picture courtesy Sean Gallup / Getty Images Entertainment / Thinkstock
This month , hunky hunk Mr. Brad Pitt himself can be seen on the back ofWine Spectatormagazine , sport a chicken feed of his and Angelina Jolie ’s first vintage rosé made with grapes grow on theirChâteau Miravalestate in Provence , France . Now , I ’m a fan of wine that descend in all colors , vintage and promotional material ( do n’t strike hard the box seat ! ) , so I ’m not go to argue with the rave review made in major wine - industry publications — even if they were written by starry - eyed connoisseurs wiping Bradjolina - induced drivel from their chins . rather , I desire to focus on one quote … four childlike words … that are sending Internet gossipers in a fury of whispering :
“ I ’m a farmer now . ”
Pitt continues on to tell Wine Spectator that he “ get laid find out about the land ” and about all the things that go into turning grapes into vino : crop times , loot and acidity levels , the country of the weather condition . How precious …
A Farmer … Is That So?
The skeptics have already truly put pen to newspaper attempting to set the record straight . No , Pitt and Jolie have not given up their Hollywood career to dive point - on into vinery - tending . In fact , they ’ve partner with ( and belike intemperately swear on the noesis of ) legendary winemakerMarc Perrinto grow their worldly concern - renowned portmanteau .
I opine it ’s neat that Pitt is heavily involved in the wine - making cognitive process and learning about the ground he lives on at least part of the yr — we should all be so lucky — but do these things make him a farmer ? As Slate editorL.V. Anderson so dutifully points out , maybe not . She writes :
“ Farmers do n’t get to jet off to movie premieres and schedule in film shoot during grow time of year ; they ’re out in the fields every morning , no matter what , because the succeeder of this class ’s harvest is usually the difference of opinion between continue afloat and going belly-up . ”
Let’s Not Be Hasty
So my question is this : What exactly is a Fannie Merritt Farmer ?
It ’s a question self - proclaimed urban sodbuster have to ask of themselves and defend to the public all the sentence . Are thecity - based growerswho have to finaglecontraptions like thisfrom sky - ascent apartment buildings not considered farmers simply because they do n’t own res publica and are legally barred from keeping stock ? Do Farmer necessarily have to make money off their endeavor , or can you be considered a sodbuster simply because you ’re invested in work and taking fear of the nation — whether that ’s 400 square feet or 400 estate ?
Its seems , as Anderson writes , the preeminence between farmer and enthusiast is clear thinned , but I do n’t think it is . Many times , what makes you a granger is the spirit in which you are raising animals and growing craw — not your knowledge basis , source of income orsize of your plot . Maybe Pitt really is a farmer because he ’s adopted a real Passion of Christ for his land . I ca n’t argue with that — in the same vein , I ’m a Fannie Farmer because I ’ve dug up my suburban backyard to get the plants that nourish me and my family . But maybe Pitt ’s simply relishing in the discharge of tension that time in the country allows — in which causa , his agrarian profession could be call off into inquiry . That , however , is something for Pitt to settle and for us not to judge .
Your Turn to Weigh In
OK , readers , I ’m move to throw the ball into your court : What exactly is a sodbuster ? What are you doing on your metropolis farm that could legitimize your title ?
Go ahead and claim the “ Fannie Merritt Farmer ” deed . These article will facilitate :
