A Southern Gal’s Quest for Hope & Harmony-Virginia peanuts
I’ve already confessed that I had no intention of moving to Southampton County and beginning a gourmet peanut company. As a young woman I also had no idea that I was on a journey toward hope and harmony through agriculture. Jeffrey’s appreciation and pride for his family home and land didn’t take long to infiltrate my understanding of what is important.
Life throws you curve balls, hardships, and stressful times that force you to grow and change—most times it forces you to do so unwillingly. When changes do occur the humbled individual often turns to God for peace. While I value my Christianity and love the Big-Man upstairs, I realize that farm life and the world of agriculture, specifically peanuts, repeatedly teaches me to value hope and harmony.
It didn’t take long for this farmer’s wife to understand that peanuts inspire hope. Laugh if you want, but they do! Cotton and soybeans allow you to gage their growth potential and yields throughout the growing season as they mature above ground. However, peanuts require much more: peanuts require a bit of hope!
Hope means garnering optimism during moments of uncertainty. Hope for the peanut farmer means blindly trusting that the earth is nourishing your crop. Yes, there are many more factors to be considered, but the concept remains. While the plant flowers above ground, the peanuts grow below ground. During a summer of no rain or too much rain, farmers must hope. They hope that once those plants are dug and the smell of dampened peanuts fills their soul that the newly exposed vines are abundantly filled. Harvest after harvest our family recognizes the power of hope.
Hope is the driving force to complete difficult tasks when nights become dawn and hope gives the strength to accept changes beyond control. Most importantly, from hope comes harmony.
For my family, the word harmony represents respect for and stewardship of the land, sustainability, and working and living in balance with nature. Fortunately, our girls learned early what I also learned from their father. Jeffrey infused an appreciation for this land and the crops produced by the land as a result of hard work and hope.
I want our farm to be uplifting, positive and nurturing for our family. Thankfully our ability to maintain optimism allows just that every harvest season. Each time you purchase Virginia peanuts from Hope and Harmony Farms we share a bit of our harmony created from this land. And with any hope, our Virginia peanut products will inspire your own quest for serenity.
*Love the land
*Respect your roots
*Give your best