Magnolia. The Pioneer Woman. Fixer Upper. What do all these things have in common?
They’re all about bringing decor, food, and homes back to their roots.
Stop and think about it for a moment…
Farmhouse style and rustic decor has made their way into homes even off the farm (thank you, Joanna Gaines). If you walk down the miles of aisles of Target or Wal-Mart, you’ll see examples of this in the home department to the grocery aisle.
Hearty, stick to your ribs meals made from scratch while millions of fans watch Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, craft cozy foods with fascination.
That’s right, everything old is new again.
Take a look around locally and chances are you’ll discover your own examples here in DeKalb County. From the vibrant barn quilts hanging with pride on homesteads to the emerging windmills and solar farms generating energy. Sure, the windmills may look different than the old-fashioned kind, but the concept is still the same – an alternative source for energy.
How about the farm to table movement? Restaurants tout their locally sourced vegetables and proteins. Farms hold special invitation only dinners.
It’s uber-trendy right now but the reality is, our grandparents and the generations before them are the founders of this phenomenon. That’s right, Grandma, you were hip before it was a thing.
I spent hours with my Grandma in her farmhouse kitchen watching her peel piles of potatoes, usually using a paring knife with a seed company logo. She’d make batches of strawberry freezer jam or slice mounds of apples for sauce and pies.
Always a sprinkle of this, or a scoop of that. She didn’t make precise measurements that I ever remember. A tiny spoonful of simmering soup to adjust the seasoning.
And at lunch or dinner, there’d be a meal presented, usually incorporating pork raised on the farm with homemade applesauce… How about that – locally sourced!
So I guess you could say the more things change, the more they stay the same. Yes, technology and new techniques are always emerging. I’m thankful we have the generations before us to learn from. And then, we can do what my Grandma did – take a little of this and a little of that. Incorporate both old and new in these modern day times.
