Farmer Biographies: Meet Nina!

Hi Shareholders!

In case we haven’t met yet, I am one of the co-managers of the CSA. I moved to Philadelphia a little over two years ago with the purpose of learning more about urban agriculture. I grew up in Vermont and always loved working and playing outside and had a love for being in nature. It wasn’t until college while getting my undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies that I decided I wanted to learn more about growing food. When I was younger, I knew I wanted a career that kept me active and outside, but gardening and growing food had previously been something I considered a hobby or a temporary summer job. After graduating from McGill University I stumbled across a program in British Columbia called the Linnaea Ecological Garden Programme. Linnaea Farm is on rural Cortes Island and the people that live there invite students to come and live on the farm and study agriculture for an entire season. For eight months farming was my life and it struck a chord deep inside me. I left the program realizing that farming was the perfect mix of my interests: working outside, taking care of the earth and being self-sufficient. I also realized that after living in such an isolated area for 8 months, I didn’t want to farm in the country but wanted to try urban farming instead. I also wanted to teach others about the importance of growing food. I returned home to Vermont and began searching for an urban farming position. After some quality time on the internet, I discovered that Philadelphia had more urban farming opportunities than most cities on the east coast. I applied for an apprenticeship at Weavers Way in 2008 and haven’t left since.
When I’m not farming, I put my energy towards various activities and crafts. I’m currently trying to learn more about sewing as well as fixing bikes. I have a bit of a one-track mind and don’t stray far from farming even when I’m doing these other activities. I am currently daydreaming about sewing a farm banner and building a bike-powered salad spinner! In the winter when the farming season slows down I try to spend as much time as possible in the snow back in Vermont.