We have just signed a lease to rent a small house on a 3 acre property about 25 minutes away from where we live now. Two weeks ago I had no idea that we would be doing this. Five years ago, I had no idea I’d EVER consider something like this.
Five years ago I was driving home from Chicago, getting ready to begin the final leg of my performing career before having my first baby. I was performing in the Broadway musical, Wicked, and was beginning to dream about having a second career in the health and healing arts. I had started a food website, but had discovered traditional foods and holistic health and I was addicted to learning more and more.
Fast forward and here I am, pursing this second career and passionately sharing my journey with you here at Real Food Family. We settled into our beloved home about 4 years ago and had both our babies here. I’m not sure if we are ready to leave it forever, so we are renting it out and just testing out this new lifestyle for two years. Although south Orange County, CA, is beautiful, it is also very densely populated and generally unsupportive of the homesteading lifestyle (umm…not to mention EXPENSIVE! A few acres that allow for horses in south OC will cost you a few million $$).
Many of you know that my “homesteading” adventures started with raising chickens (illegally) in my backyard. This ended because I couldn’t handle the stress of them talking/screaming at me at the door nonstop, asking if they could just roam my house instead of the lush backyard. It’s not so much because I didn’t like the chicken noise, but I was too paranoid that the city would come after me for breaking the law. The fresh eggs were awesome, but in the end…I need my farm!
Last month I decided to try urban goats. I brought home 2 Nigerian Dwarf goats and they were fantastic (silent) pets for six days. On the seventh day they set off their alarms at 7am sharp and disrupted the quiet, sleepy neighborhood with incessant bleehhhh-ing. I was sad to see my new little babies go and realized again…I need my farm!
I had been reading about organic gardening for three years before we finally built vegetable boxes in the back yard. I’ve fallen in love with my garden and have grown many delicious veggies, fruits, and herbs so far. I’m sad to leave it, but it’s okay because…I’m getting my farm!
The opportunity to rent in this hidden valley so close to where we already live and work came up out of the blue and I couldn’t help but jump right in! In two weeks we will get the keys to our new farm and I will actually get to see my real homesteading dreams come true. In all my dreaming, I never thought it would actually happen because I always thought I’d have to leave the state, which meant leaving my family. Nevertheless, it’s actually happening. This new chapter of my life is suddenly starting, and I’m really excited!
We’re going to start by getting a group of hens and a rooster right away because there’s a chicken coop already set up. In a few weeks I’ll hopefully bring home two pregnant La Mancha does to start my goat herd. These strangely cute little goats are very sweet and do well in our southern California climate. We’ll have eggs, raw milk, and chicken meat (and maybe goat meat eventually if I can handle my emotions). I’m considering a miniature jersey cow so I can do more with the milk, like make butter and more mild cheeses. Of course super-spontaneous me could jump in and get the cow right away…but rational me says we need to wait and get a handle on the chickens and goats first. Oh, and I’ll transport my beehive that I’ve kept at our house too! But now, I’ll actually do the beekeeping instead of the friend of mine who comes to the house to do it for me. (This will be interesting.)
I can’t wait to keep updating you on this new adventure! Not all young moms get an opportunity like this, especially in the area I live. I just hope I can inspire moms everywhere to make little steps toward their own homesteading dreams, whether it’s growing basil and mint in the kitchen window, keeping bees, or raising a herd of goats! If it weren’t for the amazing homesteading moms out there inspiring me, I wouldn’t be where I am now.