Hard Work Well Spent

Source: Patchwork Gardens (2014) Biggy & Baggy wheel hoeing the fall kale

What do you see when you look at photographs of our local farmers? 

I love looking at images such as the one above because of the reoccurring themes they reflect. I almost always see passion, love for the earth, and dedication but I most certainly always see hard work.

There's no argument that farming (and particularly small-time farming like our local farmers engage in) is hard work in the purest of senses. If I get up early to be the first into the office, if I feel the aches and pains of hours spent at my computer, or if I feel tired or stressed from 'burning the midnight oil' to meet big deadlines, I have a feeling this pales in comparison to the early mornings, the aches and pains, and the emotions of farming.

When the man behind Salt of the Earth, Charles Summers, started up a webpage and blog for the farm he wrote:

You can tell a lot about a man by the way he farms: a well run operation is the culmination of vision, observation, insight, organization, and hard work; not to mention a good dose of hope and courage. And for that reason - this is the hardass Dutchman in me - I am always disgusted by a farm with an impressive website and weedy fields.

His point - online and social media presence is important for commercial success of businesses today but it takes significant effort, investment, and time - three things a dedicated local farmer has little remaining of at the end of the day.

Speaking for myself, I have ample online time. Despite all my commitments, I can sheepishly admit to having dedicated a fair amount of my daily time to Facebook and surfing the web. So while farmers such as Charles are busy working hard to put food on my table, I figured I could dedicate some of my online time to working hard for them. Hence the birth of Eat Local, Kingston!  

As a community member, I feel a vested interest in the success and well-being of my local food system. If I can do just a little to help develop the online and social media presence of those who work so hard to feed me by creating a space that celebrates and promotes their efforts then that will be online time well spent! 

This site is just in its infancy but my hope is that over the coming weeks it will get its legs to offer a budding Local Food Directory, engaging blog posts that highlight hard working local farmers and the fruits of their efforts, and a collection of resources helping people of the Kingston area to easily and enjoyably eat locally more often!

Your feedback and involvement is both desired and necessary for the success of this site! I'd love to hear from you. Please post below or get in touch through email at eatlocalkingston@gmail.com