This Farm’s Future is Evolving

Black Sun Farm has been the product of my heart and soul for over five years now. I poured myself into building this small property into a working homestead. I can’t even tell you how many plants I’ve put into the ground here. And the birds I’ve raised for eggs and meat over the years were all spoiled rotten and given the best food and care possible.

Last weekend I found a new home for Cabbage, Onion, and the few ducks I had left. Feeding them all winter with virtually no return of eggs is simply unsustainable at this point. This year was hard for me—if you noticed, I started the year off strong with lots of Events, but I only went to a few markets and festivals over the season. I’ve been working my other farm job, growing food here for my family, and my business necessarily took a spot on the back burner of importance.

There are now no longer any farm animals on this farm. I still have three cats (one of whom is a great barn cat that I may need to find a home for soon as well,) but no more poultry. It’s a sad week for me. I’ll have to buy my eggs someplace else. The gardens produced a lot and my freezer is full, so at least I have that much.

If you’re still reading this far, THANK YOU for your support!

Whether or not I keep this place, or keep farming is very questionable right now. I will always be an Herbalist and a farmer at heart, but this business doesn’t make nearly enough to pay all my bills on its own.

Check out the links in my sidebar and below to see a few class offerings you can learn from any time. Also remember that I have lots of GARLIC available at $2/bulb if you want some for eating or planting.

People tell me constantly, “Keep farming, there are food shortages coming!” or “I’m so envious of all the things you know about and know how to do!”

Want to know the truth? I LOVE knowing how to grow and forage my own food. I LOVE knowing how to raise and slaughter my own animals for meat. I love knowing all I know about medicinal plants, nutrition, and keeping the body healthy.

But LOVE does not equal money. And I need money to survive.

So if you want to keep me going please seriously check out the things I sell through my website and Etsy store.

Also: I spent all of 2022 making foraging videos on TikTok. Why don’t you follow me and start learning a few things for free?

@theoriginalmealchan
Hopefully this explains better why you should be trying to grow some of your own food or at least buying food from a farmer’s market or local farm. It’s not as hard as you think it is and it will save you money and health in the long run! #farmtok #farmfood #foodismedicine #eatrealfood #buyfarmfood #supportyourlocalfarmer #sustainablefood #sustainablefarming #foodsource #savemoneyonfood #buylocal
♬ original sound – Amelia from Black Sun Farm

Heart Health is Vital!

Keeping your heart healthy is about more than just supporting an organ. Yes, you can’t live without your actual physical heart. It pumps blood throughout your entire body and is the powerhouse of your system. Herbs like Hawthorn, Shepherd’s Purse, and Rose can help heart and circulation health on a physical level. But what about your emotional heart?

Women have mostly been interested in my Rose Elixir: a special blend of rose hips, rose petals, brandy, and honey infused over many months. A few drops of this helps heal your heartache over a loved one (whether that be a death or a relationship.) I only have a couple of bottles left, so Contact Me if you want some.

But for men? Whether you are a man or know a man in your life who has suffered heartache over and over, or is sick of the ghosting and frustration involved in Online Dating, there’s little help for you. Every self-help or coaching program I’ve seen online claims to teach a man how to catch a woman or how to get into her pants as if sex will solve all his problems.

I promise you this: it won’t. Men have emotional needs too! One of my closest friends is a man who has had a lot of life experience with relationships and can show you how to find, meet, attract, and date a quality woman for a real romantic relationship that could make you happier than you’ve ever been before.

He learned his lessons from the School of Hard Knocks… working at Chippendale’s and then becoming a bartender in Hollywood for 14 years!

If you’re a man looking for help to end your loneliness, check out The Redfield System. If you’re a woman, please share this with a man you KNOW needs help finding a woman for something deeper than just a sexual fling.

Get out and Move!

This time of year, people are normally starting their new diets and worrying about the pounds they packed on from the sweets they ate over the holidays. You might think joining a gym is the answer to your problems, and sucking down veggie juice and smoothies will trim your waist down. It could work…

But I don’t think so. Wanna know why? Because that shit is BORING.

Who wants to ride a bicycle in place, or walk on a treadmill for an hour while staring at the ass of the person in front of you? Sure, a smoothie is delicious, and some juice can be too… but they also frequently shoot your blood sugar through the roof and cause your energy to crash later.

If you don’t feel good about yourself, you’ll be stressed. And while stress can make you lose weight sometimes, it’s really not the healthiest way to do so. You want to know what helps more than anything else?

GETTING YOUR BUTT OUTDOORS.

We just took a nice 3.5 mile hike yesterday through a very well-traveled path that was wide enough for people to go mountain biking on. I used to do this when the kids were little too; I either had them in a baby backpack or we simply took shorter hikes. The older the kids get, the longer and harder hikes we take. Getting outdoors in the fresh air, especially if you can find a place surrounded by forest on all sides is good for your heart, soul, AND waistline.

A huge cause of stress right now is Covid 19. You know where you have the least likely chance of catching it? Out in the damned woods with no one else around.

Important factors for keeping your immune system in good health, especially in regards to fighting any kind of viral infection like the Rona or the Flu, include moving your body and getting enough Vitamin D. Did you know that your lymphatic system (you know those little knobbly bits under your chin/neck that hurt when you feel sick? They’re all over your body, known as your lymphatic system) does NOT have its own pump to move fluid through your body? The heart and breathing in general can only move you so much. What really helps get that nasty, stagnant lymph fluid the heck out of your body is MOVEMENT. And when you do that movement outdoors, you often get the added benefit of a little Vitamin D dose from the sun. Eating lots of vegetables and fruits is important too, but you can just… you know… EAT them. They don’t have to be blended up into a pulp and mixed with protein powder or yogurt to be delicious.

And while you CAN exercise indoors if it’s too frigid or rainy or there’s a blizzard or whatever, any time conditions are reasonably decent for getting outside, it’s best for your exercise to happen there. Even a 20-minute walk on a paved path somewhere (preferably away from moving vehicles) is better for you than huffing around an indoor gym. The fresh air improves lung function, the sun gives you energy, and the benefits of surrounding yourself with nature are well-documented to reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and improve the functionality of your immune system.

If you simply can’t get outdoors for some reason for awhile, consider supplementing your routine with lymphatic draining herbs such as calendula, cleavers, violets, or red clover. And even if you’re stuck inside, move those buns! Hang out with a houseplant beside a sunny window. Get a little nature in you, and you’ll feel much better.

One last tip: I never lost so much weight in my life as I did when I became a farmer. Best weight loss program EVER. Also, my back hurts…

Giant Squash 2020!

I just had to make a quick post about this. I am SO bummed that all the fairs were cancelled this year because LOOK WHAT I GREW!

I think Boston Marrow winter squash are just the coolest. I have NEVER grown one this big before though. 42.4 lbs of pure enormous food! I can’t wait to cut her open and see how many seeds I have. This, and the 6 other squash I have already, are from ONE little plant!

I am super proud of this! I had to do vine borers surgery on the vine last week to save it, because those little bastards really love this squash. But I am gonna make pie and soup all winter now! Woohoo!

Do you think I should take any with me to market?