seeds

My progression toward minimalism, organics, small living, vegetarianism, growing our own food, zero-waste, reduced energy consumption, and ethical clothing involved a heavy dose of desire to have an acre of land to farm...for quite a while. I spent plenty of afternoons searching for houses with a bit of land...and then we spent plenty of Saturdays driving around to take a look at what I'd found.

This was to be predominantly my project. It felt powerful + possible. I wanted to work the soil...use my body...experience life springing from the land...tend abundant harvest...and feed families, including my own. I read about permaculture and crop rotation and no-till raised beds. I went to workshops on keeping chickens and beekeeping and market gardening. My heroes became Joel Salatin and Jean Martin Fortier and Brooke Salvaggio, all of whom we have had the pleasure of hearing speak. I drank in every word that they wrote, tasted the fruits of their labor, and dreamed big.

Farmers are my heroes. Growing food is one of the miracles that strengthens my belief in God. From dirt, sun and rain come strawberries and watermelon, tomatoes and cucumbers, potatoes and carrots...life-giving life. The leftovers...carrot tops and tomato vines...decompose and become fertile soil for the next year's crop. Far from easy, but still...pure miracle.

We don't have our acre of ground, but we do have a patch of yard that receives a healthy dose of sunlight. Our home is not zoned to keep chickens or bees, but there are weeks when we have fresh strawberries for breakfast and months when we can have fresh pickles for lunch. We're still eating our tomato sauce made from the tomatoes we grew last summer. There are bug bites and weeds and plenty of sweat too. I'm not a farmer, but I do grow food.

A big pot with a place in the sun is the perfect spot to grow some tomatoes or pickling cucumbers. A window box would be perfect for some leafy greens. There is always room to experience the miracle! 

Love, 
Jane