Homesteading family Jaime, Rob and nine-year-old Nora Cool are new to living off the land. After years of keeping a small garden, in 2006 they ventured into full-fledged farming. After purchasing three packages of bees in 2010, the farm business really took off and now, with 65 beehives and five gardens, the Cool family sells fresh produce, honey, eggs, chicken, mushrooms, soaps and candles at their local Farmers Market. You can even find some of their products for sale on Etsy!
For the Cool family, one of the most rewarding aspects of owning a farm is providing food for other people. The ability to participate and be part of the Local Food movement, and knowing they offer local, all-natural products makes them happy—especially when buyers come back for more.
Is it easy? Nope, says Jaime. “Keeping up with it all is a constant challenge and can be stressful at times. We sacrifice free time, weekends and months, in the summer, which is honey harvest time.” Lucky for Robb and Jaime, nine-year-old Nora is very helpful. “She’s is at the perfect age to "go for this" and "go for that, and she also gets the eggs, helps stack wood, and she even has her own beehive that she in charge of inspecting! The honey Nora gets from her hive she sells at the farmers market.”
As for the farm animals, the Cools can’t help but be attached. “We love Rooster Orange Legs. Besides being an extremely handsome Barred Rock, he is so friendly and a good protector for the hens. He’s a favorite, along with our four million honeybees!”
Bee Kind Family Farms was part of the 2016 High Country Farm Tour, during which people stopped by to see what the family does, take a tour of the bee yards, honey house, gardens and even see the off the grid/solar set up in the farm house.
Online: offthegridhomestead.com and Bee Kind Family Farm Etsy Shop
