(Interviewer: Derek Lin)
(Preface: Sara was an intern on the farm this summer as well as a student at ISU. Perhaps you recognize her name from a newsletter she wrote. Or you may have met her at harvest morning. But for those of you who had not met her, here's a glimpse into her time as an intern. As all of our interns were interesting people, I decided to start doing an exit interview on them before they left. So, here's the interview. -Derek)

D: What’s the feeling when you get a harvest box?
S: It’s so exciting. Even if I packed the box, there are so many different things in there. It’s a nice surprise. I love unboxing and having to figure out what to do with all of the stuff. It’s also nice to not need to go to the store. It’s like a gift, but you have to work for it, so it’s like a reward.

D: How does it feel to be cooking on the farm with the food you’ve harvested?
S: Cooking’s a bit more stressful. I’m not used to cooking for others because when I cook for myself, if it turns out bad, I’ll still eat it. There’s more pressure to make something good and interesting when cooking for others. It’s a great feeling knowing where the food’s from. I don’t need to worry about eating chemicals.

D: Has your diet changed in any way from receiving these farm boxes or eating on the farm?
S: Not tremendously. I guess it’s just more vegetables and trying out new things. I’ve started to like cucumbers and beets more.

D: What’s your favorite crop?
S: Initially zucchini. They taste and feel good in my mouth. But berries are also really good. Do flowers count? They’re nice too. Garlic and onions too… but I’m loyal to zucchini.

D: Weeding thistles or mulching?
S: Thistles as long as I have good gloves. But if it’s alfalfa mulching, that would be fine.

D: Any closing thoughts on your time on the farm?
S: It’s been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot about plants and tried new foods. I feel like I’ve been pushed to be more involved in conversations which helps me when speaking to groups. The way organization and planning is done on the farm is really cool. I’ve been trying to incorporate some of that into my own life. It’s a good thing here. I hope to continue to support it.