Week 7 Update - Young Farmers

This week we focused on the concept of homesteading. We had an interesting discussion about what it might have been like for the original homesteaders to live off the land, and what they might have found in the way of building supplies, food and medicine in the Texas Hill country region. We then talked about the recent interest in “modern homesteading” and why the concept might appeal to younger people. The question that was brought up was would it be feasible for everyone to live off the land? What would that look like? Would there be enough natural resources? Are cities sometimes better for the environment? 

We then talked about a period during the Civil War where supply chains were cut off by the Union army, and imported items like coffee were not available to the South. People had to get creative to try to find suitable substitutes. One successful discovery was making “coffee“ from roasted okra seeds. So, as a class, we harvested some okra pods, removed the seeds, roasted them on an iron skillet, ground them up and prepared the grinds in a French press just like coffee. It was surprisingly tasty and several students commented that their coffee-loving parents might even like it!  After that, we harvested some medicinal plants from the labyrinth (yarrow, hibiscus and holy basil) and tied them up in bundles for drying.  For farm chores, we did a bit of weeding in our raised bed and the row beds.

After lunch we worked on our scarecrow and played a guessing game that Patrick brought to the group called Empire, which they modified to include local plants and animals. Our final game was “Cougar Stalks Deer” where players practice stealth walking to try to tag the unsuspecting deer - somewhat like Red Light Green Light. It’s a nature school classic that never fails to entertain - even amongst “sophisticated” tweens and teens.

Before we knew it, the day was done. It definitely flew by! 

Until next time,
Ms. Bridget