The Hippie Farmer

First and foremost, we are a homestead.

Our animals have a purpose here.

Could I keep them all? Sure. But that’s how people end up with too many animals and not enough resources. Instead, ours get a really good life. Fresh pasture, sunshine, good food, lots of love, and the freedom to do what animals are meant to do.

Then they have one bad day.

And they nourish our family for months.

I was once a vegetarian. But raising my own meat changed my outlook completely. I know exactly how these animals lived, and that matters to me.

This year we raised 30 meat birds, we’re growing quail for meat, have 6 pigs headed for the freezer this winter, and 4 goats happily running around until their time comes. Now we’re just waiting for our 3 sheep to lamb any day!

This lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but it’s the one that feels right for us.

The age of AI is here.

And if I’m being honest… I don’t know how I feel about it.

A few years ago, the internet felt like a tool. A place to learn how to grow food, raise animals, build a garden, make soap, preserve harvests, and connect with people living a similar life.

Now?

We live in a world where we can’t even trust what we see anymore.

Photos aren’t always photos.
Videos aren’t always real.
Comments are bots.
Voices can be cloned.
Faces can be created.

We’re entering a time where truth itself feels negotiable.

Yes, social media helped small businesses like ours reach people we never would have met otherwise. For that, I’m grateful.

But if someone told me I could trade it all tomorrow and go back to a simpler world… a world of front porches, handwritten letters, neighbors talking over fences, and learning from the people around you instead of a screen…

I’d take that deal.

Because somewhere along the way, we stopped using technology and started living inside it.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned.

Maybe I’m just a farmer.

But I trust dirt under my fingernails more than I trust most things on the internet these days.

The garden is real.
The goats are real.
The work is real.
The seasons are real.

And in a world increasingly built on artificial everything, I think real is about to become the most valuable thing we have.

What’s your take? Are we moving forward… or losing something we can never get back?

Everyone keeps saying farmers just need to “adapt.”

Adapt to what exactly?

Feed costs up.
Hay costs up.
Fuel costs up.
Everything it takes to raise goats, chickens, pigs, and grow food keeps climbing.

Now they’re warning of drought conditions. So what does winter look like when hay is scarce and prices go through the roof? What happens when small farms can’t afford to feed their animals anymore?

This isn’t bad luck.

It’s a planned collapse, and most people don’t even see it.

The small family farms disappear first. Then local meat disappears. Then local eggs. Then local milk. Then you’re left depending on whoever controls the food supply.

People think food comes from a grocery store. It doesn’t. It comes from farmers who are hanging on by a thread.

The scary part?

By the time everyone notices what’s happening, it’ll already be too late.

Support your local farmers now… because once they’re gone, they’re not coming back.

Today marks 12 years of marriage for me and my husband. ❤️

He asked me if I wanted to do something special for our anniversary, and honestly… the thing I wanted most was to stay home.

Maybe that sounds boring to some people, but we spent years building a life that we don’t need a vacation from. A life filled with children, animals, fields, projects, chaos, laughter, and purpose. A life we genuinely love.

When we met almost 16 years ago, we wanted the same things. We loved our children (who are adults now!) and dreamed of growing our family even bigger. We talked about land, animals, homeschooling, gardens, and creating a simpler life. Back then it was just a dream.

Now I look around at these fields, these animals, and these little people we’ve been blessed to raise, and I realize we’re living the life we imagined.

Sundays are my favorite days. Slow mornings, chores together, kids running around, animals waiting for breakfast, and the feeling of being exactly where we’re supposed to be.

Each year somehow gets better than the last. I am grateful for this man, this farm, this family, and all of you who have supported us and shared this journey with us.

Here’s to 12 years… and next year is lucky number 13! Maybe we’ll have to throw a big anniversary bash and celebrate with everyone. 🎉❤️

Strawberry season is here… but have you seen the recent headlines about pesticide residues found on conventionally grown strawberries?

It’s one of those things that makes you stop and think.

We’ve become so used to having every fruit and vegetable available year-round that we’ve forgotten what it means to eat with the seasons. Strawberries in June. Apples in the fall. Stored root vegetables through the winter. That’s how food was meant to work.

Instead, many of us are buying berries shipped thousands of miles, grown with heavy chemical inputs, and wondering why our food system feels so disconnected.

Maybe the answer isn’t another label, another regulation, or another study.

Maybe the answer is right in our own backyards.

A small berry patch can feed your family for years. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries… once established, they keep giving. Kids can learn where food actually comes from. You know exactly what was sprayed (or not sprayed) on them. And nothing tastes better than a sun-warmed berry picked five minutes before it lands in your mouth.

The controversial part? We’ve normalized buying food from strangers while thinking growing our own food is strange.

Plant the berries.
Eat with the seasons.
Know your farmer.
Or better yet… become one.
Like Farmer Lui ✌️

🍓🌱

What a gorgeous day to get out and enjoy some fresh air! ☀️🌿

If you've been meaning to stock up on your favorite goat milk soaps, today is the perfect day to swing by the farm. And with mosquito season arriving in full force, don't forget to grab a bottle of our bug spray before your next evening outside! 🦟🚫

🍯 Honey is fully stocked and ready for your pantry.

🍇 We also have a limited number of Hemrod grape plants available! These sweet, seedless grapes are a wonderful addition to any backyard garden or homestead.

The Barn Store is open until 4 PM today. Come say hello, browse the shelves, and support your local family farm. We truly appreciate every visit and every purchase. ❤️

See you soon!

Criss-cross applesauce… now look up. 👀

Another day, another sky full of lines overhead. They tell us they’re just contrails. Maybe. Maybe not.

But am I the only one asking questions anymore? Why do some disappear while others spread out and linger for hours? Why does questioning anything automatically make you the crazy one?

We’ve been told for years to trust the experts, trust the science, trust the system. Yet more and more people are starting to realize that asking questions isn’t dangerous—it’s necessary.

Whether you believe they’re contrails, geoengineering, weather modification, or something else entirely, one thing is certain: paying attention isn’t a bad thing.

As for me, I’ll keep focusing on what I can control—clean food, clean water, healthy soil, sunshine, and supporting my body’s natural detoxification processes.

What’s your take? Are we seeing normal skies… or something more?

👇 Let’s hear it.

There is something sacred about little hands covered in dirt. 🌱

Today we planted zucchini and sunflower seeds with the kids. Tiny fingers making tiny holes in the soil, carefully dropping in seeds with big dreams attached to them. They may not remember every worksheet or lesson… but they will remember this. The feeling of earth between their fingers. The excitement of checking every morning to see what sprouted. Learning that food doesn’t come from a store shelf — it starts with patience, sunshine, water, and hard work.

Dirty hands. Bare feet. Seeds in the ground. Childhood the way it was meant to be. 💛

And maybe the greatest lesson of all… teaching little ones that growth takes time.

So apparently growing sweet potatoes is not as easy as Pinterest makes it look. 😂🥔

We started with FIVE organic store bought sweet potatoes thinking we were about to become professional sweet potato farmers. Fast forward to harvest season… and we successfully grew ONE sweet potato.

One.

Honestly at this point she deserves her own name and a protected status on the farm.

But instead we’ve now turned her into a sweet potato slip producer for this year’s garden. Sitting in a jar of water like the world’s most dramatic science experiment.

Apparently this is how you actually grow sweet potatoes… from slips. Who knew? Certainly not me😂

Homesteading is basically just failing publicly until eventually something works.

Here’s hoping this year we get at least TWO sweet potatoes. Dream big. 🌱

The potatoes are coming up and this year we went back to the old fashioned way… right in the ground. 🥔

We’ve tried the boxes. We’ve tried the fancy pots and containers. Some years they looked cute… but the harvest? Not always worth the hype. This year we decided to trust the soil, the seasons, and the way it’s been done for generations.

Now the green leaves are pushing through and it feels like real farming again.

We’re also hard at work getting the squash plot ready. And let me tell you… nothing beats good aged goat manure for feeding a field. Years of composted bedding, hay, and goat droppings turning into black gold for the garden. The plants absolutely love it.

People forget healthy food starts with healthy soil. You can’t fake nutrient dense food. It takes time, animals, compost, mess, and patience.

Here’s to dirty hands, rows of potatoes, sprawling squash vines, and another season of learning from the land. 🌱