JBG Day 5!

                Our experience at JBG came full circle on Friday. We had the opportunity to work in what they called the barn, which was the place that the vegetables were cleaned, stored, and boxed up for the CSA boxes or for the farmers’ market. Friday seemed to be very hectic in the barn, because JBG was preparing over 200 CSA boxes and preparing for three farmers’ markets on Saturday and two on Sunday. Throughout the morning and early afternoon Tess, Hillary, and I cleaned spinach in large buckets, bagged loose spinach and broccoli, trimmed the unusable outer leaves on cabbage, and trimmed the ends of sweet potatoes. The guys did some similar work, but they also got to help with the assembly line  that filled the CSA boxes with the vegetables that were harvested that week. Working in the barn was a great way to wrap up the week. We were able to see all the different parts that make up the farm and allow it to function: the greenhouse, planting in the field, weeding, and then the cleaning and organizing of the harvested vegetables.

                Working in the barn was very enjoyable, but we missed out on the personal connections that we had gotten when working with people in the field or the greenhouse. Everyone was working quickly and almost frantically in the barn to get everything ready for the weekend that we never got to talk to any of the workers. When we finally got to eat lunch on Friday afternoon, we did get to talk to a few of the workers, but not as in depth as the days before. We did, however, get to talk to Brenton again, and he wanted us to enjoy our last day in Austin, so as soon as lunch was over, he gave us directions to the Greenbelts and sent us off on our merry way. The Greenbelt is a prime college hangout on sunny afternoons that is located on one of the rivers that runs through Austin. We went swimming in a less populated part of the river. The cool current was just what we needed after our week of working. The relaxation and reflection time was important for our group to have before the long drive home the next morning. We ended the week as we had stared it--watching KU win yet another game in the NCAA tournament.