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FRENCHIE FARM

Regenerative Farming & Farm Classes

About

Welcome to Frenchie Farm! If you’re looking for a modern homesteading blog, then you’re in the right place.

I’m Colleen – a former city girl turned modern homesteader. When my husband, Ben, asked me to move to his family farm, I thought he was crazy. Fast forward three years and we’ve fallen in love with the homesteading lifestyle. In an effort to live a more simplified life with intention and gratitude, our family made the decision to pursue modern homesteading. We grow as much of our own food as possible in our garden while also raising Nigerian Dwarf goats, chickens, and bees. 

Frenchie farm blog

 Photo credit:  Lindsey Kay Photography

Moving to the farm 

When Ben asked me to move to his family farm, I thought he was crazy. I lived in Chicago for 5+ years, and I still wasn’t totally on board with suburban living, let alone living on a farm. Somehow my persuasive hubby convinced me that it was a good idea, and I’m so glad that he did. We remodeled his grandparents’ old house into the farmhouse of our dreams.

Ben works for the family construction company as a Project Manager/Sales Manager and completely remodeled our current farmhouse. His background will allow him to transform our overgrown backyard into a small modern homestead while sharing tips/tricks along the way. Although I work in marketing for our company, the best job is being a mama to my toddler and baby boy.

Our little farmhouse is a work in progress. We’re constantly planning for the next step! We will be sharing various DIY projects along with some larger scale projects as well. We’ve fallen in love with modern homesteading and farmhouse living. We hope you will too.

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog

Frenchie Farm – the backstory 

We have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with our two french bulldogs, Henry and Marvin.  Frenchies are a pretty tricky breed – they have terrible seasonal and food allergies, which has led to health problems and thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. After Henry was diagnosed with a Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius (MRSP) skin infection that covered most of his body, we decided that we needed to completely overhaul both of their diets. We started visiting a holistic vet, focused on gut healing, and began making our own raw food. We’re on a mission to heal our pups from allergies, and one way of achieving this goal is through knowing where our food comes from, which leads us to the Frenchie Farm….

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blogthe Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blogPhoto credit:  Lindsey Kay Photography 

Our modern homesteading blog story:  farm animals

Since moving to the farm, Ben and I have been joking that we’re slowly becoming that “weird” family – you know, those weird crunchy granola hippies who talk about gut healing and insist on knowing where their food comes from. Well, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve dove head first into the “really weird” category once we decided to get goats and chickens. Who needs to buy highly processed food from questionable sources when you can grow your own veggies/fruit, collect your own eggs from happy, free range chickens, and milk your own goats?

Chickens

Our initial plan was to start slow by getting a few chickens. Ben wanted to start with a conservative six chickens, but I pushed for fifteen chickens (why fifteen? I’m not really sure, it sounded like a good number at the time.) We met in the middle and decided to start our little backyard farm with 10 baby chicks. We immediately placed the order for 10 baby chicks that night. And then purchased another 10 within a few months…!

Baby chicks  make a frequent appearance in this modern homesteading blog.

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog

Goats 

A few minutes after we placed the order for our baby chicks, I started dreaming of adding goats to our backyard farm. I figured that if we’re going to start a backyard farm, we might as well “go big or go home”, right? Ben immediately shot that idea down, but I somehow persuaded him that we needed goats ASAP. We started visiting local farms and put down on a deposit with a local breeder for Penny and Lucy.

It was love at first sight. Goats are the sweetest animals ever (aside from our frenchies, of course.)

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog

At least Ben can build things 

We (and by we, I mean Ben) converted an old, falling apart shed into a  goat house and chicken coop.He also fenced the yard within just a few short weeks. Ben is the brains behind this whole operation. His attention to detail and ability to transform old structures into something new and beautiful is amazing.

the Frenchie Farm man goat shed and chicken coop

Growing our own food 

In an effort to know exactly where our food comes from, we will be planting a 600 square foot garden in the spring. Our garden lineup last year year included sweet corn, summer squash, zucchini, butternut squash, poblano peppers, sweet peppers, banana peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, watermelon, canteloupe, broccoli, carrots, kale, lettuce, arugula, onions,  and radishes.  Our little Frenchie Farm also includes an apple orchard, newly planted blueberry bushes, and fig trees. At Frenchie Farm, we share tips and tricks for modern homesteading and living a healthy lifestyle.

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog

Food allergies

Our frenchies aren’t the only ones with food allergies at this modern homesteading blog. I’m unable to tolerate cow’s milk, and Finley has a suspected allergy to cow’s milk and soy. I also have a long family history of autoimmune diseases, so what better way to improve our overall health than by raising goats, chickens, and bees while also growing our own fruits/veggies?

the Frenchie Farm modern homesteading blog

Thank you so much for stopping by Frenchie Farm, we’re so happy to have you! We hope you find inspiration at our modern homesteading blog.

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Colleen 🐐🐓🐶
Well, despite my denial, I suppose that it’s off Well, despite my denial, I suppose that it’s officially fall 🍁 I tend to hold onto summer time as long as possible, especially because the bitter cold winter months are brutal in Chicago. With that being said, I’m learning to appreciate all of the seasonal changes that naturally occur on the farm, even if they aren’t my favorite 😉 Early morning chores are filled with brisk air while fog covers the rising sun. It’s beautiful in its own unique way, and maybe one day I’ll love the changing seasons as much as I love the summer heat. Or maybe I’ll move somewhere warmer in another life, who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️
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Do you prefer the heat or cold fall days?
After such an emotional weekend, I woke up feel ex After such an emotional weekend, I woke up feel extra drained today. I wanted to press snooze when my alarm went off, but I decided to get up early for a quick workout and chores instead. And gosh, isn’t it crazy how those simple decisions turn your day around right from the start? Plus, seeing these boys run toward me every morning is simply the best.
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What are some things that energize you after a rough few days?
Today was hard. . . Today was processing day for o Today was hard.
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Today was processing day for our first round of meat chickens, and I’ve spent much of the last 24 hours crying. I said my good byes this morning, and I feel grateful for Ben taking care of the logistics. Does it get easier? Is it supposed to? I don’t know.
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I usually share the fun, light hearted parts of homesteading. This part just feels hard. And sad. And I feel a lot of guilt. I feel comforted by the life we gave to our birds, but also guilty that we’re the ones who took it away. 
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Homesteading is just really hard.
Tomorrow is the day that I’ve been dreading for Tomorrow is the day that I’ve been dreading for quite some time - processing day for our first ever round of meat chickens. As a previous vegan, I’m struggling. I’d be lying if I said that I’m not tearing up typing this, or that I didn’t tear up while walking by their pasture during chores tonight. This part is really hard.
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But here’s the thing - I don’t think “hard” is a bad thing. Actually, it’s a good thing. Because if we don’t have a level of guilt and appreciation for animals, then there’s something seriously wrong ... and that’s exactly what’s wrong with our current food supply system. 
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So I’ll continue to feel guilty, because I SHOULD. And I’ll continue to feel grateful, because I SHOULD. And I’ll continue to feel really sad knowing that I’m responsible for loss, because I SHOULD.
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And the second I lose sight of that guilt and gratitude? Well, that won’t happen. Trust me ❤️
Nope, that’s not my incredible white farmhouse, Nope, that’s not my incredible white farmhouse,  but maybe one day ours will looks similar! 🙌🏼 Have you met my friend Maddy over at @addisonfarmssc? We’ve been friends on these little squares for quite some time, and holy moly, she’s definitely #onetofollow ! 
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From her perfectly beautiful farmhouse to her darling farm with a major swoon worthy garden and beautiful horses, I’m just in love. Plus she’s the sweetest, so you should head over to her account and give her a follow! ❤️ Happy Friday, friends!
The face your LGD makes when the bucks try to flir The face your LGD makes when the bucks try to flirt and blubber at them 🤣 MOM?! HELP ME!
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Swipe to see the progression 🤣 These sweet boys are simply the most patient, yet ferocious pups around! What are your LGD’s like?
The moment you realize that you literally have the The moment you realize that you literally have the most handsome buck ever 🙌🏼 Chester is a rather refined buck - he prefers to stand majestically while the other two crazy boys do all sorts of weird things, including but not limited to, flaring their lips, blubbering, flirting, and drinking pee 🤢 What kind of questionable things do your bucks do?
Tomorrow marks our first (official) day of homesch Tomorrow marks our first (official) day of homeschool preschool, but when you live on a farm, aren’t you always “schooling” one way or the other anyway?
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Well before COVID, I started thinking about homeschooling our kids. I didn’t understand the reason for being drawn toward homeschooling, but now it all makes sense and feels like the perfect decision for our family. I’m loving how sweet and cozy this homeschool room feels, and I hope our little ones grow to love learning here too ❤️ I know some of you are homeschooling pros, so I would love to hear any tips!
When the new @beekman1802 Bloom Cream is incredibl When the new @beekman1802 Bloom Cream is incredibly moisturizing, formulated with goat milk, AND packed with probiotics, the goats can’t help but check it out! #ad 🐐 I’ve been using the newest Bloom Cream moisturizer for the past few weeks and I’ve been LOVING it! It’s an incredible mix of super hydrating, gentle, and light weight all mixed into one. Perfect way to re-hydrate after long days on the farm.
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@beekman1802 also recently launched at @ultabeauty, so it couldn’t be any more convenient to try out a few new clinically kind goat milk skincare products! Shop in store or online - you’ll thank me later 😉 What are some of your favorite skincare products? @beekman1802 @ultabeauty #beekmanblooms
Eggs, eggs, eggs! Between beautiful duck eggs and Eggs, eggs, eggs! Between beautiful duck eggs and rainbow chicken eggs - give me all the eggs 🙌🏼 We’re drowning in eggs, which means we have more than enough to share with our farm class friends during their final week of class. 
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So much to be grateful for, and so many scrambled eggs, frittatas, egg bakes, paleo pancakes, etc! What are some of your favorite ways to use up extra eggs?
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