From City Girl to Farm Girl at Record Speed

I was in Iceland and I got a call from my husband.

“Hey honey. You know how we once said (28 years ago) we would love to live right here?”

Well, I am in Iceland and it is the middle of the night, so…where is here? “Here” turned out to be the Maryland eastern shore. So, I changed my travel plans, met my best friend at the Philly airport, flew to  Salisbury, Maryland…and that’s where this new chapter in my life starts.

For many years, we have been looking for a home on the east coast between Belize and Maine. While this left a lot of land to choose from, it had to have open water to fish, land to have a few animals, and feel like we were on vacation all the time. After years and years of hard work to get ourselves to where we are right now, all things lined up. Not only did we find the perfect home, but so much more, including my husband’s 25 minute commute to a job he loves.

Well, on that day in December, I came to look for a home. My husband could not come, so my best friend joined me and we ventured to unknown lands with a realtor who, to this day, thinks I am crazy, but loves me anyway. I told her what we were looking for and not only did she nail it, but nailed it on steroids. To be exact…the house, the location, the water, a farm, and two additional houses I can run as a business and that will allow me to give back to the community. On that day in December, I bought The Clifton, which my husband saw for the first time 6 weeks later when we moved in.

Given that we had no clue we would be doing this, but given the speed at which it happened, I decided to take a nine month break from big trips, sort of…Life happens sometimes and you have to roll with it, just because it feels right.

A bit about this farm…It is just over 68 acres with a quarter mile of riverfront property on the protected Manokin River. We live in The Clifton, a home on the National Register of Historic Places and yes, I feel like I wake up in a beautiful hotel room every morning. Yet, there is no room service and I have to make my own bed. But that is all just fine with me.

The Clifton was finished in 1803 and has an interesting history. Up from the main house, we have 2 lodge houses, the pump house, garden house, smoke house, boat house, big barn, little barn, chicken coop, and goat barn, where the ducks are living. And I can’t forget the gardens and 2 bee hives and the fact that I’m learning all about farming. Needless-to-say, I am a tad busy.

We have officially been here for just over 3 months and went from a 2 dog family to a 2 dog, 2 puppy, 5 duckling, 19 chicks, and a rooster family, OOOOPS. It happens, timing happens, and I want fresh eggs from my farm in 5 months, not 18 months. I also wanted fresh vegetables quickly, so my already huge garden is growing and growing.

We call our new home and business Sugar Water Manor.

So, if you see a few more articles about restoring a historic home, raising ducklings, or gardening, I am just living a Life Done Well, but want to share my adventures with you. For now, you can follow along on MomsGoodEats Instagram.

Dana Zucker

I am a home cook that does things my way. In my kitchen, I make breakfast, pack lunches, prepare snacks, and cook dinner. During the week, we eat real food that is homemade, organic, and local. On the weekends we do explore more of our local restaurants. I bake my own bread, juice fresh oranges every other day, and make my own kombucha and other weekly favorites.