Terrabyte Farm

In November 2008, we decided to make a dramatic change in our lives, buying a small family farm in Eastern CT.

Mike and I have always enjoyed cooking, making things, growing things, raising animals, and traveling and exploring our local community. Seven years ago, we bought a 300 year old house in Central CT which we refinished top to bottom. Inside we had our cats and dogs, plus the occasional rabbits, mouse, snake, etc. Outside we added an organic raised bed garden and a flock of five Rhode Island Red chickens. We figured at the very least, the chickens would eat the bugs from our lawn while fertilizing it. Once we tasted that first grass-fed, organic FRESH egg, there was no turning back.

We spent seven lovely years gardening, tapping our sugar maples and making syrup, and visiting local farms and farmers markets to get fresh meat, produce, and milk. We also had two children and with them came new pastimes including sewing, knitting, and soap making. We felt as though everything was right with the universe. We loved our house, neighbors, community, and had worked hard over the seven years to get our home and land to a productive, fruitful state. But, it wasn’t quite enough.

After reading numerous books on sustainable living and farming including books by Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, James Howard Kunstler, John Seymour, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall it became clear to us that we needed more than our one acre in suburbia. Friends and family always told us we should have a restaraunt, B&B, catering company,etc. However, what we really needed was a small family homestead- a place where we could have a large garden, a huge orchard, and raise our own pastured beef, pork, and poultry.

During the week of the great financial crash on Wall Street, we managed to convince the banks it was wise to give us a second mortgage so we could buy our 13 acre paradise. This time we moved into a brand new house with a pond, barn, and thirteen acres of beautiful pasture. We were luckily able to sell our old, much beloved house and now have the needed capital to finance our new venture. So, please join us on our journey at Terrabyte Farm and learn with us as we try to start a self-sufficient family homestead specializing in the production of heirloom fruits and vegetables, the raising of heritage breeds of livestock, and the joys of life in the country.