Dark Moon Farm

10/25/2026

From practically living in the oxen barn at the Deerfield Fair to his very first driving lesson, Silas's oxen obsession is showing no signs of slowing down! 🐂

He's decided to start an oxen journal to document everything he learns, his adventures, and hopefully, someday, life with a team of his very own.

We'll be sharing his journey along the way, complete with what I'm sure will be plenty of malarkey, shenanigans, and questionable bovine observations.

Stay tuned! We've got an aspiring teamster in the making.

10/24/2026

I am fully immersed in my favorite part of the year. Winter squash season!

I LOVE winter squash. Like, if I were on death row and had to choose my last meal, roasted winter squash with a little butter, salt, and sugar would absolutely be on the menu. Throw in some of those cranberry jalapeño chicken meatballs I've been telling you about, and I'd be a happy girl. Well, under the circumstances, anyway.

Today's lunch is a quarter of an Orange Kabocha squash from a friend's garden. I have absolutely no idea where he got the seeds, but wherever they came from, they're winners. This squash is DELICIOUS.

I roasted the other three quarters too, so theoretically I'll be eating squash for the next few days. That's assuming I can stay out of it long enough for it to actually last a few days. No promises.

Today's portion is mashed up with a little butter, goat cheese, sugar, and sage, served alongside those wonderful cranberry jalapeño chicken meatballs.

Some people get excited about pumpkin spice season. Me? Just give me all the winter squash. Every last one of them.

10/24/2026

Guys....you have the check out The Cringe Diaries

10/23/2026

I did a thing.

Well… 36 things.

Gosh, that sounds about as dirty as I'm going to be for the next few days.

Silas and I stop at Tractor Supply Co. about once a week on the way home from hockey to raid the clearance section. Sometimes we find something. Sometimes we don't.

And sometimes we REALLY score. Like the time I picked up a small tri-fuel generator for $40 that just needed a new spark plug.

Anyway, I've been watching their trees for weeks. They were already reasonably priced, but still more than I wanted to spend.

Last night? 50% off tags!

I asked the store manager if he could hold a couple for me since I didn't have my truck. He said sure, and then casually mentioned that the more I bought, the better deal he could give me.

Sir. You should not say things like that to me.

I bought all 36.

For 75% off.

So now Dark Moon Farm has 9 new apple and peach trees, a couple of willows, two red maple, oak, a crab apple, and an assortment of flowering and "regular" trees that all need to go in the ground.

Thankfully, I have a teenager and a pr***en who can dig holes while hubby is partially out of commission with a bum wrist.

Alex, my teenager who dreams of living in a Miami penthouse someday, was less than impressed with this development.

But digging holes builds muscles, and muscles are exactly what every future NHL player needs.

You're welcome, Alex. Consider it off-ice conditioning. Free of charge.

Nothing says family bonding quite like, "Here's a shovel. We have 36 trees to plant."

And yes, I am ridiculously pleased with myself.

Ask me how I feel about this purchase after hole number 27.

10/22/2026

You've heard of shepherd's pie - right? Well, this is farmer's pie. Made with the last of the garden corn and green beans. Some peas fromt he depth of the freezer and carrots and potatoes I pulled earlier today. The beef - that's from one of the cows we sent to "freezer camp". I did try something a little different, instead of traditional cheddar in the mashed potatoes, I used appledwood smoked cheddar I picked up at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Common Ground Country Fair in September. It was an good enough swap, but I think I prefer plane cheddarr.

10/22/2026

10/21/2026

Let me reintroduce Cheese. 🧀

Also known as Super Sh*t, Blockhead, Destroyer of Coyotes, and one half of Dark Moon Farm's resident Puff Balls of Doom.

Cheese is a Maremma livestock guardian dog with the face of an angel, the intelligence of a potato (at least when it suits him), and absolutely no tolerance for coyotes.

He's a big fan of snacks - cat food and poopsickles are some of his favorites.

By day, he's a giant, goofy marshmallow who looks like he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag.

By night, he's a 100+ pound security system with four-wheel drive, a built-in alarm, and a very enthusiastic approach to predator management.

He may not always have two brain cells to rub together, but apparently neither one is required to be exceptionally good at his job.

We love this ridiculous blockhead. Even if the local coyotes have a slightly different opinion.

10/20/2026

It's taco tuesday!

May i present a favorite at our house - taco potatoes. Yes there is a potato burried under all those toppings. And yes, those are my green onions - buy once, eat many times

10/19/2026

If you followed our adventures at the Deerfield Fair this year, you probably remember Silas's slight obsession with the oxen barn. And by slight, I mean we practically needed to forward his mail there. 😂

He was particularly smitten with a pair of oxen named Mick and Mater. I think he would have happily packed his bags and moved right into their stall if we'd let him.

Well, today was a pretty big day for our aspiring oxen driver!

We had the opportunity to spend part of the afternoon with Emma and her family, and Silas got his very first lesson in driving oxen! 🐂🐂

Needless to say, he's one very happy boy tonight. And I suspect his obsession has only gotten worse.

My bank account is already nervous. 😂❤️