There are changes we have made in the name of progress that have taken us farther from our roots and ultimately sent us backward. Only a couple generations ago cooking and baking from scratch was a no brainer. Knowing how to cook and provide for our families a nutritious and nurturing meal has become almost unheard of. I increasingly meet more people who don’t know how to cook, much less make everything from scratch. ‘Eating out’ or ‘dining in’ on convenience foods is now the norm. Convenience comes at a price, as our budgets begin to shrink, it may not be a price we can afford. In these tough economic times I feel like we really need to learn from our ancestors and teach those lessons to our youth, how to survive and thrive.
The American Farmland Trust states that America loses two acres of farm and ranch land to sprawling development every minute. I see this every time I drive to the town where I grew up.
Our school rivals called us the “Farragut Farmers” even though our mascot was “the Farragut Admirals”. Back then we were an annex of Knox county, consisting of a lot of farm land and a few neighborhoods. Now Farragut is a city of it’s own, full of big homes and big shopping centers. Hardly the beautiful countryside where I grew up. I was not raised on a farm but farms touched every corner of our property.
I learned a little about the farm life spending summers with my grandparents. Farming did not provide their income but their livelihood. My Granny and Grandad always had a big vegetable garden, some fruit trees, and were friendly with other farmers that raised and butchered meats. They worked hard to keep good food on their table. Canning and preserving the bounties of summer for the colder months, saving seeds for the following year, and staggering planting times to extend the season guaranteed that no matter how tough times might get, they would not go without.
These photos are some images my daughter captured on her last visit to my grandparents farm, a beautiful piece of property in middle Tennessee.
If we no longer value the beautiful land in which we live, and there are fewer and fewer farmers, who is going to grow our food? Or are we happy with the way our society is growing, I meant going.
Here are some ways you can help save our nations farms.
I promise to step down from my soapbox soon and start sharing more recipes and farmers market reviews. I just get so fired up!
Very soon we will be starting our across country tour of farmers markets and I cannot wait to meet the people who so graciously are providing us with an alternative to over-processed, over-traveled, flavorless foods.
