postponed, despite having attended my last in May of this year. 

Through teachings of permaculture and attempting to put its principles into practice, I have cultivated a newfound respect for as well as faith in the eternal logic and intention of nature. As I discover more about permaculture and gardening in general, I have also been struck by the emphasis on gradual benefits of planting and design and measuring one's successes in years--decades even--rather than simply immediate gratification. These lessons and principles have helped me to develop a sense of patience, not only with my circumstances, but with my self. The future is not a race, nor are its pathways set in stone. 

Even composting provides a valuable lesson, even though it takes perhaps a lengthy shower and a load of laundry to really draw it out. Taking responsibility for one's own food waste and then being able to utilize it to improve the life and productivity of a garden is one of the best examples for accountability and ingenuity that we can measure ourselves against. Holding ourselves responsible for what we create, and not separating ourselves from the garbage we leave behind is a necessary principle everyone should adhere to, both for each other and especially for the earth. 

I left Boston on my WWOOFing adventure shortly after graduation with, restless and emboldened but lacking in direction or certainty. Over the course of a summer filled with travel, novelty, trial, and beauty, I can hardly say that my future has taken on a concrete landscape, but at least I sense a less distant drop-off.  

Amidst the influx of queries concerning my plans for when I go back East, I was asked a question by one Songaian that really stood out to me. Over breakfast, he mentioned his experience with Journeys and his expectation of an prompt existential revelation. He then turned it over to us, asking,  "so, has the eagle landed on your shoulder?" Though at the time I was tongue-tied, the question stuck with me, as well as his encouraging words about the gradual and elusive nature of that bird's arrival. Although I am sure my eagle is still busy doing the rounds in some distant place, I do think that here at Songaia, I have at least caught modest glimpses, now and then, of its flight. 

As a liberal arts major and a bona fide city girl, it is no surprise that I have zero experience with landscape design. The opportunity to think through organically the structure of a food forest that hopefully will come to fruition--literally--has allowed me to find confidence in my own creative intuition as well as to understand that uncertainty or a wrong suggestion are not synonymous with failure. It has also given me insight, however obliquely, into the way things operate in the "real world." We don't always get the chance to read the voluminous text books in advance, or memorize the hundreds of species guilds. Sometimes we just have to grab some burlap sacks and cut our own bamboo--so to speak. True collaboration, passion, and ingenuity can often expedite the learning process, and are a lot of fun! 

So, have I felt the weight of an eagle on my shoulder, or even felt a rush of air as it passed me by? Well, no. However, here at Songaia, I have gained an invaluable perspective on my own way forward, as well as the collective future of our planet. Patience, creative intuition, and personal accountability are all values that I can apply to my life far beyond the limits of the garden, and perhaps will even lead me back there someday.