Greg and I are kicking around the next iteration of our farm. Where are we going with this? What’s our quality of life like now and how would we like it to look in the future? What’s working now and what’s not? What makes us successful and happy (albeit sometimes exhausted, but happy)?
Many of the answers to those questions all percolate down to: COMMUNITY. This farm is at its best when there’s a humming hive of community members actively participating, helping, and developing the processes of growing food and nutrition here at the farm.
We envision creating a “Farm Club” where our ‘hard core’ members come out and work together to create food. Whether farming a 30’x50′ section of the field for themselves, with our support and infrastructure, or helping to harvest or preserve the foods that are raised here so we can all eat year round. We encouragingly supply seedlings, resources, tools, and expertise, right along side of you, while we grow our own fields for the CSA.
Ideally, we reach a critical mass, where we farmers, a few families, and many community members, are each maintaining our plots, helping each other out, weeding, planting, harvesting…. then… processing, canning, freezing, cooking, learning and teaching. It’s beyond just buying food from a local farmer… it’s Community Supported Farming. Our goal is to help feed more families from this local farmland, and we can’t do it by ourselves.
We are all aware that food security is important; that knowing how to grow and process food is becoming a dying art. We know that being outside, connecting with nature, interacting with the microbes that live in healthy soil, breathing fresh air, and getting a little Vitamin D is good for us all. We know that kids need to run, explore, get dirty, and take a couple risks. We know that as adults, we need some time to “check out” and get a little bit of peace, exercise, and tactile productivity. We know that humans are social creatures and we could all use a few more friends…. especially ones who care about food. Growing good food.
So…. why can’t Blackberry Meadows become your Club**? Get out here. Get dirty. Grow food with us!
** We’re in phase 2 of this idea – we’re open to comments, thoughts, suggestions, encouragements/discouragements, concerns and dreams. Chat with us at market, the farm store, or shoot us an email. Please reach out and give us your two cents. We’re all ears!
