MEET KADIATA &
AMIRAH!

“I am really
going to Miss Dhira’s daily cooking demonstrations. My cooking skills have improved a lot since
working on the farm this summer,” shares Kadiata.
“I
never fully appreciated what I’ve been putting into my body until this summer;
I have learned a lot in our nutrition classes,” adds Amirah.
“Our youth
advisors and teachers this summer have shown a lot of patience with all of
us. We definitely have a lot to learn as
teenagers, but I was impressed by how open to criticism our teachers were. They wanted to know what they might be doing
wrong and could possibly do better in the future,” says Amirah as Kadiata nods
in agreement.
“Working on
the farm this summer has inspired me to have a garden in my 1st home
if at all possible. I would like to grow
mostly flowers and fruit. And I would
definitely like to come back to the farm next year. My skills should be higher and I would enjoy
passing them onto others. I have loved
working the market and getting the chance to track money and spending with the
customers,” shares Kadiata.
Both Kadiata
and Amirah can’t say that they love composting but they recognize how important
it is for the environment. “It’s just a
smart way to create healthy soil,” says Kadiata. “I agree,” shares Amirah, “Compost has more
moisture than regular soil and is so healthy for the plants. But I could do without the bugs sometimes! I probably hate trellising tomatoes even more
than composting because we’re always playing catch up with the plant, but maybe
my experience will be different next summer.”
“We’re here to do a job and you just learn to deal with some
uncomfortable feelings on the farm,” adds Kadiata.
Amirah has enjoyed
working with the hand fork because she likes to weed shallow plants. And Kadiata actually loves irrigation –
especially with a wand. “I really like
the rhythm of going back and forth when I’m watering a bed of plants. The sprinkler can be too broad, but the wand
is just right.”

“ Oh I’m really going to miss being on the farm,
but hopefully we’ll be back!” exclaims Amirah who gives Kadiata a hug as they are
walking back to the group.