Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships Available Year-Round
Live and work with our young family and eat organic vegetables all year long! Learn all aspects of country living and organic herb and vegetable growing from plant propagation to harvest. Challenging and rewarding work as well as tedious and sometimes repetitive.
40 hours per week for room and board-over 40 for extra cash. Please consider interning with us in a smoke, alcohol and television free environment. Please contact us for further details.
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Junior Internship Opportunity
Do any of you know a young person who would benefit from becoming a junior intern at Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living this year? We are interested in sharing our knowledge of growing, harvesting and using culinary, medicinal and decorative herbs with 12 –16 year olds. The internship experience is open year round to any young folks who in exchange for free one-on-one instruction and room & board would provide help on the farm with our young sons, Walker and Ashton. Please respond early to select your week(s). Call 814-849-9662 or e-mail us at quietcreek@usachoice.net to reserve a space.
Apprentice Comments-2004
After I planted one bed with a cover crop, I pruned and strung tomato vines. Then I cut African Blue Basil from the high tunnels and peeled garlic for Rusty to make pesto for our lunch. Later it was time to can ripe tomatoes, pull a half bed of lettuce and replant it, and mix some new herbal teas. A day a Quiet Creek is unlike any other day. Rusty and Claire are knowledgeable and excited about their herb farm, CSA, herbal products, and classes. That energy spreads, and they are extremely open to new ideas and new projects.
I came to Quiet Creek with a desire to participate in an entire growing season on a small organic farm. Almost immediately, I was given trust, responsibility, resources, and encouragement. Rusty and Claire are both amazing teachers that understand it is better to teach through hands-on experience. Mistakes don’t upset or scare them; it’s another way to learn and teach as far as they are concerned. I felt as though all of my ideas were realistic possibilities, and received the support I needed to enact them. They don’t have a “script” – they let creativity and innovation rule the farm; they expect to learn from apprentices as much as we learn from them.
I never felt relegated to typical intern tasks of just weeding, clearing beds, or harvesting. Of course, I did participate in all aspects of gardening and living together (including weeding and doing the dishes) but because they allow interns such a high level of participation, it was about sharing responsibility, not doing someone else’s dirty work.
The rural setting provides ample hiking, biking, canoeing and kayaking opportunities with Clear Creek State Park and the Allegheny National Forest nearby. It can be somewhat isolating if you are used to an urban lifestyle, but there is a small community of like-minded individuals. There is also a peaceful tranquility in the isolation that can be enjoyed with an open mind. I am sure I will miss Western Pennsylvania no matter where I go. I had several friends visit and decide to extend their stays here after hiking along the Clarion and laughing at Rusty’s puns. It really is a unique experience.
My satisfaction from this apprenticeship stems equally from learning the skills I came here specifically to learn and learning new things I had no idea I would be exposed to. Nutritional classes, educating school groups, making herbal teas and soaps, identifying, cutting and drying herbs, cooking with herbs, and building a straw bale house--- all added to my education here at Quiet Creek. I feel empowered and equipped to seek further employment in this field, as well as lead a healthier, more earth-friendly lifestyle. I recommend this apprenticeship to anyone with an open mind and desire to learn. Come with your own agenda, but be prepared to learn about things you’ve never even considered. --Emily
Apprentice Comments-2002
I was an intern at Quiet Creek Herb Farm during the summer of 2002. If you are looking for an experience from which you can learn about all aspects of organic farming and herbalism this is the place. Rusty and Claire are incredibly knowledgable, as well as kind and patient people who are dedicated to increasing the knowledge of their students, interns and community. You will gain experience in many aspects of organic farming, gardening and wildcrafting, and if these things are new to you, as they were to me, you will have two of the best teachers in the world to help you. If you are interested in the design aspect of gardening, the garden at Quiet Creek is beautifully designed by Rusty who is always quick to share his expertise. If cooking interests you, Claire's weekly batches of home-made bread are delicious, and she is very tolerant of experiments for new products and recipes. They have a small library with books covering many subjects including growing techniques and herbalism, which enhances the hands-on learning experience of the internship. They also have a variety of classes, including Yoga, which as an intern are available to you at no charge. The practical experience that I took away from Quiet Creek has opened many doors for me, and I am indebted to Claire and Rusty's patient teaching and depth of knowledge. I highly recommend their internship/apprenticeship program. --Naomi
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