A Blog is Born!

Okay, here goes...

I've long wished to share my thoughts, observations, joys and frustrations about our farm and all that happens here, so with the encouragement of my dear husband and partner, Will, along with many of our CSA members, a blog is born!
It is my hope and plan to make this blog a window into the life we lead since so many folks have expressed their curiosity and seem to find it interesting.  I don't want to get bogged down in the minutiae of existence or the streaming inane thoughts I've read in other blogs ("...and so I went to the fridge and finally found the butter behind that leftover piece of meatloaf from last Tuesday...") but rather to use this forum as a point of insight into the day-to-day activities on one small farm.  It is also my intent to provide some illumination of the cultural, social and political issues which impact our food system and have lead to the explosion of interest in local farming and the stampede of consumers running to their local farmer's market looking for Real Food.

Briefly, Will and I operate a 45-member CSA (community supported agriculture) farm in very-rural south Georgia.  We deliver our produce to our membership in Tallahassee, Florida during 3 seasons each year.  Our first season was the Fall of 2007 and we are near the conclusion of our 10th season as I write this.  We have a daughter who is married and lives in Tallahassee, she is the mother of a much beloved 4-year-old boy who will no doubt be mentioned here from time to time.  We (currently) have 3 dogs, 3 cats and approximately 150 chickens.  Our farm is a whopping 2.4 acres and we live in the circa 1903 farmhouse that once presided over all the surrounding land. 

More than likely, my posts will be mostly daily, occasionally weekly and probably whenever I have something to say and the time to put it in writing.  I hope my readership will grow because I think when we, as a society, fled the farms for the more comfortable lifestyles of the city, we lost something essential that has left a hollow spot in many lives.  Our CSA members have expressed to me that the association with our farm, the enjoyment of its bounty and the visits to the farm have enabled them to somewhat regain that missing element.  It is my goal to touch that part of my readers that yearns for the smell of the freshly turned earth, the sight of brilliant golden squash blossoms on a dew-splashed morning and the sound of honeybees, drunk on nectar in a cloud bank of pear blossoms.  It is my wish to awaken the sleeping love of the land and what it gives us; to educate the minds of those deprived of the simplest knowledge of this most basic requirement--food; and to inspire a desire to return, at least in spirit, to the simplicity and beauty of a small farm's rhythm. 

Being a woman "of a certain age," and being a farmer, is a somewhat unique role, though not as unusual as one might think.  I don't have the statistics at hand but among new farmers, women are leading the way.  And I think that is as it should be.  Aside from the physical aspects (which are many!), farming is all about rhythm, nurturing and nuance which are, of course, the very things a woman can bring to it.  I feel so very, very blessed to be living this life and sharing it with Will, a partner in every true sense of the word.  Bringing the beautiful vegetables, fruits, eggs and nuts we produce to our members is the culmination of our hard work and without question the most gratifying thing I've ever done (with the exception of producing the most fabulous daughter ever).  And so, as I begin this new adventure-within-an-adventure, I thank you for joining me and I hope the words I share will add some small meaning to your day and bring you a little piece of the joy I've found.
Signing off...