VIEW STOP 13 SCRIPT
This is Halsey again. You know we grew virtually all of our own food on the farm. We never even thought about buying a vegetable in the market. We certainly never had lettuce from California like you do or grapes flown in from South America. In the summer and fall we enjoyed fresh vegetables. Some, such as beans and peas, we dried for winter use. Others like carrots, squashes, turnips and parsnips, Ma stored in a root cellar un-dah the house for the colder months. She also canned an amazing variety of vegetables for winter – even spinach.
We used sustainable methods in our garden – without even thinking about whether it was good for the environment. We just knew it was good for the ground. All food and most garden waste, we fed to chickens, pigs or other farm animals. The manure from the nearby chicken coop, pig pen and stables maintained soil fertility. Nothing was picked up by a garbage truck. No garbage truck ever called.
Today, we Hallockville gardeners still grow heirloom vegetables following sustainable practices. We carefully put all our garden waste on a compost pile and allow it to decompose into so-called “black gold” that we spread on the garden to increase its organic content and maintain soil fertility.
Now step over to our outhouse. It’s that little building just to your left. I think my daughter Bessie is waiting there for you.