From the first moment I stepped foot on this piece of land I knew I was home.

I know my husband, Alan, shares the same sentiment, but he had the privilege of being on these 70 acres in Southern Boone for a few more years than me. Alan purchased this plot in 1997 and immediately got to work planting fruit trees, planning a garden, and building a house.

I should warn you right now that Alan and I have deeply independent spirits.

So when I say he went about “building a house” I mean by hand, with no prior knowledge. You will not be surprised then, when fast forward almost 10 years, we decided to have our babies at home under the loving care of my mentor midwives.

I was busy those first few years raising children and chasing chickens, or vice versa, but I recall a moment early on that solidified in my mind a theme for our life here on Blue Fox Farm.

It was a drizzly, early spring afternoon and the baby was sleeping. I was reading a book in which someone harvests stinging nettles from the woods and makes a delicious and nutritious soup. I put my book down and thought, “I could do that.” I put on a rain jacket and crept outside with a bowl and scissors (and gloves, of course). Everything looked a little different as I traveled over our usual forest path, like the woods and I shared a secret. I harvested nettles from an area I normally would have avoided and, indeed, made a delicious and nutritious soup. It was the most magical and liberating experience. It was the first time in my life that I felt truly a part of nature. I partnered with the land in a new way. I made a plant ally. I connected with the natural world physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Alan and I have continued to partner with our land in many different ways over the years, the most important being raising our children and maintaining an outdoor focused family life.

Our “I could do that” mentality blossomed into a Little Red Hen attitude of “I’ll do it myself.” Our curious nature and independent spirits have helped us create a truly authentic existence, with so many challenging and fun endeavors. We have raised poultry on pasture; run a CSA; created edible and medicinal wildcrafted products; grew garden, bedding, and native plants; been vendors at three different markets and sold products to local chefs; cultivated a 3 acre elderberry orchard; homeschooled our children; and started a forest kindergarten program; all while allowing space and time to follow our passions, gain knowledge, and acquire skills for our own enjoyment.

Alan and I are now quite settled in our work, but our passion is leaning more and more toward sharing our knowledge, skills, and land with others. We are excited about teaching, collaborating, and supporting a community around curiosity, creativity, and resiliency. We believe that you don’t have to do everything yourself, but it is so empowering to know that you could.

Warmly welcoming you back to the land,

Megan