What's in a Name?....(Why 3 Porch Farm?)
To Mandy and I, the thought of the South is always deeply entangled with the culture and imagery of the porch. In many ways, porch culture has thinned out a bit in the era of conditioned air, but it is still an inherent part of sounthern culture and history and remains a romantic and charming part of what draws us to the South. A porch, couple a chairs, banjo, a cold drink, fireflies and crickets, lightning in the distance and a slight breeze through the Pecan leaves to cool you ever so slightly or at least take the edge off the summer heat. Beats T.V. anyday.
When we set out to purchase land and start a farm, we had a fairly modest amount of savings to do it with and had prepared ourselves for living in a tent and working the land for quite some time. Somehow, we had the amazing fortune to find a beautiful piece of property that not only had a home we could afford, but it also had 3 porches. A front porch, a back porch and a sleeping porch. We were, and still are, elated. It is a rare day when we use A.C., so a great deal of our non-work life is situated on a porch. Smoothie breaks during the heat of the day, the occasional meal with friends, and that two hours before dusk after the Saturday market in which we gratefully squeeze in a "weekend." Virtually all of our farm planning and appreciation takes place on a porch. We can overlook the expanse of the farm, watch the animals forage, hunt, and play and be inspired enough to step off again and get back to work. For these reasons and a few more, we are 3 Porch Farm.
is a Georgia native. She graduated from UGA with a degree in Horticulture. During that time, she began working with a local sustainable farmer and selling their goods at the Big City Bread farmers market and other local venues. She has been hooked ever since. Her love for the farm life took her to California via the WWOOF's program where she learned to combine her love for horses and farming. While in Ca., she also worked at the prestigious organic olive oil company McEvoy Ranch for multiple years helping to manage their 7 acre vegetable and cut flower gardens. After missing her home state for too long, she and Steve packed up their dogs...and bee hives... and headed east bound and down to begin their new farming endeavor. She is excited to be back and to help bring beauty, blooms, and good food to the local folks.
Mandy O'Shea
came to Georgia from northern California to try and make this farm dream a reality. With a varied background from biology to building he has spent years on a sustainable farm as a mechanic on veggie oil vehicles (tractors, generators, etc), on construction of an eco village (strawbale, cobb, lime plasters), and as a floater on a variety of other supporting farm tasks from harvesting to CSA management. He's also spent years working in renewable fuels as a mechanic and tour driver. He is heading up farm construction and sustainability projects and helping his farm mentor (Mandy) in the fields. Steve has long struggled to try and find a profession that provided a living wage in a way that respects and nourishes the natural surroundings and the community at large and still appeals on a personal creative level. 3 Porch Farm is now the setting in which he is working to create that profession instead of seeking it out elsewhere.
Steve O'Shea
Steve O'Shea
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