I was a struggling single Mama, and he was the farmer's son. We had met years ago at a park, had great day, and then forgot to exchange digits.. Years later, at a Halloween Party, Beetlejuice told me I was "The Girl From the Park"  He also happened to be my best friend's cousin.. A couple weeks later I started finding a bucket of fresh veggies on my doorstep every morning.. 

Back then shopping for food was more of a choice between bread and milk.. I also withdrew from the food bank.. I tried my best to buy healthy and organic when i could. I love to cook, but fresh organic ingredients can be pricy, and sometimes heating the house, power, water & rent have to come before food. My cupboards were empty, and so was my tummy.. I was very grateful for the bucket of food. It was better then a dozen dying roses any day.. 

The next year, when he moved in, he brought some composted cow manure and some transplants. We 'liberated' some buckets from behind the restaurant across the street, drilled some holes in the side, and filled them with the manure & transplants. It was our first bucket garden, with 6 buckets of Tomatoes, basil, peppers, and pole beans.. We asked the landlord if we could put it out back and assured him it wouldn't look like a mess (the lil'un & i painted the buckets). 

Our neighbours loved it, coming over to ask us what we were doing. They were all similar situations, deciding between bread or milk.. At the end of the season I made a big Pot O'Sauce and fed as many as I could. I think it was the first time we felt like a community, not just a bunch of poor folk struggling to live. 

The next year we had twelve buckets.. and enough leftover at the end to freeze for the winter.. And our neighbours started growing some of their own food.. I would see little boxes pop up in windows filled with life. One of my neighbours, couldn't believe how easy it was.. She thought you needed to be a farmer to grow food. 

By the third year we started looking for a farm of our own, with a market garden dream. We were running out of room. We needed a bigger garden. We found a perfect place with 20 acres,  had signed the papers, and given a deposit, when it was yanked out from under us.. leaving us homeless (we had already given notice) with spring coming.  Everything Happens For A Reason.. We rushed into buying 'The Old House'. It had two apartments and a large backyard.. It wasn't perfect, but it did have a garden. It was in a great spot too, with two subdivisions sprouting up around it. An investment. 

We've lived here for 6 years now, and each year the garden got bigger.. Now i eat almost everything out of the garden, and thanks to my Mother-in-law i also know how to preserve it for the winter.. I'm still learning.. but thankfully I have a good teacher.. and soul mate. 

 We've outgrown this property as well. The Subdivisions are taking over, and we are feeling a little cramped. As luck would have it, a 150 acre farm came up for sale, attached to Papa's father's land (a 300 acre retired dairy farm). We jumped. Now we are working towards moving, starting our market garden, and our family.. We now have two more lil'uns digging in our garden.

• Member since April 19, 2012
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