Two Sides of the Orchard

In 2011, Ezra Sullivan joined a harvest crew in an apple orchard at the base of the Andes Mountains in Argentina. Half of the orchard was well tended in neat rows. They worked it in a task focused, quick and effective way. The other half had been left unattended for years. “You could barely walk a straight line through it. One had to traverse fallen trees, ant hills, dense undergrowth and uneven ground. Harvesting was a rewilding experience, and a lesson in the cultivation of patience.” Ezra noticed there was greater diversity in the old orchard in the interesting fruit, grass, shrubs, vines, animal life, and “local honey bees thronged to this rewilded patch of orchard.” “This complexity held a warmth of heart, which matched our humanity in a certain way.” Ezra says, in meeting the old orchard, “I had a strong trust that my guiding spirit was leading me towards an unfolding biography that would integrate agriculture with spirituality.”

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