Today’s entry is brought to you by University of Michigan dietetic intern Janine Cannell. Janine is spending four weeks on rotation full-time at The Farm at St. Joe’s as part of her dietetic internship program at the UM School of Public Health.

By Janine Cannell

Literally. Over the past couple of weeks, Ann Arbor has had a really hot and dry spell. The heat took working on the farm to a whole different level. But it has finally rained! This morning was nice and cool, with a layer of clouds to block the sun. It’s about time. Not only was the temperature more bearable, but a couple of really neat things happened.

First, I spent a few hours weeding the tulip beds….let me tell you, there are a lot of weeds, and I only finished about a fifth of it. In order to keep the weeds from growing back, I was tasked to heavily mulch the area with straw. The only problem is that most of the straw was used on the potato bed. The rest was both moldy and sitting in a puddle of mud and rain water, or so tightly packed underneath the trailer that it would take a Herculean effort to get it out. So what did I do? I had an epic battle with the hay under the trailer. But, guess what? I won.

The next great part of my day happened when Farmer Dan allowed me to help transplant his seedlings. This is a big deal, because the seedlings are like children. They require a gentle touch and tender loving care. If the roots are damaged, the little baby plant won’t survive. Seeing as this is one of those tasks that he has a tough time relinquishing control, this was a momentous occasion. I have finally earned his trust!

I spent the latter part of my day helping out at Dick and Diana Dyer’s garlic farm. They grow 40 different varieties of garlic. I had no idea that so many even existed! I helped to harvest and lay the bulbs to dry. We followed the work with a garlic tasting; probably one of the coolest things I’ve done in a while. It’s amazing how the individual types of garlic can taste so different. One of them was so strong that it made my eyes water and turned my face as red as a tomato. Each clove packs a powerful punch.

The day ended when a giant bug flew into Dan’s car. In our attempt to dispose of it, I laughed harder than I’ve in months….it even made me snort. I don’t snort.

Signing off to enjoy a fun evening with my friends. Even farm girls need a night off, right?

Farmer J