Meet the Staff: Kyle

This week, say hello to our irrigation manager, Kyle!

Where are you from, and what led you to the farm?

I was born north of Seattle, Washington, but I grew up on the edge of Portland, Oregon. I found my way to the farm while seeking a lifestyle of growth and learning after living five years in Eugene, Oregon. 

What's your favorite thing you’ve learned while working on the farm?

While working on the farm, the land has shown me that there is no boundary between the bed of crops and the bank of weeds, between the road and the hedgerow. The world is a constant act of doing.

Do you have a favorite crop? Why?

Joy grows all across the farm, and takes so many forms: onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes; blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries; leafy greens… So far, the joy of farming is most salient for me when working with brussels sprouts--to watch the tall trunk of the stalk grow tall over months and topple with a crunch when it falls. The weight of farming is easily felt when carrying boxes of stalks for the market.

What's your favorite farm task? Why?

Weeding by hand, oh man. 

What's your favorite way to enjoy our produce?

I think that almost all of our foods taste best when they are grazed straight from the field.

Cherry tomatoes, asparagus, blueberries--its tough to work with them without starting off by chomping a few for inspiration!

Even from the edges of the field! Ripe blackberries creep out from our fencelines; chickweed and amaranth spring from under foot. Chamomile abounds alongside mint…I suppose that my favorite way to enjoy our produce is alongside the plants that grow it, interspersing hard work in that hot sun. 

What are you most looking forward to this season?

I love to watch the crops that stay in the field past their harvest get to grow tall and flower. To see them spend their time in each season is a pleasure--to see them go through all the stages that are never seen when eating. It is a joy to get to see the plant for what it is to itself, and I look forward to having that experience with all kinds of new plants this year.

What has been your favorite moment on the farm?

It's an everyday moment. When we start working on a misty morning before the sun comes up…and the sunrise cuts its way through the needles of the treetops and the steam of your breath to cast swirling shadows on the ground and throw endless rays across the sky. What a joy to be alive in such a beautiful world.

What are you most passionate about outside of work?

Since I started working here I’ve been overtaken by a gardening fever--most of my time outside of work has been spent on similar projects. Our work involves spending a single second with thousands of plants, and I appreciate applying the lessons that I learn during that time to spending thousands of seconds with a single plant.

Inspiring Advice?

Step on fire, fire burn you. Play with puppy, puppy lick your mouth.