Looking back on my childhood, I would consider my younger self a “picky eater”. I attribute this to the fact that my parents raised my sister and I on mostly canned vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, canned vegetables definitely aren’t a bad thing, BUT when you’re young and you’re told you can’t leave the dinner table without finishing your sodium filled, mushy green beans, you come to despise these vegetables really quickly. Now that I’m older, I’m appreciative of my parents for feeding me any vegetables at all. Fortunately, my family now tends to stick with using fresh vegetables as much as possible, and I haven’t touched a can of green beans for a good 15 years.
When I learned that my sister, Kristin, was planning a visit to the farm, I was beyond excited to be able to introduce her to the veggies we grow here and, of course, have her taste them all. We camped for the first part of her visit here to Oregon, so making meals on a camping stove with fresh vegetables from the farm was a perfect introduction to the goodness that awaited her at Horton Road Organics. Once on the farm, I gave her a tour and encouraged her to try as many things straight from the ground as possible. She was a great sport despite being overwhelmed by the beauty and wonderment as every first time visitor here on the farm is.
Photo taken by Kristin during her visit
Before leaving to head back home, Kristin was able to catch the action of our booth setup for the Tuesday farmers market. She even jumped in to help put the veggie signs in the baskets and managed to peek at the other vendors’ setups. Curious as to what she thought of her visit, I sent her off with the following questions for her to ponder on her flight back home.
Me: What is your experience with farms/farming?
Kristin: I have very little personal experience with farming. I grew up in southern Illinois which is a large farming community so I have some knowledge from growing up around it but my only experience comes from helping my grandpa at a young age in his garden of blackberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers and having a garden myself for the first time this year which includes bell peppers, onions, and kale.
Me: What is your definition of organic?
Kristin: Organic- grown having contact with ONLY substances pulled from nature itself.
Me: Having never been to Oregon, what is your first impression?
Kristin: My first impression of Oregon was the kindness and acceptance of its locals, the beautiful weather, abundance of trees, and the lack of chaos downtown that normally accompanies a city.
Me: Are there any vegetables growing on the farm that are new to you?
Kristin: Yes, there were several new veggies whether is was the vegetable itself or the specific variety the Horton Roads was growing. Some of these included fennel, spicy salad greens, and red russian kale.
Me: What has been your favorite vegetable to eat during your visit?
Kristin: The basil or sweet corn that we ate raw which was new to me!
Me: What has surprised you most about Horton Road Organics?
Kristin: Being used to large, open, mile long fields of corn and soybeans back home, I was surprised with the intimate feel each bed had. It was like each one was a secret garden.
Me: Did you learn anything new?
Kristin: Tons. I feel like I learned a little bit of everything from local climate to the extremely wide range of flavor and spice in salad greens!
Me: How was your overall experience here on the farm?
Kristin: My overall experience was enjoyable and peaceful. I also had the pleasure of attending the Tuesday market that Horton Road Organics has a stand at in Eugene. Their set up and display was by far the most attractive and enticing of the booths!
Taylor is loving her first experience in Oregon and first time working on an organic farm. Her favorite vegetable to harvest at Horton Road Organics is kale.