Farmgirl Susan

I'm a fifth-generation Californian happily turned manure mucking Missouri farmgirl. Nearly everyone dreams of moving to the country at some point in their lives, but few people are crazy enough to actually do it. I am one of those few. In 1994, at the age of 26, I sold my successful bakery cafe, packed 200 boxes of books & antiques, & waved goodbye to my native Northern California. Armed with a basic knowledge of gardening, an overenthusiastic sense of adventure, & lots of naivete, I dragged 4 cats, a huge dog, I ended up on a 280-acre, 140-year-old Missouri farm in the middle of nowhere. I became cook, gardener, shepherd, farmhand, vet, surrogate mom, wildlife expert, midwife, & undertaker. My prep school education & design degree were useless. I went from attending restaurant openings and gallery receptions to working the rural fire dept's BBQ booth at the crafts fair & munching fried pies at country auctions. Seven years ago, I moved to an even more remote 240-acre farm, which I share with several dozen sheep, a bunch of opinionated chickens, 2 dogs, 7 cats, 4 hilarious donkeys, & one very well fed farmguy. My life revolves around food. I write food & garden articles & have taught cooking classes & contributed to cookbooks. I'm a passionate bread baker, and we're slowly building a small wholesale artisan bread bakery here on the farm. I invite you to read more about my crazy life on the farm at my award-winning blog, Farmgirl Fare: http://farmgirlfare.com.