ag·ri·cul·ture

/ˈaɡrəˌkəlCHər/

noun

1. the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

I grew up in a city. A rather uninspiring and unsafe part of the city to be exact. In spite of, or maybe because of this, I have always been fascinated by growing things and farm life. Daydreaming about riding horses through an open field early in the morning was common. Three years ago, I moved into an old farmhouse in a suburban area, and it inspires me every single day.

Back in the early stages of my home (early 1900s), it was a working fruit farm. I heard an amazing story of someone in my family plucking chickens at this very farm the day before their wedding. Over time it was partitioned and sold down to the landlocked 2.5 acres it is today, surrounded by developments. While this makes me a little sad, it certainly didn’t deter me from diving headlong into “farm” life. These are the things that get me excited on my little homestead:

• Hybrid Lilies: I have always been fascinated with lilies and I have used the past three years to cultivate and explore multiple varieties and colors that bring me joy all spring and summer. The cross-over colors are some of the most stunning I have seen and they have given me some incredible pictures that inspire me all year long.
• Fruit Trees: Since the farm was a working fruit farm at one time, I am slowly restoring its glory. Two Macintosh apples, two Bartlett/D’Anjou pears, and one Edwardian dwarf peach are being nurtured through their second season and will hopefully produce next year. I also planted blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It would be great to use the canning kitchen in the garage for something other than maple syrup.
• Maple Syrup: The farm has over 30 maple trees. I was grateful to learn how to make maple syrup two years ago and now it is my winter hobby. I will talk about this more later because it is awesome enough for its own post (and its own business!).
• Herbs: I put in an amazing herb garden in the side yard that I am using to fill my spice rack. The property is covered in Lemon Balm, so I am trying new ways of using it in desserts.
• Vegetable Garden: In the year of COVID we all had a little extra time at home. I was finally able to get my vegetable garden in. Just look at this masterpiece! Beautiful but sturdy enough to make it through the winter and keep the deer/rabbits out. It produced great in its first year, and I am looking forward to trying some funky crops from seed next year. The goal is to hook it up to the old well on the property and add some irrigation next year and put in my own oversized pumpkin patch (we will talk about my Halloween obsession later!).
• And more? The worst-kept secrets in my home are how much I love to ride around on the old tractor and how badly I want chickens. Since the old chicken coop was converted into a storage/gym space, I would need to build a new coop. Shouldn’t be too hard right?