Wine and Weeds

Written by Evan Embree

Last Thursday, a friend of mine and I decided to roll up our sleeves and participate in Wine and Weeds at our very own Well Fed Community Garden.  I was unsure of what to expect, but it was even better than I had imagined. A cute little house sits on an acre and a half of land, with a beautiful variety of flowers, foliage, and fruit trees planted in the front yard.  This area is beautifully landscaped, with a circular brick path leading you through the lush space. There is ample parking space for volunteers, and we catch the attention of the dog that lives there almost immediately. Her name is Bella, and her bark is much more intimidating than she could ever be.


After walking through the gated fence that surrounds the property, we were immediately greeted with a friendly welcome from Morgan, the professional gardener that lives on and tends to the farm full time.  We also met Hannah, another member of the household, who is studying Sustainable Food Systems for Global Health at North Carolina State University. After signing in, we poured some wine into mason jars, grabbed some gardening gloves, and headed to the rows of cilantro waiting to be weeded.  It was certainly work, but the weather was beautiful and we had great conversation with Hannah and Morgan about college finals, healthcare, backyard chickens, and our opinions on cilantro (which I personally dislike with a passion).

Being a lover of farm animals of all types, I took a couple breaks to spend some time with the chickens.

In the end, fun was had by all and it was great to experience firsthand the growing phenomenon that is urban organic farming.  With the common weekly trips to the grocery store, it’s easy to ignore the source of the food we eat – and commercial farming can have a huge impact on the environment, as I have written in my previous articles.  It’s important to get down to the “root” of our meals and to be sure we are spending our money on responsibly-sourced products, such as those from the Well-Fed Garden.