"We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened."
~Mark Twain's, Huckleberry Finn
We don't call it Barefoot Acres around here for nothing. Spring hasn't quite sprung round these parts, though this weekend past I certainly found ample motivation in our seventy degree weather to take care of a few farm chores. Mud and manure threatened to pay the inside of my boots a visit with all of the rain that's passing through, but I'm not complaining. I'm ready for Spring! I've already ventured outdoors in my bare feet on frosty mornings to sweep the porch and shake out the rugs in the sun. By mid-May I'll be cussin' those weeds and ankle deep in the cool, moist earth of the vegetable garden. I'm a feet-in-the-dirt kinda girl. Barefootin' it is how I roll.
It was my grandfather that first introduced me to dirt. Not the, "Sittin' in the honeysuckle makin' mud pies," kind of dirt. I'm talking about the, "Grab that hoe and that floppy hat and let's get to work in the garden," kind of dirt. As a kid, I helped pick beans off the bush, plucked tomatoes from the vine, and searched for potatoes alongside my grandpa digging for gold in rich, organic dirt. That good, clean, earthy-smellin' kind of dirt. Dirt that was made nutrient rich with chicken and cow manure and compost; not with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Work never tasted so good, as it did when my grandmother placed supper on the table at their house.
As the saying goes,
"We call it organic. They called it food."
I call it... Barefoot Farming!
My garden
Spring is most definitely flirting on our doorstep here in Missouri. Just a few more weeks and I'll be outside more than in every day of the week...
Hauling Horse...
and Pony...
Chicken...
...and Bunny Poo
...from one place to another; turning over the dirt in the garden, weeding, planting, mulching, and praying for sun and rain... not too much or little of either. Admittedly, I'm not always the most successful farmer, but I've seen more good seasons than bad. It's kind of like having babies... by the time the next one (season) comes along you kind of forget all the crap you had to go through to bring in that good crop of strawberries and beans. You do it 'cause it tastes good, and it's so good for ya.
Well, and 'cause the jars sure look pretty sitting on the counter tops.
The joy of organic gardening comes from the knowledge that you're feeding yourself and your family NutritiousandHealthy Food...not serving up residuals from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
I don't know about you, but I prefer what's on our family's table to not be doused in poison.
If you're looking for what constitutesOrganic,
check out Alan Henry's article, from lifehacker (dot) com,
"How do I get started," is generally the first question that comes to mind when considering a garden. Composting is the answer, even if you're not going to keep a vegetable garden, and is a great way to start living a greener, more self-sustained lifestyle. We (our family of five) live on five acres here in rural Missouri composting everything from manure, to grass clippings, to fall leaves and kitchen scraps. I first tried my hand at it when we lived in a small one and a half story in town, on no more than a half acre lot, collecting egg shells and coffee grinds, and even hair clippings from my attempts at pet and kid grooming at home. Just about all of your kitchen scraps, except raw meat scraps, should go into your compost. If you've got something to grow and a small piece of ground to work it into the soil, then you have ample room to start composting.
~ The Joy of New Beginnings ~
How to grow an organic vegetable garden
~ The Joy ofComposting ~
Setting up a "Backyard Compost"
~ The Joy of Composting, Part II ~
"The Turn"
~ The Joy of Worms ~
Vermicomposting: You've got worms!
~ The Joy ofBarefoot Farming~
Gotta Love Jeff Poppen, The Barefoot Farmer!
~ The Joy ofAnother Season Ending~
How to prepare for the coming winter
For all kinds of information regarding 'the best time to plant', or if you're 'searching for a new recipe', or you'd like to 'consult this year's weather report', by all means, check out this website at the
"The ultimate organic gardening resource for garden nerds"
for all kinds of cool ideas.
***
GRANDMOTHER
POEM
Sometimes in my dreams
I still see
my Kentucky grandmother
thin, strong, and hungry
holding her egg money
out to me
saying:
buy land, Mary
buy land
buy land while it lasts
they stopped making it
