A Place At The Table
An Encinitas Community Story Project
Celebrating the daily contributions of our Affordable Residents
KATHARINE FAVOR
COMMUNITY FARMER
VINEYARD COORDINATOR
Katharine was the Vineyard Coordinator for Coastal Roots Farms, up until a few years ago when she left to work on a farm in another area. She oversaw the vineyard, from taking care of the vines to getting the grapes to those who make the wine. That included everything from fertilizing and watering, to pest management, to sustainability tracking, to meeting organic certification requirements, as well as over seeing volunteers . She hopes to return to Encinitas and offer her services to the farm community again when she returns.
Katharine attending Coastal Root Farms Vineyard
Keys4Homes interviewed Katharine in the summer of 2018, prior to her leaving. We include her here because we believe her contribution to our city is an example of how valuable our affordable residents are to our city and how difficult i t can be for them to find housing. Katharine we hope you will be able return to us one day!
HOUSING STORY
Have you been able to find housing here in Encinitas Katharine?
No, I am currently living with my grandma in La Jolla. It's nice, but it takes a lot of time going back and forth on the freeway. That’s also a lot of gas for my income. And, it takes me over 45 minutes each way, every day. Living in Encinitas would save me so much precious time not to mention expense. That much time is huge for me, because I’m doing my master's online, and working a full 50-hour workweek here. I need that extra hour and a half that I’m on the freeway every single day, not to mention the cost of gas and impact on the environment. But renting a place in Encinitas is absolutely impossible for me.
CONTRIBUTION TO LIFE IN ENCINITAS
What does your day entail?
I start the morning off going over my ‘to do’ list. I plan out everything that needs to be done for the week. It changes continually throughout the year. For instance, at this time of the year it's a lot of leaf pulling and shoot thinning because it is summer. Basically, vines grow really wild and at this time of year it's our job to take away certain leaves in certain shoots, in order to allow good airflow, for disease control, and in order to allow sunlight to touch the grapes so they can ripen and develop some yummy flavors. So yes, on some days I'm actually doing vineyard labor, on other days I oversee volunteers who help in the vineyard, and on other days I create the management plan. There are days where I just spend time out in the vineyard. And then other days I'm in the office the whole day.
What's the most rewarding thing about working in the vineyard at Leichtag?
Honestly, the most rewarding thing for me is working with volunteers. We have volunteers come to the vineyard every Sunday and to the food forest every Wednesday. It's people who want to get outside and learn about where their wine comes from, where their food comes from, how to farm, etc. We get to spend time outside together and learn together. People love it and they are a great help to us. We're so grateful. And from spending so much time working side by side together, we've really formed a community. Often times we get the same volunteers coming in week after week, and I consider everyone who comes my friend. It doesn't feel like work. This place creates a community and it's great to do that while growing grapes and doing something productive. That’s the biggest reward for me.
“I've known that I wanted to be a farmer since I was five. I was raised in Laguna Niguel in Orange County, so not in a farming community, but I went on a field trip to a farm in kindergarten and I just fell in love, and that's all I've wanted to do since then.”
