Anim Steel is our Director of BLAST, as well as a Pro Bono Scarecrow.

“So what’s the answer?” I asked the woodchuck warming her hands by the fire next to me. The were-woodchuck, to be precise. It was about 5-foot-4, brown fur, with menacing buck teeth that didn’t seem to go with the young, female voice that came out. “You want to know how much wood could a woodchuck chuck?” it/she said. “Yeah…I mean if a woodchuck could chuck wood, that is,” I clarified. “Sorry. Trade secret, “ she said.

Most Fridays, you leave work and go play farm soccer, which is just pick-up soccer with other farmers and people who associate with farmers. And then there was last Friday—the Friday before Halloween—when it gets dark really early and not enough people show up to play and you get convinced by Bearded Tom, who may be the nicest guy in the world, to go over to Drumlin Farm and volunteer at the Haunted Hay ride and you find yourself dressed as a scarecrow warming your hands over a fire talking to a were-woodchuck between the times when you camouflage yourself in the scarecrow path and then jump out and yell when the kids in the hayride pass by.

So what does this have to do with The Food Project? Well, this was my first visit to Drumlin Farm, where The Food Project began as a pilot project almost 15 years ago. It’s a beautiful place with lots of activities for families—and a good number of opportunities for young adults looking for farm-type apprenticeships. Drumlin Farms also happens to be less than a quarter-mile away from the current Food Project office in Lincoln.

Also, anyone who is in the area and is interested in pick-up soccer with some of the best people around should send me or Bearded Tom an email. Mine is
asteel@thefoodproject.org. In the winter we play in the gym. It’s coed and there is an emphasis on fun. Finally, any farmers or farmer-wannabe’s should check out the CRAFT website. CRAFT stands for Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training, and when they are not visiting each other’s farms, they play soccer.