Hello farm fans!  Happy Spring!  I am writing from the 20' x 30' garden of our home in Bethlehem.  This plot produces an amazing amount of food for such a little space.  It has alot of charm and biodiversity.  We have 2 compost piles that feed cats, dogs, birds, and mice.  The volunteer sunflowers are getting to be overwhelming. Need any?
    I have had a soul searching winter, finally admitting that farming with an infant by myself was too much for my health.  Now, that statement was tough to write.  More accurately, meeting the stress and demands of direct marketing and CSA was too hard on me.  Living outside with an infant was fine, we would nurse in the field, rest in the shade when necessary.  Picking and packing in the unending rain was what did me in, and then hauling baby and her gear to sit at markets did not help.  I came home utterly exhausted, burnt out truthfully.  It was hard explaining that to my mate, finding the words to tell him that it wasn't fun anymore. 
     We have decided to go to our farm twice a month as a family, work during the day and visit our wonderful friends at night.  It's tough to have your feet in two different states.  We're rewriting the business plan to reflect us as a family.  We somehow expected this dream to move faster.  All good things take time!!
    Last year was challenging-farming with an infant, too much rain, late swarming bees, recession.  We will persevere and build our dream homestead that will support our family.   It all takes time, and we're learning to enjoy the journey instead of just eyeing the finish line.   These two hares make quite a pair!

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion