Every day the Barrera family who lives in Accokeek, Maryland, go out to check on their crop. Hacienda Barrera, as his business is called and which houses Glory Fieldsharvest a variety of vegetables, flowers, greens and honey.
Gloria Romano Barrera and her husband Josué Barrera started this venture naturally, with the intention at the beginning of being able to grow vegetables and fruits for their own consumption and over time, they noticed that it was healthier for their family to consume food that grew in their farm and not some processed food they bought at the supermarket.
“Our eldest son came home from school one day and his teacher told us that he apparently had an allergy to tomatoes, that seemed very strange to us, since he ate tomatoes from our garden without any problem.” That is when Gloria Romano and her husband realized that what caused the allergic reaction in her son was not the tomato itself, but the pesticides and other chemicals that tomato contained.
Shortly after, they took on the task of investigating a little more about the land, the area where they live, what can grow and what cannot, especially with the purpose of being able to provide better food for their family and friends.
“We had no experience, neither did I, nor did my husband. The only memory I have of farming is when we visited Mexico with my grandmother and grandfather. He worked in the alfalfa fields and my grandmother had animals. I remember using the sickle and they didn’t use any machinery,” says Gloria Barrera, who despite having a memory of how to harvest the land, did not know where to start and especially how to do it in a way that did not disturb the land or the environment. ambient.
She and her husband Josué Barrera learned over time, studying and rehearsing, they started with some fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes and lettuce and later they dared to grow tomatillos, pumpkin, cilantro, chiles, among others.
His most recent adventure has been honey, “I love harvesting honey, it’s really fun, it’s exciting because the bees are all around you and the honey tastes like silk. It’s amazing the way it comes out of the hives.” Indicates Joshua Barrera.
Barrera assures that although his closest family did not believe much in his initiative or purpose at the beginning, the same challenge encouraged them to continue, despite some bitter pills. “We’ve had a couple of experiences where people — and it’s been uncomfortable and empowering at the same time — ask my wife and I, who owns it? They have to guess or guess the full name of the Hacienda Barrera company. So if they see the Glory Fields, they don’t recognize it… That’s been a curious element that we’ve come across on multiple occasions.”
Part of the Barrera family’s motivation is to promote organic farming and care for the land, which is why they do not use heavy machinery, fertilizers or other products that disturb the land they plant. “We do not want to disturb the land and we are aware of erosion. We are aware of the worms under the ground. Part of the work we do with our hands, with our feet and we use the rake”, says Gloria Barrera to the Voice of America.
Josué and Gloria Barrera seek to use these ancestral teachings and techniques to plant crops and take care of the environment, teach that to their children and also send a message to the Hispanic community that they own their own farms, their own lands and can foster a sustainable cultivation that promotes healthy eating.
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