Zen and Organic Farming
Last Updated On: November 15th, 2024 at 08:53AM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:1601 Shoreline Hwy
Muir Beach, California, 94965
Primary Contact: Sara Tashker
Primary Phone:
Type: Cell
Number: 415-613-8159
Email: farmapprentice@sfzc.org
Website: https://www.sfzc.org/locations/green-gulch-farm/about-green-gulch/farm-garden-programs/farm-land-steward-apprenticeship
Internship information
General Farm Description: Green Dragon Temple, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, was established in 1972 by the San Francisco Zen Center, a nonprofit religious organization dedicated to the practice and study of Zen Buddhism in the Soto Zen lineage as conveyed by its founding teacher, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. It is a residential Zen training temple dedicated to the practices of farming, hosting guests, and offering the Dharma to the wider world. Farm and Garden Apprentices Situated on the coast of Marin, on an inholding of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Green Gulch Farm includes seven acres of certified organic mixed vegetable fields, fruit trees, and flower gardens, all of which are open to visitors year-round. Tended by Zen students for 40 years, the deep, fertile clay loam soil, combined with mild summers and coastal fog, create the ideal conditions for many cool weather crops and ornamentals. THE FARM: 6 acres of mixed cool-weather annual row crops, including but not limited to: Lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collards, chard, beets, spinach, chicories, arugula, mizuna, garlic, leeks, fennel, radishes, zucchini, winter squash, potatoes, turnips, green beans, rhubarb, bunching onions, pea shoots, nettles, purslane, and herbs Maintained by a seasonal crew of 3–5 staff and 6–8 apprentices Tractor- and hand-cultivation techniques used On-site greenhouse production of vegetable transplants Combination of overhead and drip irrigation used Soil fertility management includes winter and summer cover crops and on-site compost production Marketing outlets include SFZC’s kitchens (both at Green Gulch and City Center), farmers’ markets, restaurants (including Greens Restaurant), a grocery store, and a small, local CSACRAFT Member Farm? No
Internship Starts: April 11, 2025
Internship Ends: October 10, 2025
Number of Internship Available: 9
Application Deadline: January 1
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 months
Internship Details:
Each spring since the Farm and Land Steward Apprenticeships Programs were founded in 1994, new farm and land steward apprentices join our community and experience a unique opportunity to study themselves and the natural world through meditation practice and working directly with the land in the Green Gulch watershed. Other members of Green Gulch’s residential community (approximately 70 people on average) enjoy the practice opportunities presented by working in the kitchen, the guest program, or maintaining the physical plant, among other practice locations.
Formal Zen meditation and training is the foundation of community life at Green Gulch and is an integral part of the apprenticeship program. Farm and Land Steward Apprentices are actively engaged in Zen Buddhism by following the daily temple schedule, which includes sitting meditation, walking meditation, services, and temple cleaning (soji). All residents, including apprentices, follow the daily schedule, meet regularly with teachers, and attend temple events, including classes on Buddhism, Dharma lectures, special ceremonies, and monthly one-day meditation retreats (by either sitting in the zendo or working to support the sitting).
Farm apprentices receive training in a wide range of practices: sowing, planting, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting, and marketing a wide variety of cool weather vegetable crops. Through practicums and hands-on experience, they also learn about: organic soil, pest and disease management (as it related to composting and the use of cover crops), water/irrigation management, and promotion of biological diversity.
Educational Opportunities: In addition to field trips to other farms and hands-on learning and practicums about sowing, planting, irrigation, weed management, soil management, compost, post-harvest crop handling, and marketing, apprentices receive tuition to all Buddhist classes and lectures offered to residents at Green Gulch during the apprenticeship. They also receive tuition to participate in three day-long meditation retreats and one three-day meditation retreat during their six-month apprenticeship. They get to work on their own meditation practice with a Zen teacher in a one-on-one capacity throughout the apprenticeship, as well as in group discussions. Upon successful completion of the program (following the daily meditation schedule, following the work schedule, and having good community relations), each apprentice will earn two practice period (two-month meditation retreat) credits to be used immediately after the apprenticeship or in the future.
Skills Desired: No experience is necessary. Interest in Zen meditation is a requirement.
Meals: Three communal, home-cooked vegetarian meals are provided to the community five and a half days per week, as well as coffee, tea, milk, fruit, and access to leftovers and extra protein. Residents have access to a walk-in and pantry full of ingredients to cook their own meals for the remaining one and a half days. Vegan and gluten-free options, as well as accommodations for allergies, are available.
Stipend: Apprentices receive a nominal $28/month scholarship to cover incidentals not included in room, board, and tuition (like toothpaste and laundry quarters).
Housing: Housing and all utilities are included. Wi-Fi, biodegradable shampoo/conditioner/soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and general cleaning products are also provided. On-site coin-operated ($.50 wash/$.75 dry) washers and dryers are available.
Preferred method of Contact: email