Welcome!

Hello, hello! Anyone who had been following my last blog (Octavia's Beads) knows that what I am truly interested in is self-sufficiency. I want to grow as much of the food my family eats as possible. I want to know how to spin yarn, process chickens, make soap, and grind wheat. I work for a small (less than 20 members) farmers' co-operative in Western Pennsylvania, and this summer I will be managing the co-op's CSA for the first time. It's amulti-farm CSA, obviously, and I'm looking forward to balancing supply, demand, and desirability of produce for all of our members. I'm not a member of the co-op yet, but I will join this upcoming membership year (May 2010) as a grower under the name Finian Valley Farm, named for my daughter.
What I am working with is this: an acre of land, about 2/3 of which is usable. The rest is under water or a driveway. We have old maple and oak trees throughout the property, and there is a sharp drop with Slippery Rock Creek at the bottom on the west side of the property. The house is on the north edge, and in the most obvious spot for a large garden, water tends to pool in the spring. Strangely, though, our basement has never flooded. Never.
In the upcoming days and weeks, I will be updating this blog to give it a more interesting look, adding some photos and links, and sharing some of my exciting plans for raising my first flock of laying hens (arriving next month) and for expanding my growing space. I'm interested in permaculture and SPIN farming, and maintaining high standards for people- and planet-friendliness. Thanks for reading, and there's much more to follow soon!