First Blog...What to expect!

I'm finally taking the plunge!  Since having our (the farm's) first web-site built and launched recently, I've danced around it enough, and decided it was time to start writing about this life I stumbled into and love. I don't claim to be a "lifestyle expert", "food expert" or any of the other catchy phrases I see attached to self proclaimed experts of food,lifestyle, and media.  I am however, authentic, and merely want to share what knowledge I have gained, mostly from the time I moved onto the farm, and our experiences, sometimes very funny.  Some days you could just not make up what happens on the farm, and my friends have often encouraged me to write about it...so here I am! I will be blogging about happenings on the farm, the "haycation" homes, where they come from, and the people we meet through hosting their stays on the farm,  food (I love to cook), I am self taught, no formal culinary background.  However, I have a reputation for baking and making some pretty kick ass food and desserts, so I want to share some of that with anyone who is interested. I will be posting recipes for not only our meat customers, but anyone else you wants to learn how to say, make a roast 101, gravy, pie dough etc...the basics and then some. We try to waste little (that's where the frugality part comes in), whether it's in a meal we made (say, a roast, and then planning meals for the next few days eating it up), or in the butchering of an animal, and eating as much of it as we can, with little being wasted, hence oxtail and cheek meat stew!  We raise pork, beef and lamb for meat sales, as you can see from the site.  Jay will be sharing some of what he does now and again, care and feeding of the animals, what is involved in butcher day, chasing animals off a neighbor's lawn and getting them back home, fence repairing (after afore mentioned wandering animal gathering), and just general farming knowledge that he has learned in his 57 years (his lifetime) of living and farming on this very farm. That in itself is so unusual these days and people are always intrigued to hear the story~about this beautiful farm his father bought in 1949 and his parents grew to be one of the most well respected diaries in the area until the year 2000, when they stopped dairying.  We started "bringing back the farm" in the year 2008 and we haven't stopped!  I like to think that people are wanting to live a simpler life, get back to basics and my hope is that in sharing our stories, will be not only just fun to read, but hopefully encouraging others, who are looking to start raising their own animals, raise a garden,start a farm, or just want to experience farm life vicariously through us! I always say when marketing the farm for "haycation stays", come to the farm to disconnect and reconnect! I hope you enjoy my future blogs and you find them at times entertaining, useful and fun to read. I feel like a live in a little slice of heaven on earth and want to share it with you!  I finally know the saying is true..."do what you love and it won't feel like work"! So true!