My fascination with farming started with a city garden and a heating mat for seedlings. I've always been happiest when I'm in the garden, planning my garden, or thinking about seeds. My only frustration was that there was never enough room. Living in the city, I was lucky enough to have the small garden I'd carved out between two houses, but I was enamored with all the heirloom vegetable options out there and I could never seem to create enough space for those experimental plants. I started dreaming of acreage and spending all my free time studying soil science and saving every penny for a down payment on my dream.

My love and dream for farming grew to the point that I thought of nothing else, and moving out of the city was a must. I wanted wide open spaces and I needed a tractor!

The following spring, some good friends in the Chehalis area offered to give me a few turkey poults from their yearly order. I had been raising chickens for years but this would be my first foray into raising birds for meat. I drove to Chehalis to pick them up and rode home with the sounds of angry turkey babies all the way back to Seattle.

I raised several more flocks of turkeys in my small Seattle back yard, and every year the list of friends and neighbors ordering a Thanksgiving bird growing longer as my dreams for a "real" farm grew as well. Hundreds of hours of pasture farming research, seed saving education, along with soul-crushing self doubt filled those years. Could I really do this? Do dreams like this really come true? Do I leave my steady jobs in Seattle for an unknown life in the country? What if I fail? Will I ever have enough money to buy land?

Despite all of the fear and doubt, I realized that I would never be completely ready, and that it was time to take the leap. I couldn't stay in the city any longer. So I offered up my hard-earned savings, left my job behind, and entered into the biggest adventure of my life. I hope you'll enjoy becoming a part of it. We'd sure love to have you.

- Jen