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I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.

My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.

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LATEST POSTS


  • The North Garden

    The North Garden

    Just as I cooked up the last of the frozen tomatoes into a scorched pasta sauce, (I was Kitchen Mama yesterday) Ellie and Alex  began to plant the first of the tomatoes for  this winters batch of sauce. Any extras we will sell at the farmers market or to the restaurants. The best time to plant…

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  • Night Renders

    Night Renders

    Waking up from a dead sleep, washing my face then throwing myself straight into writing the farm journal has an interesting challenge. When I awake I am full of the plans of the day to come. I am not naturally retrospective in the morning.  My natural inclination (and I am sure I m not alone…

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  • Sunday

    Sunday

    Saturdays and Sundays. Are very busy days. But never too busy for an inquisitive piglet with a dirty face and pink fairy shaped ears. Have a lovely day. celi  

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  • Lilacs for scent

    Lilacs for scent

    In the olden days – I love that expression, ‘olden days’ –  they used to plant Lilacs around the old Long Drop. The outside toilet or the dunny – my favourite name. The lilacs were an olden day air freshener. Our gardens are heaving with the scents of lilac at this time off year but no outside…

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  • The Vet Bet

    The Vet Bet

    If I were a betting man, the vet said, putting his head to one side then to the other studying Lady Astors belly and crinkly udder – I would say she was not pregnant.  She is wide enough, he said,  but that udder should be moving by now. He had an emergency to get to though…

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  • 100 cabbages

    100 cabbages

    Yesterday we planted out 100 cabbages in the cows garden.  (There are 100 more in the glasshouse and 100 more to sow). Today fifty pepper plants of different varieties will follow – the peppers are not for the cows,  they are for the Farmers Market market. Roxanne is having trouble adjusting to the high protein pasture…

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