About Barbara - More Details
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| Barbara - Schweinheim Germany 1962 |
Born in a southern Bayern town of West Germany called Aschaffenburg, my Mother
and I moved from Germany to Indiana in 1963.
She brought with her; a lifestyle taught from generations of
family farmers. They were so self-reliant,
they collected bricks from fallen houses to rebuild. World War II was not kind to this
area and many homes were destroyed. My grandmother and her family collected thousands of bricks to rebuild their homes. With a wheelbarrow and by hand! I envision a barn raising where everyone helped each other. What a sight it must of been.
The small village named Schweinheim, was their home. This
majestic hamlet of the larger settlement, Aschaffenburg, had fertile soil and
plenty of water streaming from the hills that sprinkled the countryside.
Her
family raised everything they needed to feed their family on a small parcel. It
was urban farming of the 1950’s. The pristine farms scattered the lush
countryside with a beauty untouched by the manufacture age.
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| Schweinheim |
Today, this picturesque place still survives with brick
streets, small garden plots, clear cool streams and in the warm months, Geranium
filled window boxes on every house. Bakeries, delis and out door cafes are still found in the center of Schweinheim as well as one of my favorite hotels "the Altes Sudhaus" located at the far north end.
This small hotel is attached to a brewery that opened in the year 1761. That’s so old! It still produces the
best beer in the world and the one they called “Dunkel” is so superior, there
is nothing to compare it too.
My mothers teachings were relocated to Indiana. She created a mini food hub with her neighbors. Together, they raised rabbits, chickens for eggs and a huge garden plot. They grew all the fruits and vegetables on small pieces of land. We were all so resourceful. I remember scaling pounds of fresh fish caught by the Dad’s fishing trips. Our family froze the fillets and our neighbors canned the caviar. We shared and bartered. Preserving each harvest at its peak to tide us over through the winter.
My mothers teachings were relocated to Indiana. She created a mini food hub with her neighbors. Together, they raised rabbits, chickens for eggs and a huge garden plot. They grew all the fruits and vegetables on small pieces of land. We were all so resourceful. I remember scaling pounds of fresh fish caught by the Dad’s fishing trips. Our family froze the fillets and our neighbors canned the caviar. We shared and bartered. Preserving each harvest at its peak to tide us over through the winter.
My Grandmother, her mom, her sister and two brothers taking a break in the fields
Fast forward, farming is in my blood. My Mom taught me
everything I know. I am motivated and proud of this knowledge. I still occasionally
call on her for guidance despite her January Birthday in which she turned 80 in 2020.
I spent many happy summers visiting my huge family in Germany. My Aunt Marga baked the most incredible cakes and cookies. Our family vacations though always required us to work. Clean the chicken coop, weed the garden or feed the cats. I think my grandmother loved the extra labor. It’s what us Germans do. We have a work ethic unfathomable by most.
I spent many happy summers visiting my huge family in Germany. My Aunt Marga baked the most incredible cakes and cookies. Our family vacations though always required us to work. Clean the chicken coop, weed the garden or feed the cats. I think my grandmother loved the extra labor. It’s what us Germans do. We have a work ethic unfathomable by most.
I am consumed with a farm vision and has become my quest. It’s
a deep-rooted aspiration and necessary for our future. Within this blog I will share 100
reasons why a farm is important. Each of the reasons could be a lesson or a reminder to take care of your family and yourself and work with what you have.
I
love to bake, cook, preserve, share, teach and have an immense passion of feeding people. The
whole world are my taste testers. I once mailed out butter cookies to get a surveyed
response. I needed to know if I should wrap in plastic or wax. Most of the
responses were “send more”.
I would like to provide employment to the 'aged out' young men of the foster system. I feel they are the future and with my guidance, they will find their path in life. The plan is to teach and feed the upcoming future societies. It’s my vision. I believe deep in my heart that its also my calling. It just took me a while to find it.
Food is the facet of life. This vision is delicious, and we all need good food in our lives. I want to share everything I have learned so far from working on other peoples farms. This blog will hopefully take me through until I have a farm of my my own. Then I will continue to share and feed and teach on my own farm with everyone and anyone. No one is excluded.
I would like to provide employment to the 'aged out' young men of the foster system. I feel they are the future and with my guidance, they will find their path in life. The plan is to teach and feed the upcoming future societies. It’s my vision. I believe deep in my heart that its also my calling. It just took me a while to find it.
Food is the facet of life. This vision is delicious, and we all need good food in our lives. I want to share everything I have learned so far from working on other peoples farms. This blog will hopefully take me through until I have a farm of my my own. Then I will continue to share and feed and teach on my own farm with everyone and anyone. No one is excluded.
When I arrive to the
number 1 reason, you will see why. I’m starting with the 100th reason first.
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| Hannelore - My MOM! |
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