We’re heading down home… to your farms! Urban, suburban, or rural — whatever you’re growing and doing, we want to see it.
Welcome to the Down Home Farm Tours series. To see all the farms and homesteads featured in this series, click here.
It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a farm in this series, and I’m sorry about that — especially to all the nice folks who’ve submitted their farms and their info is just awaiting me to go through it. Well, I’m back to it today. And I plan to keep it up, so read here for guidelines if you’d like to be featured.
Welcome, Promiseland Farm!
Weeks ago, I knew that The Promiseland Farm would be the next featured farm in this series. This is because I got to meet Rashel and her family at last year’s Wise Traditions (the annual conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation) and I love what they’re doing. We happened to be in the elevator together and she introduced herself. We didn’t visit long enough; that elevator ride was too short. So now we’re making up for that, right Rashel? 🙂
So, without further ado, please welcome Rashel and her family from The Promiseland Farm in East Texas. Rashel, her husband Andrew, and their daughter Isabella have been homesteading for 3 years on 66 acres. They try to produce as much food for themselves as they can. You will love seeing their farm and hearing about what they do!
What is your name and the names of your family members?
I’m Rashel, and my husband is Andrew, and my daughter is Isabella. My husband Andrew works a full time job as a Real Estate Appraiser. I stay home with Isabella and oversee the farm.
What is the name of your farm/homestead?
The Promiseland Farm.
How long have you been farming/homesteading?
Three years.
Share a brief description of your farm/homestead.
Our homestead is 66 acres in East Texas.
What are you raising, growing, and doing?
We try and produce as much food as we can. We have three Jersey milk cows, a flock of laying hens, meat birds, heritage turkeys, honeybees kept in a top-bar hive, a small herd of beef cattle, two livestock guardian dogs and a 18 cedar bed raised vegetable garden and greenhouse. Our day starts and ends outside. It’s a beautiful life that God gives us and we’re enjoying every moment of it. Life is good in what we affectionately call, our “Tierra Prometida”, our little heaven on earth — the land of milk and honey!
How did you get into farming/homesteading?
Our adventures in homesteading began with a book , “Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats” by Sally Fallon. We realized that for optimum health, we would have to go back to nutrient dense foods, eating the way they did a LONG time ago. So we began taking road trips, up to five hours, to visit the nearest producers of grass-fed beef, pastured chicken, farm produce, and raw milk. We soon realized we had the land and resources to produce all our food in our own backyard.
Any future plans?
I’d love to keep sheep, but the fencing would be a bit more work than we’d like to take on right now. However, one day I hope sheep are in our future! 🙂
Let’s Tour Promiseland Farm!
(Wardee: In the captions below, you’re hearing from Rashel, as she tells you what is in each picture.)
View a complete set of pictures for this farm tour here.
The spring garden. (Wardee: gorgeous!)
Our cedar greenhouse.
One of our three Jersey milk cows. We only milk one for ourselves.
Our daughter Isabella and our chickens eating leftover cabbage. (Wardee: tooooo cute!)
We just started keeping bees in top bar hives. (Wardee: And I see on your blog that you have adventursome updates to this project, don’t you??? 😉 )
Three generations of our heritage Narragansett turkeys. The babies are hidden in the high grass!
Andrew and Isabella with the poultry.
Isabella looks in on baby chicks.
Sprouted grain for the animals. (Wardee: I’d love to hear more about this!)
My finished sour cucumbers. naturally fermented in salt and spices. I used the same spices in Bubbies. I just looked at the bottom of the jar to see what they used. I think mine taste better! (Wardee: I have done the same thing. 🙂 )
View a complete set of pictures for this farm tour here.
(Back to Wardee) Rashel, this was so fun! Thank you for sharing with us! We hope you enjoy your free thank you video, our gift to you. Plus, feel free to display the following graphic on your site. (Right-click and save to your computer, then upload to your site and link to this farm tour post.)
Would you like to be featured?
Are you a homesteader or farmer at any level? You don’t have to live in the country, you don’t have to be doing everything.
Being on the journey is the only qualification. We want to see what you’re doing, no matter how big or small.
Click here for submission guidelines for the Down Home Farm Tours series. We’re excited to hear from you!
If you’re selected, we will share your farm/homestead pictures and stories in a dedicated blog post, plus you can add the featured graphic to your blog or website. And, we’ll give you a free thank you video of your choice!
Please give Rashel and her family a warm welcome in the comments! If you have any questions — like (hint, hint) about the sprouted grain or what makes top bar hives special — ask away! Be sure to visit their farm website, too!
UPDATE from Rashel, April of 2014: “We just finished our chicken coop on wheels with electric netting and I thought you and your listeners might enjoy.” Click here to see Chicken Coop.
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Wow! It looks too good to be true. I’m surprised to see hollyhocks thriving there. I’ve been in Texas for 8 years and haven’t been able to make them grow here.
I’m so impressed by the gorgeous butter, pickles, eggs, etc.
Deborah,
I start my holly hocks off by sprinkling the seed on the ground now, late summer / fall.. The plants come up and get strong so the will put off the shoots of flowers in the spring. They’re cold hardy in Texas. They’re very easy to grow… They just need time 🙂
This is gorgeous! Love the gardens. I also love those chunky legs on Isabella, gotta be all that good food!
I’m surprised to see hollyhocks thriving there. I’ve been in Texas for 8 years and haven’t been able to make them grow here.
Love it! Hey Miss W, I’ve never made pickles before and love Bubbies, I noticed in this piece that they’re mentioned. How do I make pickles like that? I have cucumbers for picking in my garden…Learning a lot from your articles…Thanks!
What an adorable homestead you have!
Wardee,
Thanks for featuring our farm, what an honor!!!
I noticed you asked about sprouting grain for farm animals… I made a youtube video and blog post on how we do it, here’s a link to it: http://thepromiselandfarm.org/2011/03/03/sprouting-grain-for-farm-animals/
Thanks again,
Rashel
Okay, I’ve spent half the afternoon on the website and checking out the pics on flickr! What a beautiful farmstead, I think I’m in love with the cedar greenhouse!
I haven’t done much research into bird breeds (we’re stuck in town until we can sell our house that we’re upside down in, and city ordinances say no fun… I mean, no birds, bees, turkeys, bunnies, etc), and am curious about the Narragansett breed. I just found a “Princess Minnetinka” of the Narragansett tribe in my family tree (my 8th great grandmother), and the turkey really grabbed my attention! What a beautiful bird.
Can we have your recipe for “better than Bubbies?” My hubby loves his Bubbies!
Rashel and Andrew have worked really heard these last few years to make this farm really flourish and it’s really paying off! I am so proud of what they have accomplished!
Proud sister-in-law,
Megan 🙂
Loved the farm tour and your post on sprouting grains for your animals. The greenhouse is gorgeous but the photo of Isabella looking in at the chicks is my favorite. Precious.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the hollyhock growing tip, Rashel!
Wardee, thank you so much for the post. I’ve had the privilege of visiting with Rashel and Andrew and enjoyed every minute there. I’m so proud of how they have taken to homesteading even though it is a lot of work. I was treated to a special dinner of Lamb Mexican Stack-up then yummy sourdough waffles the next morning. I also enjoyed going back to the blog to see their home again. Great job Andrew and Rashel!!
Wardee and Rashel,
Thank you so very much for sharing this farm/homestead. I admit that I am a little jealious as I soo want a farm of my own. Even though I am mid 50’s I want to have a sustainable homestead. I currently live in Southern California and in the city and are not able to have animals (chickens etc). My husband will reitire soon, so we want to move to a place where I can raise chickens etc. I loved all Rashel’s photos and for doing this for just three years is amazing. I currently garden. I would love to know how to make cheese, butter (wow, so beautiful) and those yummy looking pickles too! :0)
I currently make Kombucha and some fermented foods, have made cream cheese and whey,but I am just a small fry compared to Rashel and her family! Great job and God’s richest blessings on you and your families endevors.! :0)
Blessings,
Juliette
Rashel, thanks for such sn awesome farm tour! I can see why you call it Promiseland 🙂 And I agree about the butter – gorgeous!