My husband and I have become intrigued with “Farmer Wants a Wife,” a new television series aimed at matching four farmers in Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee with potential spouses.
In the first episode, the men were each introduced to five gorgeous women — most from large cities — who expressed interest in finding a husband and living a rural lifestyle. After several weeks of getting to know the beauties, the farmers’ job is to finally find “the one.”
Over the next episodes, the young ladies have been thrown into rural life with a vengeance, feeding livestock, building fences and helping vaccinate cows. The point, of course, is to see who is the most compatible with her chosen cowboy and his way of life.
All the women look adorable as they muck stalls in short shorts and white tennis shoes or attend a cattle sale in a low-cut sundress. At the end of Episode 8, however, I realized something. In spite of the romantic conversations and toasting wine glasses on the tailgate of a truck, I have yet to hear one farmer ask: “Can you cook?”
I know a little about this, since we live on a ranch with cows and horses. Feeding hungry people who come out throughout the year to help us with the endless care for the critters is a big part of this life.
Not that we haven’t had our share of moonlight dinners. But when neighbors show up at dawn to help us gather cows, they really appreciate it if someone has made homemade breakfast burritos and plenty of hot coffee. After that, no one takes a break until all the work is finished.
That’s why we supply a cooler full of water and sports drinks for our workers. And later, we thank our neighbors with a meal and a place to sit and relax.
My husband cooks, too. But most of the time, I’d rather he be the one loading feed sacks or facing down a mean cow while I buy groceries and tend to the food.
But I digress. This week’s episode had one lady upset that her dream cowboy did not tell her how beautiful she was while they were canoeing down the river. Meanwhile, I get all giddy when someone compliments my corn casserole.
Feeding friends and neighbors is so commonplace in agricultural communities that some farm families have compiled their favorite recipes into cookbooks. A couple of my favorites: “Cowgirl Up in the Kitchen” by Cowgirls of the West Inc. of Cheyenne, Wyoming (out of print but sporadically available from resellers on eBay and Amazon), and “Let’s Go Brandin’: Recipes for Farming & Ranching Crews” by DJ Anderson (currently out of print but second edition is expected fall of 2023).
All this to say, if any of you darling young ladies dreams of living with your cowboy 50 miles from the nearest Starbucks, remember this: Even the simplest meal, thoughtfully prepared and served to others, can be one of the most loving gestures any of us can give or receive.
Barbara Intermill is a registered dietitian nutritionist and syndicated columnist. She is the author of “Quinn-Essential Nutrition: The Uncomplicated Science of Eating.” Email her at [email protected].
