August 13th, 2019
What’s in your share?
Salad Mix
Tomatoes
Italian Eggplant
Sweet Italian Frying Peppers
Cucumbers
Spring Onions
Parsley
Kale/Chard
Summer Squash
As this season has unfolded, we have given you all a little insight into the lives of us, as farmers. We’ve filled you in on what some of our daily tasks consist of, some of our philosophical thoughts, and some of our farm practices. What we haven’t mentioned yet, is that we live in a community that consists of more people than just the farmers of Village Farmstead. Our farm would not be the place it is without the community that it lives within. There are seven of us, all between the ages of 26-33, and we live in a two bedroom house with one bathroom.
It sounds insane; we know. And at times, it can be. But mostly, it is a powerful synthesis of people who have come together, choosing to live as a family under the umbrella of shared values and visions. There are seven personalities and skill sets, each of us having something different and valuable to offer. We share meals, grocery bills, housing expenses, weekly meetings, chores, cocktails, laughs, and cries. We have worked together to create bedrooms for people to sleep in until we decide to build other structures on the property. We work incredibly hard to make communication a regular practice. Getting seven people in the same place at the same time is not easy, but it is imperative that we all regularly communicate with each other, so that we can continue to live peacefully.
Our community is growing in a similar way to our farm; very slowly and very intentionally. We do not believe that exponential growth is sustainable, and that it is important to explore and recognize limits. Each person that has decided to live here has done so after great thought. Sometimes its easy to forget that this is a radical living situation; exchanging control of an entire household for a shared household that is governed by all of its members. The ability to compromise is a must, as is maintaining an open mind, patience, and compassion for fellows housemates. It is no easy task, but the rewards of having a network of support at home makes the hard work worth it.
The world is changing, and young people are graduating from college with surmounting debt. Being able to share the burden of a mortgage, owning a business, raising animals, and someday, raising children, is the only way that we can be pursuing a life of growing food. There is no need to pretend that everything we have done as a farm has been done just by ourselves. Our families, roommates, and friends have helped us anytime that we’ve needed a hand. We named our farm Village Farmstead, because we truly believe that it takes a village to navigate through this world.