The beginning of Sunflower Hill Homestead

Hi :) My name is Kristin. Introductions have never been my thing. It always sounds so clinical or like I am at some kind of meeting, standing in front of a bunch of people and having to introduce myself and give a short description of who I am or what I have done. The problem is that I am so many things, or so few, depending on which day you catch me. I turned 30 this year, which I have dreaded for a long time. Surprisingly, however, I find myself happier and more content than I have ever been in my life. I just earned my Bachelor of Science in Biology emphasizing Environmental Biology and am starting graduate school. That, too, sounds so technical. What it boils down to is I am in awe of the amazing planet that we live on. Also, that I am a broke college student, engaged to another broke college student, both of whom are raising son which (yes, you guessed it) makes us even more.... financially unendowed. I thought of myself as a "city girl" for most of my life. Three years ago I moved to the deep south, onto several acres of land. The more I learned about the Earth, and not only the effect people are having on it, but the effect that is having on our health and economy, the more fascinated and determined I have become to live a more sustainable and healthy way of life. I want to be a steward of the land. My son, who is 12, and some of my friends call me a "Hippie"... some may call me a tree hugger. I'm alright with that. What I feel that I am is a person who has become educated about how the ecosystem works, having taken special interest in ecology, and has seen the studies and data showing alarming trends in how the Earth is changing to deal with the changes that humans have made to it. I have read food labels and have seen the ratio of chemicals to natural food ingredients in what we eat. Seen the conditions that our food is raised and packaged in. I have taken notice of the high rates of cancer and diabetes (among many other common illnesses that didn't used to be common) and have looked at studies done to find the reasons behind it. The economy is not doing so hot, and I believe that the same ties are linked to that. I don't want to stand on a soap box and tell everyone else how to live their lives, but I do want to take control of how I live mine, not only for myself, but for my son. I believe that a key way to correct these issues and live a healthier, more Earth friendly life, is to be informed. That is the key to everything in life. Be informed. Know where your food comes from. Know how it is grown and raised and the effects that things have on the environment. When it comes right down to it: saving the Earth isn't all about hugging trees and trying to save furry little animals (although I'm not against that at all) it is about saving people. We can only subsist as long as the Earth is still working for us and doing what we need it to do. I think of the ecosystem as a house of cards. Changing one thing may not seem too important, except that depending where on the swaying tower it is, it could cause the whole thing to come crashing down. Buying local and growing one's own food not only cuts down on the number of hands that it crosses on its way to you, but it usually cuts down on the amount of unnatural and unhealthy things in it. I'm not a granola munching vegan (although again, I have nothing against that either.. I just enjoy eating a more varied diet and think it is important for my growing son to do the same) but I like to be able to pronounce the ingredients in my food and know that the meat I eat has not been produced in disgusting inhumane factory settings where the animals don't get to act like animals and the finished product has been through less than sanitary conditions. Also, locally grown food cuts down on the amount of gas that must be used to transport it, which again helps not only our environment but our dependency on foreign oil. Imagine how much we could lessen our dependence if everyone made a point to buy only half of their produce locally, not to mention that it would taste better and be much fresher. I never realized how many fruits and vegetables were supposed to taste until I started growing my own or buying at farmer's markets. I won't go back simply because I am spoiled now... I prefer my food to have taste rather than the focus being for it to look like a uniform picture of what people think it should look like. Did you know that not all tomatoes are red?! Some are yellow and some are even purple! Who knew?! I won't even go into the immense danger the world is putting itself into by monocropping. Ever heard of Ireland's potato famine? Just sayin'. Anyway, when I moved onto my land it was overgrown and very neglected. Through much work, my other half, my son, and I have cleared the entanglement of brush from enough of the property to make it workable. Thus, my new life began. Three years ago, this self proclaimed "city girl" planted her first garden. A sad sight, to say the least. I have learned much since then and am thankful to say that things have improved greatly. I have installed above ground garden beds, using reclaimed materials from clearing the land. I discovered blueberry bushes and dewberry patches already on the property, that I have been working to make produce well. I have learned to use power tools and a hammer (lol yes... it is something that takes practice apparently) and built my first chicken coop, which I filled with my first 5 chickens to provide us with fresh eggs (a great feat since I used to be terrified of chickens... mainly roosters).  Since then, my son and I have built 3 more and this year we added over 60 more chickens to provide us with meat. I just added turkeys to our flock as well. All of the projects that I undertake, I try to go about in the most natural, environmental and economically friendly way I can on a VERY small budget. I am learning as I go, having no experience with any of these things. What I have learned has come from the advice of others, which I have been so thankful to have gotten. I would like to share my experiences in hopes that I too can inspire people, or at the very least give pointers to people that are also struggling to learn how to go about living this more sufficient way of life. And so I am recording all of the stumbles and falls, breakthroughs and celebrations, along the way, on my little Sunflower Hill Homestead. So for better or for worse, this is my life... :)