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Simple Joyful Food

small ideas that add joy to life

NWAFOODIE

#Bean2Blog: “I believe in being good stewards.”

May 29, 2013 4 Comments
Arkansas Soybean Board Moss Mountain Garden Home

Disclosure:  The #Bean2Blog event was provided by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and P. Allen Smith Garden Home. It was truly an honor to attend at the stunning location of Allen’s Moss Mountain Farm close to Little Rock. I wished I could have taken you with me.

“I believe in being good stewards. Farming goes back a long way in my family, and I’ve often felt that it was an art that was dying out.”
 These simple words by P. Allen Smith kicked-off the second annual #Bean2Blog event on Tuesday.  It was a day full of dark skies and intermittent bursts of rain as I, and nineteen other Arkansas bloggers, eagerly waited to see what the day of learning would bring. 
Arkansas soybeans P Allen Smith

This wasn’t my first visit to Moss Mountain Farm or my first #Bean2Blog.  I was thrilled at the chance to go back and tour the perfect gardens, inspiring home, and I’m-ready-to-move-in-now kitchen at the farm for this second annual event.  This time I was bound and determined to let it all sink in and simmer. 

Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Moss Mountain Garden Home
Regarding Arkansas soybeans, I was a little more than curious to see what it would be like to sit through an entire day of soybean facts.  Last year opened my eyes to how important soybeans are for Arkansas and the ensuring the future of the family farm.  What would I learn this year?  What else was there to learn? 
And what did it have to do with “being good stewards?”
A good steward is someone who is doing the best he or she can with the things that God has given him or her.  I believe that each one of us has something we can teach from a unique perspective that no one else can share other than you.
A farmer’s stewardship.
A good steward means taking care of the land and maximizing its abundant resources.
West Higginbotham, a soybean farmer from Marian, Arkansas, farms on the bank of the Mississippi River. His approach to farming is based on family heritage, solid knowledge, and a willingness to pursue a career that is admittedly, “not lucrative.”  We were drawn by his plainly spoken passion. “We are first conservators of the land. Food safety issues are always a concern to me. If you see a negative story about a crop, remember that there is always another side to the story.”  He believes that soybean crops are essential for the survival of the Arkansas family farm. “It starts in the field.  In these farm communities it is all about farming.  Often farming is the only game in town and soybean has so many uses beyond animal feed.”
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Moss Mountain Garden Home
The soybean is often referred to as “the miracle bean.”  That is because the potential for this bean is growing everyday and our Arkansas farmers are finding new uses. 
A teacher’s stewardship.
A good steward means living the pay-it-forward principle.
Have you wondered why someone like P. Allen Smith, a home and garden lifestyle expert, would be interested in Arkansas soybeans?  Besides his deep-seated love of his farming heritage we already talked about, Allen is passionate about his love for Arkansas and its abundant resources and beauty.  His partnership with the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board allows his voice to encourage Arkansans to harvest the potential of soybeans.
It is his love of the farm, its potential, and preserving that heritage that drives him to ensure that the future is preserved.  It’s simply about keeping the traditions alive.  He told us, “First of all, you’ve got to have something to say.  I find I have to teach something… you wake up one day and realize, gosh, no one knows how to plant a potato.” 
And so he makes it his mission to teach and preserve.

One fascinating area he is focused in is actively preserving and teaching about the “great old breeds” of heritage poultry.

Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Moss Mountain Garden Home
Another area is preserving and teaching about antique roses that are facing extinction.
Arkansas Soybean Promotional Board Moss Mountain Garden Home
And he always goes back to the garden.  The ground.  It’s bounty.  He is always actively teaching about preserving our soil so it yields abundantly without depleting its goodness.
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Moss Mountain Garden Home
he is first a teacher.
Personal stewardship.
A good steward means when you believe in something, don’t just sit there.  Do something.
Arkansas is currently going through an exciting time as 900 acres are dedicated to producing edamame through a joint project with the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.  They are working diligently to expand crop use diversity.  The project is small but it is a start. 
As I think through my own philosophy towards eating well and living well, this day at the farm awakened a nagging thought I’ve had about my own personal consumption habits and choices. About the food choices I make when it comes to organic, heritage, and local.   
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Moss Mountain Garden Home
Eat well, my friends.  Eat well.
Lyndi
—–
PS :: Scroll down to see my photo album of the day’s events, including old friends and new! 
Oh, if you would like to read the other attending blogger’s stories and perspective on the day, you can find them posted on the #bean2blog pinterest page and also on the Arkansas Women Bloggers #bean2blog recap post.

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#Bean2Blog: Make your own roasted soybean “nuts.” #bean2blog: Day at the Farm giveaway! #Bean2Blog: “Learn, share, teach, and continue building on lessons.”

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  1. DiningWithDebbie says

    May 29, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    Really thought provoking and well stated. I hope to finish mine today or tomorrow. I'm just having trouble getting my mind all wrapped around it all. Loved the day. Loved the learning. Loved seeing you, my friend.

    Reply
    • nwafoodie says

      May 29, 2013 at 8:44 pm

      Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!

      It is really hard to make an event like this work in bite size pieces because there simply is so much meat… as well as so much to marvel at. Take your time, you'll nail it. 🙂

      Loved seeing you and can't wait to tour your Beaver Lake kitchen for an upcoming post!

      Hugs,

      Lyndi

      Reply
  2. Heather says

    May 29, 2013 at 11:29 pm

    OHMIGOSH I love this post! I love the shot of you and the bear too (what was his name…?) – totally cracked up!

    Reply
    • nwafoodie says

      May 30, 2013 at 11:25 am

      Thank you, Heather!!

      I'm such a cheeseball when it comes to taxidermy animals. That bear was scary! ha ha ha

      I LOVE your ability to capture magnificent photos… how do you do that? Teach me!

      Lyndi

      Reply

My name is Lyndi Fultz, and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, which span Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri.

I like to share small ideas for living simply and eating happily.

You will find that I talk a lot about food because we all need to eat. Why not add little bits of food joy where possible?

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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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