Dear Friends,
It’s been a minute since we’ve had an All-Hands weekend and we are all itching to get back in the field. So much has happened since we last convened in June. Life continues to be dizzying and wonderfully unpredictable and somehow we let an entire season pass. I’ve been working on a documentary in Mexico which has kept me away from LA for a chunk of my time (more on this later). We are quickly moving into winter when it will be too cold to work on the farm but Catherine of Windrose Farm needs help planting the garlic field before the cold sets in! We truly do need all the hands we can get!
Most of you know the mission of All-Hands but in brief, this is a community event, free and open to all in support of our friends at Windrose Farm. Run by the Welch Family, Windrose practices biodynamic and sustainable farming, producing some of the most beautiful and sought after produce in California. We’ve been running this program for nearly 3 years now which a little bit blows my mind. Each time is different, each time is magical. I am in awe of the community that has grown from so many willing good hearts.
Please read this post for more information on what this event is all about and the people behind it.
If you’ve attended a previous All-Hands, you know it’s joyful, meaningful work. I leave every event more in love with the land and the people who care for it. I think many of our volunteers feel the same. Please join us for community farming, a dinner in the Windrose apple orchard, and a couple nights under the stars from November 10th - 12th. I should also note that it will be pretty cold in the evening so please remember to pack a good jacket, warm clothing, and a good blanket/sleeping bag.
If you’re able to join us, please RSVP your name, phone number and # of people in your party to team@soo-nfood.com
Please see below for the rough itinerary and some important details and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Minute details of the itinerary may change closer to the date but we will notify you 3 days before of the finalized itinerary and menu for our orchard dinner.
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 11/10
5pm-12midnight - Arrivals / Set-Up Campsites / BYO Dinner
SATURDAY 11/11
BYO Breakfast
8am-12noon - Farm work (SHIFT 1)
12noon-1pm - Lunch @ farmhouse
1-5pm - Farm work (SHIFT 2)
(4-7pm Soon team dinner prep)
5-7:30pm Farm tours?, rest
7:30pm - Orchard dinner
10pm All-hands clean-up & dish duty
SUNDAY 11/12
7am Breakfast @ farmhouse
8-11am Farm work
12noon Departure
Other Info
MENU
We will send out an email closer to the date with a rough menu but the menu generally is fluid and casual and we welcome any suggestions, food donations, or menu planning help.
Restaurant and farmer friends—if you have excess produce or protein you’d like to donate—please let us know and we’d be grateful to take anything off your hands.
Home gardeners— let us know if you have over-fruiting trees and we would love to repurpose your bounty for our volunteers.
BYOB — please bring libations and snacks to share if you’re inclined!
RECOMMENDED PACKING LIST
Here are a few things you might need for the weekend. If you don’t have gardening gloves or a hat just reach out and we’ll find you something:
Pants that can get dirty
Work shoes
Warm jacket, hat, blanket/throw
Gardening gloves
Sun hat
Sunscreen
Water bottle
Reusable cup
Toiletries / personal items
Heavy coat
Thick socks
Sleeping Bag
Tent/Camping Gear
Head lamp or flashlight
If anyone has platters or large serving bowls they don’t mind bringing we would greatly appreciate it! We always seem to be short on platters for our food. We eat a lot.
RECEPTION
Please note that you will lose cell reception about 30 minutes away from the farm. Please keep this in mind as you navigate and make sure you have directions screenshot or written down before you hit that patch if you're someone like me who lives and dies by your navigation app. There's reception and wifi on the farm -- don't worry!
CARPOOL
Let us know if you need us to help you coordinate a carpool!
PITCHING TENTS
Upon arrival we highly suggest pitching tents first thing before it gets dark!
We will let you know where to pitch your tents closer to the day because the field where we usually camp is now occupied with tomatoes and peppers!
FARM WORK
The main purpose of this event is to do get the work done for the Welch family so please be willing to participate. It’s joyful work but it is still work.
We are adding in an orientation on Saturday morning so we highly encourage you to join us for that at 8 am. We will tour the farm and help contextualize the work before we get to it!
WEATHER
We’ll be in the full swing of Fall and it will be likely be between 50°-60°. You will absolutely need sufficiently warm clothing for the evening.
SPECIAL REQUESTS
We want to accommodate anyone and EVERYONE so please let us know if you have any special needs or requests. If you’ve never attended—don’t be intimidated! Every All-Hands grows our community and we always have new faces!
Also we're short on large dinner platters for dinner so if anyone has not-too-precious large sharing plates or platters, we'd greatly appreciate borrowing them for the night.
Address
Windrose Farm
5750 El Pharo Dr.
Paso Robles 93446
Contacts