Many Hands...

They say many hands make light work.  On a farm, I'm not sure how true that is -- the work is never light, and there's always more of it -- but if this weekend was any indication, many hands do make BIG progress.

Saturday marked the launch of our volunteer program here at Maple Hill.  The kick-off event started with a few staggered farm tours -- the chickens were mandatory (of course), as was the greenhouse, packing room and tractor shed.  It culminated in a group of 35 awesome volunteers descending on the fields, planting potatoes, squash and onions, pulling weeds from the asparagus fields, and wrestling row cover.

When all was said and done, our volunteers accomplished at least a week's worth of work in two measly hours -- and had the sunkissed cheeks and dirty hands to prove it.

A few statistics from Saturday's event:

• 200 pounds of seed potatoes planted (1,200 row feet)
• 360 row feet of squash planted, mulched and covered
• 1,000 row feet of onions planted
• a decent chunk of the asparagus beds are now weed-free (at least for a few days)

Impressive, no?!

We are endlessly grateful to this dedicated group, including community members, families, and UVA students from Cavs Care and the UVA Community Garden.  THANK YOU!

And finally, don't forget -- our regular volunteer hours are now in effect:

• Every first and third Saturday, from 8:00am - 11:00am
• Every Wednesday, from 8:00am - 11:00am.

Join us!  Please RSVP to emily@localfoodhub.org.  Hope to see you on Wednesday!