food for thought
Bursting into Fullness :
The Birthing of an Eco-Farm Corps
By Alejandro López
a perfect ear of corn , Painting by Joan Bopst
Fortunately for my farming father , he had a complete built-in team of committed agricultural workers known as his seven sons . Strung across a broad range of ages , sizes , talents and skill sets , our corps of seven brothers was a formidable force indeed . Without any machinery to speak of , we planted acre upon acre of corn , chile and other vegetables . Together we could pick clean an apple orchard of one hundred trees in a matter of a few days . United in our efforts , we could husk a literal mountain of corn in less time than it took for my father to come up with a new scheme for keeping us busy and out of his hair . In the springtime we joined other crews to form an even larger phalanx that cleaned out miles of irrigation ditches in two or three days .
The net effect of being in possession of so great a treasure as was all of this concentrated manpower , was that our northern
New Mexican truck farm was well organized and maintained , highly productive and ecologically sound for the most part . Our combined efforts on the farm sustained our family of thirteen people and supplied food to countless others in the region including the nearby Tewa Indian Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh . It also generated muchneeded family income . Among the many by-products of this way of working together , one could count the hugely gratifying experience of learning to cooperate intensely with one another , of working vigorously , executing enormous projects and engaging the earth in a respectful and even reverential manner . We also managed to have loads of fun and to enjoy an interminably long line of intriguing stories about everything under the sun which we told while working . Best of all , my brothers and I succeeded in bonding for life and remaining friends to the present day . In spite of the passage of years , all but one , are alive . Furthermore , we all agree that we are alive because of this rigorous way of life that made us capable and strong and for the most part resistant to disease .
Historically , large groups of people , were essential to the sustainability of agricultural societies the world over . Farming is so many more times labor intensive than the hunting and gathering activities practiced by our remote ancestors prior to the agricultural
plenty I Summer growing 2021 19