Farm News
We re-print this column, originally told in 2010, in our newsletter most years because it proves the old adages “everything in moderation” and “your mother is always right.” We figured it was time we finally shared Farmer Thaddeus' story on our blog.
While I was growing up on the farm (that's me, my parents and my brothers on the farm in the photo above), I was extremely excited about Halloween. An unwritten rule in our family was that processed sugar of any type was not permitted. I was envious of my friends who grew up with Pepsi and Doritos in their daily lunches. Today, I am grateful that my parents instilled in me the habits of eating food that my body was good at processing. Back then, Halloween was the one chance every year my brothers and I had to load up with high fructose corn syrup and chocolate.
My brothers and I took the annual opportunity to acquire candy very seriously, and the choice of which community we would go hunt for it was left up to us. After years of attempts at obtaining the highest volume of candy possible per evening of trick-or-treating, it finally dawned on us that technique, not location, was the answer. It was at this point that roller blades were added to every costume. I wish that I could claim credit for the paradigm shift in our approach, but my younger brother Freeman and our close friend Danny, now a manager with Farm Fresh To You, earn the credit for recognizing the potential that resulted when Halloween, trick-or-treating and roller blades were mixed together.
When Freeman and Danny began dressing up with roller blades for Halloween, I was too old to reap the benefits with them, but I was not too old to be jealous of their success. In an evening of trick-or-treating on roller blades, they were able to hit two to three times as many houses during the “candy hours” as people looking for treats on foot. At the end of their first Halloween with roller blades, Freeman and Danny had racked up a solid pillowcase each of candy. This accomplishment on our organic farm was equivalent to the success of a pirate finding the mark on a valid treasure map.
It would take less than a month before the loot was consumed, and we were back to the snack routine of bread, cheese and whatever food we could scrounge from the farm. Our beloved mother would answer our cries of: “There is nothing to eat on this farm!” with “The cold room is packed with fresh fruits and vegetables.” As a child, that fact was torturous. Today, my brothers and I look back and realize that these painful lessons from childhood resulted in invaluable adult eating habits that serve us well.
We hope you enjoy your farm boxes each week and realize that an annual binge of sugar is fun, but that eating healthy as a child is one of the few gifts that keeps on giving.
