Chattanooga Pulse

Written by Mary Duffy
Wednesday, 29 October 2008 18:55
A visit to Spring City’s Broadened Horizons Organic Farm

I think it’s probably already clear that doing it yourself, making it from scratch, getting it for free, and giving something back are all important ways in which we work to preserve the resources at our disposal. It’s very seldom that I see anyone who’s really put this aesthetic, these ideals, into practice.

Last weekend I visited with Leaf Myczack and his wife, Cielo Hodson, at their farm and homestead, Broadened Horizons Organic Farm, just north of Spring City. I carpooled with a friend who was interested to see the place, and I figured it would be well worth the fossil fuel expenditure to check it out. Leaf was gracious enough to give me a tour of the farm, tell me some of his plans for future projects, and talk about how they live off the land. He has a relentless energy and excitement about the farm.

I’d heard about Leaf and Cielo before. They were the RiverKeepers of the Tennessee River. Patrolling on a sailboat with 84 square feet of living space, they were investigating the health of the water of the Tennessee for 15 years before returning to the land. Now they have 11 acres of farmland which provides almost all the food and a good bit of the energy they need to keep themselves going.