Where did the Hungry Turtle name emanate?
First, snapping turtles in the Apple River come up in early June and lay eggs on the farm far away from the river bank. It is the river bank nests that suffer the greatest predation by raccoons. Often mother turtles are seen along the garden edge or the edge of the gravel driveway laying their eggs. Then on a warm and rainy day in August, baby turtles are seen crossing the grass, pasture and driveways heading toward the river. The babies somehow know which way to go.
More mature turtles are seen happily sunning themselves on rocks and shorelines when canoeing or tubing on the river. And, occasionally, mating in the river. The turtles are ubiquitous but a person has to be looking for them.
The turtle was also of interest because they are depicted in many indigenous creation myths as being the first creature to drop from the sky when Earth was unformed and covered by water. The turtle carries its home on its back and when they landed, according to different versions, that allowed other creatures to live on dry ground.
So, it is often thought of as the first creature on Earth, and they are indeed, very old beings, if not prehistoric. Also, Gary Snyder, the California poet has an entire constellation of poems called Turtle Island, which is an indigenous name for North America, the continent.
We, too, have high hopes for this continent.
In the story of the turtle and the hare, the turtle wins the race by being slow but steady. That kind of was our hope for the local food movement, that farmers would repopulate the land. Regenerating the land after heavy chemical, mono-crop farming will take a sea of turtles who are in it for the long run.
And, of course, it’s just a funny image since turtles do move kind of slow -- to think how they would eat when they are hungry. However, when you see a turtle on land crawling really slow, and if you look away just for a second and then back, the turtle is gone. Turtles are kind of magic that way. But as funny as the image is, hunger is an important motivator in the history of mankind. Hunger for change, hunger for justice, hunger for good food — we won’t get anywhere without hunger. Hunger is likely the most compelling agent of change in human history, and indeed, evolution itself. We do have a deep hunger to be fed, nourished, taken care of and thus, the deeper aspects of thinking about food and how our innate “hunger” for things is a driver of action, for all creatures.
Anyway, the name Hungry Turtle has a nice range of resonances from the sublime, to the profound, to the everyday, to the comical. We hope Hungry Turtle lasts a long time as it continues to do good work.
We had three main reasons to start Red Barn Events on the beautiful and spacious Hungry Turtle Farm.
One of our biggest wants was the ability to share the beautiful landscape with folks who might not get to expierence the quiet and vast land that is common in rural areas. The Apple River passes right through our 60 acre lot, bringing trout, various indigionus reptiles, beavers, muskrats, deer and all kinds of plant life right to our back yard.
We believe sharing the knowledge of these local flora and fauna is important for the preservation of our local wild species. As our world continues to grow and expand, creeping into acers of wooded land and grasslands, keeping areas preserved is a top priority. People from all walks of life can come and see the beautiful purple flocks that grown on the river side, or hike our trails in the fall and see white tail deer, birds and small mammals in their natural habitat.
Opening up our farm to people lets them share their special moments with the land. Creating happy memories for years to come, and we love being part of that.