Katia was a 2021 Apprentice at The Homestead. Or should I say, IS! She wins the award for the longest farm stay. Make sure you stay tuned until the end, Katia has captured some of her experience at The Homestead in beautiful oil paintings. Here’s a sneak peak:
If you wonder what being a vegetable farmer is like, especially when snow begins to fly, Katia shares her experience:
We were wrapping things up in the garden by harvesting the potatoes and carrots. Due to a late warm fall, we were able to keep them in the garden a bit longer than usual.
At the beginning of the week, we raced against the clock to haul the rest of the potatoes before the snow. They don’t do too well in freezing temperatures so we needed to work fast. The tractor broke down so we finished the remaining beds with pure muscle power & extra hands.
The next day we were greeted by the snow, and we brushed it off at the top of the beds (which acted as an insulator for the carrots. As a result, the soil was still dry underneath. The carrots can withstand freezing temperatures up to -8 celsius.
…and repeat for the rest of the week!
Before storing them we washed the carrots in the Homestead’s fabulous root washer. Finally, our week came to an end by butchering the remaining 13 chickens and enjoying an awesome thanksgiving dinner altogether.
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Painting was one way Katia reflected on her season of farming. Below are some of her works.
Top left: Creek by the beaver dam, 2021. Oil on paper, 6 x 5 inches / 15.2 x 12.7 cm
Top right: Remnants of a lake, 2021. Oil on paper, 6.5 x 4.5 inches / 16.5 x 11.4 cm
Bottom left: Summer Hay Bales, 2021. Oil on paper, 6 x 4.5 inches / 15.2 x 11.4 cm
Bottom right: Backyard Poplars, 2021. Oil on paper, 6 x 4.5 inches / 15.2 x 11.4 cm
To see more, visit Katia’s website: https://www.katiaarcarese.com/
Follow her on Instagram: @katia_arcarese
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