the rusty front gate is open. an invitation,

apprenticeship (co-farming opportunity details further below)

fermentpgh is welcoming 1 more farm & ferment apprentice for the upcoming 2025 growing season.

q&a:

what will i learn?

youll learn all peices of the farm year at a subsistence-angled plant farm with a soft market-sales elbow. fruits, nuts, berries, grains, veg, natural craft plants- grown from seed to seed, plus some unexpected characters to keep everyone young and limber.

you will receive inspiration, instruction, and support to work through enough of the farmed goods as they roll in to make your living space lose a few buttons. following the seasonal rythmns you’ll make the ferments, inoculations, and any other kind of fermenting, preserving, processing you might be interested in.

as a part of this situation you’ll be challenged to grow some you too as we will gently work towards meaningful relationships with the natural world-characters we are collaborating with who often are refered to as “inanimate.” it’s helpful that you connect with this idea. this has equal significance to the farming and fermenting aspects.

you will also work on a personal seed project. this is a plant of your choosing that you’ll grow yourself from seed to seed.

what’s the time commitment?

we’re looking for 1 firm, 6 hour day a week at the farm from May through Oct. then more flexibility and open-endedness with off farm projects.

know that the one day is firm. which day is the one day is flexible. while there are so many places to be losey-goosey, with very busy people their stress gets minimized knowing someone is where they say they will be. hard rule: schedule commitment. obvs theres still flexibility because it’s summer time, but hopefully you get the point.

is there money? 

internships and apprenticeship things can feel weirdly too close to free labor. to be clear, while you will do plenty of farm work, you will not be there to be a farm worker. your purpose will be to learn and experience and be taught. the farm is planned to run without your contribution. also this isnt a money-making farm, we farm life. the goal for the apprentice is that you take this experience and become a splash that ripples into the world outward where ever you go. kick-backs mean something though and include: personal enrichment, lots of skill learning, special personal project, and food we grow. it also readys you for working on a farm and maybe some other things.

who is this for? 

this is for a motivated someone who maybe wants to learn the aforementioned topics but may or may not have the means or connections to do it. you will be met from where you are (whether you are learning farming from scratch or have some experience) and where you’re interests are (if you have a specific angle you feel connected to we will likely lean in that direction to help it grow, or not).

also, after some thought the one limitation that will be placed is for the person to live urbanly. ya gotta be in the city or its fringes. for your fyi, the farm is 25min outside the city. your own transporation is very helpful but not a requirement.

also,

the work is very physically exhausting and takes place under so many extreme weather conditions. the farm setting is not ideal (for instance there is zero shade anywhere). farming doesn’t have to be suffering, but some suffering is inevitable and good. please apply if you feel ready for the challenge. there will be solitary work. know that this is a “no-phones in the field” farm so that we stay engaged in the moment and that using the farm for social media is 85% discouraged. also, this is not a “program”, it’s life. while ocassionally there will be some structure as it is helpful, you’re motivation will be key to moving the experience forward.

whatta i gotta do to appy?

write a letter. no resumes please. talk about yourself, your interests and what it all means to you. what’s most important is that you talk about you- what youre uniquely connected to, what your angle is, and what makes you feel alive. this is helpful in seeing if there’s a good, compatible, useful connection to be made. grammar and spelling dont matter, just express yourself. mention if you have transportation or have transportation needs and where you live.

get letters send to fermentpittsburgh@gmail.com by February 13th with “apprentice” in the title. after that select folks will be invited to meet up and talk more.

thanks for looking.

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co-farming opportunity

there is variable space available at our site in Plum, Pa about 25 minutes outside of the city for anyone who might be interested in a small farming project. the size can be as small as you want it to be or upwards of even a 1/4 acre. (note: this is not a long-term or permanent situation. maybe it could be if things go well, but for the moment this is a casual year-to-year opportunity to share resources and help foster someone. we can talk about your goals and see what fits.)

this opportunity is great for anyone with some farming experience but is lacking a space of their own. if you don’t have tools and equipment, we will have all of that available for you to use as well. you most importantly need to provide your own motivation and idea. high-production/ super buisness operations are not what we are looking for. things like incubating a side-hustle thought, trying some things, and growing because you love it and if there’s extra maybe you’ll sell it is more our speed.

the area will be protected with deer fencing and have adequate soil nutrients. know that we do not use an irrigation system and use only small walk behind tillers and hand tools. there is also very limited storage on site. there is no plan as things stand to charge for space.

reach out with a description of what you would like to do and where you are at with things and we’ll see if it’s a good fit. email fermentpittsburgh@gmail.com with “farm space” in the title. it’s a rolling acceptance situation until the space is gone.

thank you.