The two of us met sixteen years ago, and soon after we left the city. Each time we moved we got closer to nature and the wild of British Columbia. As soon as we were able, we started growing our own food, and doing things for ourselves. Both of us had been raised with limited exposure to farms, so we knew we liked the farm life, we just didn't know how anything was done! We had some fantastic mentors, collected a helpful library, and we also learned by doing. Sometimes we succeeded, but not always. And the more we did, the more we wanted to do for ourselves.
We trained horses, raised a flock of chickens for eggs, fed up a dairy steer for butcher, and grew a big garden. We helped raise some bottle-fed calves and ended up with a gorgeous black Angus cow who gave us many calves. Then we took a big leap, and built two twenty four foot yurts that we lived in for four winters. We heated with wood that we cut ourselves, and had only cold running water. We discovered the joy of milk goats, and also discovered that a milk animals must be milked twice a day and almost no one knows how to hand-milk anymore, (so much for holidays!) We raised chickens for meat, and started to raise Muscovy ducks. We searched and found a farm willing to sell some of their Icelandic breed sheep. We started with two sheep, and presently have 38, with all but one related to our original pair of ewes.
When our tenancy in yurt land ended, we moved to a gorgeous seven acres at the end of a dirt road. We continued with our sheep, goats, beef, horses, and chickens. We took the garden to a whole new level, and at its peak we had ten thousand garlic bulbs planted and another half an acre in fruits and vegetables. We gave birth to our daughter on the farm, and she ate nothing but what we grew for the first year of her life.
Unfortunately we had to leave our sweet little farm on the dead-end road, and practicality convinced us to return to our city for work. Heartbroken doesn't even come close to describing our experience, and it was quickly obvious that we wouldn't be happy in the city. We're now on the outskirts on a rental farm, which has allowed us a little sanity! But with high rent and restrictions,we know that this is just a stepping stone. Our dream is to live sustainably, and we are taking steps everyday to come closer to this goal.
Won't you join us on our journey? We love this earth. It is our goal to live true to our values, and share what we're doing to help other people who want to do the same.
Peace&Love, J.A.M. ~Sanguine Farms
