Sometimes, after an interview, I find a quiet place along the bay and record some notes, to remember the event. Here’s a rough audio clip of what I recorded after today’s interview. It was never meant for broadcast, but here goes. “Sometimes people wonder why I’m doing all of this. Why do I want to go to people’s farms to interview them? Can’t I just do it over the telephone? But it’s really for the farm tours. To get in a pickup truck, or a 4 by 4, or just a hike, back into the woods, up the hills, to find the little pockets of land that bear forth carrots and cabbage and potatoes and turnips. Every year. I think that all makes it worthwhile.”
For today’s farm tour, we’re in Musgravetown, Newfoundland, on the shores of Goose Bay, meeting with Damien Oliver of Hillview Farms. He took over a retired chicken farm from his grandfather, George Green, and with help from family and a mentor, he didn’t let the farm go fallow forever. And in the process, he ended up learning how to rebuild a farm and create a lifestyle that he just can’t get enough of.
It is a frosty morning in early February. But I’m thankful for the low temperatures. You see, Damien’s tractor couldn’t start, which is why he had a few minutes spare to talk with me now. Keep your toque and mitts on and join us.
Season 3 of “Fit to Eat” is supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
