Hi, my name is Steph Plant and I’m new to the farm. (Alice asked me to write a blog entry, which I consider quite a treat, except I’m not quite sure what to say..)
I came to mustard seed community farm a week ago and I’m really glad I did.
I’m volunteering through Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and that's how I found out about this lovely place. My plan is to help out as much as I can until somewhere around the end of July, so, maybe if you come out to the farm between now and then, I’ll get to meet you!
This is my first experience living and working on a farm, and I feel like I’m smiling all the time. I feel very happy and alive here.

I live in southern Illinois and work as a substitute teacher. Since there was no work for me this summer, I sought out spending some time on an organic farm because I figured it would be easy to surround myself with the kind of people I like to be around. So I went out and got myself a big floppy sunhat and came to Iowa. I think I picked the right place.
I’m looking forward to every next moment and every next task that must be done. There’s something very fulfilling about working hard in the dirt with other happy, sweaty people. We laugh a lot and weed a lot. We also eat really amazing food together and have great discussions while we're eating it.
I’ve been feeling very fundamentally human since I’ve been here. Like, I’ve tapped into the raw essentials of what it means to be a creatures of our species. I think it helps to pee outside and bathe in the sunlight, but I think it also has something to do with growing the food you eat and untying myself from modern society a little.
I’ve been very inspired by the Catholic Worker philosophy and I’m excited to continue learning about what it means to love actively in every moment. I think this is a good place to grow and have lots of opportunities to learn from each other and love one another actively.

My favorite gifts from the farm so far are the rainbow swiss chard, the tire swing behind the house, the new baby raspberries, the exhilaratingly enormous Iowa sky, all the unidentified crazy looking caterpillars, beautiful beets (oh, you succulent little things! I can’t wait to harvest you!yum)and Rafa, Nicolas, Nate, and Alice, my dear friends.
Thanks and blessings
~steph!