Our Interns
2019 Slack Farms Interns from HBLA Emblerg, Linz Austria: Eva, Johanna, Sam, Lisi, Lisa, Julia and Hanni on Captain Phil’s boat on a first class day in the Chesapeake Bay
Closing Chapter 2019: Our Trip to New York City
After a long bus journey on Thursday, August 8th we happily arrived in New York. Our first stop was Central Park, where we walked next to the lake and saw some small turtles in the water. After that we visited the famous Time Square.
On Friday, we took the ferry to Staten Island where we saw the Statue of Liberty and then New York (Manhattan) from a different view. Afterwards, we walked through Chinatown. It was very crowded and the traffic was really bad. Little Italy was great because it reminded us of the tiny towns in Italy.
Saturday was our very successful shopping day. In the morning we visited Top of the Rock on the Rockefeller Center. The view was breathtaking.
On the last day, Sunday, we visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. Later on it was time to buy gifts for our boyfriends and family members. Our last stop was the Chelsea Market and after that we took a walk on the High Line.
On Monday we started our day with a delicious typical American breakfast at Andrew's Coffeeshop. We ordered Nutella french toast, pancakes, fried eggs, sausages and, of course, bacon. We enjoyed it a lot. And then our journey back home began.
— Jojo, Lisa and Hanni
Top of the Rock
Time Square
What a view!
The day started very normally.
Lisi and I weeded the Round About in front of Maggie’s house. It was very hot so we had to drink a lot of water. Lisi and i didn’t feel very well; in my mind it was because of the weather. Anyway, we worked until 11 a.m., then we started to cook lunch for our bosses, Dominga, the chair and Tucker.
After lunch the Landscape Committee planned the Round About at the barn. So basically, we wanted to drive with the plants to the Round About, but when i took the Japanese Maple to the truck, something stung me in my upper arm.
First i thought it was a bee or a wasp, but surprisingly it wasn’t. I looked for a nest and quickly i found something, but it had something like feeders or a fur. It was definitely not embedded in a nest. When we where guessing what it could be, Lisi said the word Caterpillar. Maggie started looking for furry Caterpillar on the Internet and she found a video and an article about that strange little animal called “Puss Caterpillar” and that guy is definitely not usually found in Maryland. When we read the article, i was shocked by the words “venomous”, “pain like you broke an arm” and “must go to the hospital".
But as we all know, not everything on the Internet is true. So what did we do? Maggie called some friends of hers and most didn’t know the animal, but then there was James Crawford the Native American gardener from Georgia. James knew it, because he also had been bitten by one and he said it was not that dangerous.
If i were to get red stripes on my arm, i should drive to the hospital immediately, but fortunately i didn’t. When a friend of Maggie’s, a nurse, called her back and said we shouldn’t worry, because it it’s not as dangerous as we thought, i was very soothed. Luckily, i cooled it immediately, so it didn’t hurt that much. This was what all treatments said to do — ice it.
After a few hours, Tucker came home and Maggie asked all of us, “So what should we do with the little monster? Should we kill it or save it?” Immediately i said: “ Of course we will save it.” Maggie was still not sure, but when Tucker agreed with me, she accepted the decision. As fast as i could i took the bucket with the Puss Caterpillar and put him outside on a tree and saved his valuable life.
Ps: Thanks Tucker for helping me save every life we can save ;).
-Sammy 08/14/19
Romantic Wedding
On Saturday we had our first romantic wedding at Woodlawn. After Jojo, Hanni and Lisa drove to New York we started the preparations for the special day for two lovers.
We were setting up tables and chairs and weeded the whole area in front of the house, so everything looked beautiful. At 4:30 pm the Ceremony began. I couldn‘t imagine how wonderful it would be. At first glance I could see that they are very much in love. Afterwards was the Father-Bride-Dance and the Mother-Groom-Dance. Maggie cried because it was very emotinal. Accordingly everyone enjoyed the lemon herbed salmon, herb roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus. They had a wedding cake and a lot of cute and colourful cupcakes.
It was a great experience to see an American wedding with such lovely people.
We congratulate you for your marriage and wish you both a beautiful forever.
— Lisi and Sammy
Jubilee Farm Landscape Committee
Here is the full committee considering the placement of an arrival sign and how to use lovely dwarf Japanese maples, Acer palmatum Orangeola, to frame the entrance.
First Meeting of the Landscape Committee where the Associate Members were fired for eating the trees.
The First Meeting of the Jubilee Farm Landscape Committee occurred today at 8-10 am. The Committee Members voted on membership including a chair and members Samantha Wöhrer, Elisabeth Lindinger and Jane O’Brien. The Committee is shown above at their first site of analysis. Behind them is a sample sign, which the Committee agreed needs to be enlarged for this site but which can be deployed elsewhere, and the dead tree needs to be removed, and…
although we at first approved of Adjunct Members (to the left of the photo a capable team of miniature Nigerian goats), they were summarily dismissed for bad behavior, that being the attempted destruction of the landscape shrubs.
The Adjunct Committee was quickly corralled, sent home with Tucker, and no longer allowed to participate willy nilly in Landscape Commitee meetings. They tried to rush us once again at the second site but were again dismissed from every and all future Landscape Committee meetings.
—- Maggie O’Brien 8/13/2019
PS We miss our 3 interns, Lisa, Jojo and Hanni, who are now home once again in Austria. Two are now in NYC, Eva and Julia with curls, and the two above, Sam the Dog Whisperer and Lisi, are now babysitting Jack the Wonder Dog.
This is an idea for a garden that we considered on a rainy day exercise, when we looked for plantings that might work at Jubilee Farm.
Here is another idea for planters with hydrangea and boxwoods which bedeck the entrance at Lisi’s asparagus farm in Austria. Another solid idea we will incorporate at Woodlawn, which is more formal than Jubilee Farm.
For Jubilee plantings, we decided on all dwarft species, including this dwarf pine obtuse, which will soften the edges of signage which is being planned to orient visitors to their arrival at the farm, and guide them to parking and programs.
Sunday we went to Washington DC. We got up very early in the morning which means we all slept the whole journey to the city.
After 2 hours we arrived in the popular city of Washington, DC. First of all we started our trip through the town at the White House. From there we moved ahead to the Washington Monument. Afterwards, we decided to go to the Botanical Garden. The garden was beautiful and there were lots of different plants from all over the world. Then we walked straight to the Capitol Building were we took a hundred pictures (as you can see one up here).
Next we continued our daytrip to visit the Museum of Natural History. There we saw skeletons from dinosaurs, different animals and a lot more. At about 5 o'clock in the evening we started our trip back home.
On the way home we got so hungry because of our 9 km walk that we stopped at McDonald's. We concluded there is really not a difference between the Austrian and the American McDonald's because they are both tasty.
When we arrived at Woodlawn we jumped in to the shower and went straight to bed.
-- Lisa Hammer 8/6/2019
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Our Weekend Holiday Trip to Ocean City, Maryland
Hey guys, last Tuesday we started our trip to Ocean City very early in the morning. We drove in the car for about 4 hours. Most of us have never seen the Atlantic Ocean before - it was amazing. When we arrived at the Residence Inn Marriott Hotel, we changed our clothes and went to the beautiful swimming pool. But before we swam Jim and I, Sam, had a funny conversation with the woman at the reception. She is from Ireland and is working in the United States of America this summer, just as we do.
After a long day of chilling we went to the famous crab-restaurant which is called “Phillips Crab House”. We tried oysters and clams for the first time and they were delicious. As dessert, Hanni got a fake-20th-birthday-party. So, we and the waitresses sang for her and she got a chocolate cake. After this funny and great dinner we walked around in Ocean City and went to bed early to be fit for the next day.
We started our second day at 8am with breakfast in our hotel. Afterwards we went to the pool. We really enjoyed the warm water and the sunny weather. In the late afternoon we drove back to Woodlawn with lots of energy. It was the perfect start for our Internship in the US.
— Sam and Lisi 8/5/19
Horticultural Days: Pruning Weeping Blue Atlas and Boxwoods
July 29, 2019
It’s pretty amazing to see how quickly these students learn to work with new plants.
Our goal was to prune two difficult species: weeping blue atlas and English boxwoods. The first is difficult because too much pruning will cause its naturally graceful canopy to lose the feathery draping for which it is prized. The interns were not intimidated by the prospect of working with this tree, and as a team they were able to support the limbs as they carefully brought the greens down to a more balanced size at the top of the ornamental gardens at Jubilee Farm. These gardens are very important for wedding couples and other guests who are interested in the opportunity for photographic shoots. Good job!
Boxwoods are common in Austria and opening up the canopy for light was the objective for Lisi and Sam. They were not afraid to jump right in to the middle of the boxwoods and break off pieces —- a task that took them about 3 hours — a lot of boxwoods and concentration to the benefit of a beautiful ornamental that without care cannot outgrow its ornamental value.
Finally, these two helped with a task that was among the most difficult —- removing too much vegetation in the koi pond. They were charmed by the wildlife and not afraid of the water snakes who had found a pleasant life gobbling up the unlucky fish. This will be an ongoing challenge for us but Lisi and Sam got us over the hump with their enthusiasm for getting the VERY DIFFICULT job done. Thanks to both of them, and our interns over the past five years, the gardens at Jubilee, as well as the vineyards (see the results of their Cabernet Sauvignon pruning) are as nice as ever.
Yesterday we went on a boat at Charter Bays. At first we drove to an old lighthouse which was shutdown in the early ‘60s. Nowadays fishermen don’t need lighthouses because information is on their monitor on the boat.
Afterwards, Phil showed us how to crab and fish. He threw some cages in the water and the crabs went in because they smelled the dead fish inside. When crabs enter the cages, they can’t get out anymore.
After the boat trip, we steamed some crabs. We added salt, pepper, red pepper and bay seasoning to the crabs. After around 30 minutes they were done.
Phil showed us how to eat them because it’s not that easy. It was a great experience and we learned a lot. For example, an oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day. A female crab can produce over a million eggs. An oyster only grows an inch per year.
— Johanna Drack 07/27/19
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Day 5: Every Austrian Intern from Elmberg is Strong, Smart - & a Good Wallpaperer!
Here is Julia by the first lesson space: HOW TO MAKE A STATEMENT!
Julia (above) helped me to hold up wallpaper samples so our Slack Farm interns could imagine how wallpaper works: it can have a huge impact by being central to where the eye lands: as in over a sink.
Julia stands by the Woodlawn kitchen cupboards which already showcase the William Morris wallpaper known as the Strawberry Thief. Morris was an English engraver and printer at the turn of the last century and he produced some of the most iconic English designs, often presented on the inside covers, front and back, of beautiful hard-bound books. The wallpaper design shown above and below, produced by Spoonflower, is one of his most famous, done in a moment of inspiration by William Morris one morning as he noted out the breakfast window of his Oxfordshire home the presence of wrens feasting on his strawberries. Those little thieves!
Note the wallpaper on the sink below Eva, now afixing wallpaper to the sink wall. You are seeing the next panel, resting after being wetted and “booked”, for the right side of the sink where Lisa soon joins in the action to make sure that we have a good final product.
Wallpaper can move fast once it is wet. Here are the two of them, Eva and Lisa, moving pretty fast.
My what a lovely kitchen sink area.
Wow! What a difference!
So how did it turn out?
Zach and Tucker were amazed, as was Jim. Jack the Beagle even bayed. I, quite frankly, keep sneaking in to the room to take another look — those little strawberry thieves make me laugh.
Here’s what the eye sees now of the kitchen sink, sans the new hardware..
Parents watch out, they are going to come home and wallpaper your whole house!
OK, one more picture. It is currently 1:25 AM in Austria, so I presume no one is up and paying attention, but here was today’s shot as we trooped upstairs to start the wallpapering of the Calvert Room which overlooks Calvert Creek. The bathroom is quite large and the women are gathered around the Jacuzzi ready to start the day.
Ready for the task!
Pretty Professional!
At 7 am our day started with a short yoga session, after that we had yogurt and fruits for breakfast.
Afterwards we cleaned out and weeded the garden in front of the house. We raked all the old leaves and sticks away so the beds look clean and tidy.
We trimmed the bushes next to the wine cottage so that everything looks perfect for the wedding on Saturday. Shortly after we loaded the van with the huge pile of leaves and sticks and drove them to the edge of the forest. It was very funny because one person always had to sit in the back of the car next to the stuff.
Next time I will tell you more about the book I read called “SlackWater”. I didn’t write so much because my delicious wine is waiting for me. :)
—Johanna Drack 07/15/19
Jojo handy with a drill helping to repair as all of our interns helped me clear an entire barn worth of lumber and old parts — filled an entire 20ft trailer so we can use the barn for internship and visitor activities next year.
Eva sanding a barrel rack on another day devoted to farm repairs.
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Sticky rice :P
Today Eva and I had to cook lunch for Maggie, Jim, Tucker and ourselves, of course. We made curry with rice which is one of my favorite dishes. Turns out that Americans make rice with one cup of water and one cup of rice while in Austria we make it in relation 1:2. Because of that, the rice was a little sticky. Sorry about that :/
After lunch we were just cleaning the chairs for the wedding on Saturday. We also cleaned and refilled the bar with different sodas. Tomorrow Maggie will show us how to wallpaper. I am really looking forward to that because she always talks about wallpapering. :)
A few days ago, Maggie told us to read a chapter in a book named SlackWater. I had to read the chapter “Farming is a Business”, where James Norris talks about agriculture and other topics.
—Julia Haslinger, 07/15/2019
Julia refurbishing a light for the barn renovations. Slack Works will open June 2020 for Slack Farms Members interested in Allotments and learning workshops about farm skills. The barn will also give interns a place to gather and meet visitors to the farm.
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First day off (;
Today, our first day off `officially` began as mentioned by Hanni with the trip to Jubilee Farm, where we learned to fish at first in the living room and after that in a real pond nearby. As suspected, i had no luck with that and didn`t catch any fish despite being right beside the other girls. Nevermind, i didn`t take that to heart and was looking forward to the wine tasting with Maggie. We got 3 white wines, 2 rose wines, 2 red wines and a sparkling Moscato, which was the best wine we tasted this afternoon. As Maggie realized how much all of us liked this wine she mentioned that there are 2 more bottles in the cellar but that we are only allowed to drink one bottle per day haha ;)
During the wine tasting Jim, Jack, Tucker and Michael a vegan-vegetable-farmer joined us and we talked a lot about vegetables and farmer things. What a surprise. Moreover, we planned a vegetable barbecue Wednesday with Michael, where he will show us how to prepare and cook vegetables he grows. He is a certified chef. We are also looking forward to that and our beloved Moscato wine.
Today was our free day. My day started at half past 6 with a little workout outside. After that I made breakfast for Jojo and Lisa. I prepared some yogurt with fruits for the girls. Maggie took us at 8 in the morning to Jubilee Farm where we went fishing. First of all, Maggie showed us how to use the fishing rods. We then went to a little fish pond near the farm where we could fish. Lisa threw the rod in the lake and a few minutes later she held the first fish in her hands. I had a rod which was a bit difficult (three feet longer!) but even I caught two fish. Surprisingly, Jojo caught 3 and Eva 0. It was so much fun. Tucker invited us to eat hamburgers and hot dogs with him and the brewer, Dan. It was such a hot day we were lucky to then cool down in the pool.
I had to read a chapter from a book called SlackWater by Anne Grulich. The chapter is about the special landscapes of Maryland and the cultural changes which people have dealt with.
Hanni ordering her birthday dinner at Phillip’s Crab House.
First of all, our journey started on Wednesday at the train station in Linz. At that time we had not expected how long our journey would be. We went from Linz to Munich by train where our first flight to Lisbon started at 06.05 AM in the morning. After our 3 hour flight we took a short trip to Lisbon to see the city and eat lunch. Now we have seen Lisbon — a bit.
Seven hours later we finally started our trip to the beautiful country of America. Our flight was very relaxed and we watched movies. Of courses we slept a lot, too. When we arrived we had to wait a couple of hours at passport control until we could leave customs. Later on we fetched our bags, walked straight to Maggie who we recognized because of her black eye and white hair.
The trip to Woodlawn took us about 2 hours —of course we slept again. About 12.00 PM we arrived at the farm. We were so surprised and happy to see the small cottages. They looked great and everyone of us has our own bed and bathroom. After we explored the cottages we took a shower and hopped in our beds.
The next day we woke up early because of our Austrian time clock (six hours difference). We got up and went to the kitchen to eat some breakfast. There we talked a lot and ate breakfast together. Later we went to the supermarket to get some food.
Today in the morning we did some gardening in the front of the house. At midday we cooked a meal together. In the afternoon, Maggie gave us some books so that each one of us reads a chapter on Southern Maryland history. My chapter, written by Julia King, is titled A Legend of Maryland. This chapter tells about how Maryland was founded and how life in the early colony challenged the newcomers.
— Lisa Hammer 7/13/19
Lisa (far left) prepping the area above the middle pond in preparation for plantings.
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BREAKFAST AT WOODLAWN WITH OUR FIRST 5 2019 AUSTRIAN INTERNS
Enduring the thunderstorms around Dulles Airport yesterday, the pilots safely delivered our first 5 Austrian interns to the U.S. Passport control boasted longer lines than usual but baggage was quick and we arrived at the Woodlawn Creekside Cottages right at midnight. Tuck advised Maggie to have a diet pepsi en route home; it was a real sacrifice but it did the trick, along with rain abatement.
From left to right, Jojo, Hanni, Lisa, Eva and Julia are eating breakfast in the gathering room. We’re scheduling the day around a discussion of their activities in the month ahead, tours of Woodlawn and Jubilee, and their jet lag.
Also caught in the new postings is the moment all 5 finally got WiFi to work. Hanni was the computer genius on this one.
Jack is elated that he has five more friends for the summer. The beagle and we, too, can’t wait to get started. Thank you to the parents who have said YES! to let their very talented daughters join us for the summer internship!
-Maggie O’Brien 7/12/2019
Jojo, Hanni, Lisa, Eva and Julia