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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
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Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig.
I am home again. As you can imagine it has been a busy day today. All the animals are present and accounted for except for a few of Houdinis chickens. TonTon has already forgotton I had been away. Mia (little ewe) was immediately at her special door waiting to come out and play. But the…
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Following a Mandarin through a massive Californian Packhouse
We are going to follow a mandarin today. We are going to visit a fruit packhouse, it is my last day in Central California. Nothing you will see is sustainable or organic and absolutely nothing is old fashioned. But interesting nevertheless. This packhouse packs the Cutie mandarins. Mostly I am interested in the architectural…
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Roast: Slow Roasted Lavender Lamb with a side of Joy
YES! The big day has arrived! We are going to slow roast some lamb. This roast will have three layers of bright joyful lavender notes. Almost provencal actually as I shall also add a little rosemary and garlic. I want the scent of the herb in each different prep step of the lamb. Each separate…
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What’s for dinner Mama? Fish?
Crostini, using home made rosemary bread, demanded something special, so tonight we are starting with ChgJohn’s Baked Brie with Caramelised Onions. This was just divine. The guests just woofed this down. ChgJohn told me to make TWO! Third Son is grilling Prime Rib on his customised grill which is a pretty jazzy affair! Because Company…
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Missing the Farmy
So we have gone in search of some animals. Central California has a few animals. This is not Daisy. City Horsies. I am sure that Hairy MacLairy would be more than happy to visit here though. This one is the best indication of the air quality out here. The valley has huge ranges on either side…
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Steak and Cheese Pie around the pool in the Californian Fall.
My son’s wife, who loves good food, has been patiently waiting for me to cook a Steak and Cheese Pie. There have been jokes about me using a steel glove in the kitchen from now on. So I sat by the pool for a while. Sitting by the pool in November! When I was feeling…
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