Who are the Peasants?
pea – sant n. from the French paisant “of the land” 1. A member of the class constituted by small farmers, tenants, sharecroppers; ex: “Ay, you bloody peasant you!” 2. A simple country person; ex: The peasant family crumbled hard tack into their stew and talked about the wind.
We are.
We are Todd and Julia McDonald. In a frantic spring of 2007, we moved from
the city of Chicago to a 20-acre farm just 50 miles south of downtown.
We bought a trailer, grew some vegetables, got married.
Manteno is a small town built around agriculture, a grain elevator, and a
railroad line. Maybe it is most famous for a its State Mental Hospital, a
now defunct compound which has since been remade into a lovely home and business
development.
You will know Manteno by the high-beam searchlight indicating the McDonalds
just off Interstate 57. Driving west, there is not much beyond flatness,
with corn and soybean fields sprawling for miles in all directions. Many
have signs for sale. Among these grain fields is one narrow plot with two
new starry-eyed homesteaders and a plan for a different kind of crop. 
TODD
It is true that “todd” translates to “death” in German, but Todd is much
more connected to life than to his namesake. He is the head grower and
does all of the planning, planting and plowing, among all other field tasks.
He has been driving from Chicago to Manteno for years to work on the land
that was his grandparents and build cabinetry in his woodshop. He is a
skateboarder and built a 32 ft. wide mini-ramp in the barn.
JULIA (me)
Julia met Todd many years ago. Her first conversation with him was
about his garden and his idea for an organic farm. Now, she shares
hisdream and is excited to build a community around the farm, to have a
rhubarb patch and eventually a fruitcake cellar. A massage therapist
and yoga enthusiast, she is much more of a hippie than she likes to admit. It
is important to note that “Julia” means “soft-haired,” “youthful,” and “vivacious.” She
has at least two pop songs written about her [name]. Contrary to popular
belief, she is not a vegetarian.
You are.
Just because a person might not live in a trailer and might not drink water
from a well, doesn’t mean that person can’t become a peasant.
There are three main ways to
JOIN THE PEASANTRY!
