A field of shimmering sunflowers; a flock of hungry birds feeding , and a farmer who shares some of his stories about his sunflower fields.
I have a soft spot for flowers.
Years ago I took some painting classes from a great watercolorist, Susan St. Thomas. The subject I always picked to paint was flowers. Gladiolas, stargazer lilies, Johnny jump-ups. They are all my favorites, for various reasons.
Near to where I live there are many farms and nurseries. Out driving one day, looking for fresh berries to pick, I stumbled upon a field of sunflowers in full bloom. There were acres of them, which translated into thousands of perky yellow and black heads craning upwards. Which also translated into millions of seeds for birds, and, perhaps, for people.
Aha! There might be a story here after all.
I pulled over into the fruit stand, and asked for the owner. His name was Don, farmer Don, and he was great. I just had to ask him one question—Tell me about your field—and he took off.
Sometimes you never know where the next story will pop up.
Recipe from the show: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
Watch related Farmer Don videos and posts:
- Farmer Don-In His Own Words
- Pumpkin Popper Photos From Old Halloween Fun
- Halloween Fun: Shooting Pumpkins at an Old School Bus (video)
- Getting Fresh Pumpkin Meat from the Source (video)
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
- Farmer Don: Ode to a Small Family Farmer
Most of the videos featured on Cooking Up a Story were produced, filmed, and edited by Rebecca Gerendasy. Fred Gerendasy contributed as a writer to many of the posts and occasionally as the interviewer. Visit Rebecca Gerendasy Clay – Art and Fred Gerendasy Photography to see their current work.