The morning offered a little relaxation, particularly since we stayed at a hotel, which came with the luxury of a free breakfast! This hasn’t been the norm for us, so we took full advantage. This morning’s destination was Blue Fruits Farm, Minnesota, where we’d meet organic farmer Jim Riddle. Jim operates a truly remarkable farm. He plants native wild flowers all around his farm to nourish native pollinator insects. And boy did they work! The native plant patches were teaming with butterflies, wasps, bees, and other bugs. These wild flowers also turn out to be a cash crop.
He sells the seeds to other farms. What a great farming business model! Jim introduced us to a variety of berries, including the aronia berry, elder berry, and honey berry, all of which Jim graciously let us sample as we walked the farmland. When we asked, “why organic?” Jim responded, “…because farming is about nurturing life. Pesticides do the opposite.” Jim’s farm made Athina and I want to become farmers.
The beautiful hilltop where his farm was located, complete with a solar powered home built halfway into the earth, did not hurt. We have some great interview footage with Jim, which will be coming soon to this website. After our meeting with Jim, we sped off for a 5+ hour drive to Chicago, where I needed to give a live online lecture (I’m currently teaching an online environmental health course). We made it just in time to our AirBNB! Our night ended with a relaxed beer and pizza in downtown Chicago. It was another busy day, but a very exciting and fulfilling one.
Click here to learn more about "On the Road for Climate Action!"
Dr. Shahir Masri
No comments:
Post a Comment