the pioneer project
Living Accommodations
All the students, the garden intern, and staff live together in the rustic, timber-framed farm house. It was built with intentionally small bedrooms, which may be shared with a bunk bed, so folks would be enticed to gather in the comfy common spaces, like around the wood-fired stove, around the large farm table for meals, or in one of the many outdoor spaces.
The house comes equipped with a washer, dryer, a full kitchen, and 2 full bathrooms. We have an old-fashioned land-line for students to make and receive calls since cell phone reception is poor in the country. We don't have t.v., so you may be wondering what we do with ourselves!?! In lieu of the tube, there is an entire wall full of all kinds of interesting books, games, and craft supplies for folks to occupy their interests and down time. And if the outside world is more appealing, the property is situated on 18 acres that are home to a wooded mountainside, a covered platform, a labyrinth, a workshop, an orchard, a creek, and all the plants and animals that inhabit the land.
Life at the Pioneer Project
A Day in the Life:
a sample schedule at the Pioneer Project
rise and shine
• Morning Practice: yoga / meditation / free write / jog / other
• Caretaker roles (chickens, watering, kitchen clean up, etc.)
breakfast
• Morning workshop on soil science with the Garden Educator
• Independent work time in the garden
lunch
• Visit to nearby Potter’s studio to make a bowl
community dinner
• Documentary & discussion
off to bed for a good night's rest
Food
We eat a wide, varied and nutritious diet with foods some may not have experienced before. We ask that folks come with an open mind and adventurous spirit being ready to try novel foods and likely discover new favorites! We do our best to make sure there is always food everyone feels comfortable eating in addition to the foods that may be new. We do our best to eat food that comes mostly from the garden, so it's local and in-season. We also value ethically-raised, local, organic meats, which is a dinner option for meat-eaters a few times a week.
In the beginning, staff will plan and prepare meals with student help. Students take more leadership with meal planning and preparation as the program continues.
One student comments: “The food was top quality and nutritious. We catered to dietary needs at every meal, often making vegan and/or gluten-free foods when someone wanted to try that diet style for a time, and this was encouraged. Expedition foods were whole and organic, as well, and continued to be top quality."
Folks at the Farmhouse
There are plenty of friendly faces to be seen around the homestead. Many live on site, while others pop by from time to time. All the students, staff, and garden intern live on site in the farm house, with the exception of the program director, who lives in a cabin by the chicken coop. The owner of the property lives there part time in her own little house next to the farm house. The founders have recently moved off the property into their own place just 5 minutes down the road, and are there often to teach workshops and to go on wilderness trips.
We also receive student interns from Young Harris College who volunteer primarily in the garden for parts of the day during the week.
a day's sample menu
breakfast
Students are invited to choose and prepare their own breakfast or decide to prepare something collectively.
Options include:
• Oatmeal
• Granola
• Eggs from the coop
• Homemade pancakes
lunch
Lunches are simple, but hearty. To save time, meals might include a soup and/or sandwiches, or leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
One lunch possibility:
• Pasta salad with garden vegetables
community dinner
We sit down together during this time to enjoy the biggest, most elaborate meal of the day.
Our dinners always include a salad, grain, protein, and vegetables, and might look something like this:
• Homemade chili with tomato sauce from the garden
• Corn-bread made from scratch
• A salad with wild greens
dessert
Not found at every dinner, so it truely is a treat. Made from scratch with flavor and health in mind.
• Homemade apple crumble with apples from the orchard!
