“Wrap it like you’re making a bouquet for your grandma” 💐


These were our instructions – while washing and making fresh farm Kale bunches.


In 2014, I volunteered at FIRST GENERATION FARMERS, a farming incubator in Knightsen, California – about 50 miles east of San Francisco.

As my only farming experience with WWOOF – Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, it was incredibly humbling and introduced me to one of the largest sectors in US and California.

In order to address the growing average age of farmers, their mission was to seed, nurture, and grow the next generation of farmers.

After the initial application process, if accepted, you were allotted some agricultural land, right next to a river.

Participants would grow food, vegetables, and flowers on their allotted piece of agricultural real estate. As WWOOF volunteers from all around the world (France, Belgium, East Coast US, Germany, India) and local family members, our job was simple.

– Wake up at 5am
– Get ready by 6am
– Load up our farming supplies
– Get quick breakfast
– Get to the farm

This was in December, so things got really cold. Being from New Delhi, I was used to the cold, but not this cold!

After harvesting different types of vegetables (Kale, Beets, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, Violeta Cauliflower and such), our job was to wash the produce and prepare for weekend farmers market in Pleasanton, California.

This experience was incredibly useful in a few aspects:

1. Learning about WWOOF and the possibility of engaging with foreign cultures in a unique way. I was new to US and fascinated by this avenue to learn.

2. Embracing a deep gratitude for farmers who grow food and get to work – rain or shine. This is how we get food on our shelves at Walmart, Ralph’s, Whole Foods, and thousands of other retail stores and markets.

I was a part of the end-to-end supply chain for Farm-to-Table produce.

3. Effective collaboration with no authority – We didn’t have a boss or a manager, however there were always people responsible for training, onboarding, and other parts of our day to day.

Why am I sharing a non-business story on LinkedIn?

To highlight that a shared clear vision, minimal authority, and relevant guidance can make the toughest of the tasks seem fun.

Collaboration with optimal level of clarity can really bring out the best results.

By the way, at the farmer’s market, it was “Take what you need, give what you want” – all donation based.