For dozens of years, folks have bemoaned the “leaving the farm” phenomenon. Small farms replaced by agribusiness, arable land lost to sub-developments, and kids who would normally grow up to be growers heading to the city for more money and faster times.
And while this phenomenon is reversing in some ways — local food co-ops, farm communes, farmers markets, home gardens and a trickle of urbanites trading their condos for feed-bins — another “return to the farm” revolution is happening in the way that small farmers are opening their doors to city dwellers, enticing them with fun and fare to spend some country time among the people and places who provide them with their choicest fodder.
And as fall arrives, farm visitin’ season is in full swing. It’s the perfect time to grab your friends and/or family, drive out to a local pasture, and discover a way of life that not only resonates strongly with primal America, but continues to thrive today. Farms offer tours, eating fairs, self-picking, wine and food parties, hay rides, music festivals, and dozens of other great events that get you inside the world of food creation and the people who toil at it every day.
Search “farm tours” and your state of choice, and a smorgasbord of options will scroll before you. As for me, I’m taking the wife and kids this weekend to Hurds Family Farm, right outside New Paltz, NY, where we’ll pick apples, run the corn maze, eat native grub, and ride the Cow Train. Like I said … primal America.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons.