The Kearsarge Gore Farm

My inspiration for this entire project comes from many sources, but none more significant than the Kearsarge Gore Farm. A 500 acre organic farm nestled into Mount Kearsarge in Warner, the Gore farm does it all! Here is a taste of what the Bowers are up to:

                                                   They grow veggies...

...and raise beef cattle...

...and sheep...

...and boil sap for maple syrup...

...and do it all with a smile and a positive attitude!

The Gore Farm is where I learned all that I know about farming and the true origins of our food (which honestly isn't much, but it's a start!). It all began when I did a summer internship through Smith College on the Gore Farm. I realized then what an infant onion looked like, how important dark, rich soil is for growing healthy, delicious veggies, and how challenging it is, both physically and mentally, to do farm work. From the physical stand point, farming is nothing short of a constant workout.  Planting, weeding, watering, picking and packing for market in the hot sun or pouring rain all day really tests the limits of your body. I must say, however, the harder you work more rewarding the end of the day becomes. It is all worth it. Mentally, farming can certainly be overwhelming because there is always work to be done. All the while there are bugs chewing at every exposed body part, flying into your nose and shooting to the back of your throat. I've discovered that it's best just to be as Zen as possible, staying in the moment and concentrating on the work at hand rather than thinking about all that has to be done (which is an essential lesson for all aspects of life, no?). 

The most important thing that the Gore Farm has taught me is that growing food is hard work. Especially doing it the right way, without chemicals or GMOs or any other little tricks that prove more damaging than helpful in the long run. I have seen what knowledge and dedication go into growing healthy, wholesome food and, let me tell you, the process and the produce is worth paying for. But that isn't to say that it's expensive by any stretch. But patronizing a farmer's market or CSA you are more likely to pay the true cost food (which is a good thing!). Any conspicuously cheap products you find in the supermarket come from systems that most certainly cut corners somewhere. I am willing to bet that most of us would not be cool with the ways most industrial farms choose to run their operations, if we had ready access to that information. What I'm saying is, let's altogether skip the concerns that industrial farms raise and eat local! Why wonder where your food comes from when you could know? Know your farms! 

Check out Kearsarge Gore Farm produce at the Warner's Farmer Market, the Henniker Community Market, and through the Kearsarge Mountian CSA and Local Harvest CSA. Or just pop up there for a day and scope out the scene for yourself!