Month of Gratitude, Day 22: Food, Farms, Farmers

Especially in this, Thanksgiving week, I am grateful for food.  And for the places it's grown and harvested.  And for the people who make that happen.

How lucky, lucky, lucky is it not to be hungry?  When we're having a bad day, we'd do well to stop right there and think about that circumstance alone:  enough to eat and drink.  What a gift.

Thank you to all of you folks who are in the "food chain" -- growing it and sending to places where we can buy what you've worked on.  Thank you for getting up at "O:dark:30" every morning in the freezing cold and wet and dark and taking care of your business.  Thank you for staying put in one place, day in and day out, and doing all of this, for all of us.

I'm grateful for cool and innovative programs like this one:  

which trains people to become farmers!  How awesome is THAT?!?!  Because the average age of farmers in this country is 57 years old.  And only 50% of independently-owned farms make a profit.  So, I'm thankful for programs that are teaching a new generation of folk to take on this hard work, and find ways to make a living at it.  

Greenbank Farm's training center had its inaugural year's graduation ceremony this fall, and held a pig roast in honor.  The pig was raised by a boy on the island.  

Tours of the farm were had.  I even love the compost piles.  

Thank you to all of the folks who work so hard to grow and raise all of what we eat.  May you and we continue along in good health, and lack of hunger.  THANK YOU!!!!