Stay Tuned: My Experience at Pond Hill Farm

About a month ago I packed my belongings, got in my car, and set my sights on Michigan. This summer I will be working as a farm apprentice at Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs, MI located right on Lake Michigan and in the upper northwest corner just before you reach the Upper Peninsula. You may wonder why I would move to Michigan when I could be working at one of the many local farms in Connecticut. I had my personal reasons to move (my boyfriend lives in Michigan) and well, after a year of traveling to five different states within ten month in AmeriCorps NCCC, I couldn't resist my urge to travel any longer. It was time for my next adventure.

Yet even though I am many miles away from Connecticut, I was asked to blog about my experience at Pond Hill. I was very grateful for this opportunity since I am sure I will be eager to share my trial and tribulations of true farm life to which I'm sure many of you can relate.

Jimmy and JJ 

Next Monday will be my first official day at the farm and I am very much looking forward to meeting the Pond Hill Farm family and staff. The farm is owned and operated by the Spencer family which consists of mother Sharon, son Jimmy, his wife Marci and their two very adorable children Emma and JJ. They also have a full-time farm staff as well as a hand full of interns like myself that assist them with the hectic summer months and growing season.

One of the main reasons I wanted to work at Pond Hill was because they have effectively developed their farm into a full-fledged agritourism experience for their visitors and customers. Not only do they provide herbicide and pesticide free produce and organically raised meats through their CSA and on-site market, but they also have a winery complete with a tasting room as well as a Garden Cafe that is open from May through October. Throughout the summer and into the fall, their calendar of events is packed with activities ranging from barn dances, pig roasts, hayrides, farm to table and wine tasting dinners and fall festival weekends.

A squash rocket! 

It is currently snowing as I write this post and I guess you could say that adjusting to Michigan's horribly inconsistent weather has been my first trial and tribulation of this experience. Two days ago it was 65 and sunny and today it is wet and cold. I can only look forward to the summer days ahead and all that I will learn and share with you in the upcoming months. 

Until next time,

Katie