Apprenticeship

Embrace the role of a land steward and embark on a journey of cultivating, nurturing, and harnessing the potential of vegetables, edible plants, and medicinal herbs throughout an entire growing season. Join Cassandra Dailey, the Founder of BFree Organics, at her ancestral apothecary and private abode nestled in the Santa Monica Mountain region of Los Angeles. Our program has room for up to 7 apprentices, and we encourage you to apply promptly, once applications are available. While local residents are preferred, we welcome applicants from other locations. If you're planning to travel for this apprenticeship, kindly make arrangements for your own living accommodations.

Apprentices will be immersed in the intricacies of practices such as sowing, planting, tending, irrigating, and harvesting a diverse range of edible crops and herbs, but mostly flowers. Through hands-on experiences, participants will delve into the art of organic seed saving, propagation, herbalism, and the crafting of basic skincare formulas, homeopathic tinctures, and remedies essential for holistic living.

This unique program revolves around cultivating perennial food crops, herbs, and flowers on a human scale, without the reliance on machines. Our focus will be on nurturing the garden on Cassandra's private land, cultivating sustenance for personal, familial, and small community needs. It's worth noting that if your ambition is to establish a professional farm and engage in large-scale food production, we recommend exploring farm-based apprenticeship programs.

Amidst our journey, we'll explore the essence of the earth's elements: earth, water, air, and fire (sun), fostering a connection to the cycle of life's seasons and generations. Rooted in Indigenous principles of holistic, forward-thinking spanning seven generations, our approach harmoniously incorporates ancestral wisdom within a contemporary context. This philosophy encompasses your own generation, the three preceding it (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents), and the three to come (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren), instilling a sense of continuity and empowerment.

Please bear in mind that our approach is exclusively organic. With a growing season stretching from April to October, we have the luxury year around growing in Los Angeles. These dates may vary by a week or two, so staying attuned to the weather is crucial when planning activities.

Dedicate one 4-6hour day each month to cultivate camaraderie within our small group. Through hands-on engagement, you'll acquaint yourself with a myriad of perennial edibles, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants. Our instructors, known for their welcoming and patient demeanor, ensure a nurturing learning environment. While local residents are preferred, we warmly welcome enthusiasts from other locales.

You'll acquire skills in small-scale, manual food production, and indulge in local plant identification expeditions, hikes, and adventures. These excursions will be planned with a 3-week lead time, avoiding overlaps with our regular "Garden Days" or potentially leading to adjusted schedules.

Our apprenticeship is located on private residential land, designated as growing zone 10a/b. This encompasses a diverse range, from flowers, fruits, lettuces and broccoli to garlic and nettles, all of which will be nurtured by a seasonal team of 3 staff workers and up to 7 apprentices. Our plans include the establishment of an on-site greenhouse, and the possibility of crafting garden beds and installing drip irrigation. Additionally, we anticipate leading nature walks and hikes on the surrounding trails to familiarize you with indigenous medicinal plants.

Our monthly meetings will predominantly take place during the week, with some flexibility due to weather conditions. Within this window, we will designate four breaks, while also accounting for potential rainouts. If you have prior commitments that prevent attendance a few times, there's no need to worry. It's expected that most participants will miss a few days, but we encourage attending most classes. Our sessions will run from 8 am to 12 pm+ on each apprenticeship day.

For information on registration and pricing, we will provide details upon receiving your application and subsequent selection as a BFree apprentice. Financial constraints won't be a barrier, as we believe that the right fit deserves full access to our program. We encourage you to contribute what you can afford, with the median price suggested to cover the course's costs. Those with lower incomes are encouraged to select the lower end of the sliding scale, while those with incomes above $115,000 per year are requested to choose an appropriate fee based on their discretion.

Details for the 2025 Apprenticeship dates will be released soon, generally spanning from mid-June throughout the remainder of the year.