Vegetable farming in Alaska is fast and furious. From the cold, possibly snowy days of spring to the nearly 24 hour sunshine of the summer solstice to the cold, possibly snowy days of early fall, farmers are going, going, going. The face of a burnt out farmer is a familiar one around here come the end of September.
I recently realized that the vegetable farming season is structured much like a good Shakespearean drama Continue reading
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
My how that little girl has grown and so pretty too. Glad you will have a chance to get some rest now. I know how hard you work. My daughter in law works for the local Experiment station here in Virginia and she also is a laborer in the fields. She loves her job. But is hard work and she get very tired. But oh so much satisfaction. I’m send hugs to you and your family. sincerely Juanita from Eastern Virginia
Alex, I love your stories, your descriptions and most importantly, the pictures of your adorable little girl. She is precious. Stay warm.
Really enjoy reading Alex’s blogs. I have visited Alaska in summer. Hope winter isn’t too bad this year.
Are you ready for this one? It was 97! yep 97! where I abide, which I am grateful for because it wasn’t over 100!!! We are so excited around here because next week it will be in the high to mid 80’s…woooohoooo! Can’t wait! The nut ranchers (that’s farm anyplace else I’ve lived!) are done with their 24/7 harvesting and the dust is about to settle. But alas, new plantings for corn, hay, etc., are already being prepared to plant. I am still amazed at the farming that happens here in California. I remember the first year I was here buying fresh strawberries for Christmas dinner….amazing! I love the changing seasons…as long as I don’t have to experience winter! So young lady, bless you and yours for your love of farming and tolerance for that cold stuff. As for me and mine, yeaaaa for sunshine.
You sure have a short season! Beautiful baby,too. It’s been a very, very hot summer here in Grants Pass, OR and it’s continued into October. At least it’s not in the 90’s, but it’s been quite warm and dry except for one brief rain storm. Next week is supposed to bring more rain and we’re all quite ready for it. My corn is long gone, tomatillos were finished a couple of weeks ago and the tomatoes are waning. My beans did not do well this year, so I’m harvesting all I can after they dry and saving them to plant next year in more ideal locations. The squash were done long ago. I have bok choy and swiss chard that is doing well for winter. I have to force myself to get out and water because I’m just SO done with that…and fire danger is still looming until we get some steady rains. I’m on a well here and it seems to still have plenty of water, but I don’t want to risk it. My boyfriend has been harvesting anjou pears and figs. I’ve been making dried pears, pear butter, canned pears, and fig and pear preserves. There are still tons of pears on his tree, so I’m waiting for another delivery and we’ll probably call it quits before all the fruit is used. In for a major pruning this winter! Thanks for your blog. I always enjoy it!
Alex, I have family in Alaska and have been there many, many times. So I could really understand this post. I have never seen such BEAUTIFUL rhubarb as I’ve seen at my sister-in-laws Alaska home!!! But I’ve also never been so cold anywhere as I was there. That wind blowing off the icy inlet. Oh my word, it was cold! 🙂 It’s a gorgeous place that is NOT meant for wimps! And you my friend, are not a wimp! Loved this post. – Dori, your fellow Farmgirl blogger – 🙂
Love your blogs, and the picts of you and the little one….gasp, choke…working OUTSIDE together!! My friends all thought I was horrible and nuts to have my kids out hiking, in the gardens, working sheep and cows in all weather. And awesome adults they have grown to be, as I’m sure that little girl of yours will be! So much of the work we do for the love of it is hard, dirty, and discouraging at times…something as simple as a hot shower or cup of tea makes all the difference and lets us reflect on why we do what we do. Carry on!
Your daughter is just so cute. Aren’t babies wonderful? Fall is coming in at full speed ahead although today it is quite warm. A goodly amount of leaves have already been composted. I planted garlic earlier this afternoon – some cloves from this season’s garlic harvest from my garden as well as a grab bag of an unlabeled mixture I purchased at the Mother Earth News Fair. I also picked some of the remaining eggplants, tomatoes, and yellow squash in the garden to make ratatouille soup. Everything in the soup except the olive oil and salt are from my suburban backyard. Looking forward to eating a bowl of it tonight for supper accompanied by a slice of homemade bread from the freezer. An aside – the zucchini and yellow squash plants are still putting out blooms and squash. Never, ever have I had summer squashe go this late in the season. (Mid Oct. here in Central Ohio) Just a tad weary of them and so are my neighbors. 🙂 The freezer is full of grated zucchini for winter use and there are many jars of dried zucchini chips. Memo to self – be thankful for abundance. Enjoy the winter break from your tasks on the farm. A time to recharge internal batteries even if it is cold and dark.
Clean-up is my fall thing. Can’t really think after seeing you and your most precious helper – yes I do think she helps you keep that beautiful smile going. Thanks for sharing.
I remember those days working on a farm…..couldn’t wait for the sun to go down and we could go back to the farm house, get the dirt wahed off and food in our bellies. How dry my hands were and he sore my legs and arms felt! And still having to go out in the dark to get buckets of milk to start churning for the evening butter. Such was not fun! But hard work for a teenager, but it instilled in me so many things ….especially gardening for my later years. My family went every summer and my suster and I stayed the whole summer and for several years before I realized it was More hard work than fun…but it was nice getting Paid……it was my first real job. But wouldn’t change a thing from those learning days. It instilled in me the love of seeing things GROW.