By Kelly Bissonette

My second week on the farm has felt more like fall than August! I was able to escape the stormy weather on Monday and work indoors cleaning garlic with Diana Dyer on her organic garlic farm. I learned so much about garlic in the short time I was with her and I was in awe of the amount and variety of garlic she produces. Diana is great to converse with because she has so much knowledge regarding food, farming, and nutrition and she loves sharing her experiences with others. I especially enjoyed hearing about her experience as a private practice oncology dietitian.

On Tuesday Erin, the other dietetic intern, and I spent much of the morning picking cherry tomatoes because they are growing like crazy in the hoop house. We then made a field trip to visit Food Gatherers to donate some produce. I had heard about Food Gatherers before but had never visited in person. It was incredible to see how much food they collect and donate to those in need; it is truly an amazing organization. They even have their own garden to supplement fresh produce with what they receive in donations from grocery stores. We spent the remainder of Tuesday afternoon preparing vegetarian stuffed peppers for sampling at the farmers market. The peppers growing in the hoop house are delicious and were so flavorful in this recipe.

Erin and I spent most of Wednesday preparing for the farmers market and handing out our samples during the market.  Thursday we again picked cherry tomatoes but there weren’t as many this time around, likely because of the cool weather this week. We also worked on weeding the hoop house so it is ready to plant in the fall. Friday will be my last day on the farm and in the afternoon we will be going to the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival to work at a booth. I am sad that my time at the farm must end because it was so nice being able to connect with food in a new way by learning where it comes from. I will take this amazing experience with me as I venture through the rest of the dietetics profession.