Welcome to my new space

(and what you can expect)

I’m glad you’re here. It’s been a long time since I started a blog. Back in 2011 I launched a blog for writers and it grew tremendously. I enjoyed the process and the community. The seasons of life (a term I grapple with) revealed new values where I feel that I need to devote my time, energy, and effort. Here we are, at this veining egg about to crack open, Tara Lynne Today.

A little about me

I’m an author and journalist, journeyman beekeeper, and certified permaculture designer. You can dive into my writing work here, learn about my beekeeping, and if you follow me on Instagram @taralynne0 you’ll see a lot of my permaculture-inspired lifestyle. Although I grew up on Long Island, New York, I deeply feel that North Carolina is my soul state. I’m in awe of this place every day. I love fostering ecologically-minded landscapes that feed bees, wildlife, and my family. Between apiaries in the Pittsboro and Bryson City areas of North Carolina, I steward just over 10 acres. In addition to bees, I raise chickens for eggs and entertainment, quail for eggs and meat, maintain an active worm bin for vermicompost, and soon we’ll add Idaho Pasture Pigs to help control invasive species, manage food waste that’s too good for the compost, and to add meat to our freezer. We have an Australian shepherd puppy who will help with our future livestock.

Sitting on our front stoop with the first wave of a pumpkin harvest a few years ago. I plant pumpkins in our front yard and the vines spend the summer snaking their way to the front porch.

My husband and I standing in front of the “You Belong Here” mural in Sylva, North Carolina.

My husband is an aerospace engineer by day and runs a small machine shop from home by night. He has a big focus on motorsports and I find it crazy to say that we have “his and hers” Miatas. His is a fully custom V8-swap. He designed the suspension system, welded 65-feet of exhaust, and did so many “extra” upgrades that I won’t list them. When we go to car shows I feel like zombies are coming toward us because crowds of people start flock with their mouths open! Outside of home, my husband and I have a goal of visiting 50 national parks before we’re 50. Our most recent parks were Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri and Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We’re thinking of doing a loop of Colorado parks next.

A few frames of capped honey hanging on one of my hives.

A smidgen about my values

I got my first beehive in 2017. After going through a full year with the bees I started to think about what I could plant for them. Then I realized—I cook. A lot. What could I grow that could be for them and for us? I started with the idea of a “sauce garden.” Just a little patch for tomatoes, basil, onions, and garlic…but as I learned more about gardening, I stumbled on permaculture. I realized this idea of designing spaces with multi-purpose plants and in ways where a whole system feeds itself had a framework and ethic: permaculture. In 2021 I received my permaculture design certificate from Oregon State University. I also learned about how depleted our nation’s soils are and how that’s impacting the nutrients in our food. While we might be eating “filling” meals, our bodies can become undernourished over time. Having the land and the knowledge, I feel a responsibility to use what we have to grow the best food possible for our family and to steward land for wildlife. Over the past few years my little garden experiment expanded to a 500 sq. ft. in-ground garden, high tunnel, container garden, raised beds, no-dig pond garden and peach orchard, apple orchard food forest, fuel forest, and forest farming of woodland botanicals.

My main in-ground garden, high tunnel, and apiary.

A tad about what you can expect

We believe in designing life around our values and helping others do the same. I also believe in evidence-based decision making. Between beekeeping, producing nutrient-dense food, and seasonal living, you can expect posts that are often rooted in research. I believe if people know better, they’re inclined to do better. That’s what motivates me.

For more than a decade I’ve advocated that writers receive compensation for their work. I also understand access limitations. To balance these values, I chose the lowest possible subscription pricing that Substack offers. My posts pop up in inboxes free to all subscribers, paid or unpaid. For now, unpaid subscribers have access to 2 weeks of posts in the online archives. Paid subscribers access the full archive (which I believe will become more valuable over time as the inventory grows to encompass so much of the great research happening today in beekeeping and agriculture).

Thank you

I appreciate you being here, learning along with me, and sharing what you learn with others. Please let me know what’s on your mind. We might be curious about the same things.