Choosing a farm name was a chore I avoided for years. It sounded like a dreamy task, but every time I started brainstorming the commitment to a farm name seemed too much of well… a commitment. What if we used the word “goat” in the name but we grew to be more than goats? Goats will always be our priority, but I dream of making soap and growing cut flowers. Should we use our last name? Although it seemed like a timeless option, I wanted to avoid the confusion of our last name with other relatives that farmed or lived in the area. What about using a land feature on our farm? I’m not sure “soggy bottoms” would properly explain our wet pastures. For a moment, Lee was ready to use “salamander slopes” and I may never know why. Not once have I seen a salamander on our property!
After years of evading the farm name dilemma, I decided to start blogging and growing my soap making hobby. Soon I was faced with branding my products and the desire for a final farm name became necessary. It was time to name our corner of the world. Lee and I spent days throwing out name ideas including everything from “Soaping Wet Farms” to “Snoozing Cat Ranch”. I wanted a timeless name that reflected our favorite things (goats and gardening) and the nature around us. A favorite plant of mine has always been the whimsical fern, in addition to Fern being my maternal grandmother’s name. We also live in a valley area and landed on including “hollow” in the farm name.
And a name was chosen! Welcome to Fern Hollow Farm.