I’ve heard that around the holidays, the management of UPS are asked to “brown up”. This entails donning the ubiquitous brown uniform, and going to work helping with the core function of that organization, shipping and delivering packages.

Today Becky and I “greened up”. This isn’t a phrase we use here at TFP, but i’m hoping it finds its way into more widespread usage. It was thundering and lightning, not conditions that we’d send volunteers out in, and at the same time we had harvest. So Becky and I headed out to the land, traded in our office clothes for some green raingear and borrowed
wellingtons, and jumped in to help with one of the core functions of The Food Project, growing (and harvesting) fresh healthy food for folks in the city and suburbs.

As we began the harvest the rain let up, the thunder moved away, and we set into the work. Being “forced” to harvest was a truly beautiful thing. The farm after a rain is a peaceful and shimmering place, and working on the land with 5 other people, rather than 50 is a very different experience.

While it may have put me behind in my office work, being asked to “green up” is one of my favorite parts of working at TFP.