Elderberry Wisdom Farm’s organic farm intern team harvested from some of our vegetable beds last week. They were able to take our fourth or fifth round of harvest to the Indian Health Service Clinic at the Chemawa Indian School and met with Dr. Edward Groenhout (IHS/POR/WOR), IHS Doctor. We are at the beginning stages of organic farming, refining everything from soil amendments and watering to ground saturation and moisture levels.
Part of the organic farming process is becoming certified organic, and we are currently working on this with support from Oregon Tilth. We do not use pesticides in reducing pests and invasive weeds. We hand-pull non-native plants from our soils and plant flowering species that naturally deter insects. That effort is led by Renee, who oversees invasive and pest management among many other duties. She leads the interns and the organic farming team in invasive removal during our summer internship.
Part of Elderberry Wisdom Farm’s goals is to provide healthy organic vegetables to elders. Thanks to Kristie Knows His Gun, PhD, Chemawa Indian Health Services agreed to distribute them. We deliver vegetables to the clinic when we have adequate supplies to share.
We are especially grateful to Violet at Marion Polk Food Share for certifying us as a community garden and providing vegetable starts earlier this summer. Another shout-out goes to our selfless Summer TEK Interns who dedicated the vegetables to local Native elders rather than taking them home for their own families. This is truly inspiring.
As we continue to learn and grow our farm, we will have larger harvests and be able to provide more produce. It is a great honor to serve our community by working the land and expanding our knowledge of organic farming, native plant nursery development, and habitat restoration.
We host volunteer days, so if you are interested in helping, please contact
rose@elderberrywisdom.org.
