Hello and welcome to October!

Our Growing Farm Business

This season is full of beauty and business for us! Travis is currently prepping produce for one more final Saturday market at The Dalles Farmer's Market, and I am happily baking home made breads to my heart's content, to compliment Travis's produce and to ensure that people will want to return in the spring for more of our goodies. 

                                                             Harvesting Arugula

Travis has expanded his selling of produce to include the Mosier Market and he sells once a week, in bulk, to a local restaurant. He also sells produce through the Gorge Farmer's Collective when he has enough to spare, but the restaurant will take everything we have so it's been a few weeks since he has had enough to go around. I guess he'll be planting even more next year!

When I say we have been busy, I am far from joking.

Recently Travis had a person from a publishing company reach out to him in regards of writing a book on farming. We are discussing this option, but guess who will be taking that project on? Yours truly, me, of course! 

So...we will keep you posted on that. The book will be informational and share all the finer details of our small market garden/farming operation. We will be able to answer so many questions that are far too complex to get into through this blog.

Happenings on the Homestead

Fall is such a busy season on a Homestead, and it goes by quickly because we have so much to do! 

Once the final Saturday market is wrapped up, we will be turning our attention to:

1. Finishing filling up the hay shed.

2. Planting a new garden on our property.

                                         This is the spot of our future Homestead garden.

3. Cutting and stock piling firewood.

4. Canning as much as we can.

5. Working on the animal shelters because we like to build onto them and make improvements each year.

6. And finally, winterizing all that we can. 

Our short fall days will be filled to the brim with good, hard work and activity, but also fun, food, and family.  We are blessed to live this natural life and I pray we stay capable, healthy, and well to be able to continue this lifestyle for many years to come.

The weather in Our Neck of the Woods

The days are already shortening but are still hot and full of flies and other bug life. This year has been particularly bad with the flies, and it makes me wonder what is to come for winter because usually nature gives us a glimpse into what's ahead from Mother Nature if we truly pay attention to the critters and the creatures.

                                            Beautiful Sunset over the Hood River 

We really could use some rain, but mud is my least favorite issue to deal with on our little farm, so I am enjoying this sunny dryness to it's fullest while I can. Soon, the frost will come and the elk herds will be showing themselves. I hope to capture some images of them to share!

Other Happenings (Including Some Tiny House Update)

Yes, it has been one year since our son embarked on the adventure of building himself a tiny house, that he has been living in since April.  It turned out better than we expected but there is still a list of projects to wrap up.

*Finish installing the ceiling panels.

*Add the oven hood/vent.

                        This wall space in the tiny house is where the range hood will be installed.    

*Place bricks around the bottom exterior of the cabin.

*Custom build the kitchen drawers and cabinets.

We will have to find some time to help our son, and squeeze these cabin projects in if we can, not to mention we still have to replace our bedroom floor in the main house. 

Our work is never done, but when we lay our heads down to sleep at night, we have so much peace knowing that we have put in a good day's work and what doesn't get done today will have its chance tomorrow.

We will make a blog entry and final video tour of the tiny house when it is completed, so watch for that if you would like to hear the final cost of the build and see how it turned it out, but the information does not stop there. There is much to tell about living in a tiny house, as well as sharing the cost of life while living in a tiny house. It continues to blow our minds!

As far as everything else in our little part of this world, all has been well other than I was sick for a few weeks at the end of September due to Covid. I persevered and am back to doing all the things I love with a lot more appreciation! 

The Homestead animals are doing great.  We have two super seniors, Willow the horse, and Teddy the Labrador, who are getting good food in the form of special diets and lots and lots of love!  Every day with them is a gift. 

There is always so much to share, but I will be back next month to update you all with more of our happenings.

Until then, take care of each other, stay well, and be blessed!

Amy E. Darr

3 Corners Farm

Mosier, OR U.S.A.