Our most recent road trip to our family farm in East Tennessee brought on a whole new experience in this magical place – farming! The land has not been used for farming (with the exception of my mom’s flourishing vegetable gardens) since we’ve enjoyed the property for over 20 years, but due to some invasive species growth, my mom and I met with a local farmer last year to “rent” out some of our land to grow crops.
Over the course of the year, we witnessed the farmers and field hands clear the fields of all the invasive plants that were taking over (to reveal lush, beautiful soil), plant and weed the fields, and finally, pick the harvest. The best part: we got to pick ourselves! I love that my girls get to witness how food is grown; they get to observe the fields grow and produce – from seed to plant. They get to hear and interact with the workers who whistle songs and wave as they pick and haul truckloads of fresh produce to stores in the southeast – right from our very own farm! My mom likes to tell them we are playing a small part in feeding the world.