Our Nation’s Bounty

While traveling, we saw miles of wheat and cornfields and silos for storage that soar into the air at the edge of small, quiet towns. In Washington State we passed through an area with huge warehouse sized controlled atmosphere storage facilities for apples that lined both sides of the street. In Arkansas, we saw industrial chicken production houses and we were welcomed to Illinois with a sign for a Tyson farm.

We have seen a spectrum of food production while traveling across the US. It was a breath of fresh air to visit Barthel’s Fruit Farm in Mequon, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. The farm is located just outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been in the family since 1839. On their 90 acres, owners Bob Barthel and Nino Ridgeway produce apples, pears, plums, strawberries, sugar snap peas, pumpkins, herbs, and perennials. Most of their produce is sold directly to customers, either at farmers markets or to people that come directly to the farm to buy from their barn store or to pick their own.

Being on the farm that sunny, fall afternoon and taking a bite of a crisp, just picked, golden delicious apple, reminded me of the value of good, wholesome, nurtured, nourishing food. Below is a short clip of Nino talking about the farm.

Stay Strong,
Mim & Eleanor