The Power of Food, Family, and Place

This weekend I experienced a sort of an epiphany. I took a trip with my mom, who’s visiting from Tennessee, down to Big Sur where we gathered with the “long lost cousins of California”. They were hosting the 60th anniversary party for their family’s restaurant. It was a day full of meeting new people, partaking in festivities, eating with another, and simply taking in the surroundings. So, here I was a distant relative completely taken in by almost strangers and having a blast. As I watched the crowd of people grow and the music, dance, and food enliven, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is a special place- it brings people from near and far to gather over food and company.”

And that’s when I immediately thought of Jeff and Annie. While they certainly are no restaurant hosting masses of people on a daily basis, their farm is a gathering place for people. Just recently for Easter Sunday about twenty or so of their relatives came out to the farm. They enjoyed a potluck feast and then had an Easter “gift” hunt in the garden. Easter, of course, is a special occasion, but the farm pulls family in throughout the year. It may just be for Sunday waffle breakfast or a Wednesday work party, but there’s no keeping family away from the farm.
The farm also extends its welcome beyond family and close friends. For instance, in August they host the Peach Party- a celebration of one of nature’s sweetest gifts. The event is open to the surrounding community bringing in a number of locals as well as an assortment of peach concoctions. In the spring and summer months, Annie leads farm tours and over night visits for local school groups. Kids not only learn the lay of the land but also get to cook and eat food straight out of the ground.

There is power in a place that brings people together over food- whether it be to cultivate, harvest, prepare, or eat the food. What makes a farm unique is that it does all of these (and more). At the core of the farm and its provisions is the family-the ones that keep it running and keep running back.

The beauty of the Main’s farm is that it’s committed to being farmed for generations to come- that is they have extended the invitation for people to gather and be part of their family. Their farm trust requires that the farmers live on the land. No other land trusts in California include such stipulations; the Mains know that you can’t separate the farmers from the farm. Above all, they know the power of their farm, its history, and its potential future, and there’s no letting go of that.

So, while I was mingling this weekend with my new found relatives, I kept thinking that this is what people are meant to do- gather over good food and good company; in essence, to feed the body and the soul. I think everyone and every family needs a place that they can do this, and in most cases I think families do. It may not be a formal, organized gathering, maybe just the dinner table, but such gatherings are what make family, not necessarily blood lines. Sadly though, in our culture farms are losing this role as the gathering place. Fortunately, the Mains are doing their part to challenge and reverse this cultural phenomena. As Annie told me, “This farm is opening its doors to a bigger family than relations- the family of community. Farms should not be places only a few privileged get to experience; our communities need a place of refuge right in their own neighborhood, at the farm that grows their food. Our project is replacing the family farm being passed to family; it is trying to hold onto the family values but enlarge the family to those that want to farm.”

As we all know, it takes work to keep a family and even more so to keep a family and community farming. Though not an easy task, we can start, as Jeff and Annie assert, by “standing our ground in the places we love.” (http://www.goodhumus.com/pages/video/adobe-ghp1.html)

So with that, I bid you happy gatherings and happy eating with the people and at the places you love!