Well, I was born in January in a small town in the year of... I'm totally kidding. We aren't going back THAT far. Let's just start at the beginning of Gnarly Oak Acres.
We lived in arguably one of the best neighborhoods in our area. The kids had friends to play with, we had a spacious yard and great neighbors, a garden just big enough for us and house that we loved. But one October morning in 2018, I woke up with a very strong pull in my brain. It was so strong, that I had to call Tim (the kids and I were visiting my parents) and tell him we were going to move. I wanted land and a hobby farm. Tim, being the amazing man he is, said, "Okay, if you feel strongly about this, I'm game."
We started looking the next week. After a few places that just weren't going to cut it, this listing fell in our laps and the week before Christmas, Danika, Tim and I drove out to take a look. The location and land were magical. The house would do just fine. We left with our heads swimming. It was overgrown and needed love but the potential, oh the potential! I could see the animals grazing and the kids running through the woods. After days of agonizing discussions (mostly about my sanity), we made an offer on Christmas Eve 2018 and the rest is history.
Small Farming
Was small market vegetable farming always the plan? Nope. Not at all in the beginning. We were just planning to homestead and provide for ourselves and a few friends. But isn't that the beauty of life and the way God works? Our plans weren't the right ones, so here we are following a new path to the right opportunity.
We have always gardened - even our first starter home on a 1/4 acre in a city had a garden jammed in the corner. We started researching and implementing homesteading and the intense agriculture practices when we arrived here. And again, this time both Tim and I, felt a pull towards scaling up our harvest and providing for more than just our family. There are so many benefits to growing chemical-free and providing a local food source to our surrounding area and we believe it is the future. Imagine how many resources could be saved if everyone could eat produce grown within 30 miles of their homes? Crazy exciting.
All of this is exciting and nauseating all at the same time. We have so many plans and so much to get done... and I can't wait for every single minute of it.
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