Creating the "good life" at our farm
Never in our wildest 52 years of marriage did we ever think we would be farmers and certainly not in Costa Rica. We bought our dream on the first visit to Costa Rica, just 5 days in the country and we knew this was where we wanted to spend our retirement. The property was on the top of a mountain, with weeds to our waists and a small tin building (the current owner's "hunting lodge") and the most spectacular views in all of Orosi Valley! We knew immediately that we were home.
So.....we moved to our little Finca Good Life in June of 2009. The plan at the time didn't include goats, chickens, geese, 500+ avocado trees, three dogs and a cat......but here we are five years later. Still learning (thank God for the internet), still making mistakes and still loving this new life we are creating.
Our plans for our farm
The plan is to become self-stainable....we are homesteading by todays definition. We grow as much of our own food as we can. I am wanting to raise pigs for meat, but if you knew me (and as time goes by...you will) you would know that this is taking some real growth on my part. My rule on the farm.....if Michele names it we don't eat it! Needless to say Ray believes if I raise a pig it will grow way past "prime butchering" time and we will end up with a 500 pound piggy! I can't promise that wouldn't happen, not just yet anyway.
When we first moved to our new home, I got real ambitious and decided I wanted to learn how to make goat cheese. We started buying raw goat milk from a couple in Cartago and I started experimenting making Chevre....a soft goat cheese. I was hooked! The next logical step...for me...was to acquire a goat or two. I went onto Craigslist and guess what? "goats for sale"! We bought 3 does and a buck that very week. The seller asked when we were going to pick up the goats.....our answer was "as soon as we build a barn"! We now have 18 goats and have enlarged the barn 3 times. To say we love our goats is just not a big enough statement. Oh, and when we made a commitment for goats...we acquired 4 geese at the same time.
How can a farm be a farm without chickens? The chickens came before the eggs by the way! If you have never eaten a farm fresh egg you need to treat yourself. I promise you will never go back! And don't even get me started on the poop....our garden flourishes!
Stick around! We've got lots to share with you!
In the weeks to come my plan is to share my favorite recipes with you. I'll use fresh ingredients....gathered from my gardens! Ingredients from the local markets, farm fresh chicken and pork too! Let us not forget the goat cheese. Organic gardening tips and the gardening mistakes....as we all learn from our mistakes. I'll share photo's of this beautiful country and our flora and fauna. We'll share our experiences with raising our farm critters. Stick around and let's just see where all this takes us.
Lots of adventures followed in the months between buying our dream and the relocation. Sometime when you have a few minutes read through the archives written on Myspace in 2007 and 2008.
Archive of our beginnings in Costa Rica:
4 more days and counting - Posted 12-19-2007
Depart Atlanta...Best laid plans! 12-18-2007
Our first Christmas in Costa Rica 12-26-2007
Costa Rica....Caribbean 12-28-2007
Hyper Mas....here we come! 12-28-2007
Volcan Bandito's in Heredia 1-05-2008
Boas and Pumas and Spiders....Oh my! 2-08-2008