WELCOME!
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.
Join Us!
LATEST POSTS
-
Playing Snakes and Ladders: the real kind.
I don’t want to scare any of the people who are scared of snakes. So below is a nice benign image to begin. Though – The Fellowship is a pretty tough bunch after all these years. Quacker came shrieking over for some dinner yesterday evening. Still no sign of chicks. And it was while she…
-
Learning that Spans a Lifetime
One of the greatest flaws in humankind is the inability to concede that there will be no resolution. That we might not bring all our plans to fruition. That we are not actually in charge. We know this intellectually. But we don’t want to know this. We prefer not to acknowledge that at any moment…
-
Empty Nest Syndrome
Yes. The little bird has flown or rather the little birds have flown. Plural. Yesterday afternoon they were gone from their bread basket nest. I was sure that one kept flying close to my head as I worked in the evening. I fancied that it might have been Jonathan Livingston Swallow who I put back…
-
“Cycles: The Key to Environmental Harmony.”
How many of the patterns in your life are strongly circular and how many have you have been able to close. Here is a simple one. Our clothing is worn for as long as possible then it is cut up for rags then once those are worn through this thin worn out fabric goes in…
-
Hoses bomb the farm photos
Either a hose or a bucket. The hoses and buckets are the photo bombers on the farm. I am so used to seeing them strategically placed everywhere that I don’t notice until too late that there is either a hose or a bucket in so many of my shots. Homestead Farmers use lots of hoses…
-
An Underwhelming Outcome
I am sure you remember. The idea was that I would put a table and chairs out into the field and then the wheat would grow up around the table and chairs and I would sneak a table full of food and wine and take a photo. It seemed like a great idea at the…
The Kitchen's Garden
Sustainable. Self Sufficient. Loving the Land. Join Us!
Site Navigation
Letters To My Mother
Want more?
Join me on Substack where I tell stories of growing up in a different time, a simpler time, a time when all those sustainable tips we are relearning now were normal and ordinary.
Join us at The Sustainable Home:
Sign up to our monthly newsletter for tips on managing a sustainable home.
The Kitchen's Garden 