I still read Charlie regularly (I just love Charleston), and recently read an article about the two guys who started Roots Ice Cream.
The guys met as apprentices with Lowcountry Local First, an alliance advocating a local economy. Apprentices in the Growing New Farmers program learn farming firsthand, addressing the issues of an aging farmer population and an increased demand for local food.
Years ago, I took the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, and one of the careers recommended for my personality type was "farmer". I laughed at the the time, but now, in my (seemingly endless) search for a new career, I'm willing to consider (almost) anything!
I then found the book The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love.
The author was a free-lance writer, living in New York City, who fell in love with a farmer she was sent to interview. They ultimately moved to a farm in upstate New York, and started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), with the goal of providing a complete year-round diet to their members.
The book follows the story of their relationship, as well as the struggles (and joys) of farming.
Some aspects of farming are (to me) appealing, especially seeing the connection between actions and consequences (a rare event in my current profession).
But, farming is hard work - physically and mentally. (And financially!)
This book really made me wonder how much I would be willing to give up to do something I loved.
Because, as the author writes, "There is no such thing as escape after all, only an exchange of one set of difficulties for another."
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