Have you heard of Etsy? It is an online marketplace where vendors can sell handmade and/or vintage goods. Selling on Etsy has lots of benefits for us. It has a lot of name recognition and has been around long enough to be a publicly-traded company. Lots of lifestyle magazines feature  products found on the site. […]

We moved to the country in 2002 to start growing our own food organically. I also wanted to get “honest” exercise — rather than exercising in a gym or on a treadmill. And I wanted my children to grow up with a sense of purpose in life. We had no desire to sell anything. It’s […]

Search for the words “home business” and you’ll find dozens of interesting ideas. But are the popular business suggestions you read about a good fit for you and your family? I suggest instead, starting by answering the questions: What am I passionate about? What skills do I have to offer the world? How will my […]

It’s hard to see with a flashlight when the batteries are running low. It’s frustrating to tackle a project with a cordless drill that stops working halfway through. Keeping your batteries charged makes life easier because your tools work correctly when you need them. The most important tool on a farm or homestead is…you! It’s […]

We are coming into our third harvest season in a couple of months. Hard to believe. I am sitting outside in one of my spots, watching the leaves fall around me. It’s one of those days where I can close my eyes and hear them falling onto the forest floor. It is unseasonably warm today. As […]

A young couple with a strong work ethic, a dream, a sensible business plan and a desire to get back to their agricultural roots recently produced a new dairy farm licensed to begin raw milk dairy products, and sell raw milk in New England. Even with an often-saturated milk market, Mavis and Chris Newton have discovered a […]

We plant rows of sunflowers every year here in the gardens at Pleasant Valley Farm. These beautiful flowers provide a surprising number of benefits! Our garden field is roadside, next to our farm stand. Each spring it’s exciting to see tidy rows of vegetable plants. But as the season progresses, it seems each year the […]

Living on a homestead or farm means you’re probably self-sufficient or working toward that end. Making sure you have the space and capability to achieve everything on your property that you want to achieve might mean you have to clear some trees or other vegetation to make more room. Clearing land can create more space […]

This is always a busy time on our farm. The garden is at peak production and I try to preserve any produce left over at the end of our market days. On days the stand isn’t open, I’m usually found in our processing kitchen making jams, salsas, pickles, and more. There are also plenty of […]

Over the past 15 years, my husband and I have shifted from working entirely outside the home to creating and building homestead-based businesses that allow us to balance work, family time, and homestead life. My husband Brian is an artist blacksmith who makes items of function and beauty to sell both locally and virtually on […]