OUR STORY

In June 2019, Chris & Tiffany bought a 14-acre former horse rescue just a short distance from downtown Mystic. It came with a barn, two pastures, and several enclosed paddocks and run-ins in varying states of non-repair. Only about 3 acres were cleared (sort of); the rest is wooded. Our first year was spent taking back the house clearing and the pastures from the wild. We also tore out derelict fencing and equipment, installed new sheep and goat fencing, repaired and painted the barn, and built a new chicken "fortress".
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In 2020 we began small-scale farming in earnest. In late winter we tapped red maple and birch trees to make two kinds of syrup. In the spring we transformed one clearing into a "Victory Garden" for vegetables and flowers, and ran a pilot CSA (community-supported agriculture) program all summer. We raised a small flock of ten chickens who began laying eggs in early fall. Finally, we welcomed three Gotland sheep to our barn and pasture, and sold our first batch of fiber.

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In late 2020 the town of Groton designated us a PA-490 property. We are deeply proud to be part of this program designed to preserve Connecticut farmland and open space.

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Sustainability is at the heart of Blackburn Farm. While we are far from perfect in our knowledge or our practices, we are trying our best to learn every day, walk our talk, and live our environmental values. Easier said than done! We've already had many lessons learned and will share these along the way.

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We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. - Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac