In the cool of the fall morning, I made my way out to the Hidden Springs Community Farm, winding through Boise and then out into the barren hills. It made me remember how much I like being out of the city... sometimes I forget how amazing the countryside is around here. Not to mention snow in the foothills!
But I digress. The Hidden Springs Community Farm is located near the community of Hidden Springs and is spread out on various fields. The setting is beautiful, with the foothills waiting in the background. The site itself is also something special; it used to be a farmstead (and still kind of is!), and has the oldest standing house in Ada county. The farmland has been preserved through the work of Doreen and Jenn, also known as Sisters of the Soil (not actually sisters... I made that mistake over the phone). They operate this community farm with the help of volunteers to run a CSA (about 100 shares in the past season), all under organic certification and with big plans for the future. Doreen mentioned an idea to me that I think would be great to keep in mind and hopefully, to enact! She would like to coordinate with local organizations (her example was the Women's Shelter) and have volunteers from these areas work in exchange for produce. In this scenario, everyone wins! It would be great to try and help gardens do that sort of thing starting next season if they would like. It could add a whole new dimension to the program! In these infant stages, the possibilities are almost endless.
It was refreshing to be out on a farm again... doing that always reminds me of happy times back home and on the farm in Maine :) And it was inspiring to see this work on such a large scale. I know firsthand how much work it is to do that...