By Laura Seleski
As the days lengthen and the warm sun dries the fields, the ball starts to roll, a rolling that doesn’t slow until about mid October. With fresh minds and bodies our crew sets out; preparing fields, planting, harvesting and of course weeding merciless thistle. The abundance that comes from these diligent efforts can nourish you and your loved ones not only during the summer but throughout the entire year.
With grocery stores stocked with anything you desire year-round, putting up food for the winter is a dying art today. Big box grocery stores are an emblem of convenience, a place for products from around the world to gather and be appreciated through purchasing. With that the connection to our food is nothing more than a recognizable label and price tag under fluorescent lighting. Your small local farmer is often left out of larger grocery stores due to lack of consistent supply or quantity. The produce quality you receive from your local farmer will far exceed anything you’re able to find on the shelves of a grocery store. A farm fresh strawberry, cucumber, or tomato can not be compared to its plastic packaged, out of town cousin. With these foods, you’re able to expand your normal meal plans and also ensure your family can be satiated and satisfied throughout the later seasons. Another benefit is getting to know the hands that curated your meals, see the farm that fills your fridge and strengthen your local food economy.
When you take time in the summer to can, dehydrate, and freeze produce you get from the farm it’s a selfless act for you, your loved ones and your local food system. Not only is it a gathering moment of laughter and stories but also a relearning of the efforts our predecessors needed to accomplish.
Click here for a chart that will help you get started learning how to prepare and store the fruits and vegetables we grow at Gwenyn Hill throughout the summer. There are also many resources online about how to make your own preserved and fermented foods.
Visit us at the Brookfield Farmers Market, stop by our Farmstand, and order in bulk to take advantage of the abundance coming from our land this year!
Laura believes that having knowledge of where, how, and by whom your food is being produced gives a greater connection to this world we call home and the abundance given if we take care of it. She decided the OVFM apprenticeship was her next step to learn how to steward the land honestly and respectfully, and to responsibly serve her broader community.