I spent a lot of time growing up and growing stuff on my grandparent’s farm in Hillsdale, Michigan. So, I know what it is like to see a bare field become an endless picture of corn and soybeans in record time. I remember my grandpa and my uncle out there on their tractors, tilling, planting, weeding, spraying, harvesting … never thought much about it when I was younger. We never wanted for anything to eat. There was always cereal for breakfast, sandwiches and A & W rootbeer for lunch and fresh fish and tomatoes and beans from the garden for dinner.  Honestly, I don’t think I have ever been REALLY hungry.

Since I started growing my own food, most especially on my own little farm this year, I have a deeper sense of gratitude for the farmers. It is NOT easy, let me tell you. You invest a lot - between seeds, tools, time. And you pray and hope even more. Your success is all about the weather, really. And good planning. And a solid fence to keep out the critters. And weeding. And being true to organic by picking off bugs with your fingers. And composting. And recycling. And being proud of the harvest and cursing it at the same time knowing you cannot eat all of it, nor give it all away. So, you CAN.

It would be so much easier to just toss up my hands and keep patronizing the very local amish farmstands. Or go to the supermarket and buy like I have in the past. Still, somebody had to grow everything that I eat.

I am watching the storm “Fay” make its way through Florida and up into Georgia. I have heard the news reports of crop damage and how the farmers in Georgia are hoping it will help the drought. NOT 14″ in a few hours.  If it rains too little, everything wilts. If it rains too much, disease, rot and bugs creep in. It is a delicate balance and one that I cannot imagine having to endure to feed not only my family, but many many families. Every season farmers must endure this plight. We don’t see it. We don’t think about it. But we would be hard pressed if farmers just QUIT and got desk jobs with regular pay.

There is a farm nearby called the Milky Way Farm and it has been family owned and operated since the early 1900s. It sits in the middle of progress - big McMansions, a lot of traffic and a huge strip shopping center on its fringes that was all land when I moved here 22 years ago. The family will not sell. The mother and father have since passed. The son continues to faithfully milk his dairy cows each day. He gets up EVERY DAY at 4 a.m. to milk. He grows all of his own feed and to supplement, he started what has become a HUGE attraction each October - the pumpkin patch. They also added a creamery where they make ice cream with their milk. “You build it, they will come.” And they DO, in droves.

The y0ungest daughter met and married a young farmer from new Zealand who started a co-op last year. What began as vegetables only has grown into eggs, beef, chickens, coconuts, honey and more. All farm raised.

I spent the entire day making 8 small jars of salsa - all day!!! I had about 70 tomatoes to blanch, peel, seed and chop. And chop all of the peppers, onions, garlic … mix it all up, jar it, water bath. All day - 8 jars. I made roasted tomato basil soup early on. Our tomatoes, our basil from the Aerogarden in the kitchen. VERY tasty.

It is a ton of work to grow. It is so very rewarding. It is a non-stop project. If your belly is full tonight, and you are satisfied and happy, forks up to a farmer.