The Field Notes
A Sunday pause to reflect on the week, May 24, 2026
The weather has been gorgeous. Day temps in the 70s with cool evenings…misty fog, drizzling rain…almost like we are in the tropics.
The peonies have opened, the bees are busy, and the weeds seem determined to outpace every plan we make. The weed battle is palpable. This time of year asks for constant participation and the land does not wait for us to catch up.
This week held a few moments that stayed with me.
Reclaiming the Medicinal Garden
One of my larger projects this season is rehabilitating our medicinal herb garden.
Years ago, this garden was one of the first spaces I planted on the farm. Over time, life and nature happened. Many things demanding my attention allowed some plants to thrive while others disappeared beneath more aggressive neighbors.
This week I spent several hours clearing an enormous patch of mint that had completely overtaken one section of the garden. I’m only a quarter of the way complete.
Mint is generous medicine, but left unchecked, she is also relentless. As I pulled roots and untangled stems, I couldn’t help but think about how often life asks us to do the same thing.
Not everything that grows is meant to stay and sometimes what once served us begins taking up too much space.
Old commitments.
Old expectations.
Old habits.
Old identities.
Growth often requires addition, but it also requires removal. It is important to make room for what is becoming.
I have long believed women belong in gardens, not simply because they produce food or medicine, but because they offer a form of therapy that modern life rarely provides.
The garden asks us to move slowly, to observe what is around and what is within. To remove what no longer serves and throw it into the compost pile. There is wisdom there if we are willing to pay attention.
Letting Mothers Mother
One of our hens hatched a clutch of chicks last week. Watching her care for them has become one of my favorite daily rituals, it is so different than watching chicks who were hatched from an incubator.
She clucks softly to gather them and shelters them beneath her wings at night. She shows them were to forage, when to rest, and how to navigate the barnyard.
When given the room and security to, women have an ancient knowing how to care for their brood. No courses, no external advice, just simply what is written in her DNA.
I often think we underestimate how much wisdom exists within mothers. We are not perfect, but filled with wisdom.
The natural world reminds me constantly that motherhood is not something we master. Rather, something we constantly grow into, shaping and molding ourselves and our children over time.
Farm Dogs - More Than Big Cuddly Teddy Bears
This week I witnessed one of those moments that perfectly illustrates why livestock guardian dogs are such an important part of our farm ecosystem.
I was outside when a hawk began circling overhead. The first to notice the predator were the guineas (who I am obsessed with). Their loud calls sent out the alarm and woke up the sleeping dogs. One of our livestock guardian dogs is part Pyrenese and some kind of herding breed. She raised her head and ran to a perch over looking the pasture. From there she barked at the goats were peacefully grazing in the pasture. They immediately turned and ran toward the safety of the barn.
Each animal on the farm has a role to fill and ideally working together in a peaceful system. I love these moments when I can see this synergy happen in real time because as stewards of this space, we work really hard to encourage this cooperation.
From the Farm Kitchen
Simple Baked Egg Casserole
If your countertop currently looks anything like mine, you may be searching for creative ways to use a mountain of eggs.
This baked casserole has become one of my favorite solutions.
Ingredients
10 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups chopped greens (spinach, kale, chard, or whatever is abundant)
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, thyme, or dill
Optional:
cooked sausage
mushrooms
peppers
leftover roasted vegetables
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Sauté onion and vegetables until softened.
Whisk eggs and milk together.
Stir in cheese, herbs, vegetables, salt, and pepper.
Pour into a greased baking dish.
Bake 30–40 minutes until set and lightly golden.
Serve warm or enjoy leftovers throughout the week.
Simple and nourishing food is one form of accessible self-care available to all.
As summer approaches tending what matters is my highest priority.
The garden.
The children.
The animals.
The relationships.
Perhaps that is the lesson hidden in all of these observations from the week:
Life flourishes when we create space, trust natural wisdom, and learn our place within the larger community around us.
I’d love to hear from you:
What has the land or life itself been teaching you lately?
One final note:
We are looking for the right person — or the right family — to join Sun and Bloom Farms as a partner in leading our food growing operations.
This is not just a work opportunity posting. It is an invitation into a way of life.
There is something deeply beautiful about this work: waking up on the farm, moving with the seasons, tending soil, seedlings, flowers, fungi, herbs, animals, compost, water, and the daily rhythms of a living place. It is hard work sometimes, yes. But it is also meaningful work — work that feeds people, restores land, builds community, and becomes part of something much larger than any one garden season.
We are looking for someone who wants to help steward and grow the Farm Goods side of Sun and Bloom Farms: vegetables, herbs, flowers, nursery starts, mushrooms (optional), perennial fruits, medicinal plants, and eventually, if desired, more value-added food and medicine. This person would work closely with us to shape a rhythm that is productive, sustainable, and aligned with the season, the land, and the person stepping into the role.
The foundation is already here: We have approximately 4,400 square feet of high tunnels, about ½ acre of permanent growing beds, a greenhouse for starts, compost and vermicompost systems, compost tea and natural inputs infrastructure, a walk-in cooler, packing room, tools, irrigation, an established customer base, and a growing market for what is currently the only regenerative organic vegetable operation of its kind in our area.
The right person does not have to come in as a highly experienced professional grower. We have enough systems, infrastructure, and knowledge in place to train someone who is eager to learn and brings strong transferable skills: organization, clear communication, follow-through, goal orientation, the ability to work on a schedule, comfort working outside, and the willingness to put in the focused effort when the season calls for it — especially during planting, harvesting, packing, and market preparation.
There is also room to grow: We have land, vision, infrastructure, market demand, and ready-to-use investment to expand the footprint further. Our perennial fruit and medicinal systems are already beginning to produce, and we are continuing to develop this place into what we call a Permaculture Farm School Village — a living, working ecosystem where food, education, community, healing, and regenerative enterprise all grow together.
This partner opportunity includes a significant percentage of revenue, a private place to live in quiet nature, access to beautiful food and herbal medicine, mentorship, community, and the chance to be part of a larger regenerative movement both locally and beyond.
This could be a fit for an individual. It could also be a fit for a couple or family who feels called to this kind of life and work.
We are not looking for someone who simply wants to “help on a farm.” We are looking for someone who wants to grow into real responsibility, leadership, and partnership — someone who is excited by the possibility of helping build a diversified food and land-based enterprise inside a larger vision for education, resilience, and cultural renewal.
Sun and Bloom Farms is entering a new season. We have spent years building the foundation, and now we are preparing for a bigger leap forward. Whoever joins us in this role will not just be stepping into a garden. They will be stepping into a living system with deep roots, open doors, and a lot of growth ahead.
This is a real invitation into something that already exists, already feeds people, already has systems in place, and is now ready for the next level of care, leadership, and growth.
We are making a big leap forward this year across several parts of the farm — education, events, media, perennial systems, community building, and the larger Permaculture Farm School Village vision. Finding the right person or family for the food-growing side is one of the most important pieces of that next chapter.
The link with the bigger picture and application information is below.
Please help us share this widely — especially with farmers, growers, land-based families, permaculture people, homesteaders, apprentices ready for leadership, and anyone you know who may be longing for a meaningful life rooted in land, food, community, and regenerative work.
Thank you for helping us find the right fit.
https://www.sunandbloomfarms.com/partners.html
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