From May 17-19, I celebrated a special kind of anniversary. I had been WWOOFing (volunteering on an organic farm) for a year. After making 4 visits to the same organic farm, Raven Crest Botanicals, its safe to say that I am in love. My friend Susanna’s beautiful, natural nook in Berne, New York will always have a place in my heart. Since I am so in love with her farm, the sense of community it brings, and all that Susanna stands for, I decided to bring my boyfriend for a weekend.
Friday Night
After over four hours in the car, driving through constant downpour from New Jersey, we arrived in upstate New York…and went right to sleep.
Saturday
Since I was a kid, I have gotten cold sores. Nowhere near a conventional pharmacy, but surrounded by nature’s pharmacy, I asked Susanna for an organic remedy after a cold sore appeared Saturday morning. She made a mixture of echinacea, lavender, St. John’s Wort, and lemon balm that sent me well on my way to healing. I was so thankful to have a healer for a friend!
After Susanna made my medicine, we went into the village of Schoharie and walked around. Then, we all got lunch and carrot cake from the Carrot Barn, which was absolutely delicious! Next, we went to get some strawbales for strawbale gardening from a farmer near Susanna’s land. We made friends with some of the animals at Willaine Shropshires.
Once we returned to the farm, we (my boyfriend Jeff) dug holes for blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Then we planted the babies with soil, compost and organic fertilizer. To learn more about the organic fertilizer that Susanna uses, read another one of my posts.
On Saturday night, we all enjoyed a beautiful dinner made by the Rainbow Goddess Ashley! We had raw soup made hot by blending for 10 minutes, roasted veggies and couscous, and kale salad. Yum!
Sunday
According to Susanna’s biodynamic calendar, Sunday was not a good day to plant anything into the Earth. Her biodynamic calendar takes into consideration lunar phases and astrological influences to determine whether a particular day is appropriate for soil and plant development.
Instead of planting, we mulched and weeded around our berries. On Sunday night, Jeff and I went into Albany to see The Grand Budapest Hotel with Susanna’s full-time seasonal WWOOFer Lisa. Lisa is a lovely person with great, positive energy and a love for crystals and music. She also has a really awesome SUV that we drove around in quite a bit during our stay at the farm.
Monday
On our last day, Jeff, Lisa and I went to the Middleburgh Diner and visited our friend, Jane. Jane felt a cold coming on and needed some of Susanna’s medicine to feel better before a fun weekend she had planned. We were so excited to see Jane’s home and felt so honored when she showed us a breathtaking view of the Catskills Mountains from her property.
From drinking Chaga tea, to eating duck eggs and homemade bread while looking at the hidden messages of water, Jeff and I had a wonderful time on the farm. I was so happy to bring someone I care about into Susanna’s space and continue to spread her message of love and wellness. We can’t wait to go back again soon!
For more posts about Raven Crest Botanicals, WWOOFing, and organic farming, check these out:
lindsaymcnamara.com 