Volunteering at CIESA

To backtrack a bit--OK, a lot!--over several months, a few countries and two continents, here's Rie's report about her experiences on an organic farm in Argentina.

For three weeks in April, I volunteered at CIESA: Centro de Investigación  y Enseñanza en Agricultura, an organic, biointensive teaching farm. Set in a beautiful Patagonian valley just south of El Bolsón at 42 degrees south latitude, the farm is as beautiful as it is productive.

Camino de los Paniles, the road to CIESA. 4 April 2011 ((MK)

I joined Fernando Pia , the founder of CIESA, three interns, Rodrigo, Ernesto and Manuel, and other volunteers who were in and out for a day or so.

Fernando and Rodrigo covering beets for the winter. 15 April 2011 (MK)

Ernesto harvesting apples. 15 April 2011 (MK)

Manuel. 15 April 2011 (MK)

We started greens to grow on in the hoop house where they would be protected from the cold nights.

With winter approaching, our work was centered on the fall harvest, gathering the last of the tomatoes, winter squash, apples and cabbage.

We gathered seeds for next year's crops.

And prepared beds for the dormant period.

Every day we took turns preparing lunch with wonderful, fresh food from the garden.

(MK)