Kathrin Forest

Hi Jim,

You don't mention your age.  I'm in Western MA with a nice farm, grid-tied solar, livestock, forest garden, vegetable garden, greenhouse, chicken flock, livestock guardian dogs, etc.  I wish you the best finding a partner but without having a sense of your age I don't want to express interest.  Vitality and resilience is important for my lifestyle so I understand you asking about that.  

Kathrin

HI Dave,

I'm in Western MA with a nice farm, grid-tied solar, livestock, forest garden, vegetable garden, greenhouse, chicken flock, livestock guardian dogs, etc.  I have a nice shop full of tools for building stuff and I'm used to doing almost everything myself but sometimes I think it'd be nice to have a partner.  Reach out if you want to at least say hi.  I could use some friends who are thinking about land, resilience, etc for conversations.  If a friend seems to align with becoming more deeply involved it's a gift but friends are golden too.  

Kathrin

Congratulations on a wonderful project!!!  Just a thought on the passionflower.  A local very cool nursery grew it and I asked if they were concerned about it becoming an issue in the surrounding woods and the owner said he'd never seen any sprout out in the woods.  Fast forward about 15 years later and on the local permaculture list I see an announcement that volunteers are needed because the passiflora had started to colonize the acres of woodland around the nursery and it was killing trees, etc.

I know there are a variety of ways to look at plants taking over in new habitats and I'm not suggesting any particular view, just wanted to let you know what has happened in the NE here in case that information impacts decisions you want to make.  For myself I'd feel tired at the very thought of endlessly digging up young vines that germinated everywhere because birds had spread the seeds far and wide before I knew there might be a problem.  

I love choosing plants that supply early and late nectar for bees and other insects....I have too many favorites to list and I bet you've got your own lists.

sending love and feeling inspired by your project.  It's something I had hoped to do here but don't have the extra labor.

-Kathrin

I have about 20 of Ashworth Honey Locust in Western MA and you can come take cuttings if you want.  kathrin at sovereign hill farm dot com

I have a bunch of these trees growing.  I have the Ashworth variety bought through a special deal with Lawrence Nursery in upstate NY.  I think I have about 20 and some of them are more than 16' tall.  This year they are covered with hundreds of pods which about half my goats are nuts about.  Everyone loves the foliage.  I would not call these pods fleshy or melon-flavored.  These are grafted trees obviously.  There are no thorns.  I am happy to have folks come and take bunches of cuttings.  Just contact me.  email: kathrin at sovereign hill farm dot com  or text: 4one3-three29-three9seven4     (I say text rather than call because I don't answer numbers I don't know.  If you can't text me, call and leave a voicemail.)

Kathrin

I have Kinder goats.  They are a dual purpose meat/dairy goat that is mid-sized.  I like to have livestock that is of a size where I can win most arguments during hoof trimming, etc and these work well.  They have good milk production from the Nubian side and by starting with old-fashioned meatier Nubians there's meatiness from both sides.  The other side of the cross is Pygmy which were bred to be meat animals.....I think originally to feed lions/tigers being brought on ships to be in zoos here.  Modern Pygmy goats have been bred for short bodies and other cute but completely unsound conformation to the point where many births require c-sections.  Important to choose wisely.  Kinder goats have high fat and solid content of milk and if you choose the right lines, plenty of production which helps raise their kids to be fast growing chunks.  I have about 14 does and 2 bucks along with 11 offspring.  I'm a serious breeder, serve on the Kinder Registry board, etc.  I live in western MA so anyone interested who wants to come see them is welcome to contact me.  I'm not here often so best to email me kathrin@sovereignhillfarm dot com

Hey Evan, and Mikael (oops, hope I got spelling right), do contact me about the option of being on my land.  it's in Chester, MA so about an hour west of Amherst, 35-40  minutes west of Northampton.  I have 120 acres.  my email address kathrin@sovereignhillfarm.com  Not here on this site often and not in front of my computer very much.  Already farming infrastructure in place and looking for others who want to create their own place and perhaps join in sharing livestock infrastructure and creating edible forest garden.  Many plantings already on property.  blessings, Kathrin

hi angelita and sean,  sorry my shift key is broken and i can't write any caps.  not my usual mode of writing.  i live in the rural hills of western mass on 118 acres.  my vision is to have a neighborhood on the land so that more folks can share in the infrastructure i've already created. i imagine it as neighborhood rather than community because i like the idea of people forming natural connections and projects    rather than endless community meetings and disfunction.

i have a large barn, small barn, tool shed, tractor, ladders, tons of tools.  pasture is fenced and a small herd of goats and flock of sheep live there guarded by livestock guardian dogs.  chickens live in the small barn.  enough open land to also create a forest garden.  i am not on this site often so best way to contact me is email if you want to learn more.  kathrin at sovereignhillfarm dot com   my website needs updating but some nice photos at the website.  sovereignhillfarm dot com

blessings, kathrin