Revision of Final College Essay

Alan Franklin
Mrs. Boresen
Per. 04/Expository Writing
College Essay
12 February 2010

The dark green leaves of the stoic basil bush, bursting forth from the dust-like earth, were full and vibrant. The odor emanating from the stiff, domed leaves was sweet, and intoxicating. Persistent, hungry flies came to drink the sweet nectar and pollinate the already flowering plant.
That was what I noticed just before I harvested the basil plants for drying and preservation. I grew the resilient plants in my cool basement with a grow light continually hanging overhead. The herbs were easily germinated and grown in modest earthen pots filled with a mixture of potting soil and peat. I was growing the plants for a family friend who is an avid fan of cooking with fresh herbs.
Moving upstairs to my converted drying room, I transported the intact stems with leaves attached to a large, open sorting table. The day was bright and sunny with a dry wind blowing in from outside; perfect conditions for drying and curing herbs. I then proceeded to tie off bushels, between 10 and 12 stems apiece, at their bases with twine. Upending the plants, I slipped the bushels into long, brown paper bags. Tying off the bags, making sure to not let the plants touch the bottom of their bags, I made a knotted loop at the top of each bag for hanging. Hanging the bags on hooks in the ceiling, to take full advantage of the warmth of the sun and breeze, I marked a calendar in my room with a big red X to remind me to remove and bottle the dry leaves 11 days later.
This was not the first time I had grown herbs for someone besides myself. Earlier I had experimented with different fertilizers and soil compositions, so as to discern the absolute best growth medium for the various botanical plant life that I grew. After experimentation with soil, I moved on to various methods of composting waste biomaterial and turning it into beneficial fertilizer. I had multiple success results in the process, and used some in my gardens. The gardens I attended brightened up my neighborhood, some neighbors even asked for my help with their gardens. The results of drying my herbs were positive in that they preserved my herbs, many for over a year. My grandmother helped me by just being there, and by letting me help out in her small garden by tilling the soil and testing that the soil had enough water. She is a sweet, but stern woman of mature age, that still loves to encourage me and my siblings in any endeavor that we choose to pursue.
Returning to and seeing the final product was worth all the work in the end. To witness something of value springing up out of the dirt thanks to my dutiful attendance to it and to reap the rewards of my efforts is what gives me a true and lasting joy. Furthering my education and attaining a Master’s in Botany will, above all else, enable me to do what I love and maybe even profit from it. So I will persistently strive to find a way to make that happen. The financial struggles that have consistently plagued my family have left me incapable of paying for college myself. I am expecting no financial aide to come from my parents, seeing as what little income they have they must put towards supporting the rest of my large family, and finding a job in my small town has proved futile. This leaves me to seek alternative ways of funding my necessary college expenditures and experience, such as scholarships, grants, and attending a community college. A bonus of my work was the pleasure my mother’s friend received from my gift of fragrant herbs. She has asked me to continue to supply her from my productive garden.
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