A need to do something out of your own volition or out of reaction to a certain situation.

Who would farm with old methods of crop rotation and gentle aerating of the soil? Who would start a slower grinding stone mill? Who would bake in a stone oven to make bread in the slow time honored manner to extract maximum benefit out of the efforts of mother nature? Who would buy these products if they seem so much more expensive and sometimes "inconvenient"? The answer is enlightened farmers, millers and consumers.

They have the need to express their desires through what they do. It is a certain dedication to oneself to want to know, to choose and to commit to the "best practice" whether you are a technician, an artisan, or a mother.

The consumer is the vital link that allows these "old" methods to thrive because of their dedication to seeing success as a multi dimensional result.

These individuals are the new frontier of South Africa. They come from all walks of life. They are independent thinkers in an age of "mass-everything". Independent, yet they provide the diversity and true choices. They do the opposite of what is normal. They set their own rules of what is acceptable in terms of quality and outcome. It is very much the small farmers' independence speaking once again. Less labels, less authority, less standardization, less national. More honesty, more integrity, more trust, more local.

Having been around the globe and living through a generation I see the changes but also the repetition. I can see what will stay and what will go as a fad, at least in food. But as food is life it has become a metaphor for life in itself for me. It is not only daily physical sustenance it is a nurturing of the mind and the soul, a sharing, a communion of like-minded people.

Nature, its offerings, and the people who have become the custodians of the natural process have formed a circle that will become stronger as the masses fade away in their unconsciousness. Whether it is the active farmer, an conscientious producer, or the thoughtful buyer they are interdependent in the path of life towards sincere appreciation and joy.

(New Product: Eureka Rusks)

Eureka Meulens with the help of Nico Steyn and the initial effort of the Uys cousins is good work and best practice in motion. It improves as they go along. As we bake with the flour, as we give feedback, as the stones are adjusted and sifters tested, farmers are coaxed into better and "older" methods. Yes, the price will not go down by using natural methods, it will however enrich all of our lives, wherever you participate in your support of goodness.