Who says big is better? :)
As Elbert Hubbard stated in one of the most helpful quotes ever, a positive anything is better than a negative nothing. Instead of waiting on the perfect means, perfect location, perfect audience or perfect timing, please join me in eschewing similarly debilitating and perfectionistic mindsets that keep us from taking fun little baby steps toward larger goals!
Figuring out how to best steward our land has been a challenge. It's enough acreage to be useful and do several kinds of something with, but not enough for large scale production. We enjoy two largish gardens, a small orchard and a dedicated pasture. Because of the established, mature nature of the property, you don't want to go mucking up what already exists. We've settled in with chickens, rabbits, bees and a small flock of Icelandic sheep accompanied by a one-eyed, bearded lady goat. (She's WAY prettier than she sounds.) We continue to enjoy experimenting with a variety of vegetables and folkloric medicinal herbs, while learning to grow things in ways that honor nature and human health.
Instead of committing time and money to a booth at one of the many awesome farmer's markets in Benton or Polk counties, we decided to just use what we have where we already have it. A teeny, tiny stand on the road where we live! Two of our lovely daughters helped repaint a sign we found hidden in the woodshed, and I think it looks just right. It's very first day up, one of our wonderful neighbors stopped by with encouragement and a couple of dollars to spend. Success!
We're also discovering how useful Craigslist is to small production farmers like ourselves. Posting ads for what's currently available is a very convenient and inexpensive way to make products available to others. (The Jersey boys were also successfully relocated to forever homes with the help of Craigslist. ) Pear sales are wrapping up, with apple and tomato crops rapidly approaching harvest. We've enjoyed sharing our homegrown goodies with neighbors and the local community of home canners and food preservers who aren't able to grow and harvest their own fruits and veggies. In coming months we'll also offer a variety of dried herbs and fiber products. We're finding our niche!
Thanks for visiting our site. We hope you enjoy this update on our farm and how we're serving the local community. Please continue to check back and please, please continue to be patient while we learn to use this site more effectively. We especially hope to add useful information to the blog page, even if it's just linking to outside pages we think are particularly helpful. We have learned so much, and still look forward to sharing it with others as time permits. Meanwhile, if you live in the Corvallis, Monmouth or Albany areas and are interested in pears, apples or tomatoes, please use the contact button above and we'll keep you informed of availability.
No matter where you are, if you don't mind, will you please take a moment to like us on Facebook? Thanks, and God bless!
As Elbert Hubbard stated in one of the most helpful quotes ever, a positive anything is better than a negative nothing. Instead of waiting on the perfect means, perfect location, perfect audience or perfect timing, please join me in eschewing similarly debilitating and perfectionistic mindsets that keep us from taking fun little baby steps toward larger goals!
Figuring out how to best steward our land has been a challenge. It's enough acreage to be useful and do several kinds of something with, but not enough for large scale production. We enjoy two largish gardens, a small orchard and a dedicated pasture. Because of the established, mature nature of the property, you don't want to go mucking up what already exists. We've settled in with chickens, rabbits, bees and a small flock of Icelandic sheep accompanied by a one-eyed, bearded lady goat. (She's WAY prettier than she sounds.) We continue to enjoy experimenting with a variety of vegetables and folkloric medicinal herbs, while learning to grow things in ways that honor nature and human health.
Instead of committing time and money to a booth at one of the many awesome farmer's markets in Benton or Polk counties, we decided to just use what we have where we already have it. A teeny, tiny stand on the road where we live! Two of our lovely daughters helped repaint a sign we found hidden in the woodshed, and I think it looks just right. It's very first day up, one of our wonderful neighbors stopped by with encouragement and a couple of dollars to spend. Success!
We're also discovering how useful Craigslist is to small production farmers like ourselves. Posting ads for what's currently available is a very convenient and inexpensive way to make products available to others. (The Jersey boys were also successfully relocated to forever homes with the help of Craigslist. ) Pear sales are wrapping up, with apple and tomato crops rapidly approaching harvest. We've enjoyed sharing our homegrown goodies with neighbors and the local community of home canners and food preservers who aren't able to grow and harvest their own fruits and veggies. In coming months we'll also offer a variety of dried herbs and fiber products. We're finding our niche!
Thanks for visiting our site. We hope you enjoy this update on our farm and how we're serving the local community. Please continue to check back and please, please continue to be patient while we learn to use this site more effectively. We especially hope to add useful information to the blog page, even if it's just linking to outside pages we think are particularly helpful. We have learned so much, and still look forward to sharing it with others as time permits. Meanwhile, if you live in the Corvallis, Monmouth or Albany areas and are interested in pears, apples or tomatoes, please use the contact button above and we'll keep you informed of availability.
No matter where you are, if you don't mind, will you please take a moment to like us on Facebook? Thanks, and God bless!