Farmer Sara's Story
Farmer Sara feeds one of our spring bunny babies.
I don’t remember the first time I started volunteering with the farm, nor do I remember what brought me there in the first place. But, it’s been more than five years and I’ve gone on as many Sundays as I can remember. I’m sure we all have some solidarity that the days and weeks just run together sometimes and the weight of everyday life, especially now in the wake of an everlasting pandemic, seems heavier than usual. The farm is and has always been a constant for me. Every week there are small changes that occur, tiny amounts of growth and decomposition that mark the changing seasons, small nudges toward the future and a steadiness that only happens in nature.
At first I was challenged by the haughtiness of the then resident rooster and the days that it would rain and I would be covered in mud up to my knees. I was frustrated with having to figure out how to fit time outdoors into my schedule, balancing a full time job and two kids. I was ignorant of how much work goes into our food system and into our local farms every day. Now, it is my sanctuary. In a reality of having to spend six feet apart, socially distanced at all times and generally sanitized in whatever capacity you can manage, the farm is a haven. I’ve taught my children how to assist in the weekly farm chores, and in return they’ve learned to appreciate fresh air and free reign.
We get fresh eggs every week, a variety of produce during the growing season and the experience to participate in a growing microcosm of wonder. Somehow it all makes sense on the farm. You see how everything works together, how necessary it is sometimes to just get outside and get your hands dirty. And you develop a deep love for it-- for how Lola the farm cat greets you, for the way the rabbits love to nibble on fresh greens and the chickens love their sunflower seeds, how you can hear the music on the Harriott carrying over the Alabama River, or the see the stadium lights from a summer ballgame, or the trains passing into Union Station. You love the deep yellow in the yolk of your eggs, the cherry red of a warm tomato on the vine.
When I think of all of the hidden gems in Montgomery, the farm is at the top of the list; there are few people that I’ve asked that have been there or know it’s location. But, nestled just under Overlook Park and a stone’s throw from the Montgomery Advertiser, the farm remains a small paradise in the urban sprawl. Most impressive to me, is that it has been maintained by two women (now one, as Amanda enters her leave) and a gracious amount of volunteers since I can remember. This is what I try to think of on the days that my “chores” seem like too much of a burden; that everyday someone wakes up no matter the weather and gets to work. This place is dependent not only on the dedication of its employees, but it’s community and board as well and without it, it will cease to exist. And that is the only true point.
In a world where we are left to navigate closing businesses, monthly stipends, pandemic pivots and a myriad of unpredictable scenarios, let’s maintain the things that bring us joy-- the things that literally feed us. It is my only request that you consider how one hour a week, or a few small contributions can maintain the future and stability of the farm. If you don’t have money, you have time. If you don’t have time, you have ideas. If you don’t have ideas, come sit in the silent reverie of this place and become inspired, for it is a gift. Everyone reading this has the power to make an impact, and the power to pass it on. It’s amazing how a simple share can inspire a social movement.
As a board member & volunteer of EATSouth, a working citizen of Montgomery, a parent of two kids that need fresh air and sunshine, I’m asking you to get your hands dirty. Let’s get to work for the folks that work hard for us. Let’s make an impact on the places we love the most. Let’s save the places that help us save our sanity.
To quote Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s Ode, (or Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka if you’re more familiar) --
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams...yet we are the movers and shakers of the world for ever, it seems.”
Sara is our Sunday Farm Keeper, friend, and E.A.T. South board member.