Autumn’s Apprentice and Rooting into Regenerative Routines is a contract designed to document the journey into living and working on a regenerative suburban farm during the harvest season. This was the main basis of my contract and the language of my first learning objective. I dove into this lifestyle head-first and embraced all of the amazingly bright excitements it brought alongside the challenges and shadow adaptations I needed to face. I learned what it takes to tend to animals on a regular basis, put the garden beds properly to sleep for the winter, and how to live in a community of close proximity. I learned how much there is to learn in this field, and yet it felt like I was simply remembering ancestral knowledge in a modern context. I was able to document this experience in a quality way and was able to get a window into all the ways I would like to document and extrapolate this experience going forward. Changing every variable of my life from the fundamental living situation to sources of income, and forces beyond my control were much more cumbersome than I could have predicted, not to mention being set back by significant injuries on the 2nd day of the quarter. That is what Autumn is all about; inventorying the work accomplished this past solar cycle, sending gratitude for life itself, and making a plan to reflect properly for the coming year.
My second learning objective was “to learn about regenerative farming concepts, practices, and design.” I accomplished this goal to the extent that was possible in these 10 weeks. I read three books, “The Lean Farm” – “The Resilient Farm and Homestead” and “Omnivore’s Dilemma” in addition to watching and responding to the documentary “Inhabit.” All of these resources are so extensive that one could revisit them many times over again, and I feel like a more resilient and resourced human having read and responded to them. I had hoped to do more research on relevant topics and articles through podcasts and YouTube. While I was able to listen to some complimentary podcasts, I was not able to respond to them in the way that I had hoped. I hope to synthesize this information into ways that are more accessible to more people.
My third learning objective “to educate myself on the examples of regenerative farms, practices, and food culture in my community, bioregion and beyond. I feel confident in my attempt and accomplishment of such an ambitious objective. I no doubt learned an incredible amount on these topics and added to my list of people living out these principals in their own way and their own ecological niche. I had hoped to visit a few farms in the area and it turns out that the farm I live at was justifiably way more demanding of my attention and time than I could have predicted. I would like to highlight and connect with these examples in my work going forward. That said, I did accomplish my objectives by taking on some ambitious participation in a lot of the umbrella organizations that deal with these concepts. Going to the Northwest Permaculture Convergence and the Biodynamic Conference were unforgettable and I made some discoveries and connections there that will last a lifetime. I feel like that I was able to even offer my own gifts of conversation, insight, and presence that was reflected back to me by other participants. I went to Nashville, TN and although I was not able to visit farms directly due to limited mobility, I did something far more important. I fed my family with organic, locally-sourced ingredients in the form of remarkably delicious cuisine. This was an education in itself. In learning how to navigate these conversations and practices outside of the bubble of my bioregion, and for them in seeing the love and nourishment that comes with people putting their conscious love into the food they prepare.
I feel incredibly proud of the work I was able to accomplish this quarter. I achieved all my learning objectives to the highest degree that was possible for me considering everything I have been challenged with. While I strayed slightly from some of my activities, I accomplished everything that truly mattered to me and to the heart of the contract. I feel like I invested 10 weeks of my life into a cause that had benefit to myself, my community, and my world. I rooted into regenerative routines and humbly served as Autumn’s apprentice.