New year, new you… right? That’s a promise so many of us make to ourselves almost every January. But let’s be kinder to ourselves. It’s not too late to make or renew or even just experiment with that promise. 2022 is going to be a year of a lot of change at Woodside Farms (we’ve already started with our greenhouses!) and that includes our Work Share program.
What is a work share program?
Work Share is a great opportunity to come work on our farm 4 hours a day/1 day a week for 6 weeks at a time in exchange for a $25 credit per work share shift to be spent at our weekly farm stands. These credits can be used on any of our produce as well as our merchandise, eggs, and meat! Starting May 3 - October 14th we’ll be getting our hands in the dirt and working for that produce payout! During the signing up phase, you can list your first and second choices of work share day (Tuesday - Friday) and which 6-week blocks you’re interested in.
What’s New?
Okay, so here’s the scoop. This year instead of 30 sustained weeks of work share commitment, we’re asking our work share-ees to commit to just 1 day a week for 6-weeks at a time. There will be four 6-week blocks to choose from and, if you’re interested, you can commit to all four 6-week blocks, just a few, or just 1! We’ll be working from 8 am-noon (I heard all those early morning groans at 7 am last year, even if I pretended not to). Because of the shortened field time and the decreased overall commitment, we won’t necessarily be providing a structured coffee break or farm salad every day as we have in years past. Instead, coffee will be provided as liquid motivation throughout the whole morning and you’re welcome to grab a snack and bathroom break whenever works for you! After your 4 hours of work, we’ll hand out $25 gift certificates to be used weekly at our farm stands.
Why Should I Join?
Oh man, oh man, let me count the ways! Obviously, the main reason most people join our work share program is for an exchange of fresh, DELICIOUS, local veggies. We take a lot of pride in what we grow here and we’d love for you to share in that. You not only get to feed yourself and your family the same veggies that you help grow, but you also get to try new things in season and really enjoy the perks of fresh food. There’s no substitute for it. You know your food is fresh when you have to brush the dirt off of it! And speaking of dirt, work share provides us with one of our favorite perks, dirt therapy. The soil is full of good bacteria, and coming into contact with it has been shown to help build your immune system and help defend your body from dangerous pathogenic bacteria! Additionally, there are studies that are showing the positive relationship between healthy soil bacteria and improved mood and cognition.
Do you ever get tired of cooking an item the same way every time? This was me last
year with eggplant. It was such a great eggplant year that I began to feel uninspired with how I made it. *Enter cooking inspiration from my work share buddies*! Part of work share is the amazing community we build here every day. We share stories, memories, and of course cooking ideas all while we work. I’ve actually made some of my best friends from work share!
And lastly, (not actually the last reason to join work share but this blog post has to end sometime) SWEAT! Some of you may be averse to this word: sweat. But in the right context - on the farm with your friends, having a good time - it’s such a good feeling. You can almost think of work share as a free gym with an outdoor sauna. You get to work out and stretch, all while sweating out some toxins! What more could you ask for? Check out our website for more information and if you have any questions, feel free to email our work share manager, Blair (me) at bdoucette@woodsidefarms.net.
Comments