Our office has a new listing that may not be with us for long. We have been getting one call after another on this property. It is a single residence on 4.5 acres about 5 minutes out of the town of Shelton. The present owner has developed this property for self sufficient, sustainable, organic food production. It is a “Homestead and/or Market Garden.”
Now back when I was young there was quite a movement for a “back to the land” self-sufficiency. We got caught up in the movement, and I enjoyed my nearly 20 years on my “stump farm” very much. While it was a lot of work, it was very, very satisfying. We had it all: dairy goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, beef cattle, fruit trees, nut trees, berries and gardens. We even had three horses at one time, but they were mostly hay burners, and didn’t get much work. We also had a wonderful stream that ran through our property, and a river at our backs. It was an amazing set up.
As I take people out to view the Homestead that we have listed, I am very impressed with the progress that has been made in gardening, etc. The owner actually took classes and learned the latest techniques. The greatest idea is this idea of doing some straw bale gardening. Growing things like carrots in straw bales is a marvelous idea. I wish I’d known about it back when I was growing stuff. She has also put up the best fences, and cross fences. There is nothing like a good fence when you are raising critters, no matter what kind they are. And she has the greatest farm dog — an Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler cross. He’s a real working dog.
You would think that in an area like Mason County there would be lots of small farms, but you would be mistaken. There is a rural area, where you are just as likely to see a herd of Alpaca as a cow, but nothing like the number of small farms that we had up in North Snohomish County. That’s what makes this property so wonderful. I know of one other place that is for sale, but it is not as nice as this one. Most of the other small farms are “never” for sale. People tend to stay on their farms, and not sell.
The home has a wood stove that heats the whole house, and in the back yard — this is so cool — there is a hot tub that is heated by a wood fired Chofu stove. In the back yard is this large grape arbor with three varieties of grapes — something we didn’t think to do back in our days on the land.
The number of calls we are getting lets me know that people are getting very interested in finding a way to be more self-sufficient. Maybe it is the economic times we are living in. I know that when we were doing it, we had the best food, and much to spare for others, and it didn’t cost nearly what we spend at the grocery store. But, raising your own produce is work, and takes a commitment of time, too.
The owner started a blog to share her homesteading experiences. You can read all about it by going to her blog. You can also find out the history of the homestead if you read back into the archives. She has not been posting lately because of making preparations for her move to Virginia. However, there are many very interesting posts to read.
Tags: Chofu stove, homestead, hot tub, market garden, straw, straw bale gardening, wood fired
