Summer Help on Sunnivue Farm
As part of a long tradition at Sunnivue Farm, students from a Waldorf High School in Germany worked on the farm for six weeks this summer, from July to September.
Mortiz Dammann, 15 (left), and Mathis Meyer, 16, worked in the Market Garden picking vegetables and weeding. They also cut wood, looked after the chickens and turkeys, and helped bring vegetables to the Masonville Farmers Market.
On their last night at the farm, asked about the favourite parts of their stay, Mathis said that he liked learning English while working with Chris White, but added: "everything we did was fun."
When asked about their least favourite jobs, they mentioned pulling weeds and digging for potatoes in the hot sun. Moritz says he'll have a new appreciation for how hard it is to harvest potatoes when he sees them in the supermarket at home.
They described their motivation for coming to Canada as a chance to practice their English and learn about another country. What they knew about Canada before their internship was, according to Mathis: "you speak English, and the land is very big for the farmers."
Did they eat anything new while at Sunnivue Farm? Mathis replied: "yes, I tried a fennel salad."
"And did you like it?"
"No."
"And what will you remember about Sunnivue?"
"Everything was a memory for my life," said Mathis.
Alex and Ellinor Nurnberg reported that the boys were very responsible, and even did some of the cooking: mostly spaghetti and hamburgers. They'll have a few new skills when they go home, in addition to potato harvesting: Ellinor taught them how to make cheese and yogurt.
If you'd like to visit Sunnivue this weekend, the Farm Store is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Sept 29. There's still lots of produce, including squash, potatoes, parsnips, onions, artichokes, tomatoes, carrots, kale, celeriac and celery, green and red peppers, eggplant, beets, and cabbage. Please call ahead for large orders or anything you'd like to set aside before your arrival, at 226 234 8247. There are also eggs for sale as well as maple syrup, organic teas, and Weleda personal care and medicinal products.
Please call ahead to order turkey, duck or chicken: 226 234 8247, or to ask what's available at the store.