Category: Our Story

GrandpaAndJeffrey

I guess that if I had to point to the one thing that most influenced my love of the outdoors, it would be the time I spent exploring my Grandparent’s farm in Southwest Missouri. My mom grew up on their 120-acre farm, which was more like a homestead. Just about the only thing they did commercially was beef cattle, and even that wasn’t a large operation. They had at least a half-acre of garden with some fruit trees (plum and peach).

By the time I was born, they had sold some of the land, but still had 40 acres of forest and pasture. I remember spending all day, during our visits, catching tadpoles down at one of their ponds, exploring the forest, or riding along with Grandpa to hay the cows. I remember going out to the “well house” with Grandma to get a jar of canned green beans. It was a whole shed full of canned goods that she had worked on that year.

DickAndLottie

Grandpa and Grandma had always loved nature. Here are a couple of pictures of them admiring the rose bushes and orange trees in Florida while they were on their honeymoon. 

Grandpa always loved exploring. He could remember, well into his 90s, the route he took when he moved his family from Seattle, Washington back to Missouri. Here is a picture of him standing on a mountain out west.

DadMountain

I wish I could sit down with him and talk about what we are doing at Middle Eden. I know he would have good advice and be interested in new ways to build life into the environments we all live in. The world around us should be productive, not consuming our time and resources in mediocrity. I hope that as my kids and grandkids and people in our community spend time here, they generate a love for the outdoors and the life that it shares.

posted in part from RegenerativeLandscaping.com

Planting

an agroforestry system was a keystone part of our plan for The Shire. In the spring of 2016, we started planting the backbone of our agroforestry system: 10 plantings, each containing a grafted pecan, 3 oaks, 2 persimmons, 1 pawpaw, 4 apples, and 8 hazelnuts. The ultimate goal is to create a savanna that supports a diverse set of animals including sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, and bees.

Sheep

weren’t always part of our vision, but in 2015, we picked up our first sheep with our minivan. We started with Barbados Blackbellies because of their parasite resistance and ability to forage well. We eventually added Katahdins to increase their finishing size. We chose to raise sheep for several reasons. Unlike cattle, sheep are a manageable size to raise without special infrastructure. We needed animals that would be easy on the trees. Cattle would easily push over trees and goats eat trees. Sheep have a long history of grazing under orchards. Finally, when a ewe weans her twins, she has essentially doubled her weight in one year, which is a very productive increase.

The Shire

captures our vision for our farm. Like J.R.R. Tolkien “I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour; I go to bed late and get up late . I do not travel much.”

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