Legacy of the Land
My family’s land has been in the family for five generations and is located just inside Montgomery County outside of Tarrytown. In one of the last conversations my grandfather and I had before he passed away, he pointed out the window to a little piece of pasture on top of the hill and asked me to plant either pecan trees or pine trees on it. Growing up, my family would spend summers pickinga nd packing berries in the field all summer. Today, most of our family is no longer involved in agriculture, so I wanted to take this opportunity to get my generation involved. In January 2024, ten of my family members, my son included, will plant a tree to start a pecan orchard. The pasture we’ll plant is about 7 acres and sits adjacent to the old house my great-great-grandfather built. If we figure on having about 25 trees per acre, at our current family size and planting rate we can have an annual tradition for the next 17 years. My grandfather was a work harder, not smarter kind of guy, so to honor his memory, we’ll each dig our holes and plant our trees with shovels.
“My hope for this project is to build something to honor my grandfather and those before him and to create a place that will bring my generation and those to come a place to get together to work, reflect, and honor the legacy of our land.”