— STORIES & REFLECTIONS

From the Farm

Stories, recipes, and reflections from our life raising heritage sheep in the Piedmont.

The Zucchini Obligation: Learning to Grow Only What Sustains You
garden, clean living, Preserves, Recipes Olga Elder garden, clean living, Preserves, Recipes Olga Elder

The Zucchini Obligation: Learning to Grow Only What Sustains You

he true wisdom of gardening comes when you stop growing for public opinion and start growing strictly for your own table. Discover why I finally banished the "obligatory" squash vines from my garden to make room for more garlic—and the three incredible, crowd-pleasing recipes from that chaotic era that earned a permanent spot in my kitchen anyway.

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The Scent of a Memory: How My Mother’s Pillowcase Brought Me Back to My Senses
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The Scent of a Memory: How My Mother’s Pillowcase Brought Me Back to My Senses

I gave up scent.

Like many people, I learned about the harmful chemicals, endocrine disruptors, and synthetic compounds hiding in commercial fragrances.

But an unscented world, I discovered, feels a little flat. It’s like listening to music with the volume turned almost all the way down. Life was missing a layer of richness.

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The Dirt on Dreams: The Joy and Challenges of Leaving Your 9-to-5 for a Farm
female farmer, Farming, clean living Olga Elder female farmer, Farming, clean living Olga Elder

The Dirt on Dreams: The Joy and Challenges of Leaving Your 9-to-5 for a Farm

When I told people I was leaving my steady job to start a farm, the reactions were, to put it mildly, varied. Some romanticized it, picturing me in a sun-drenched field. Others looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

The truth is, it's both exhilarating and exhausting. The joy of feeling the soil between my fingers and watching a seed I planted grow is a feeling no corporate bonus could ever replicate. But it’s not all sunshine and heirloom tomatoes. There are days of bad weather, pests, and endless repairs. The financial uncertainty and physical labor are a constant reality check.

Still, I wouldn't trade it. Even on the hardest days, there's a deep satisfaction in building something with my own hands, connected to the land. The joy of living a life that feels authentic is a reward worth every bit of the struggle.

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