At Taproot our calendar year starts on March 9. Why? Because that is our farm anniversary! 3 years ago we began this adventure- the house was almost finished, but we really had no idea where this would all lead us.
Keeping the larder full
Today, as we enter our 4th spring, our farm vision is becoming much more clear.We moved out here thinking it would be a place simply for relaxation and recreation, but very quickly that part-time idea evaporated and we decided to make it our permanent home.
Our dream is to create a more self-sufficient homestead- providing almost all the food we eat; a good portion of our household energy, all the while being much better stewards of the environment. A bonus has been discovering a vibrant community of like-minded people who share our passion for a sustainable life- we are learning so much from them! We feel lucky to be part of a community that works hard, questions conventional assumptions and doesn’t take itself too seriously (we laugh a lot!)
The warm winter gave us a jump-start on this year’s farm plans:
Setting the posts
Tim finished fencing 1/2 of our front hayfield. We are going to start a rotational pasture system where we move the animals from paddock to paddock in order to keep them on fresh grass and allow the grasses to recover between grazings. Click here for the before and after photos.
Baby Mamie's first day on the farm
We introduced a new ram to our ewes in December and we are pretty confident that all 3 are pregnant which would mean baby lambs in May! The ram’s name is G.W. (after the 1st president- not the 43rd), but we call him “little man”. With all the new fenced-in pasture we decided to add one more ewe lamb to the flock. We picked her up from Church View farm in early March- just 8 weeks old. She’ll be called Mamie to continue the First Lady theme. She’s a beauty!
Last year’s big project was our straw bale and cob artist cottage, Querencia, and we’re happy to say it is about 85% complete. With a water-proof lime exterior and cute little woodstove, it weathered the winter beautifully. Some of Beth’s talented friends are giving the cottage personality by sewing cushions, arranging furniture and painting the cupola. Just a couple more workshops to go- Natural Interior Paints on Saturday, April 28 and Finish Adobe Floor on Saturday June 9. Come join us for the fun!
Click here for some photos of the most recent cottage updates.
Querencia with her healthy green roof
Tim and Beth,
Hey ya’ll. Querencia is beautiful! I love the floor in the foyer, wow. Thanks for posting photos. Do you have plans to trim out the front door on the exterior? I could do some kind of sculpted casing on a Saturday/Sunday. Toughest part would be bringing my band saw up to Capon Bridge, but it would be worth it. Let me know if you’re interested. Nice fence work out front. I thought Tim dug all those holes by hand before I clicked to the link and saw the skid loader with the auger. Tim, I like the winter mustache. Few people can sport a mustache these days and look cool. Hopefully I can make it out for the floor workshop. If not, I would love to pop in sometime and say hello. Take care.
Michael
Hard-working Reeses! Love seeing all the new additions. So much progress! And the season’s bounty displayed as beautiful rows of preserved produce. See you in June. xo