Four mini cows, two mini donkeys, two sheep, one turkey, about 20 chickens and three colonies of honeybees, plus a farm dog and a family. If that’s any indication of what you’re getting into with a visit to You, Me and the Boys Farmstead, you’re in for a treat.
A couple of years ago, the family of five — Kimberly and Alex Chartier along with kids Laken, Caissen and Remy — said goodbye to their whirlwind pace of life and decided to try something different. “Alex and I used to franchise Edible Arrangements in Daphne and it was just super fast paced,” says Kimberly. “My husband works for NOAA, the weather company, and he travels about half the year. Between him being gone and me working holidays, which was our busiest time of the year, it was just really intense. We sold the store and just decided to have what we call a more purposeful lifestyle where we are more disciplined and we’re being intentional with what we do and how we spend our time with our family.”
While moving out to farmland in Daphne seems like a major and somewhat drastic decision from an outside perspective, it has been years in the making, spurred on by the influence of Kimberly’s grandmother Iris. “Growing up, she always told me stories about her childhood on a farm. When I was young, we spent a lot of time together,” Kimberly says. “Looking back, I realized she was the ultimate homesteader. If I wanted Play-Doh, we would make it together, from scratch. She stayed busy cooking, gardening, tending to plants and animals and she never let anything go to waste. She taught me about plants and herbs, and how to benefit from them from a medicinal perspective. She also taught me basic first-aid concepts, with natural ingredients, such as using plain white vinegar to take the sting out of a sunburn.” It was these skills and this way of living that drew Kimberly to farm life. She dreamed of making food and household products from scratch, living in a more natural way and embracing the purpose behind farmsteading.
Luckily, her family was enthusiastically supportive of the move and change of lifestyle. “My husband encourages my dreams and said, ‘Let’s go for it!’” she says. “So, we went in head-first. We knew nothing about farming, but did the prep work, did the research and started with a pair of donkeys. It’s all grown from there.” They bought a plot of land, established pastures and fences and acquired the menagerie of animals they have now. Since Alex works out of town for about half of the year, the farm is Kimberly’s “baby,” as she refers to it. Still, everyone in the family has their own areas of responsibility. The kids tackle the daily tasks of feeding and watering the animals, and shoveling and composting manure. “Remy is just fearless,” says Kimberly. “He’s naturally talented when it comes to the animals, I think because he doesn’t have the fear holding him back. And then the big boys have their favorites, like my oldest, Laken. He loves the sheep. They have a special bond. Caissen is our chicken guy. He can catch a chicken faster than anybody else on the farm.” Alex and Kimberly oversee training the animals, handling their nutritional needs, tracking and maintaining their medical care and anything else that may come up. “We rise early to do farm chores, and we go to bed early as well,” says Kimberly. “It’s a lot of work, but the joy we get out of it makes it worth it.”
Kimberly enjoys a brief break under the binzebo, a converted grain bin-turned-gazebo. Animals eagerly await visits from the family. Freshly-washed blueberries are almost ready to be added to the lemon blueberry dump cake.
The family balances their daily routines micro farming on their almost two-acre farmstead with giving back to the community, and the response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, both in person and online. Through posting authentically about the daily highs and lows on the farm, Kimberly has built a dedicated social media follower base, which comes out in droves to support the family, who holds special events, birthday parties and field trips. Once a month, they open the land up to the public for “farm play” sessions, inviting people onto their property to share the joy of farm life with them. The much-anticipated event that is oftentimes frequented by hundreds is complete with food trucks, face painting, and plenty of time to visit and interact with the animals. “We always have a kid-friendly playlist going, bubble machines running, and the animals are dressed according to whatever theme we have going on that month,” says Kimberly. “It’s just a really cool vibe to look around and see people with picnic blankets sitting down and watching their kids play. It’s awesome to see that many people on the farm who chose to come here on their day off.” They also team up with organizations such as Flourish, a Baldwin County nonprofit that supports teen girls from under-resourced communities, and hold special events and programs for children with disabilities or those in need. “We work heavily with special needs children, which brings us so much joy, and we truly feel makes a positive impact on them, as well as their families, caregivers and teachers,” says Kimberly. “We will also continue to give back to our community through our Birthday in a Bag program, where we provide everything you need to bake a birthday cake for those who are unable to afford a cake, no questions asked.”
Through giving back to the community, they feel they are repaying those who have supported them through their farmsteading journey. That aid was never so obvious than when a tornado hit the farm last year. “It caused extensive damage to our property, totaling a camper, one of our vehicles and our roof, as well as taking out our berry bushes and fruit trees,” says Kimberly. “We had significant damage from downed trees, and lost some of our beautiful live oaks. Although it was devastating, we were truly humbled by the support of our community. They’ve had our backs since day one, but this time in particular, they showed up and showed out for us: they came with leaf blowers, weed-eaters, food, drinks, cards, prayers, you name it. We’re so thankful that we’ve also been able to do the same for some of them. Many of them have become like family to us.”
Alex takes a turn cuddling cows. Caissen, Laken and Remy are naturals when it comes to farm life. Photo by Jamie and Clint Photography
Farm life certainly keeps the family occupied, but it’s a different kind of hustle and bustle than the one they were used to. “It’s not less busy, but it’s more rewarding,” she says. “We spend less time inside, in front of screens. We live with less waste, and are more resourceful. We work hard and play hard. We’ve come together over loss. We’ve worked so hard with some of our animals and been so proud of the gains they’ve made, from a training perspective. We’ve cried over sick animals and rejoiced when they’ve gotten better.”
As life on the farm progresses, Kimberly finds herself going back to the roots of deciding to farmstead: the simplicity of natural living. “The fact that we can make recipes with pork from our freezer, which we raised on our own, is such a fulfilling thing,” she says. “Same with fresh-grown herbs, or fresh eggs, butter and honey.” She enjoys making family-favorite recipes, such as her mother’s heirloom quiche recipe and rose lemonade featuring a rose simple syrup made from scratch from the flowers in their front yard. “A lot of my focus is inside our home: cooking, making all-natural cleaning products, salves, shampoo and laundry detergent,” she says. “If there’s something I use regularly, I try to recreate it in a natural, healthier way and share it with our followers. The absolute favorites so far have been my homemade butter and homemade vanilla extract. We have some local restaurants and bakers who have started solely using our vanilla extract, which is so exciting!” Even with a focus on from-scratch products and dishes, Kimberly enjoys making go-to staples like her family’s favorite dump cake once in a while.
Left Kimberly with her Grandma Iris, the inspiration for her new life as a farmsteader.
One of the most special aspects about the farm for Kimberly is being able to bring her grandmother Iris to see everything. “She’s my favorite person,” says Kimberly. “She has Alzheimer’s now, and it’s been hard to watch the deterioration. However, you go back to your childhood with Alzheimer’s, and she lived on a farm when she was a child, so we bring her here as often as we can, and she really loves connecting back with the animals. It’s pretty cool to watch. One of my full-circle moments was bringing her to the farm and having her help me bottle feed the calves. I’ll never forget it.”
Thanks to her enthusiasm for farm life and natural living, Kimberly enjoys teaching her followers how to do it themselves, relying on her firsthand experience. “We’re very proud of the fact that we’ve put in the hard work and research and figured out the ‘how’ behind farming…One of the things we’re passionate about is helping others start their farming or homesteading journey,” she says. “Don’t have enough land for a cow? Start with some chickens. Can’t have chickens? Start with a garden. No yard? You can do a tabletop hydroponic garden, and we’ll help you every step of the way. We love sharing our knowledge with others. We truly enjoy connecting people back to farming. There’s such a disconnect these days, and seeing that lightbulb go off, for example, when I’m teaching children during a field trip … those moments are where it’s at for me.”
Summertime Rose Lemonade
Serves 6
6 lemons
1/2 cup rose simple syrup (recipe follows)
6 cups water
Lemon slices, for garnish
Squeeze the lemons until you have 1 cup of juice, and pour into a pitcher. Stir in rose syrup and water. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or rose syrup until you have your desired tart/sweet ratio. Add ice and lemon slices and serve!
Rose Simple Syrup
Makes 1 cup
2 cups fresh rose petals
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Rinse rose petals and set aside. Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Add rose petals and increase heat, bringing mixture to a boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the liquid has formed a syrupy consistency. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, if desired (the acidity of the lemon juice intensifies the pink color).
3. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a bowl, removing the rose petals. Pour the syrup into the bottle of your choice and refrigerate until use.
“Knowing how to make simple syrup unlocks a world of flavor possibilities: basil, blueberry, rosemary, lemon. Have fun experimenting!”
MiMi’s Famous Quiche
Serves 8
1 pound ground breakfast sausage
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups hand-grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1 refrigerated deep-dish pie shell
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, fry sausage until fully cooked. Remove to drain on a paper towel.
2. Saute onion and bell pepper in the remaining sausage grease, 2 – 3 minutes.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine cheese and flour. Stir in sausage, onion and peppers. Spread in unbaked pie shell.
4. Mix together the eggs, evaporated milk and seasonings, and pour into pie shell. Bake on a cookie sheet until filling is set, approximately 35-40 minutes. Enjoy hot or room temperature. It’s even better on day two!
COOKS NOTE:
This is a special family recipe that I’m thrilled to have received permission to publish. My mom has been making this for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never met a soul who doesn’t love MiMi’s quiche recipe. It doesn’t last long in our house!
The beauty of this recipe is that you can switch it up and it will still be great. Chorizo instead of breakfast sausage? Delish! Yellow onion instead of green? More bell pepper? Go for it!
Tomato Basil Pie
Serves 8
5 tomatoes, peeled, sliced and lightly salted
1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella
1 cup hand-grated sharp cheddar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 refrigerated deep-dish pie shell
1 dozen fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more whole for garnish
3/4 cup chopped green onion
Salt and pepper, to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
Thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat your tomatoes dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella, cheddar and mayo.
2. In the unbaked pie shell, layer half the tomatoes, followed by half the basil and onion, then half the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat layers a second time.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven, top with parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Feel free to broil for a minute or two for a nice golden color. After allowing the pie to rest, add thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil to the top. Enjoy hot or room temperature.
COOKS NOTE:
You can use any type of tomato you prefer for this recipe. I love using heirloom tomatoes when possible. Just make sure you get all the excess moisture out of your tomato slices before adding to your pie! (We measure parmesan with our hearts in this family!)
Lemon Blueberry “Company” Dump Cake
Serves 12
4 cups fresh blueberries
Sugar, to taste
1 box lemon cake mix
1 stick of cold butter, thinly sliced
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat oven to 375. Rinse your blueberries and coat with a couple tablespoons of sugar, if desired. Pour the berries into a lightly greased casserole dish. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly on top and cover with the butter slices. Bake 40-45 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream.
COOKS NOTE:
I use lemon cake mix with the fresh blueberries — yellow cake mix goes with any fruit you pick.
