BACK IN STOCK.
We had no idea the response to our store would be so great last time and wanted to say thank you for your support and apologize for running out so early––whoops! But we brought in a little more stock this time, and a couple more sizes so hopefully everyone can get what they're looking for!We will have more fun shirts, posters and other pro-farm paraphernalia coming to the store in the near future. And we will even be debuting a few items exclusively at the Kentucky Green Living Fair on March 30th! Mark it on your calendar, friends, it's gonna be a good time!- Jesse.
WHAT WE'RE READING.
//// Links we are loving this week ////
ONE and TWO: We are so happy that two of our favorite families are stepping up their blog game. Both Bugtussle Farm and Hill & Hollow Farm have been posting daily glimpses into the life of real homesteaders.THREE: The European Union just banned three popular pesticides because of their harmful effect on honeybees. Now if only the United States would adopt a similar precautionary principle...FOUR: We found our doppleganger farm! Little Seed Farm is not too far away in Lebanon, Tennessee, and we are hoping to get to meet these lovely folks someday soon!FIVE: Oh my. We have fallen in love with Folk Fibers and their beautiful and naturally hand-dyed quilts. This blog is absolutely magical....and it has us dreaming of one day making our own dyes and learning how to quilt.SIX: On a completely random note, if you like lovely photography and you like dogs, then Maddie on Things is the website for you. I think we should try this out with Wendell.- Hannah & Jesse.
image from Folk Fibers - dying with Osage Orange bark.
FARMSICK.
At this point, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The cabin is really taking shape - really beginning to look like a home - and we are planning to finally move to the farm officially next month. But...it is getting hard. I haven't been to Bugtussle in months, and Jesse only for brief periods at a time. We miss it. We miss farming. We miss dirt and chickens and getting up with the sun and being outside and feeling tired and sore at the end of each day. As we look at many of our farming blogger friends, we find ourselves feeling jealous and discouraged as we see them with their pigs and their gardens and their eggs. BUT - we know deep down that we will be there eventually, that we are going to get back to that place. We are simply having to carve our little place out of the earth, to build it from scratch...and in the end, it will be so satisfying.Here are some pictures Jesse took a few weeks ago at Bugtussle. You can see why it is so hard to stay away. PLUS - check out Bugtussle's newest post about how they move their livestock.- Hannah.
GET TO KNOW YOUR FARMACIST.
Much of this year at Rough Draft will be spent finishing the cabin, turning our extensive cedar forest into gardens and pastures and orchards and siding, basically...getting prepared to farm. With no garden space even close to being ready, we aren't exactly expecting a lot in the way of produce to sell this season. With that in mind, we knew we'd have to (literally) get creative to make some income this year - starting today!We are happy to announce: The Rough Draft Farmstead STORE!Over the last year we've had a series of ideas we're excited to finally be able to bring to fruition, the first of which is our "Get to Know Your Farmacist" shirts and bags! This is really just the beginning - we've got lots of other designs and ideas and products we are working on (with the lovely Night Owl Merch), but we are starting off with this first, limited pressing as a sort of trial run. It will let us know what we should bring to the Kentucky Green Living Fair next month! So if you love the farmers in your life (or if you simply want to support us two fledgling farmers), then head on over to the store and have a look! We hope that this can grow into a somewhat consistent business for us, to help us make it through our big year of farm preparation - so if you know of any businesses, farmer's markets, etc. that might be interested in carrying our apparel - please spread the word!- Hannah.
