Food Blog 2

Growing a Farmer: Post 2

As we get into chapters 2-8 we see Kurt slowly settle into his new property. He starts to realize where the food he eats is coming from: honey from bees, vinegar from apples, and milk from cows. 

It is really interesting to see Kurt go through the learning process of becoming a farmer. However, within these chapters, the thing that bothered me most was how he treated his bees.  Kurt talks about how his bees die off immediately during the winter and that he believes, "cold is the most likely explanation". The author showed no passion towards the bees because his solution was not discovering a way to prevent the bees from dying but instead just purchase new packages of bees. I do not agree with his treatment but I will respect that his views on animal treatment is not the same as mine. 

The chapter about raw milk also grabbed my attention because in 5th grade, I went on a field trip to a farm and we were able to milk the cow and try the milk. It was interesting to learn how different raw milk tasted from the milk that we purchase in the super markets. In this section, Kurt made a very insightful comment on how, "in their purest forms, these foods are perfect: whole foods, close to the source, unprocessed and they're what our bodies need for existence". Kurt has really changed my way of thinking about food by making me want to switch to a healthier diet.

Overall, the work that Kurt is putting into building his farm is fascinating but I personally do not think that animal farming is for me. Animal farming works for one of my friends. I have a high school friend who owns a hen that he keeps at his house and it lays eggs for the family. I think that it is convenient but it is definitely not for me. The only "farming' my family does is growing fruit trees- longan, lychee, tangerine, pear, and guava.