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2 TheThe South Marysburgh MirrorMirror Grow Your Own By Sarah Moran Collier and Nancy Butler This installment of Grow  Your  Own is in memory of George Ackerman, who died in August of 2014, at the age of ninety-two. He spent his en(cid:415)re life in this commu- nity, first at the Royal Street farm his father and mother owned, then at the Bond Road farm he bought from his grandfather, Hazelton Sloane Ackerman. George was a gentle man, kind, smart, and gen- erous, and it was a privilege to have known him. I met him when he was working in his sugar bush, just outside Milford. I was trespassing, yet he was polite, taking the (cid:415)me to say hello and chat. He would have been in his eigh(cid:415)es at that point, long re(cid:415)red from his work as the dairy herd supervisor for Prince Edward County. He seemed much younger than his years, happy spli(cid:427)ng wood, checking his sap lines, hauling the sap to the sugar shack for boiling in steel ke(cid:425)les. I eventually asked George if he would tell me about his life in agriculture, about his childhood on Royal Street, about his family farm on the Bond Road, about anything he cared to talk about. He generously agreed to let me record our conversa(cid:415)ons. So in 2011 we sat down in his living room and began our first interview. It was informal, and I didn't know very much about farming or the history of agricul- ture in South Marysburgh. Our conversa(cid:415)on was a col- labora(cid:415)ve effort, with me straining to ask intelligent ques(cid:415)ons about farming, and George guiding me to top- ics and themes relevant to agriculture and to local histo- ry. That first day we laid the groundwork for subsequent conversa(cid:415)ons, more general discussions touching on some of the changes in farming prac(cid:415)ces, on the eco- nomics of farming, and new trends in agriculture. George knew his history; his memory of past events and situa(cid:415)ons was sharp and detailed, his descrip(cid:415)ons evoc- a(cid:415)ve and astute. But he didn't live in the past, and didn't roman(cid:415)cize it. He was very informed about farming in general; he knew what was current, about new develop- ments in agriculture, new issues. George talked about the past in a way that illu- minated vividly how much has changed. He showed me how different life was by focusing on crucial details, small, telling facts that condensed the broader changes. For instance, he recalled that the year he and Ruth were married (1947), their total monthly grocery bill was $5.00. The only staples they purchased were sugar and salt, everything else came from their own farm, or was traded for with neighbours. It's a shock to realize how recently Prince Edward County farm families produced almost all of their own food. Over the course of our conversa(cid:415)ons I gained an apprecia(cid:415)on of how farming shaped every aspect of a family's work and social life, and how the dras(cid:415)c Visiting the County in August? Join us for lunch or dinner! - Lindsay & Angela Wednesday to Sunday Bistro Hours Lunch from 11:30 to 3:00 p.m. Dinner from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. (Sunday dinner from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.) Reservations recommended We offer a selection of local and imported wines and are proud to support local farmers and suppliers. The Bistro's outdoor patio is now open! The Milford Bistro & Gallery 3048 County Road 10 Milford, Ontario 613.476.0004 Read The Mirror on-line and in colour at www.southmarysburghmirror.com changes in agriculture brought by technology and science created broad social change. Most importantly, I came to realize how special George Ackerman was. I'm grateful I knew him, even though it was for a rela(cid:415)vely short (cid:415)me. He was a model neighbour and a wonderful man.