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In the folkloric story of Stone Soup, a poor man wanders into town with nothing but his hunger and a recipe for a delicious soup made from just stones and water. The stones are easy enough to find, but he’s in need of some water, a pot, a big spoon, and a fire. So, he enlists one townsperson after the other to add to his miracle soup and before you know it, the whole village is feasting from a cauldron of spiced, herbed, veggie-loaded “Stone Soup.”
When I first heard this story, I loved it. I loved the way it made me feel connected to a community of isolated folks come together through the power of sharing food. This story also makes me wonder if we’ve lost our sense of community. I want to believe it’s still there, but we’re all so busy and yes, isolated. Most of us don’t live in villages anymore and we’ve lost that connectedness. But, I know these stories from the past have a place in our lives; they are still relevant; they still have something to teach us.
I had a lovely young man from Tibet work here for several summers. One day he made an astute observation; “In your culture you don’t need each other anymore, so you can be angry with each other. In my culture we cannot afford to be angry with each other, since our neighbor might need to borrow a tool or another one might need something to eat; in my culture we are dependent on each other.”
I’ve not forgotten his words and believe that while there are many good things about our modern day world there are also many wonderful things of the past we’ve lost. Folklore may have been pushed to the edges of our world but periodically, we have the chance to remember it, so, this Family Day I’m giving Stone Soup a try here at the farm! I’ll be starting South Pond’s own Stone Soup on our fire at the outdoor oven, and guests are invited to add to it from a selection of ingredients we have here on our farm. It’s going to be an experiment in community and alchemy and I’m sure it’s going to be delicious as well as heartwarming!
Bring your family to the farm and enjoy lunch and a ski or walk on the Ballyduff trails. These trails are on private land protected through a conservation agreement with Kawartha Land Trust but open for our enjoyment.
Lunch: $20 ($5 per person donation will be made to the Kawartha Land Trust)
Includes parking. Use of the trails are free.
Sunday, February 18th 2018
12 to 3 p.m.
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