David was from New York, Lise was from Minnesota, and we planned to settle in Maine where there was a well-established small farm movement and we had arranged to caretake an abandoned homestead. While on a six month honeymoon at a high desert seed and research farm at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Lise began feeling pangs of homesickness for the Midwest. Though it completely changed their plans, David agreed to consider moving to the Midwest as long as it was to Finland, Minnesota, which his research showed had land, water and climate similar to Maine. Upon arrival in Minnesota, we actually did find our home just outside of Finland, in the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains along the North Shore of Lake Superior. We began homesteading our 40 acres in 1988, living for six years in a simple cabin while slowly expanding our farm and our family. In the tradition of the original turn-of-the-century Finnish homesteaders, the first thing we built was the sauna. This provided an opportunity to learn construction and stonework skills which led to a stone and timber framed barn for livestock. By this time we had two children, Colby and Tess, outgrowing our small cabin so we built a new house, along with a greenhouse, and later, a stone chicken coop.

 

Over the years, hard labor and many helping hands created this homestead. We have juggled numerous part-time jobs to support our efforts, ranging from taconite plant janitor to census worker, and school counselor to county water plan coordinator. We recently lay down the CSA vegetable operation and are establishing a growing seeds, along with continuing to sell fresh organic produce at the Finland Farmers Market and growing adaptive tree seedlings through the Farm and Forest Growers Cooperative. Our quarter century handmade balsam wreath business has ended due to the dying fir trees, hastened by historical forest management and a changing climate.

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The relationship and responsibility of land has increased to 135 acres including lands from the sawmill creek to Cedar Lake to the Sawtooth mountain ridge that stands between us and Lake Superior. Our lifestyle continues to change as Lise provides labor and care as the Township tresurer and does accounting for several other complimentary nonprofits and David is the Executive Director of the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, with Extension at the University of Minnesota. Colby now Anna, have settled on the farm to share this speacial place.