Let's Go Farm in Santa Rosa, California

There is nothing more peaceful and beautiful than sleeping underneath a vast, dark sky littered with stars and a moon just bright enough to emit an omniscient glow. There is nothing separating you from the dark that surrounds you except the comfort of your sleeping bag and the sound of a once roaring bonfire has now hushed to snaps and cracks of warn out wood. We are all bundled up and falling asleep on the hillside of Lets Go Farm in Santa Rosa, California. 

Last Monday, we arrived at Let's Go Farm to meet two past interns who have now started a small-scale farm on a gorgeous Sonoma property that one of their parents purchased back in the 70’s. As two young farmers with part time jobs to support their efforts, they needed a lot of help with the fields and we arrived ready to work (well, kind of). Our day started bright and early with a huge breakfast made by the mother of the house- fresh coffee, bread, a giant fruit salad and a mushroom and kale strata that kept our bellies full while we worked all morning. I am no pro at farm work and it gets incredibly hot in this area in mid-afternoon, so laying black plastic, hammering stakes and pulling up roots did a number on my back and my hands. Not to mention my roommate and I went on a >4 mile hike the day before and my legs were already killing me. But just a few hours of working on their farm gave me a great sense of appreciation for the time and labor that farmers put into making their fields successful and plentiful. Not only is the work physically demanding, but knowing that your livelihood is dependent upon what is growing in the ground can also be mentally and emotionally taxing.

As if breakfast wasn’t large enough, we gathered on the wrap-around porch for a big lunch followed by a piece of strawberry rhubarb cake for dessert; can you say food coma!? After a restful hour of great conversation, an exchange of hugs and grateful goodbyes, we piled into the van to head home. But any intern field trip wouldn’t be complete, however, without a pit-stop to a nearby brewery so we stopped at the Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa for some pints…and air conditioning.

This trip was such an awesome opportunity for me to bond with my roommates and I am so glad I got to see what two past interns have gone on to do with their lives. Aside from actually living on a farm that is maintained by many volunteers and staff,  I was so grateful that I got to experience just a tiny bit of what a small-scale farmer experiences every single day and it gave me such an appreciation for what they do.  This experience drove my motivation further to continue to learn and bring awareness to the importance of organic and sustainable farming. 

As I mentioned earlier,  a few weekends ago, my roommate and I drove a few miles past the farm to Monte Bello open space for a small (ish) hike with a great view of the Santa Cruz mountain range.