On Cairncrest Farm in Plainfield, two brothers, Edmund and Garth Brown, have resolved to eat only what they raise/grow/forage/hunt themselves for an entire year. Starting today, Edible Finger Lakes will carry biweekly updates from the Brown brothers as they embark on this food journey.
Food for a Year: January 1-15
Since January 1st of this year I’ve eaten exclusively from the bounty of my own land. It was not very long ago that most people grew some large portion of their daily food. I have a personal interest in both local food and history, so it struck me as an interesting project to live solely on home grown foods for all of 2015. My brother, Garth, co-owns the farm with me has joined in this challenge.
I have a large garden and root cellar and a herd of beef cows so my daily fare is mostly root veggies, squash, and beef. I’ve also eaten some stewing chicken and wild turkey. I have a stash of frozen kale and frozen snap beans to sate my need for green during the winter.
At this relatively early date it has not been very difficult to eat only ultra-local produce and meats. Lunch is repetitive—turnips and rutabagas almost every day—but at this point I still enjoy them. I do miss dark chocolate. And coffee. I miss coffee a lot. –Edmund
Brothers Edmund and Garth Brown are owner-operators of Cairncrest Farm in Plainfield, New York. They produce and sell grass-fed beef and pastured pork. They blog about their 2015 homegrown challenge here. Photo by Normandy Alden
