Cultivating Community Roots

We had another great time at the Boquet Valley Lake View School with a pop-up farmers market. If you had the chance to stop by – we thank you kindly!

We love bringing our hand made goods to the students, adults and teachers. They really seem to appreciate learning more about what we do and how we do it.

Kimmy and I see the lasting impact all of us farmers and food producers can make in our rural communities just by showing up and being present for the kids.

Programs like these, sponsored in part by CCE Essex, help us increase local food education on both sides of the vendor booth.

It teaches us that food isn’t some arbitrary item you get from the grocery shelf shipped from hundreds of miles away, grown and processed by a nameless entity.

Markets like these put a smiling face and a friendly voice on a local food exchange that Big Ag and transnational corporations cannot come close to.

With the kids present at our booth, I also try to reinforce that what I do is a viable career path.

I’m rarely successful. They kind of look at me sideways, but I feel it’s my job to tell them it’s true, for us anyways.

Albeit, it’s an alternative path to most careers. It’s certainly one my guidance councelor never discussed with me!

However, in my journey it can be one of gainful employment if you can find your people and find your bliss in your work.

As I see all of you smiling at us, at an event or a market, enjoying good food together, sharing this sense of place and community, I realize I have the best job in the world.

I think as long as I can keep finding joy in what I do, that will be the best example to provide to the next generation of stewards who come our way.