Farming has always been a way of life in America and thankfully we still have some family farms. Another show I watch was called The Last American Cowboy about family cattle farms. Farming is not an easy way to make a living for sure. This year I planted a small garden and I was amazed at how much of my time this garden took to keep going. Watering, weeding, etc all take time and this was a small plot. Imagine this on a large scale!
If you have been reading these pages for some time you know I have begun looking into the food movement. I am on a process of buying food that is grown or produced within a short distance from where I live. This accomplishes several things, it keeps the local farmers in business and it cuts down on fuel costs to bring the food to my plate. It is more expensive to buy food from your area and in the dead of winter some things are not available, but in the end it is much better for us.
The other day there was an article in the Boston Globe about the City of Boston transforming vacant lots in the city into land that can be farmed. These lots are owned by the City and have just been fallow. The idea will be for city folk to learn where their food comes from, another aspect of the food movement.
Planting a garden is relatively inexpensive and can be a lot of fun. There is nothing better than eating something you have grown yourself. I am also a big fan of grass fed or free range beef and poultry. Like I said a little more expensive but very good and tasty.
Over the winter I will be writing posts on the local farm scene and some plans we have for the future here. Now is the time to start planning so get out the garden books and get busy.
Grown your own and buy local.
this is agood time of year to plan out your garden lay out,study up on plants and routation in order to figure out what crops to start with in may and end with in sept.
where to buy the seeds you want from web sites..and on and on..
time to plot and plan and read the garden seed cataloges..good luck