Being handy is important, especially for guys, or at least that's what we're lead to believe a lot of the time. Whats great about the idea of being handy for me, is that it embellishes a desire to learn more. More than what I know now and more than what I'll probably know tomorrow. I always want to know more, to keep learning.
Several weeks ago, I was invited by my friend Dani out to Goodies from the Gorge. Goodies, is a quant little farm run by Dani's dear friends David and Jenny.
Something had come up at the farm and my friend Chris and I were requested to assist. David needed some prep-work done for planting his seasonal tomatoes and Chris and I were more than happy to oblige. In order to get their tomatoes planted, before it was to late in the season, we needed to string up bamboo to help support the tomato vines. It was hard work; but a lot of fun. I've wanted to know more about whats needed to manage and produce my own food, and more importantly, how to do so naturally. David only produces food that qualifies as all natural organic and is very popular among Otago's local chefs. Even though the work wasn't easy, it was more than rewarding seeing our progress.
Though we learned a lot, we had to figure some of it out as we went along. You might say, we were handy. David and Jenny were happy with the work we'd done. Knowing we had helped them in some way made the work that much more satisfying. Dani showed us a few more chores - picking cherries, pulling weeds, and even feeding the pigs, which was my favorite. Dani even found bird eggs in some of the plants..
With all the work done, we made time to cut down a couple Christmas trees. The winery across the street let us pick them out along the river next to their property. We used borrowed hand saws to cut down the trees and drug them back to the farm. They would become the center piece of our Christmas decorations.
After our work, Jenny treated us to dinner. While she cooked, we sat outside and pulled weeds, drank wine, talked about life, and the day's work we'd finished. Dinner was amazing and very fresh. All the vegetables were grown right on the farm. Even the wine was made from grapes Jenny and David had grown themselves. In a word, it was... impressive! In the end, the day was long and our work hard. Our bellies were full of food and laughter. New knowledge was gained and friendships formed - all on Goodies from the Gorge.
