A Country Dream

For me one of the biggest attractions of country living was being able to grow my own vegetables. I have to confess to being a bit of a foodie. I have always enjoyed good food and no doubt will continue to enjoy it. But I was also concerned about what was in it, how it was grown or raised and how fresh it was.

Lately I have been nursing the dream of being able to have my own little veggie garden, raising a few animals and being self-sufficient as much as possible. I know it is a romanticized view of country life and I think the River Cottage series must bear some of the responsibility for starting me on this path.

Not everything in the country has lived up to expectation and things always require more work, energy, time and money than you think they would but I still think this is a dream worth pursuing. The satisfaction I get from being able to do something for myself instead of buying it in the store is immeasurable and I am often amazed at the simplicity of it.

I am not yet raising my own animals but I have connected with some wonderful small farmers in my area who are keeping me supplied with eggs and dairy and who are raising the livestock for me. I am looking forward to the duck, turkey and pig harvest but in the meantime I am keeping busy with my very first veggie garden.

And so with the early spring thaw, we set about digging the garden.