The other day, I received an email from a new blog reader- I’ll call her Ann- asking a very big question. A very big question that I couldn’t quiet find an answer for off the top of my head, one that I’ve spent hours thinking about for the last few day.
Her question was basically why? Why do we feel compelled to grow our own food? Why bother milking goats? Why all the sewing and knitting and baking from scratch when none of those things were necessary in our world. She understood the sheep, I think, because that was business, but she was having a hard time grasping the whole D.I.Y lifestyle that’s become recently so popular. Urban farming seems silly when there’s a market on every corner. Why sew clothes when there are clothes to be had for next to nothing? Just…why?
I want to say from the get-go that Ann’s email was completely respectful and deadly earnest. There wasn’t one iota of snark in her words. It was genuine curiosity that prompted her long and thoughtful email, which is probably why it completely flummoxed me. I started to dash off a top-of-my-head response full of wisdom, but then I realized I didn’t actually have a pat answer to a question that so fundamentally questioned the very purpose of my life.
Lucky for me, I had a lot of driving ahead of me. I needed to make a quick trip to Pennsylvania which gave me of uninterrupted thinking time.
The thing is, I could completely understand where Ann’s question was coming from. I grew up in the suburbs and owning a farm never even entered my mind for the first 30-odd years of my life. I had a successful career in New York City. I spent my weekend seeking out amazing restaurants and watching art film. I spent a fortune on the things women are suppose to crave- shoes, makeup and fancy sheets.
And it all left me feeling a little…hollow. I worked my rear end off at my job but I had nothing to show for it at the end of the day. I like to say that network news is like golf- nobody cares what you did yesterday. The accolades were amazing but they disappeared so very quickly. There was nothing to hold on to, nothing tangible that I could pick up and hold proudly over my head while proclaiming “I made this!”
For me, gardening and sewing and the like provide me with three thing: control, security and joy. Control, because I get to decide what goes into my food, which variety of tomato I grow, the way I want my clothes to fit, even what shape I want my pasta tonight. Being a shepherd has done nothing to lessen my Type A+ tendencies, but having more actual control has -weirdly- made me less controlling.
Security for me isn’t about preparing for the zombie apocalypse or hoarding food and guns for Doomsday. I’m far more concerned about the fact that our food supply has become incredibly centralized, dominated by a handful of mega-corporations who control production and distribution. Our regional food systems have been all but destroyed in our quest for cheaper, more efficient food.
To make matters worse, the current system is eliminating hundreds of varieties of vegetables and fruits in the name of efficiency. 
Monocultures are never a good idea- remember the Great Potato Famine (or The Great Hunger as it is now known)? The blight that killed all the potatoes in Ireland because they were only growing one variety?
One more thing. A few years ago, I spoke at a conference hosted by Cornell University on Agriculture Economics. The economist who spoke before me said something I found absolutely jaw-dropping. Grocery stores in America have a three day supply of food on hand. In other words, if anything happened to the supply chain, it would take three days to clear the shelves of the enormous supermarkets. Three days. Produce would be gone within 24 hours.
Does all of this mean that I want to grow and raise everything my family and staff need to survive? Of course not! I find myself running to the market every other day, just like most of you. My grocery list probably looks a lot like yours, although we buy considerably less in the Summer when our kitchen garden is in full production. But I do like feeling that we are at least a little self reliant, that we aren’t completely at the mercy of the weather and the economy. In a recent New York Times article, Sabrina Tavernise referred to vegetable gardens as “patches of protection in uncertain times.” I think that sums it up perfectly.
I’ve saved the most important reason for last though- joy! Digging in the dirt and coaxing a salad from it feels amazing! Biting into a ripe tomato, still warm from the sun is an experience no one should miss.
I can bake bread that taste better than the bread I can buy and it’s almost free. The same is true for lots of other foods we eat- yogurt, ice cream, pasta, chicken stock. I could go one and on. Although we are still only novice cheese makers, our chèvre is creamy and delicious, and it has encouraged us to try all kinds of new cheeses. And did I mention that it’s almost free? I can make a pound of chèvre for pennies or pay $9 for 4 ounces at the market.
Making a piece of clothing that you can proudly wear out of the house made me feel like a million bucks. Your friends and coworkers with literally gasp when they find out you made your sweater. My friend Virginia taught me to make a simple skirt and I nearly burst with pride every time I wear it. As if that weren’t enough, clothes you make fit better and look better on you, because they are tailored to you. Where is the downside?
I hope I’ve answered your question, Ann, and that you have at least a bit more insight into what we do. And I will admit without hesitation that I still love shoes, makeup and fancy sheets. I still spend weekends seeking out amazing restaurants (although my standards for amazing have gone way up) and I still love going to the movies. I’m just the same, only happier, more self-confident and more secure.
{ 33 comments }
I’m glad that she asked the question, and that you were able to give a reasoned response. It is hard to explain to someone that doesn’t “get it”. A few years ago my mom suggested I get rid of my sheep (I’d just lost my daughter, my long-term boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer, my job security was questionable). I am glad I ignored her. There is something about going out and spending time in the barn, even if it’s just to cry into someone’s fleece.
Taking my kids to the fabric store and letting them pick out the patterns and fabric, spinning and dyeing my own yarn, knitting up something that I can say came off of a specific animal, growing my own eggs, meat and produce; store-bought can’t begin to compare. I just won an Alpine doeling in a raffle, so home-made cheese isn’t too far off. It’s not an easy life, but it satisfies something deep inside me. And that makes it worth all the hard work like no office job I’ve ever had.
Thank you – never realized that I had a DIY lifestyle so long ago and have recently returned to its harmony and rhythm. Thank you. Namaste’
This year my 7 year old niece asked me to knit her socks for her holiday gift. Yes, she asked for socks. I loved spending time with her; measuring squirmy feet and searching Webs until she found the perfect sock yarn.I then got to enjoy knitting them. When she tore open her gift she squealed in delight at her rainbow socks and insisted on wearing them that instant and I sat beaming with pride at their perfect fit. As much as she loves her made-in-a-distant-factory toys she knows there is something special about a one-of-a-kind gift made with love. Those socks were definitely less convenient and more expensive than a pair I could have picked up at Target but instead filled with more togetherness, giggling, joy, pride and love. I think I came out ahead.
I had no idea how few varieties of seeds are left! Is that just in the U.S. or is the diagram representative of the whole world? Either way, it’s making me want to replace my baby bulb garden with veg. Any recommended reading on container veg gardening for us city dwellers?
Excellent article, Grandmother and Great Grandmother would be so proud of you, Susan. Love
Susan, you have very eloquently expressed how I’ve felt my whole life long (although I could not have articulated my feelings until quite recently). I grew up in a Texas suburb in the 1980s, and was always seen as a little bit eccentric because I loved to knit and cook and garden! Not very “Material Girl” for a child of the 80s. But it gave me enormous satisfaction, not just for the sense of self-reliance and security, but also for the connection I felt to generations before me who had done the very same thing. I’m just really glad that younger generations are also embracing the DIY ethic. It’s good for the soul.
Lovely! In many of my favorite memories I’m wearing something my mother or aunt made for me. My sister made my wedding dress, simple and perfect for me. A cigarette burn in the train was like a stab in the heart, but the dress saw a new life when I had it cut-up and the fabric used for my children’s christening gown. I love knowing that while even without a burn my dress would never have been worn again, it now holds a very special place in the history of my family. I made my daughter’s First Communion dress, not so perfect since I’m not an accomplished seamstress, but still a special dress for a special occasion. There is a special joy in these memories that you simply cannot replicate. I believe finding joy, not just happiness, is what life is for.
I’m heading out to southern california next week and will see my 101 year old great aunt. Until very recently, she still canned her own vegetables, grown by her husband in the condo community garden. I think they did it because the depression years were still in their minds, and security and control would be the reasons, but not joy,but, I plan to ask if, instead, it was because they loved to do it.
I have two huge braided rugs she made from old wool suits, and, again, I’m not really sure if she made them for the joy of it or for the economic necessity. My mother never made anything and didn’t need to, and somehow, I’ve been a knitter since I was 9 years old (50 years ago….) and I know I knit for the joy of it. Thanks for presenting a great conversation I’m going to have with my g.aunt. jb
I’d also like to mention the creativity involved in the DIY movement. So many people feel they are not ‘creative’. What is more ‘creative’ than planting seeds in the ground and cultivating them until you receive your ‘creations’. Such a simple thing, yet there are so many stuck in their offices and routines who never get to feel those rewards. The same goes for baking or cooking, doing your own repairs –
I, too, am so glad the DIY movement is happening. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spread love.
I have a collection of 25 diaries from a farm woman at the beginning of the 20th c. By today’s standard, and even back then, she was poor. Through her writing I watched her live a life where she made all of her own clothes – and the soap that she washed them in (wash “day” could take 3), can her own food, and scrape the mold off the last of the stored meat before serving it to her family. As time went on she went to a life where she bought bread, ordered clothes from Sears and ate jello. Her life became easier, but her family was not able to transition from the “make” economy to a cash one. They left the farm.
In thinking about this DIY life let’s keep in mind that for us it is a choice. I chose to have chickens in my backyard, but I’ll have food to eat even in the winter when the girls aren’t laying. Understanding that the “simple” life was not simple to those who lived it is also important. (As you well know – there’s nothing simple about lambing season!) Then, we can make conscious and conscientious choices, as you do on your farm. With historical perspective, I live mine with a great deal of gratitude!
As a dairy farmer, I just have to inject: The cost of chevre is not pennies. You are feeding the animals, providing veterinary care, hours of chores daily and sleepless nights during kidding season. To say nothing of the hours spent producing, packing and preparing cheese and dairy products, and meeting quality standards to ensure you have a safe, legal product available to your customers. Our desire to feed ourselves from our animals extends to wanting to share that with our neighbors, but yes, we do have to charge something for that. The animals have to be fed, and actually, the people do too. I’m sure you find it frustrating when people say, “Oh I can buy yarn at Walmart for $3.99.”
I know this is nit-picking the overall point of your post here, but I guess my point is that many people are not able or willing to make a commitment to raising animals, and, as you know, it is a huge commitment. Those individuals that care where their food comes from have the option to buy locally produced products. Almost everywhere in this country, farmers’ markets are springing up, if they have not already been established for years.
Not everyone is able or willing to put in the hard work that comes along with raising animals, as I said, but I am not willing to put in the effort to be a certified accountant, or to learn how to repair my car if it breaks down, or to build a school, or learn how to run electricity into that school. Not my cup of tea. Our culture and population is such that we need this diversity now, and I don’t disagree with your point that people should be aware of their food. I just don’t think there’s only one way to remove yourself from corporate agriculture, and people need to be aware of that, too.
Cara, I have no problem paying for cheese. I do it all the time and I definitely understand the work involved. My point was that our dairy goats were purchased for the express purpose of feeding our bottle babies. We only have three and it doesn’t cost us much of anything to feed them. We can make goat cheese for pennies because it’s just for our consumption. We don’t have an investment in equipment and licensing. We don’t pay for packaging. For us, it does cost very little to make cheese, which is not to say that it cost you very little to make cheese for the marketplace.
There are many cheeses we can’t make and do buy, and I don’t begrudge anyone their livelihood. I don’t think my post implied that at all but I’m sorry if that’s how you read it.
I’m not sure what you what you meant by ” I just don’t think there’s only one way to remove yourself from corporate agriculture”. If you mean to advocate buying local and supporting other farmers, I do those things and have written about them lots of times. This particular post is about why I personally do the things I do for myself.
As I said, I often buy cheeses and I try to support small farms when I do.
As for people saying that they buy yarn at Walmart, that really has nothing to do with what I said. If someone said, “I don’t buy yarn because I have sheep” I would totally understand that and wouldn’t expect anything else. (Although lots of us with sheep still buy yarn!)
On the other hand, anyone who says “Oh I can buy yarn at Walmart for $3.99″ was never going to be my customer anyway, just as someone who only eats American slices is never going to be yours.
I am sorry I seem to have pushed a button with you. It definitely wasn’t my intention. I have the utmost respect for dairy farmers and wish you nothing but astonishing success!
The question you got was kind of like the question my MIL asked me over the weekend. She asked me when I was going to “slow down,’ i.e. stop teaching weaving, knitting, spinning and natural dyeing all over our region, stop making things to sell, stop making things to wear for me and my husband, stop cooking all our foods from scratch, etc. I explained to her that I have no intention of “slowing down” if that is what slowing down is. My day job as a bookkeeper pays the bills, but the teaching, the dyeing, the spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing, cooking foods from scratch, etc. is what makes my life worth living and those are the things I truly love doing – not keeping the accounts for someone else’s money and profits. Her response was “Oh.” I’m not sure she understood because these are things she has no interest in doing, but I think she now knows where I stand on them. I love my life activities away from work just as you love what you do. What other reason do you need to do them?
I think some people worry that the DIY movement is a modern arm’s race, where we are all trying to outdo each other in achievements. If you are on the outside looking in, it can definitely appear that way. “You make your own yogurt? Well, I raise flax and make my own linen!” Today’s version of SNL’s Penelope. Once you get involved in the “movement” though, you see that it is a entirely a matter of individual preference. I prefer to make my own yogurt because it is cheaper, has ingredients I am more comfortable with, is more tasty, and has a better texture. I don’t always have the time though, so I make it when I can and when I don’t, I miss it but eat storebought if I have to. Once you start DIYing, your tastes greatly improve! I can’t eat tomatoes out of season, I literally can’t. I find them disgusting and the texture is horrible. That means that I eat the heck out of tomatoes in the summer. I can’t buy pickles from the store because I grew up with my mom’s homemade pickles. My mom calls that a good investment because it means we come home just to raid the pantry for home-canned Concord grape juice, peaches, pears, chili sauce, pickles, dilly beans, and strawberry or sour cherry freezer jam. I hope someday my kids feel the same way about what I made for them. You don’t have to DIY everything, but once you get started you’ll probably want to.
I love your article, and agree more than 100% if that is possible. I am 70 years old and it is only one generation back for me to know this lifestyle. And only 2 generations to my farmer backgrounds on both side of my family. Even though my Dad worked in a steel mill, my Mom was a stay at home one and we lived a somewhat scaled down farm lifestyle. Grew much of our own vegetables and fruits, sewed a lot of our clothes (feedsack material) and Mom crocheted and sewed afghans and quilts. I feel I have such rich childhood memories and upbringing. I would not have traded it for anything. I even married a farm son. I am just so sad that my children did not have the same experiences growing up. I still garden, cook, knit, spin and sew a lot. Not for survival but for pure enjoyment. I love your blog and your farm life. Keep on trucking Miss Susan.
I loved reading your ‘manifesto’. I am a city girl DIYer. I cook from scratch cause it tastes better. I knit and I sew to get things that are ‘just’ what I wanted. There are things I don’t do- I have disabilities that prevent me from gardening anymore so I buy local from the farmers and from craftspeople in my area. I also buy fabric and yarn since I choose not to spin/weave/dye my own. My limited time and energy resources are spent on what I love doing. My limited money is spent on what I choose not do to myself and on recreation. Thanks for opening up this dialogue.
For me – the true and selfish reason that I like to make things myself is that it gives me tremendous satisfaction. I feel such a sense of pride and pleasure! MY tomato sauce – MY hand-knit sweater! Over the winter, I was in a spot where I could purchase the most exquisite sea shells. While I am a serious shell fan – it would never occur to me to buy those shells that I know I will never find on my own. I want “my” shells – the ones that I’ve tread into the tide for. The ones that I sort and ooh and ah over like they are my babies. Personal satisfaction – that’s what it is for me!
I think that some people are just wired to be “makers” and even though they may try to NOT make things, they eventually (if they are lucky) find a way to incorporate the essence of who they are into their life. I have a sister who is an artist who makes her living from what she creates. She has never worked a mainstream job. I have another sister who is a retired teacher who tells the artist to “get a real job”! See the different wiring! You and your lifestyle are just more rare now than ever due to so many things in our society that lead us to not trust in our own ability to make our own destiny. A teacher telling an artist to get a real job kinda says something about our education system. Also…growing your own food is less of a crap shoot that you are eating GMO food. (if you know where your seeds come from).
I love your manifesto. It’s so true, and it boils down to “because I love doing it, and because I can, and because it’s a good idea.”
A good idea not only because of the 3-day window in a supermarket, but also a good idea to know what’s in your food. You know what pesticides and fertilizer was used (or not used) to make the food you eat, and you know what kinds of hormones were used (or not used) to fortify the animals you raise.
Also, animals make great companions, and you get to see the miracle of new life with lambing and kidding every year.
Personally, I do not enjoy gardening, but I do a lot of DIY cooking/baking, which I *do* enjoy. Freshly made butter spread on freshly made bread is a heavenly thing to behold. And even Henry David Thoreau did not rely completely on nature!
I had the same nitpick Cara did about the “pennies” to make the chevre, but you explained that the extra milk is a by-product anyway, so yeah, I agree that it’s still pennies. Also I have a nitpick that you *are* still at the mercy of the weather (but not the economy) – you’re just at the mercy of the *local* weather.
I think it’s smart to have more than one option – Not just the grocery store, but your own backyard! I have the option of many farmer’s markets where I live, so I’m glad that I can reap the benefits of other people who enjoy gardening (which I don’t)!
I don’t garden, but I DO buy fresh fruit/veggies/eggs from the Farmers Market when I’m able to do so. I knit. Hats and scarves for others. Knitted afghan for younger daughter (just completed — $200 worth of yarn, 100 hours, heavily cabled). I could certainly have purchased an afghan for far less — but she had asked me to knit her one, so I did. And it’s gorgeous. (I still have the afghan my mother knit for me decades ago.) And I knit sweaters for myself — many of them my own design. My favorite sweaters are the ones I’ve knit. Not only do they fit perfectly, but the colors are wonderful. After spending all day at a computer at work, to craft something with one’s own hands is a delight — it’s called CREATIVITY! It connects me to my mother, to women of the past everywhere.
For inspiration and fascination and reveling in the wacky creativity of homo sapiens sapiens, may I humbly proffer the following Web wonders:
Instructables: http://www.instructables.com/
Craft Magazine: http://craftzine.com/magazine/
and the one that started them all;
Make Magazine: http://makezine.com/
These sites restored my faith in American creativity, and led directly to my current occupation as a laser engraver (here’s a link to the article that launched my career: http://blog.makezine.com/2008/02/29/laseretched-powerbook/
This is wonderful. I love your explanation and I totally get where you’re coming from. As a New Yorker, I totally feel the urge to do all of these things. I feel disconnected from the food I eat and products I buy. I participate in CSAs and shop at farmers market but I still wish I could have more control and involvement in what I consume. I’ve started a window garden where I hope to grow a few herbs and maybe some small veggies that I can call my own. I hope one day to have a real garden if not a whole farm!
Your manifesto just serves to make me ever more jealous of you… I have no problem with hard work or even, really, with kind of having to scrape by. But doing these things your way seems infinitely more rewarding than what I’m doing.
Good for you!
Hello,
I think this might be my first time commenting. I found your blog several weeks ago after searching for what I thought would be the perfect name for a future daughter, “Juniper Moon”. I’m so happy to have stumbled on this site, and I’ve been an avid follower since.
I love your manifesto. I, too, love making with my hands, and I can see this question applied to my hobbies and interests, as well. For me, there’s an element of spirituality that comes in. Although I’ve broken from organized religion long ago, I feel connected to something big and beautiful when I create. It makes me feel alive.
Sending blessings always.
P.S. I still think Juniper Moon is a fantastic name for a person, but I love it even more for your operation.
Here, Here!
Plus- I so could have used that chart a month ago. I just did a presentation on bio-engineered foods in my bio-informatics course.
This is really interesting to read, and I love your observations. I’m not sure I agree with the “almost free” part — There’s what the business-school types like to call TCO, or Total Cost of Ownership, which in your case would include things like meds, feed, vet visits, hay, and the land lease. HOWEVER, those are largely sunk costs, and given that most of what the animals are producing (milk, wool, manure, etc.) is made essentially for free from the grass on the ground, I see what you mean.
I also think a lack of biodiversity is a HUGE problem for the very reasons you mentioned, and we are vulnerable to cataclysmic, system-shocking events* (though as an aspiring zombie, I’m personally looking forward to a diet of brrraaainnnssss.) But control, security, and satisfaction seem like darn good reasons for DIY to me.
*The biggest vulnerability we have, IMHO, is our national IT architecture. If a malintentioned group made several physical strikes on our fiber optic network, and coordinated that with a series of virus/trojan/DDOS/etc. attacks, we’d be back to the stone age in short order. Imagine how much fun we’d have if we couldn’t use our cell phones and credit cards. Or what would happen if power plant control systems or bank computers went down. Scary stuff. (One of the downsides of working in a technical field is that you know enough to worry about these things.)
I love this manifesto and think it speaks to many of us. What I have found is that for those of us who “get it” we do so because we are wired differently. I have a friend who runs marathons—why?? is always my question. Because of the way I feel when I am done–is always her answer. Although I find it hard to believe, I think we have the same sense of accomplishment–mine just ends in a sweater, hers in achy feet.
I have never considered crocheting a garment or accessory to be DIY, but I suppose that it is. Friends ask me why I invest so much money in fiber shares from Juniper Moon Farm when I could easily get 100% wool from Michael’s, AC Moore or Jo-Ann. Well, while there is nothing wrong with those chain stores, and I do buy yarn from them – my answer is that the joy of seeing a sheep/lamb born, watching it grow up and knowing that it will never be slaughtered makes me feel like part of a great community. I love the time leading to shearing because of the excitement in knowing that I am a recipient of that sheared, cleaned, carded & spun fleece into yarn that will one day become something I will wear. It is an absolute 100% guilty pleasure!
And even more special in 2012, is the yarn I will receive from the shearing in 2011 because I got to meet the sheep/goats face to face, feel their fleece, photograph them and share it all with my best friend in the whole world – my mom
!!!
I also find that hand-made items are much more appreciated than something store bought. I crocheted a blanket for my friend’s newborn son. The child is 8 now and refuses to ride in ANY car without my blanket. I can’t explain it.
My mom likes to sew. She recently purchased a few bolts of fabric and made covers for the ottomans at home. She completely transformed something the cats would have destroyed (leather), into a beautiful and changeable addition to the decor. She loves to sew and made all my clothes for me as a child. She made all of my Halloween costumes right up until I was in my early 20s. She sewed an 18th century ball gown with 13 yds of fabric by hand! I regret I am no longer the same size and can’t even try it on anymore.
I know that I feel more special wearing something handmade and the fit, as mentioned here several times is always perfect because it is one of a kind for the wearer.
And then there is the joy of fibering. The absolute creativity with no time contraints except for those that are self imposed. I work in a non-creative environment during the day, so getting the chance to hook a few stitches on the way home is a thrill!
I grow tomatoes on my 21st floor apartment terrace every year. Sure, I could buy tomatoes in a store, but I love watering them every morning and night and watching them grow. And they taste so sweet. I can’t wait until May.
I agree with you 100%! Do you have a bread tutorial online? And please keep us posted on the cheese making!
I agree with the comments above. My maternal grandmother’s family were sugar beet farmers. My paternal grandmother used her entire backyard as a garden. Rows and rows of strawberries. When I was 5 my grandfather and I started growing carrots and tomatoes in a patch of his backyard that overlooked an elite golf course. (He’d become wealthy through hard work).
I don’t have a yard, but this year I’m growing tomatoes, arugula, squash, Serrano peppers, parsley, basil, chives, mint and strawberries in containers. Each year I grow more, and I’m ecstatic whenever I use my home grown produce.
I’ve also joined my local CSA to get local, organic produce.
I knit for the joy of creating things with beautiful yarns. When I can, I prefer to use yarns that are hand dyed, hand spun, or come from a special place, like JMF.
I love wearing hand knit socks, and I think hand made goods carry positive vibes, especially when gifted to a person in need; a new baby, a homeless vet, someone recovering from illness.
As the t shirts say in your Kickstarter campaign, the Revolution Will Be Hand Made.
You said it! And when you’ve already got the infrastructure in place thanks to the Fiber CSA business, you are in the position to do all kinds of DIY foods and crafts at very little extra cost. So why WOULDN’T you? When you can make your own, it will always be better than what you’d buy because you get to enjoy the process as well as the end result.
I can’t wait for the magazine to come out because it is the natural progression from this creative and inspiring place. And you, Zac, and Caroline are no end of inspiring to me.
I am glad she asked too! You did a great job answering.
I would also like to suggest watch the movie Thrive. Where I live heterosexual in CAN we have started our own thrive community, website to be up soon. Folks in different areas of expertise sharing.g with their neighbors. An example would be we have an architect who just bought land and is building a passive solar home but she knows very little of gardening. Another lady is a horticulture specialist and is teaching her about escape. We are planning classes and a once per month sustainable pluck. We are taking. control and having fun.