May…like a butterfly she flits up and down, undecided just where she will land. She teases with warm Spring showers, then surprises us with frosty nights that feel like late October. Each day May dances somewhere between sun-kissed celebrations and cozy sweater-weather.
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is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
I couldn’t love this post more! Each and every one reminds me of the nostalgic sights, tastes, and feel of growing up in a simpler time and a simpler way. Your little milkhouse stand looks amazing. I’d be a way-too-frequent visitor. Wish someone would do that in these parts! ~Robin~
Oh Robin, you say the nicest things…I’d love to have you as a “way-to-frequent” visitor! Hmmm, take a look around next time you’re out and see if there’s not a little produce stand nearby, it might be just off a main road and a little hard to spot. I hope you can find one. And I agree…I’m drawn to those sweet, simple ways as well – kindred spirits!
Your milkhouse baked goods shop looks so inviting! You did a great job of revamping and repurposing. I wish I could stop by, but it would be a bit of a drive (I live in Arizona)! I can at least enjoy the photos.
Thanks Kim for the kind words…the before pictures are a bit scary! I love that we get the chance to visit here, even though it’s across the miles…we can still share ideas and cheer each other on!
Mary, I love your Farm Stand and the Milk house, so Farmgirl and cheerful. I certainly would stop for a visit sit a spell and chat if I lived in your area. And who doesn’t love home grown veggies and apple pie.
Enjoy your summer and have fun with your new Venture.
Hi Debbie – thank you for stopping by! I have a friend who grew up on a dairy farm, so it was terrific to have her nearby to answer questions about items I found in the milkhouse. And I love that saying: “sit a spell” we don’t hear that nearly enough, and it’s something that we could all do more often… a good, old-fashioned stress reliever! Thanks for the reminder.
Wished I lived nearby!
Awww, thanks Sylvia…see if you can’t find a roadside stand near where you live. I guarantee the gal (or guy!) who runs it would love to tell you all about their veggies or flowers, and maybe there’s a home-baked pie just waiting to go home with you!
What a wonderful story. I love your ideas and wish I lived in the country to set up a farm stand.
Hi Lynette – double-check your local guidelines, some farm stands are set up in suburban areas, too! Think of it like an old-fashioned lemonade stand, only with your extra veggies, Mason jars of flowers, or baked goods. It’s always best to see what the local restrictions are, but I see little tables set up along the sidewalk in town with loaves of bread, tomatoes, and even mini pies for sale. No matter where we live, we can bring some of the country right to our own front yard!
Mary, this blog post is wonderful! I would love to have a farm fresh stand in the future. In the past my only extra item was zucchini lol! This year I am hoping to have a lot more with my expanded garden. Once I can officially figure out what my family needs and what I am able to can, then I can start considering a farm stand. I am so happy it has worked out great for you. Good luck with your cute store again this year.
Krista, thanks for making me smile, I’m so glad you enjoyed my “tons of tomatoes” adventure! Once you have your family’s food storage needs decided, your extra zucchini is a perfect way to start a sweet little stand. You don’t need to have oodles of variety to offer, you will be known as the farmgirl who has the best zucchini in town!
I love roadside stands. There’s something so sweet about them and it seems there is always something good!! Your ideas are wonderful, and your descriptions make them come alive in my mind as I read this post. I’m so happy for you that your “not shop” shop has worked out well. And your redecoration of the milkhouse looks great! Thanks for sharing on your blog that you are writing here. I just love reading any of your posts!
Staci, thank you so much for stopping by…truly, I’m always learning from you! There were days last year the “not shop” was quiet, but I’m hoping I learned what neighbors like best, and to focus on those items this year. Until then, the recipe testing continues…which is not the best thing for my waistline!
Hi Mary!!
I love this post so much. Roadside farmstands are my favorite! The farmstand that my daughter and I have for our flower farm is such a hit for people… probably because it is honor system and just so quick and easy to stop, grab your flowers, and go. I love it.
Your photos are gorgeous!!! I love it all!
Hugs,
Dori
Hi Dori – Thanks for your kind words! I pinned an adorable photo of your farm fresh flower stand (LOVE the truck bed, it’s so clever!) long before I had the fun of “meeting” you here; what are the chances?! I agree…people like the idea of “grab & go” when they’re short on time. Some days I’ll set a dressed-up retro sink cabinet at the edge of the drive with baskets of veggies, but most often I stay in the milkhouse…it’s just fun to chat with folks!
Oh that’s so cool!!! We were meant to know each other! :-).
I do like chatting with people when they get our flowers too! Usually each morning when we stock the flower stand, there are people waiting and it is always fun to chat a minute!
How wonderful! But lots of hard work with lots of satisfying results. WE do have a farm stand about a mile from us and I am always happy to see him open in the spring. He has gotten locals that want to sell some baked goods share a space in his stand.
a wonderful article and now I want one of my own lol.
Hi Cathy, I just have to keep learning what customers want most…although my kids will always eat any sweet treats left at the end of the day! (well, me too) So glad you have one nearby…it’s not only great for all of his friends & neighbors, it really helps support the seller. YOU can do it…your bread machine has been working overtime and you also have such lovely flowers! See what your local regulations are and give it a try…there’s no commitment, just whenever you want to…keep me posted!