Our Far-out Free-range Eggs

1 / 8
Two Indian Runner ducks and a Khaki Campbell duck enjoy a morning swim in their pond.
Two Indian Runner ducks and a Khaki Campbell duck enjoy a morning swim in their pond.
2 / 8
A few chicks recently hatched from free-range eggs.
A few chicks recently hatched from free-range eggs.
3 / 8
The author with a goose from her farm.
The author with a goose from her farm.
4 / 8
The author's great-grandparents. Her family has been farming in California since 1889.
The author's great-grandparents. Her family has been farming in California since 1889.
5 / 8
Eggs from Far Out Farms are rich in heart-healthy omega-3s.
Eggs from Far Out Farms are rich in heart-healthy omega-3s.
6 / 8
The rustic guest cabin.
The rustic guest cabin.
7 / 8
Far Out Farms is located near Nevada City, Calif.
Far Out Farms is located near Nevada City, Calif.
8 / 8
The Far Out House was built in the ’60s from lumber harvested on-site.
The Far Out House was built in the ’60s from lumber harvested on-site.

My husband, Kevin, and I live on a small farm in northern California named Far Out Farms. Although our property is only two and a half acres, it’s large enough to produce several cash crops, including apples and supernutritious free-range eggs from pastured chickens and ducks.

We moved here seven years ago, but I first saw the property at least a decade before, when my two young sons and I drove by on the way to our favorite state park. We saw an old sign for the Far Out House hanging in a cedar tree at the driveway gate. The property was so heavily forested that we couldn’t see the house from the road, but there was a hand-painted hippie bus parked outside. For fun, we made up stories as we drove by. We pretended that the Far Out House was everything from a hideout for secret agents to a nudist commune.

I was a single parent for many years, but the boys are grown up now. One day, one of my sons introduced me to Kevin, an older friend he worked with. Sparks flew, and Kevin and I got married. Shortly afterward, he noticed that the Far Out House was for sale. Kevin had heard my son’s stories about the house, and just for fun, he grabbed a real estate flier and brought it home. His jaw dropped when I started seriously scanning the flier. Six months later, the Far Out House was ours.  

It didn’t take much to stir my farming genes. My family has been farming in California for more than 100 years, ever since 1889, when my great-grandfather and his two younger brothers came over from Germany. They purchased a 40-acre farm that supported our family for several generations. I discovered my own love of growing crops in junior college, when I paid my way through school by working in the college greenhouse. Since then, I have gardened on campuses, in wading pools and in the grassy strips between parking lots. I love being able to feed my friends and family from any available patch of dirt, but when we purchased the Far Out House, it was my first chance to raise food on a larger scale.  

Fixing up the Farm

  • Published on Apr 1, 2006
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368