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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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Housekeeping in the Barn
After yesterday’s rain everything came up green and sweet smelling. Rain really is the best water. And rain on the farm after a dry spell is a gift. I did not need to water the gardens so this left me time to get on with the barn. WaiWai in the Barn I took the tractor…
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The Sky has no Secrets
All day, yesterday, the clouds promised change. The skies are huge with information out here on the Midwest prairies. There is just SO MUCH sky. The sky has no secrets. The sky is sending us stories all day long. When I see these cirrus clouds breezing past I look for a change in the weather.…
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Fraud: This is NOT Me
I was chatting with my daughter in law in New Zealand this morning. She had found an account on the app called Telegram that looked like this – Well – I have not joined Telegram. (I use WhatsApp for my international free calling). My name does not look like that. (The dash is in the…
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Labor Day Cooking
The thistle fields baling is complete. Today when I am not cooking for the Labor Day gathering I will take the tractor and lift the bales where they have fallen and stack them into the two piles. This will be todays workout! Haymaking is great for the body. One of these bale castles will be…
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Tips for a Deluxe Tomato Paste
Tomato Conserva is a sauce rendered to the very essence of a sun ripened tomato. It is next level tomato paste and super easy to make. (Just choose a cool day because the oven will be on (low) for a few hours). Tomato Conserva is so special that I freeze it in jars so it…
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Raking Thistle Hay
If you grow a kitchen’s garden – a garden for your kitchen – you will know that this part of the year is busy. Your garden might be a raised bed in the backyard or a tiny corner out the front or in pot or on a windowsill. Or several gardens like here at The…
The Kitchen's Garden
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