Monster-Proof Farm

A big reason this farm uses WWOOF volunteers is the need for help during the big garlic harvest in late July, and that’s exactly what we did this week.

The harvest went smoothly. First, a tractor drove down the lines of garlic with an implement that turned up the earth without damaging the crop. Then the rest of us walked down the lines with armfuls of twine and tied up bundles of the upturned garlic. After loading the tied bundles onto the back of a pickup, we drove them to the barn and hung them from the rafters to dry. Anna and I spent a few hours last week hammering nails into those rafters for this very purpose, and we used just about every nail we put in.

We’re talking about a lot of garlic here—at least more than I’ve ever seen at once. I now feel very assured that nobody on this farm is a vampire. Didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but whenever the sun comes out, everyone here covers up with long sleeves, big hats and gallons of sunblock. You never know…

We expected the harvest to take a whole week, but with so many helpers we were able to finish in three easy days. That seemed like great news until Julie, the farm owner, pulled me aside and told me they were unusually ahead of schedule and wouldn’t have much work for me in August. I very much enjoyed my experience on this farm and hoped to stay here a few more weeks, but I also learned it helps to take on an attitude of accepting what comes without holding on to expectations—I think that’s a big secret to enjoying life, especially if you’re drifting for a living.

The good news is that Julie is happy with me and is helping me find another farm in the area. She’s made some calls and given me good references. I’m hoping to secure a spot on an organic apple orchard a few miles south of here, but the owners of that farm are out of town until next week. There are other WWOOF farms nearby, but I want to hold out for my first choice before settling for something else. Julie offered to let me stay here longer if I had no place to go, but I don’t want to feel like extra weight or wear out my welcome. I also like the idea of using some down time to do some camping and explore the area. Glacier National Park is only an hour drive away, and that seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

I just hope the werewolves up there know to keep their distance.