It’s More than Just Salsa

None of us grew up as farmers. We all grew up in city suburbs where the space and recourses to grow your own food really didn’t exist (at least not in our neighborhoods). Your food came from the grocery store. Coming from bustling cities on the west coast (San Diego, CA and Tacoma, WA) those with the financial means had easy access to produce and meat, (often even organic) or one of myriad restaurant choices where your food was prepared neatly for you. This, however, was not our experience. Being on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale often meant a lack of accessibility to clean and nutritious food. For us, acquiring food was relatively easy. Acquiring quality food, not so much.

There was, for all of us, a disconnect.  I was disconnected from the process of producing my own food…the art of growing seedlings into a healthy harvest, of knowing the meat we consume is raised humanely and with respect. I felt frustrated and angry that access to good wholesome food was largely influenced by affluence. I desired more.  I desired a life of growing and nurturing and preserving.

I have always felt a deep longing to live a life where the literal fruits of my labors go to sustaining my family and my soul; a simpler, yet deeply authentic life. Serenity Farm is the fruition (and continuing evolution) of that dream. From fresh vegetables and herbs to pickles and salsas we are exploring the bounty of harvest and preservation.

But it’s more than just salsa.

Everything we do, we have had to learn hands on…sometimes with great success, sometimes not so much…but even the ‘failures’ are gifts of learning and experience. From soil remediation to pressure canning, we started from square one, learning skills that our grandmothers often took for granted. Just like our beautiful gardens, we have grown.  

There is, for me, a huge sense of affirmation in practicing skills that represent the ability to sustain my family and knowing that, even if the winter is rough or if it all comes tumbling down, I have homegrown goodness preserved to get us through. I have herbal remedies crafted and ready. It’s more than just a jar of salsa. It’s sustainability and wholeness, freedom, and gratitude. This salsa is the culmination of a living, growing dream.  That’s a lot of goodness to stuff into one little jar!