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November 2003
Dear MaryJane,
[Your magazine] sounds fascinating. You are speaking directly to my heart on many subjects!
Many thanks.
Judy Tomasino
Dear MaryJane,
I love your magazine. It is enchanting and inspiring. I am a single mother of two boys, and have just bought five acres in Nevada. I do not know exactly what I am going to do with it yet. I have been planting pine trees, I picked up some chickens, I plan on getting a mustang and next year, of course, I will plant a vegetable garden. I have an old mobile home that we have been fixing up. We put in real pine-board floors and are slowly turning it into a cabin.
I was a 30-something mom with a little boy and a baby, when I divorced and decided to go back to school. Just this summer, after 10 years, I got my Bachelor of Arts degree ... the first in my family! I don't know what I am going to do now, grad school, work or what. I am an artist; I do oil paintings and make quilts. I have been saying that right now my farm is my art! Our latest project is a new front porch attached to our little humble trailer for my willow love seat and chair.
Your magazine has given me the courage to call my place a FARM. I think if women thought of their homes as farms, no matter what they actually are, it would change how they feel. My grandparents had a small city lot, but they had a huge garden and compost piles, apple trees, blackberry bushes and a clothesline. The clothesline posts were made of slabs of cement, and I would climb up there and sing to the clouds while the clothes dried and dream of a horse and a farm. I think small farms are the answer for women in many ways. We don't need fancy clothes and fancy cars; we need blue jeans (embroidered) and vegetable oil-powered pickup trucks (painted purple).
Love,
Nylene Schoellhorn
Dear MaryJane!
You INSPIRE ME!
Two years ago, I purchased a near-dying, run-down orchard and "farm house" here in Rainbow, California. My friends and family all thought I was nuts! Some still do! But I am here today and doing my best to learn the land and figure out what this is all about. Your story is an inspiration and touches me deeply. I had relocated back home to California from Long Island. After the end of my marriage, it was all about packing up the wagon and heading west for a new beginning on my own and stronger than ever. Reading your words has let me know that I am "not alone" and I most definitely am not "an alien." I have a long, long way to go. I still feel like I know so little, but my vision is strong and my love of this land is yet stronger. Thank you ever so much for sharing your gifts. You have touched my heart and I intend to follow your work and look more closely at your web site.
With warmest green wishes,
Caroline Zellner
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths that we take but rather by the moments that take our breath away."
Dear MaryJane,
I am presently wishing to become on of the hundreds of women who are buying farms.
I have found a seed farm that has been handled in the organic manner, but is not currently certified organic. It is in Colorado and is in an area that can also be developed into an organic wine, grape vineyard. I would appreciate any input you might have, as to how women, without prior experience [in organic farming], start this type of business with simply a very strong desire to do it. You have obviously been very successful with your endeavors and I find that to be very inspirational. I would very much like to subscribe to your magazine.
Sincerely,
Annette Walters
Dear MaryJane,
I have been meaning to write for awhile in order to thank you and tell you that all the participants, in my Sierra Program (organized by the University of North Carolina) this summer, really enjoyed your food. It was great for us to be able to buy such excellent food in bulk and then repackage it in portions that fit our needs along the trail. The program went really well and I am going to do it again next summer. Then perhaps give it a rest for a while and go somewhere else in 2005.Thanks again for all your help.
With best regards,
Greg Gangi
Hello MaryJane,
I wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your diary this
week, so much so, that I would encourage you to incorporate this
somehow in subscription form to distribute to those who are interested.
It could be in paper form or email form. I realize that it takes
a lot of time, but perhaps a weekly or monthly diary in a condensed
form with highlights of doings might be a do-able thing.
I applaud you for sticking with your projects and am happy that
you are now finding it paying off for you. I realize that you will
be encountering a lot of new things, peoples and events as this
book deal and other offers commence; and I urge you not to get discouraged
by those who offer only discouraging words. (At all costs, avoid
the Slate message posts...bunch of negative people for the most
part). Also, I know what the intent of your comment about Taiwan
was and took it for such. Try as one might, no matter how we intend
to offend no one, these things happen. I imagine you'll now be using
"third world countries"' as a substitute term for your
point, which is a valid point by the way.
I grew up on farms in eastern Washington, also in a family of 7, and the only daughter. I have always longed to farm. However, it was made apparent to me that my father wanted his daughter to be 'a lady', so I wasn't given as many opportunities to explore the agricultural side of farm life that my brothers were given, although I did do my fair share of farm chores. I was schooled in the usual 4H activities of the house — cooking, sewing, canning, gardening, crocheting — and I continue to enjoy these activities, on my little almost-a- third-acre lot here in Wenatchee. I long to try growing lavender and to use sustainable farming methods. Perhaps one day that family farm in the Columbia Basin will have a little space for me to experiment!
I look forward to seeing your books published, MaryJane, and the new magazine that will be off the press soon. In the meantime, I've ordered your two magazines that are still in stock, a soup sample to try and I'm watching my mailbox!
Many Blessings to you!
Sincerely,
Clare Meyette, (the 50-year-old farmer's daughter)
Wenatchee, Washington
Hi MaryJane,
Your website is unreal. I've loved looking through everything. I heard about you through MaryJane's diary entries on Slate. Excellent work, I felt inspired just reading about you all. Hey, if you ever want to have an expat. Aussie working for a bit on the farm, give me a yell and I'll see what I can do! Anyway, I can't sew, quilt or do anything crafty or farmy, but I'll do my bit for the cause by ordering some.
Thanks,
Ingrid
MaryJane,
Just wanted to thank you and let you know that your soups are delicious. I purchased Velvety Black Bean and Curried Lentil Bisque at the Puyallup fair this summer.
I have emailed a couple of my friends who backpack and take road trips to let them know about your products. I am sure they will enjoy them as much as I.
Patti Hardin
Ruston, Washington
MaryJane,
You have a really great online store. I found it by following the link on Slate. It is really a nice experience browsing through your store pages.
I have been the webmaster of a company for the past two years. The owners of the company have decided to farm out the whole operation because it has become such a crucial part of their income and they want to totally redo everything. Disappointing for me but that seems to be the way of the world these days.
I was curious to know if you could tell me who built your store and who hosts it. It is really a wonderful interface. Everything about it is nice...graphics and flow between pages, indexes etc.
Good luck writing your books.
Richard Cottrell
MaryJane,
I grew up in Ohio, of farm origins. There was a magazine called "The Farm Journal" in the late '50s early '60s. The front two thirds of the magazine was all about farming and equipment etc., but the back third was called "The Farmer's Wife", I think. I devoured that section, how tos, personal stories, kitchen re-dos, and recipes galore. It was so woman friendly. They put out a book about canning and freezing. The article about you in the Houston Chronicle yesterday reminded me of those days. I think you will be astounded at the flood of interest you are going to receive. Maybe more than you want.
To your own self be true,
Sarah Youngblood
Greetings MaryJane...Farm Girl.
I can't say enough about the pleasure I've had viewing your website. I've thought it was long overdue for an All American Farm Girl such as you to saddle-up that horse and ride it into the sunset. It is exciting to see the "real thing", when it comes to living life in a rural community and getting back to home life, the way it was meant to be. You have captured a part of all women today that dream of having a life like yours. Little do they realize so much of what they see in you is already in them. You are the woman to bring it to fruition. To show the world that keeping it real in a down-home sort of way is what it's all about. It's funny that the most basic of life's joys; the dirt, the sun, the sprouting life beneath the ground, the things women have always loved to do in their home and out, has become a thing of the past, forgotten about in today's world. I'm glad that someone with nature's eye, woman's inherent talents and innovation has brought a new standard to light. Lead the way, MJ, the forgotten many who "keep it real" everyday will benefit from you.
Thank you.
Kami Lee Watkins
Watkins Americana Co.
Hello MaryJane,
I discovered your website last week and have read most of the articles you have posted there, as well as the staff introductions and history descriptions. You have a wonderful website! I am so excited about the ideas you give, as well as the "support." I live in the rural mountains of northwestern North Carolina. I live on family "farmland" which has been let go for several years and needs much loving care to become productive again. We planted a small orchard, which has been attacked by deer, and we recently purchased 2 goats, who are more interested in the lawn than the brush within their fence. We've come to the conclusion that we may have been better off to fence in the apple trees and let the goats run wild! I have a degree in agricultural education and am currently working for a trucking company as a secretary (WHAT?!!) with my husband and some friends who help make it tolerable. I apologize for taking your valuable time. I did not intend to write a biography when I started this note!
My original purpose was to respond to the article about venison.
I noticed the preparation instructions were to trim and discard
the fat. Instead of wasting it, why not render it and make soap?
I ran across a simple recipe for deer tallow soap at the following
website:
http://www.the-sage.com/cgi-local/rgather.cgi?Bar+Soap
Looks like another grand adventure to me!
Karowin Cassell
Greetings!
I just came across an article about you in the London Free Press. I found it to be very interesting. My husband and I do a bit of sailing and your organic food pouches would compliment our sailing adventures. At this time we sail the North Channel here in Ontario but eventually we have plans of extending our trip.
Sincerely,
Trudy Groom
MaryJane,
I've just finished reading your last diary entry on Slate Magazine…I'm going to miss it. I could really relate to your entry about using knitting to heal. There's a small group of us here in Madison, Wisconsin, who have irregularly scheduled knitting get-togethers, getting together to talk and knit. I've gotten one step closer to growing my own vegetables with the community garden plot I've just been given use of. Reading your diary has reminded me how much I'd really like to get out of the rat-race; to slow down, live off the land instead of giving to a corporation's pocket.
The best to you!
Paula Lorenz
Aquatic Sciences Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dear CindyLou,
Thank you for responding so quickly. I look forward to receiving the Magazine. I came across the MaryJanesFarm website by accident and it was quite inspiring. It is always great to see someone succeed in the organic field and especially in rural Idaho. I am distributing organic skin care products, mainly to holistic minded spas, eco-stores and holistic minded practitioners. The market for true organic skin care is still small but growing, as more people become aware of cosmetic ingredients. I moved here from Germany about 10 years ago and certainly enjoy our rural lifestyle.
In the spirit of eco-beauty.
Luise
MaryJane,
I just finished reading your electronic diary on MSN Slate. Congratulations on the book deal! I'm looking forward to reading your first book.
You are living the life I would love to have! I am so dissatisfied with city life and would like to have a small farm with a garden, flowers, chickens, and a milk cow. I would love to spend the summers working in the garden, canning and making jam. And, spend my winters making quilts, Afghans & Christmas presents. Sometimes I feel I was born in the wrong era.
Please continue to post your electronic diary. I look forward to the next installment.
Regards,
Teresa Schlemeyer
Aurora, Colorado
MaryJane,
I travel a lot and one day, [your brother] Scott gave me one of your magazines (actually two, I grabbed the other). I just want to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a farmer at heart and enjoyed the down-to-earth ideas you have created. I just ordered some samples and I am anticipating their arrival, to quench the mouth-watering that your magazine has caused (I guess I should have had something to eat first). I plan to enjoy them with my wife, Alice, as well as take them on my journeys ahead.
Thank you very much,
Brian S. Fivas
MaryJane,
I'm a 24 year old male economist living in Fairbanks, Alaska. I just read your article on Salon. You said, "We want real conversation. We like to share pretty things. We're dreamers. Armed with the "how" of it all, we become doers— how to mend a sweater, build a greenhouse, restore a grandmother's diamond set, choose healthy table salt and toothpaste, cook with grace once a month, replace a lawn with a double-dug raised bed, mend a doily, start a business, learn to knit, buy a milk goat, raise chickens, braid a rug, dry leftover fruit, live alone, grow a winter garden, choose a water filter, find a non-toxic mattress, share laundry tips, talk about face lifts, faith, calcium." I want to learn most of these things and have the same worries. Please, don't focus too much on this being a "woman" thing or a "man" thing. I'll buy your book either way, don't get me wrong.
Mike Russell
The hero I've never found, until now— MaryJane,
I have just spent an hour reading about you, your life, and your farm— an hour of amazing revelation and gushing tears of release and inspiration. No doubt, I am not the first to tell you how inspiring your life's journey toward the goal of a farm, and what you have done for organic farmers and farming, are to women everywhere. For years now I have figured and reasoned on the question of how to get to where you are, and have been very discouraged at times by how long my goals will take when I see friends who by luck, chance, and inheritance were able to find their dreams more quickly. And now, at a time in my life when I am desperate for words of encouragement, I read your story and read about your farm and work, and wow!! For years you built your skills and just kept on, until you finally were able to realize your dream. The story is now printed and will hang in my kitchen to keep me going, to lift me back when I feel weighted by the seemingly impossibilities. I had to send a letter to tell you how thankful I am for wonderful people like you, taking a stand, working hard, and never, ever giving up. From mother to mother, woman to woman, and lover of Earth to lover of Earth, I thank you and send my deepest gratitude.
Much peace and love,
Meredith
Greetings,
I just found your website and I must say what an inspiration you are. I have always wanted to do what you do but the closest I've come to organic gardening is putting in a compost and growing worms. Kudos to you for accomplishing what so many others desire to do with their life.
Thank You,
The Worm Grower
MaryJane,
You have a really great online store. I found it by following the link on Slate. It is really a nice experience browsing through your store pages.
I have been the webmaster of a company for the past two years. http://www.powermusic.com . The owners of the company have decided to farm out the whole operation because it has become such a crucial part of their income and they want to totally redo everything. Disappointing for me but that seems to be the way of the world these days.
I was curious to know if you could tell me who built your store and who hosts it. It is really a wonderful interface. Everything about it is nice...graphics and flow between pages, indexes etc.
Good luck writing your books.
Richard Cottrell
Just wanted to thank you and let you know that your soups are delicious. I purchased Velvety Black Bean and Curried Lentil Bisque at the Puyallup fair this summer. I have emailed a couple of my friends who backpack and take road trips to let them know about your products. I am sure they will enjoy them as much as I.
Patti Hardin
Ruston, WA
To Mary Jane,
I recently picked up the latest issue of your magazine and loved every word in it! Totally a top of the line magazine. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoy it. We (my whole family) also enjoy your food products. You are a true inspiration to me and I just wanted to let you know that. Thank you so much from your biggest fan.
Miracles Happen To Those Who Believe!
Jodi L. Pomponio
Yummy!
I recently hiked the John Muir Trail with a group from UNC-chapel Hill in North Carolina. All we had to eat was snickers bars and Ziploc bags full of your couscous, lentil soup, oatmeal and pasta. I just wanted to say that it was the best trail food I have ever eaten. It was easy to prepare, relatively lightweight and very filling. I especially liked the mac and cheese and the hot and creamy cereal. I guess the only thing I didn't like was the peanut bulghar.... but anyway, thanks for keeping us fed!
Lauren Craig
MaryJane,
I read your article in the Desert Morning News last week. I was intrigued with the story and your accomplishments thus far in your business ventures. I am originally from a small farming community in Southeastern Idaho called Lewisville just North of Idaho Falls about fifteen miles. So, I can relate to your back to nature lifestyle. I admire the way you're handling the success that has finally come your way. The humility you displayed in the article doesn't come to a person overnight. You're an inspiration to the entrepreneurs of this world. Thanks for being the person you are. Deep down I know you'll never change and that's what I admire the most. Keep up the good work. If you're ever down Salt Lake way I would be honored if you'd have lunch with me.
Truly,
Roland
Mary Jane and Crew,
Wow, what an inspiration. I am currently awaiting word from the Center for Agro Ecology and Sustainable Food Systems program in Santa Cruz, Ca. I have applied to the program for next year's growing season. I was accepted last year but I felt that I did not have enough capital to live for six months without any income. Alas, I have been living and working in Los Angeles to prepare for next year. However, if I do get accepted, I still may not have enough funds to attend. My father owns an 1,800-acre ranch outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is where I will start my organic vegetable, herb and flower farm. I have been extremely nervous to jump right into it if I am unable to go to Santa Cruz. I have spent this whole morning reading your diary from Slate and then I turned to your website and got all dreamy reading about you, your sacred places and the wonderful folks around you, not to mention the wonderful concoctions you have developed. I now feel more courageous to get on over to Oklahoma without "formal training" if need be. It feels wonderful to have found a female role model for my aspirations. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I cannot wait to get my hands on your mags and mixes!!!!
Sincerely Yours,
A Fellow Dirt Diva,
Tracy Ternes
MaryJane,
I've LOVED reading your diary at Slate, and I am excited about your book. I grew up (Mormon until age 13, coincidentally) in Oklahoma but went to New England for college. I learned many ranch and handy tasks as a kid, but learned how to knit 8 years ago at college. I can't get enough of "rural" work— now that it is a choice (we don't have to live on farms and produce nearly all we need), such tasks are a pleasure! I also happen to love rap music, and whenever I do a farmer/handyman/needlework task, I call it "keepin' it rural," since rappers call what they do "keepin' it real." The "rural" works best when said in a Snoop Dogg drawl. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and thanks to another woman who's keepin' it rural.
Christine Hanna
Easthampton, MA
Hi there,
I read with interest an article about you and your farm. This was in the Dixon Telegraph— Dixon, Ilinois. So I went on line and found several different sites. Read with interest about the man that had sweaty feet. My ex-husband had terrible sweaty feet. They looked like a sponge on the bottom. Had never seen anything like it. A neighbor lady at that time said to sprinkle Mule Team Borax in his shoes— maybe twice a day at first. As you said use heavy white cotton socks. You know that took care of the sweaty, stinky, smelly feet. Just thought you would like to know.
I will finish reading some more of your ideas. I like the clear pictures on your site. The strawberries - I wanted to pick them and eat them. I am allergic to anything that has soybean oil in it. I break out in hives and welts. I have learned to make my own piecrust, bread, noodles, etc. The bread is from scratch not with a bread machine— I don't like them. I retired from work outside of the home a year ago— so I have time for more domestic duties now.
Sounds like you have remarried — so have I. We do raise a garden and can a lot of fruit and vegetables and chicken and beef. Love it. After reading the ingredients on some of these products you can buy at the store, it scares me. That I think is why everyone has to run to the doctor now-a-days— too many additives.
Take care,
Lorraine
