Today was another typical day at Wesley Acres Produce, filled with work from both Jim and Linda Johansen of Wesley Acres, and from a group of Augie students, who are involved in the Environmental Conservation Learning Community at Augustana College in Rock Island.

Thursday’s work began with the morning routine of milking goats, a new addition to Wesley Acres, and which provide delicious and creamy milk for the Johansen’s. Jim, being a regular was able to keep a steady rhythm when milking the goats, as were a few Augie students who lent a hand and learned the tricky process of goat milking. The goats themselves didn’t seem to mind the new hands, as long as there was plenty of sweet feed and apples for dessert. Thursday is also time to fill and package Wesley Acres CSA food orders. This sent a number of the Augustana students into the field to harvest green beans, patty squash, and tomatoes. The students enjoyed a break from picking green beans with freshly baked cookies from Jim’s mother, who also lives on the Acres. An early morning drizzle picked up right as the students filled their buckets full of colorful and fresh produce, ushering them indoors to begin processing invoices and filling food orders. The Johansen’s kitchen was teeming with activity; students were washing produce, weighing out lettuce and okra, itemizing and packaging the day’s orders. The work went by surprisingly fast, due in part to the large turnout of Augie students who enjoyed the day’s work, and who look forward to more of the same here at Wesley Acres Produce.