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Hello, I’m Carolyn Binder, and I enjoy writing about and photographing my transition from my former life in the high tech world to my current life in a rural Southern town, where my husband and I are restoring a 100-year old bungalow and grounds back to their former glory. During the day, I’m a senior research associate and program manager of a national law enforcement research and training program for a nonprofit firm. But as soon as I pass through the gate at Cowlick Cottage Farm, I transform into a passionate vegetable gardener and kitchen witch.
My love of gardening has reawakened my love for writing and transformed my cooking and our lifestyle. My photos and stories have been published in GRIT and Tallahassee Woman magazines, on the New Leaf Market web site and on the Garden Writer’s Association web site. I am also an active participant in the popular #GardenChat on Twitter and the “Soiled Again” community on Facebook. Recently, I was honored to be named as a Proven Winners Garden Guru for the southeast region. My monthly gardening posts appear on the Proven Winners web site.
My husband, Eric, and I have three daughters who couldn’t be more different—a recently divorced mother of a Kindergartener who is rediscovering herself, a Fulbright Scholar librarian geek who just published her first sci-fi novel, and a rock star hairdresser who lives and does hair in the Buckhead community of Atlanta. We also have two dogs, a 90 pound Labrador that thinks he’s a lap dog, and a miniature labradoodle that only speaks French. We have our hands full, but there is never any shortage of love and laughter. Or good food. I hope you enjoy visiting Cowlick Cottage Farm.
Carolyn holds a BA in Human Services & Business Communications, and an MA in Organizational Management.
Sunday Osso Bucco
Scenes from the New Garden Bed
February Morning Walk
Hot Toddy Recipe
A Review of Atlanta’s Mansion on Peachtree and Empire State South
Winter Evening Garden Stroll
Ethel’s Meyer Lemon Chocolate Tart
p.s.
We’ve gotten pork from Sweetgrass Dairy in the past. Also, Heavenly Homestead is raising pigs. We got our laying hens from Heavenly Homestead last summer and just loved seeing their farm.
Bradleys pork comes from local farms, but I don’t know anything about the philosophies of those producers. They do offer individual cuts at their store, though.
Ahh, you have been frequenting some of my favorite places! Sweetgrass has some of the best cheeses around. I’ll have to check and see if they carry pork belly. We also got our hens from Heavenly Homestead. They are nice folks and have interesting things happening on their little farm.
Hi, Just found your blog! We moved to a small acreage near Havana a year ago, and seem to stuck in the planning stage with a few fruit trees, chickens and guineas, and grand plans for vegetables and flowers, and maybe a couple of goats. I’m completely smitten with the idea of forest-gardening/ permaculture.
We moved from an old house downtown that needs help (still have the house) — we were working on restoring it before we moved here, and just never finished (is one ever finished?) Is window restoration part of your husband’s home-restoration business?
I like the Charcutepalooza site. Speaking of charcuterie, feral hogs are one of the main reasons we have little in the ground. We are passive pig farmers, trying to harden ourselves for the harvest.
You have a great mini- farm and a beautiful blog. Thanks for the inspiration!
Amanda
Hi Amanda! Nice to virtually meet you! It sounds like you have been very busy, between your new place and your place in town. It does take awhile to get your garden planned and set in, doesn’t it?
Is your downtown house in Tallahassee? When you say window restoration, do you mean cleaning up and restoring old windows, or replacing them with new windows?
Charcutepalooza has been a lot of fun so far. I hope you join us.
Thanks for visiting–I’m glad you enjoyed our blog!
Hello, I just found your blog and am enjoying reading about gardens and chickens. Keep up the good work. I’ll look forward to future posts! Kathy
Thanks, Kathy! I am glad you are enjoying our blog.
Hi Carolyn,
I’m the associate editor for Tallahassee Woman magazine and we are doing a feature section on blogs by local women and would like to feature you, and your website/blog in the upcoming Oct/Nov issue. Would you be up for an article interview with me sometime next week, in the morning preferably? Monday morning is ‘out’ for me, but any other morning next week is open.
Let me know if you’d like to be featured and if so, when you might be available for an interview.
I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and learning about your farm. I even love the name of it… Can’t wait to hear the story behind it. Regina Schimpf has highly recommended you by the way
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Warmest Regards,
Heather Thomas
Associate Editor
Tallahassee Woman Magazine LLC
850.893.9624 (office)
850.933.0891 (cell)
heather@talwoman.com