Little-farm-memoirs | Susan Colleen Browne

Little Farm Homegrown

A Memoir of Food-Growing, Midlife, and Self-Reliance on a Small Homestead

Little Farm in the Foothills series, Book 2

A gardening book for anyone who's dreamed of living closer to the land... In this sequel to the award-winning memoir Little Farm in the Foothills, Little Farm Homegrown is a warmhearted tale of optimism in the face of adversity, shared with a sense of humor and a deep appreciation for nature.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, USA, Little Farm Homegrown follows the continuing adventures of a homesteading couple pursuing a self-reliant life in the country—experiencing the ongoing challenges of transforming an old clearcut into a working homestead.

Praise for Little Farm in the Foothills, Book 1:

"The Browne's foray into slower living...is an enjoyable read. Their delightful, yet very real, experiences in making the big leap toward their dreams make for a humorous and charming book."

--Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh

"A delightful account."

--The Bellingham Herald

The story behind Little Farm in the Foothills

When two Boomers flee the city for a slower, simpler, and more serene lifestyle, they discover that simplicity can get awfully complicated… and life becomes anything but serene.

In this award-winning, feel-good tale for gardeners, nature-lovers, and dreamers of all ages, Little Farm in the Foothills follows a midlife couple’s pursuit of the “new” Great American Dream—living closer to the land—as they start growing their own organic food, living more simply, and transforming an old clearcut into a little homestead.

When Susan and her husband John first came up with the idea of having a country place, they were settled into a comfortable and convenient home in the city, happily raising some vegetables and berries in the back yard. Being experienced gardeners, they figured that relocating would be no big deal—they’d expand the garden a little, have a bit more peace and quiet. So they bought 10 acres in the middle of the woods and prepared to pretty much transfer that comfortable town life to the new property.

But this modest plan becomes an adventure that is more life-changing than they could have ever imagined.

There was so much to this new life they never faced before—breaking ground by hand and wildlife predation of their first crops. Despite a tight budget and many roadblocks along the way, they must also cope with unexpected adversity like isolation, infrastructure failures, and extreme weather.

Little Farm in the Foothills is not a memoir about farming…it’s a warmhearted story of making a dream come true. As Susan writes of their Foothills home, “it’s not a farm, it’s not even a ‘farmette,’ but it’s the dream of a farm.”

You can request both Little Farm books in print or ebook at your local library!