The month of June has the busiest, craziest, most-dragging-on weeks of the year for us, but they’re also a happy time. I feel like “Olaf” in the movie Frozen…summer is here! Cooler weather? “Let it go! Let it go!” Time to get busy, get plantin’, and really enjoy life. Come join my family as we transition to the new season.
My favorite peony plant never disappoints…
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”.
Thank you for sharing the gorgeous pictures. Here in Minneapolis is finally greening up – first flowers to bloom in my yard just over the weekend – a lovely purple iris.
What a fun visit! I can see your beautiful farmgirl paradise coming to life again. Thanks for sharing. God bless.
Glad you enjoyed the post, Joan. Big Farmgirl Hugs to you! -Nicole
I love all the planting and animals that you shared with us in this newsletter. But I have to ask what is the name of that huge Hostas that you are sitting by? I have never seen a hostas with such huge leaves. I definitely would like to get one for my yard. Have a wonderful day! Diane
Hi Diane! Thank you for commenting. I will see if I can find the specific name for you, although I planted it so long ago. It is over ten years old now. What I will tell you is that when it started, it was just a seedling. Many people thin their hostas each year, which I do not. Left alone, my Hosta babies have grown huge! I also feed them with organic plant food a couple of times a month in the summer after they have fully “popped” out of the ground. Hope this helps! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Diane, I did some research. I no longer know the specific name for that hosta, and the nursery I bought it from has closed down. However, if you Google “giant hosta”, it looks that mine may be the “Biggie Hosta”. There is a site based in New Hampshire that comes up on that search that sells them reasonably. Hope that helps! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Looks like you’re having a wonderful time! I’ll bet you can’t wait to sample some of the great veggies from your garden. That first warm bite is the best. Congratulations on all your hard work. It will be great when you can help the bees next year and they gift you with honey.
Good morning, Adrienne! Oh, you are so right! I am really looking forward to fresh veggies right from my garden, especially tomatoes! This has been a really cold, wet year. The weather is still pretty mild, with just a day here or there with really hot weather, but nothing over the eighties. The upside is that with all this water and mild sunshine, the garden is looking amazing, and I’m going to get more berries than ever when they turn, too! And I am looking forward to bees next year. This year was chickens. Big Farmgirl hugs to you! Nicole
loved the chicken selfie!!!
Thanks! That’s my favorite hen girl, Nugget. Life’s to short not be silly once in awhile, right? Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, I am so impressed with the red peony, picture is beautiful. I cannot believe how big your hosta is! And the size of your garden! Such an interesting and informative blog.
I think the picture of the hummingbird in flight is spectacular too. I did not know about the spotted moth. I love the picture of you with your chicken and beautiful smile on your face. You look happy!
Love you, Mother
Thanks Mama! Love you! -Nicole
Loved seeing pictures of your flowers, chickens, and vegetable garden! I miss June in Connecticut. The weather is nice to get outdoor home projects done before the hot days of summer begin.
Thanks for the information on the windmill mole chaser. I never heard of that product. Let me know how good it works at keeping the moles out of your garden.
Hi Rose! Connecticut misses you, too. This spring was not the same without your yearly visit, but hopefully soon I can head up to you this time. The windmill mole chaser works great! I had a terrible, awful time with moles recently. Since putting it out a few weeks ago, I haven’t seen a one. I moved it a couple of times to where they were, and it seems they have moved on out! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I adore your blog! The posts just get better with each season. Thank you for sharing your home and life with all of us.
Wow, Heidi, thank you! What a compliment! Glad you enjoyed today’s visit. Big Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thanks for the wonderful blog. I don’t always say post here but I enjoy what you share. The pictures are wonderful. Guess I better put some color out in my yard.
So glad you enjoyed today’s post, Dorothy! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I enjoyed meeting you and chatting with you the other day at the school. I’m very interested in your recipe for laundry detergent. The website is terrific – great job on your blog!
Cindy
Hi Cindy, So nice meeting you too! I’m emailing you directly the recipe, but here it is, too:
1/3 bar soap (Fels Naptha Laundry soap, Zote, or a natural bar soap of your choice)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda
Grate the soap using a fine gauge grater (I use a box grater)
Mix the rest of the ingredients. Store in airtight container (I use a glass biscuit jar). 1 TBSP for small loads, up to 1/4 cup large or heavy loads. Use vinegar for softener.
Thanks! Nicole
What a treat to share your farmgirl life with us. Thank you. I’ve learnt from this post too
I’m not really comfortable with insects but am hoping that with learning of the value of each and every creature I will grow to be more comfortable around them. I don’t know if I’ll ever actually handle them in my hands like your daughter is holding the frog, but who knows 
Hi Denise, I am so glad you enjoyed my post. I think my daughter will grow up to do something with animals…she loves them all. Even the creepy ones, like bats. I really think they are hideous looking, (I know they are beneficial), but since she was tiny, she could stand in the bat house at the zoo and admire them FOREVER. When she was a toddler, we had one stuck in between the screen and a window, and had to call animal control. I just knew it had rabies. Turns out, it wasn’t sick, just stuck and needed help by a trained professional to get loose. The bat turned out to be a baby (a hairless, spitting baby, no less). When the animal control officer freed it, the mother bat swooped down and they flew off together. My daughter told me, “See, Mommy…not creepy, BOO-tiful!” I still laugh about that day. Farmgirl hugs, Nicole