no easy answers

Comfrey - fantastic almost-instant biodynamic fertilizer!

So I'm buying a farm, and when I tell people this I get asked questions like:

"What kind of farm?"
"Have you farmed before?"
"What are you going to grow?"

And I hate it.  I clam up!  Because there is no short, succinct answer that lends itself to casual conversation.  Except maybe to the second question, because the answer is "err, well.. no."  Because I am not a farmer.  And I am not interested in fooling anyone, least of all myself.  Frankly, these conversations would go much more smoothly if I were completely full of shit.

I don't know what makes a farmer.  I don't even know that I want to be one.  I have thus decided to remain forever a lowly gardener and to officially name my farm "the gardens of Iseult", but in French because even though I detest the pretension of presenting myself as something I'm not , I am all about the pretense of using French words to name things that aren't French and basically make everyone uncomfortable when they're trying to speak said words.  Sorry.  Nobody's perfect. 

Anyway, my gardens will grow a hugely diverse variety of things.  I'll have apple orchards and herb gardens, mushrooms and ducks, blueberries and asparagus.  I want to propogate rare dianthus and scented geraniums and alpine strawberries!  I can grow all the obscure chile peppers and wild Galapagos tomatoes I want!  Okay, there might actually be only one wild tomato from the Galapagos islands BUT I AM GROWING IT!  Because I've grown it before.  I've grown almost everything before (with the exception of mushrooms, blueberries and ducks).  I'm no expert, I just like to have my hands in the dirt.  When I have to condense my ideas into something concise I say that I want to pursue "diverse biodynamic agriculture".  It's true, but totally nebulous.  How do I explain without launching into my personal ethos and insufferable detail?  I'm only going to confuse people when I get all excited about the prospect of growing skirret and sea kale and the glories of goat manure.

I want to grow everything, basically.  And then eat it.  It's what makes me happy.  And I want my son to know that there are ways to live happily and ethically and still pay the bills.  It is worth the trouble and awkward conversations to do something meaningful.  Even if it's not ultimately "successful".  But people have to eat, right?  Growing food doesn't seem like such a leap of faith.  Then again, if I do end up having to truck food to Brooklyn after having worked so hard to make the smallest carbon footprint possible on the farm in our gardens… I don't even want to think about it.  Perfect intentions, right?  Maybe I can charge more for that.

It's so pretty, isn't it?  You should really never let Comfrey bloom if you're using it for biodynamic preparations, but I can't help it.