Kirsten Lie-Nielsen, Mid-Coast Maine Suburban Homesteader
Name: Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
Occupation: Farmer, writer
Place of Residence: Liberty, Maine
Background and Personal History: Kirsten was raised on a farm and spent her youth riding horses competitively and gnawing on fresh vegetables from her family’s garden. She moved away, went to college and spent time working in customer service, but the taste of fresh vegetables is kind of addicting. Inspired by the self reliance of farm life, she has increasingly made efforts to move “back to the land” as time has passed.
Kirsten and her partner are working to restore a 200 year old farm in midcoast Maine. Rehabilitating the previously abandoned barn and fields, they are looking forward to growing commercial organic fruits and vegetables.
On the farm, Kirsten uses geese for weeding and guarding purposes, raises chickens for eggs, bees for honey, and maintaining vegetable gardens for personal use.
Current Projects: Both farmhouse and barn have required a complete rebuild from the ground up. In addition to our homebuilding projects, she is mowing back and clearing over 90 acres of overgrown fields and hand crafted stone walls.
Goats, and a livestock guard dog to care for them, are recent additions to the farmyard that will produce fresh milk.
When she is not working outside, Kirsten is writing about her experiences for publications, her personal blog, and freelance for magazines.
Other Fun Facts: Kirsten’s farmyard currently includes: seven geese, fourteen chickens, a top-bar beehive colony, vegetable and herb gardens, a cat, a dog, and a lovebird.
More Places to Find Kirsten on the Web: