Reported by Adora Xiao
On July 12 and July 16, Greater Temecula Valley AYLUS members Adora Xiao (6 hrs), Jessica Lu (6 hrs), Julie Lu (3 hrs), and Ally Negulescu (3 hrs) helped out at a local farm.
Members started with harvesting zucchini and squash yet again, clearing the rows with record speed. They then moved to the onion area, weeding the walkways before walking through and pulling any weeds that were reducing growth. They then moved to the carrot area, repeating the process. Members saw that while weed growth was slowing in the onion area, it was quite prevalent in the carrots.
After weeding, members moved to the boxing station. There, they worked to make the boxes necessary for storing produce, stacking them for later use. Then, they ended the day by working in the cucumber area. The cucumbers were less obvious at first glance, so members poked and prodded their way to fill many buckets. The cucumbers were hidden under the leaves and vines, but were quite plentiful.
On Saturday, members helped out with zucchini and squash, before moving to the carrots and watermelons. Members also filmed interviews with the volunteers at the program, making rounds and filming the process of different areas. Members also started working with the carrots, harvesting them and placing them in crates for transport. They also worked with the watermelons, learning how to find the ripe fruit. Watermelons with a lighter shade, a yellow spot, and dead spiral on the adjacent vine were ripe. After picking the watermelon, they were loaded for transport.
Afterwards, members met at the packing station. They worked to pack boxes with all types of squash, cantaloupe, beets, carrots, and cucumbers. Larger bags ordered online were then filled, before 40 grab-and-give bags were made. The bags were packed tightly into boxes, before being loaded onto a truck.
