And just like that, I am a farmer again! I put the word out a few months back to see if anyone knew anyone who wanted their unused pasture or lot to be the future site of Heart of Gold Farms, and at the beginning of March, after I had already given up hope, land came my way! Beautiful land, too, along with a green house where we are starting seeds and will one day house the tropical, heat-loving plants I hope to bring to the Poulsbo market this summer.  It’s not terribly large, but that land plus what we can use at James’ grandpa’s house will give us enough to go with for the first year. The story is the former farmer began selling (amazing) baked goods once the cottage industry laws changed in our state and now wants to spend her time in front of her beautiful vintage stove, cranking out macarons and hazelnut cookies rather than weeding the spinach. So that’s where I come in. It’s a really generous set-up– I farm her land like I would my own, sell the vegetables for myself, and give her as much to eat as she would like. It’s like having a patron whose only real requests are that I grow a few choice varieties she wants and to close the large gate when I leave so the deer don’t get in. Heavenly! It’s like a secret garden in there, too. A sweet, cedar cottage with birch trees lining the door and the smell of cookies constantly wafting into the garden. There is a large duck pond outside the fence and once inside, there are what Courtney calls “rooms”; little nooks behind well-kept hedges or tucked around beds with water features. The growing areas are in 5 or 6 different sections that have been under landscape cloth for awhile. I have been pulling that up section by section over the last week in order to till and plant. So far asian greens, peas, spinach, radishes, and the future amazing wall of lettuce (west coast edition) are in the ground and Courtney has started seeds in the greenhouse that will be transplanted in the weeks to come. So in the span of three weeks I managed to wrangle up a business license, apply to sell at the local farmers market, start this website, get a 10 person C.S.A. going, and get my hands in the dirt. Not too shabby. But oh man… So much still to do before we hit the market May 20th!