WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — It's tomato season at Young Harvest Farm; so fresh, you can eat them right off the vine.

"All of these are San Marzanos," farm co-owner Chelsea Young points out. "I try to do a variety, so that we can have tomato sauce, tomatoes canned all the way through March."

While she looks like a natural as she makes her way through the garden, Chelsea Young is new to farming. This mom of four started what she calls a "pandemic garden" with her family in 2020.

"I just really, really loved that flow state with my kids, and I think they loved it too, our together time," Young said. "Not just touching the soil, but physically, just spending time together in nature, listening to birds and eating food just right from the source. Knowing that a seed can produce life for our bodies as well, was really neat."

Their garden didn't exactly mesh in a traditional neighborhood, so Young and her husband bought 18 acres in Arrington and put in a hoop house so they can grow food year round. They have chickens, goats and livestock, and a you-pick flower garden open to the public. They also host yoga classes and farm-to-table dinners in the barn, and sourdough and cooking classes in the farmhouse.

"Just be a space that's open, so that the community can learn with us," Young said. "I think people are liking it, whether they have a farm or not. I have most of my people that come to the farm here, the community, they just want to learn to do something in their backyard."

Young said if you're interested in homesteading, you can start small and it just takes some experimenting.

"If I can do it, you can do it. It's not that you have to do it at a mass quantity. You don't have to feed your family for a whole year," Young said. "It's can you learn to ferment a jar of kraut? And does it taste good? How long was that kraut going for? You know, get good at that, and that's homesteading. That kind of stuff is homesteading, I think we don't realize. So even just starting with a meal prep, meal prep for your family, using fresh seasonal goods is a big step in the right direction."

Young said that direction is back to a more simple time.

"I think people want to be connected to their food source, whether that's a local farmers market or local farm," Young said. "Little by little, we're kind of crawling back to our grandma's way of life."

You can learn more about the workshops and events at Young Harvest Farm here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/special-reports/family-farm-in-arrington-shares-love-of-homesteading-with-the-community/