The Fair Acre

The Fair Acre Welcome to the homestead
Where our simple, full life spills over onto the internet.

06/02/2026

I always say I was born in the wrong era.

Then I catch my reflection after a day on the farm and remember I’m not the flowy dresses and perfect hair type. I’m more “just crawled out from under a bridge and somehow acquired hay in my pockets” type. 🫣

Homesteading has a way of bringing you back to the basics. Food. Water. Shelter. Caring for the animals that care for you. It reminds you that the things we need most don’t magically appear on store shelves.

My days are simple, but they are anything but empty.

Feed animals. Milk cows. Process milk. Homeschool. Collect eggs. Tend the garden. Stock the farm cart. Make meals. Clean barns. Do laundry. Pay bills. Answer messages. Cook dinner. Feed animals again. Hug my husband. Finally sit down… to fold more laundry.

Then there are the extra things: calving season, chicks, dairy making, processing animals, vet visits, repairs, projects, and whatever emergency decides today is the day.

By 9 p.m., the day that started at 6 a.m. is finally winding down.

If homestead life looks effortlessly picturesque online, you’re only seeing part of the story. The reality is muddy boots, sore muscles, interrupted plans, and a to-do list that reproduces faster than rabbits.

But it’s also a beautiful life.

It’s purpose. It’s gratitude. It’s knowing exactly where your food came from because you planted it, raised it, harvested it, preserved it, or cared for the animal that provided it.

This life asks a lot of us. But reconnecting to the work required to sustain a family has a way of making you grateful for both the labor behind our necessities and the conveniences of modern life.

Whether you grow it yourself or buy it from someone who does, a farmer somewhere is doing this work.

And that realization turns everyday necessities into everyday gratitude. 🌱🤍

We run a very, very small farm compared to operations producing at scale.So what sets us apart?We can’t offer fresh prod...
06/02/2026

We run a very, very small farm compared to operations producing at scale.

So what sets us apart?

We can’t offer fresh produce all the time. The reality is that the window of peak freshness is short, and getting every harvest into your hands before that window closes simply isn’t realistic.

What we can do is transform our harvest into products you already buy at the grocery store.

The difference?

You can trust that the ingredients are fresh, simple, organic, and grown with care.

This is our pickled relish.

And it’s not your average relish.

It’s sweet, zesty, and packed with a depth of flavor you’ll never find in a grocery store jar. The wild part? It’s made with zucchini, not cucumbers.

Zucchini is one of the most versatile and abundant crops we grow. It takes on flavor beautifully, and the texture is so similar to traditional cucumber relish that if I hadn’t told you, you’d never know the difference.

This recipe came from a friend who got it from one of those old church cookbooks. You know the kind. Every grandma in the congregation contributes her favorite recipe, they’re gathered together, neatly organized, and bound with an old-school plastic comb.

This isn’t your mama’s relish.

This is your great-grandma’s relish.

The kind of recipe born from using what was abundant in the garden to create the everyday staples served at the family table.

Available in the farm cart until sold out.

Don’t worry, this one’s coming back all summer long.

The goal was always simple: feed our family.Six years in, and we’re doing exactly that.What started as a couple fruit tr...
06/01/2026

The goal was always simple: feed our family.

Six years in, and we’re doing exactly that.

What started as a couple fruit trees, a few tomato plants, and some squash tucked into the garden has grown into something so much bigger than we ever imagined.

Fresh fruit all summer. Preserved fruit all winter.

Beef, lamb, pork, and chicken raised right here at home.

More eggs than we could ever consume ourselves.

We’ve even reached a point where we can co-raise cattle, helping offset our own costs while making quality beef more affordable for our neighbors.

We opened The Farm Cart and offered a herdshare. What began as a way to steward what we grow and raise has become an opportunity to share it with others. Knowing that the food and products we create find their way into homes throughout our community makes us feel like we get to play a small part in the lives of those around us.

I’m grateful for this journey. For the family we’ve become through it. For the people we’ve connected with. For the life we get to call ours.

The funny thing is, this wasn’t a dream I’d always had.

It showed up one day in the form of a Facebook listing for a little farmhouse on a small piece of land.

The Fair Acre offered us a dream we hadn’t even fully envisioned yet.

Sometimes it takes looking back to realize how far you’ve come. In the day-to-day, it’s easy to focus on what’s next, what still needs to grow, and all the things you haven’t accomplished yet.

But tonight I’m reflecting on where we started, and feeling incredibly thankful for where we are.

What a gift it’s been to watch a few fruit trees and garden beds grow into a life.

06/01/2026

I said what I said.

If you think you don’t like brussel sprouts, you haven’t had them cooked on a flat top with bacon.

Crispy bacon. Caramelized sprouts. Salt. Pepper.

Finish with lemon-infused olive oil and a drizzle of homemade mayo.

Absolute chef’s kiss 🤌

Quality is key- organic brussels, KuneKune bacon from our farm, local co-milled lemon evoo from Il Fiorello, farm fresh egg mayo, Celtic flake salt

05/30/2026

The farm cart is OPEN!

The farm kitchen is finished and she’s pumping out the goods.

Open daily • 9am-7pm

05/30/2026

It’s been over 6 years since I’ve had a dishwasher. The learning curve is real.

05/24/2026

Here’s the how-to…

Wear your PPE: gloves, long sleeves, and ideally a mask. Muriatic acid is no joke. Rust wizardry comes with fumes. ☠️

1. Lightly buff the surface with steel wool.
(Not sure this was necessary, but it helped scuff things up.)
2. Spray the entire surface lightly with muriatic acid to create the first etching.
This dulls the galvanized finish and gives it that weathered look.
3. Go back into targeted areas and spray more acid until you start seeing shiny steel show through.
4. Mix roughly:
8 oz hydrogen peroxide
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
5. Spray the exposed steel areas and watch the rust bloom almost instantly.
6. Let it sit until you reach your desired level of rust and aging.
7. Mix baking soda and water, then rinse the entire surface thoroughly to neutralize the acid and stop the rusting process.
8. Seal it with a clear coat of your choice.
We wanted it to still look raw and natural, so we used a matte clear spray sealer.

That’s it.

Now I want to patina every galvanized bucket, garden piece, and corrugated panel I can find. The rust rabbit hole is deep.

05/22/2026

Let me explain…

We have wild peafowl in our area and over the years they’ve become part of the neighborhood. The males all have names, everyone watches out for them, and they know which homes are safe places to land.

A few days ago I noticed Aquaman limping through the yard. When I got close, he didn’t even run. Just calmly let me pick him up like he knew I was there to help.

His foot was completely curled back underneath him and he was walking on his knuckles. Seeing something so proud and beautiful struggling like that I knew I couldn’t leave him.

So into the barn he went. I made him a splint, set him up with food and water, and gave him a safe place away from predators while he heals.

For now, the king of the neighborhood is under strict barn arrest. 🦚

The plan is simple: rest, heal, rebuild strength, and when he can walk normally again without the splint, he’ll be released back to his flock like the tiny feathered dinosaur warrior he is.

05/20/2026

The husband has no chill ✌️

05/19/2026

These have been the best tags I’ve found so far!

Why do I love them?
-No fading pen or sharpie, they indent the metal.
-They don’t wear out in the sun like other tags

What do I write on them?
-Plant/tree variety
-Date to harvest or month the fruit ripens
-Year we planted if it’s perennial

How do you tag your plants?

Address

Vacaville, CA
95688

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