Do you ever use the "this isn't big enough to make a difference" excuse? I do. I want to be a farmer. I want to grow food in partnership with Nature, using sustainable methods that are reciprocal and allow me to leave the land better than I found it. I want to inspire and teach... Continue Reading →
Charmed. Absolutely charmed. Before I moved to North Carolina, I never understood the concept of calling a place “charming.” At least, not a real-life place. Charming was a word used to describe quaint towns in television shows. Like Stars Hallow, where the Gilmore Girls laughed, cried, and loved. Charming was nothing more than a powerful... Continue Reading →
I need to start this post by saying that I'm not judging you for your food choices. And I'm not saying that I'm holier than thou. In fact, I ate a pile of potato chips dipped in a substance that contains several ingredients I can't even pronounce in a work meeting just hours before sitting... Continue Reading →
If you were to spend any significant amount of time at my house, it's a pretty safe bet that you'd hear me encourage my kids to go play independently. I won't lie: sometimes I crave the quiet moments. But I don't encourage independent play for me. I encourage it because I firmly believe that it's... Continue Reading →
Do you have any idea how peanuts grow? If you're anything like me, the answer is probably: nope. Because they require hilling (and therefore don't deal with too many weeds), our peanut plants don't get a whole lot of close-up love and care like most of their garden-mates. But thanks to Barbara Kingsolver's peanut commentary... Continue Reading →
It took almost thirty years for me to grow an appreciation for where food comes from. Sure, I knew that carrots grew under the ground, probably because I loved Pooh Bear books as a kid. But what I didn't know was how much work actually goes into helping that carrot grow. Tilling the ground to... Continue Reading →
Before we started the garden and I began taking regular photos of each plant's progress once a day, nature's subtle growth was lost on me. I would walk by the same flowers each day and never really stopped to smell the roses. Of course, it's easy to see when the tall trees change colors in... Continue Reading →
Mother Nature requires that you give up your love of perfection, or at least the way you understand it. That's just not how she operates. When it was time to head outside for the evening, it was with dread that I approached the tomato bed. Earlier this morning, Mitch had discovered blossom end rot on... Continue Reading →
We decided to grow a garden in early April. I approached the planning the same way I do for most things I'm extremely excited about -- quickly. Originally we were just going to plant a few things in the raised bed the previous homeowner had always tended. But, after we learned a little about seed... Continue Reading →
