Olivia Rowland, RN, and a core member of our team at Needed, sat down with Andrea Bemis—author of Let Them Eat Dirt: Homemade Baby Food to Nourish Your Family and founder of Tumbleweed Farm, to explore the benefits of raising children on organic land, the power of local food, and why a little dirt might be exactly what our kids need.
When Andrea talks about life on Tumbleweed Farm, the joy in her voice is unmistakable. As the owner of a six-acre vegetable farm in Parkdale, Oregon, and a mother of two young daughters, she’s cultivating a way of life that’s increasingly rare in today’s world. We spoke with her about the challenges and rewards of raising children on a working farm and how she’s inspiring the next generation of conscious eaters.
NEEDED: Tell us about yourself and what you do.
BEMIS: I'm a mom of two young girls, ages four and two. That's my primary role these days. My husband and I own and operate Tumbleweed Farm, a six-acre vegetable farm in Parkdale, Oregon. The farm is our primary income, and it's a full-time operation. We used to run it just the two of us, but now we have more of a crew since I'm with the kids more.
NEEDED: How do you balance running a farm with raising young children?
BEMIS: We do a bit of everything. The kids go to a nanny share, and we're part of a homeschool co-op. Some weeks I'm really involved in curriculum or activities, and other weeks I can step out while other moms are involved. It's flexible—sometimes it's drop-and-go, other times it's all hands on deck.
NEEDED: How has life on Tumbleweed Farm shaped your cooking philosophy for children?
BEMIS: It's evolving all the time. Cooking for toddlers is the most humbling experience! While I'm not good at very many things, I am good at cooking food for my kids, that's one thing I'll own. They've been my toughest critics, but it's been really fun.
What's really important to me is that they primarily eat food that's grown by us and people we know. I want them to have this community connection, knowing the meat is from friends of ours or people we know. They understand where their food comes from during meals, which is something I never had until adulthood. It's a really awesome privilege.
NEEDED: The phrase "let them eat dirt" resonates with many parents embracing a natural lifestyle. What does that phrase mean to you?
BEMIS: We live in such a clean world, everything is so clean. Especially with COVID, people got so scared of germs, bleaching their groceries. Even at the farmers market, if there's a little dirt on a carrot, I say "No, no this is good, it's actually probably healthier for you before you wash it."
I love dirt—to me, dirt and soil are just the foundation of health. My kids are dirty all the time. We are the dirty kids, dirt in their toes, their fingernails. And I love it. I think that's so healthy for them and so healthy for all kids. The more disinfected we've gotten, the more kids can get sick and their immune systems can be compromised.
NEEDED: What advice would you give to parents who feel they don't have time or energy to cook nutritious meals?
BEMIS: I talk about this in my kids' cookbook, focus on the FFPs: fat, fiber, protein at every meal so that blood sugar stays stable. If you're not in the mood to cook, that's fine, just focus on whole foods that don't come from a package. It could be cheese, meat sticks, fruits, hummus and carrot sticks.
It doesn't have to be a cooked meal. As long as you have these whole foods that you can deconstruct, whether it's beans, meat, veggie sticks, fruit sticks, and you're getting that fat, fiber, protein, it can be really simple. It could be avocado toast with a hard-boiled egg for dinner. That's actually a great nourishing meal that can be on the table in five minutes.
NEEDED: Any tips for getting kids involved in the kitchen?
BEMIS: My biggest tip is letting go of wanting the kitchen to not be a total disaster—because it will be, especially with young kids. I want my children to enjoy cooking, so I've had to let a lot of things go. My kids crack eggs and are learning about the hot stove. They've even burned themselves, but they've learned from these experiences.
It's really fun being in the kitchen with them, and now it's almost guaranteed they'll try something they've helped prepare. That's been great for getting them to experience new foods or foods they think they don't like. When we're chopping peppers or carrots, I try to show them and then let them do it, really trying my best not to go back and recut theirs. There's more pride when they know I didn't change their work.
NEEDED: Have your children gone through picky eating phases?
BEMIS: Yes, both have. My youngest developed a severe gluten allergy, so we've had to navigate having no gluten in the house, which is tough. We've stayed consistent with our approach this is dinner, and if they don't like it, they're always welcome to have carrot sticks. My kids always have carrots and milk as their "dessert" every night (though they can have real dessert too).
I believe in the "no thank you bite" they have to at least try the food. That's actually worked better than I expected, and often they end up liking it. Sometimes they don't, and that's okay too. Their picky phases have all been pretty short-lived.
NEEDED: Looking ahead, do you plan to stay at Tumbleweed Farm for the long term?
BEMIS: Yes, forever! We're not going anywhere. My kids will probably move to New York City and get into fashion who knows! But we're staying put. We're so blessed with our community here. I have to pinch myself, my kids have wonderful neighbor kids, and my husband and I have a really wonderful fellow farming and ranching community. I would love for them to eventually take over the farm or do something with it, but that will be their decision.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
