As I settled in my Seminole Trails apartment, the first Sunday Hugh Catts, one of my mentors in FCRR offered an outing to me, a long drive to the farms of Florida that keep open during weekends for tourists. As planned Hugh and Susan came at 2 pm, picked me and on the way made sure I bought some green chilies (serrano chilly that is close to our green chilly) and similar stuff that I was missing from the day I started cooking in the US.
Nestled in the serene countryside, the farmhouse offered a secluded yet comforting retreat. Life was slowly turning back to normal, after COVID and it was evident as friends gathered once again, sharing laughter and stories that had been stifled by distance for too long. The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers, and the gentle rustle of leaves added a soothing soundtrack to people once again meeting. It was a time to reconnect, not just with each other, but with the simpler joys of life that we had almost forgotten.
Florida combines two of its largest industries as agritourism. It allows farmers to open their farms to tourists for education and entertainment. While doing so it targets agricultural production and marketing. Opening of farmhouse is a business idea where the agriculturists let the general public walk through the farm land, buy farm products, expose to the country side cuisine. Families in huge numbers get attracted to these tourist places as children get to run around and play and learn about the living in villages, growing of food crops, get first-hand experience on poultry, dairy and similar stuff. Agriculture is getting tougher as cost of production is raising and it is hard for the farmers to maintain the farm. Agritourism is a source of income for them by selling farm fresh products which the visitors are ready to pay because of its freshness and taste. We can walk through the farm, pluck fruits and vegetables, pay for it and walk out. Orange orchard sells fresh orange juice in plenty of variety that is priced as per the goodness in it. With sugar, without sugar, with pulp, without pulp, in large and small cups are sold. Lots of variety of dry fruits and fruit jelly, jam, sauce are also sold in the counters. Traditional art forms are exhibited with its detailed history. All are organised in such a way that it is attractive and easy to shop. Workers of the orchard stay in the counter and explain the food processing with technology support. We treated ourselves with the richness of fresh orange juice from the counters in the orange orchard visit. In the series of farm visits, we stopped over by the vegetable garden with poultry where the German origin couple bake fresh bread and make delicious sandwiches with fresh tomatoes and eggs that was a treat! We landed in their farm as Susan was their regular customer buying the delicious bread they sell in the Tallahassee farmers market every Saturday.
Exploring the farmhouse and its surroundings introduced me to the rich flora of the land and also to the culture of the area. I saw from close angle the Spanish moss hanging off from huge trees, the commonly found epiphytic herb in Florida. I tried to learn about the regional cuisine and tried my hand at traditional crafts. The experience was immersive and enlightening, allowing me to appreciate a different way of life that had been quietly enduring the pandemic’s storm. It was a reminder of the resilience of communities and the beauty of human connections, even in the most isolated of places.
On our way back stopped at Hugh’s beautiful mansion that is decorated with care in every corner. Showed with enthusiasm the decorative art pieces that he had picked from Delhi and Bhubaneswar. The garden and the lawn display the classy taste that Susan and Hugh have. Be it Indian cuisine or American life style knowing the best of it, they relish each bit of it.
It was a pleasure to be with Hugh as I had seen the enthusiasm in him in wherever he goes. He makes me embark on my learning journey with similar eagerness to learn and to give back. It was a privilege as well as prestige to be able to be in the guidance of scholars of that potential not just in the academic front but in simpler acts of daily life. It is a rare opportunity to spend long hours with Hugh the language scientist of global repute. We talk of schools in India, the distinct cultural milieu of our countries and its impact on child language development, method of teaching reading in the early school years, teacher education and availability of language assessment tools. Indian food and easy recipe will always be part of our conversation only next to the topic of learning to read and write!!