This morning was the first time we’ve gotten to sleep in since we’ve been here so I was very grateful. I was slightly unsure what the plans were going to be today, but the first thing I was called on to do was to pick up large rocks in the field with Hedley. Rocks have to be removed from the fields because they will do damage to the farming equipment. I really enjoyed doing that chore actually because I got to drive the Gator around the fields which was fun. There was this one really big rock that I wanted to pick up but Hedley sadly couldn’t lift her side, so Kris and Scott had to get it with the loader.
My favorite part of the day and possibly my favorite part of the trip so far was going over to Dalona’s house to meet her family and to learn about the things they do around their farm. The cool thing about their farm was that everything that they produced was for their own consumption, so they were not making money off of it. The diversity of crops that were being grown and animals that were being raised really impressed me and made me want to have the same types of operations on my property whenever I am fortunate enough to own a house. We planted lettuce, green beans, and tomatoes in the garden, and I got to try raw rhubarb for the first time, which I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to plant something by hand because I feel like that really gave me a connection with the land. We also helped feed their cows and gather eggs from their chickens. I have been vegan for 10 months and haven’t eaten eggs since, but I think I would eat eggs again if I raised chickens like them on my own property and was collecting the eggs myself. While all of the different things going on around Dalona’s property were very impressive, what might have been the most impressive was how amazing her family was. Both her husband and all of her children made me feel very comfortable and were really enjoyable people to learn from, work with, and just talk to.
Loved your comments! Especially about the Dalona family- they sound really neat. I’m totally enjoying our larger garden and the same connection to the land. Keep up the good work! Love the pictures too!
Interesting project, I want to read more. You are inspiring in your consciousness of food sourcing. Loved your pictures. Responsible farming is a cutting edge movement…I worry about some aspects of GMO farming–whether putting profit above the ethic of feeding the world will help humanity in the long run. There’s always room for profit but not to the point of…. bringing back slavery, for example. Time will tell…
Your personality really shines here. The way you express yourself I can tell that you added plenty of your own warmth to the mix. Good pictures of you! Big profit motive GMO businesses have me worried—- I favor good old-fashioned whole foods sustainably grown and like Cecily talked about– “slow-cooked” from scratch.