Tir na n’Og is Irish for “Land of the Young” (pronounced "cheer na og" ) . In Irish mythology this is the equivalent to heaven; a place you would go after death to live and stay young forever. In real life it is 12.5 acres of rolling Iowa countryside that is located in Wagner Township in Clayton County, about 7 miles north of Elkader, and 8 miles south of Monona on CR X16.

The 12+ acres remaining with the farmstead aren’t the best farmland of the original claim, but there are 3-4 acres tillable and another 6-8 suitable for pasture. My first step towards farming came in 2003; only months after moving in I purchased a Scottish Highland cow (Drambuie) and her calf. I’ve always loved gardening and since I always grew far more than I could eat by myself I decided in 2005 to try selling my excess produce at farmer’s markets, off the farm, or door-to-door. In the process of looking for markets, I discovered GROWNLocally, and in 2006 I joined the cooperative. I’ve expanded from the walk-behind tiller to a compact tractor and hope to have about 2 acres planted in ‘08, including about 1/4 acre of asparagus. I’ll also be providing onions, leeks, eggplant, tomatoes, and carrots to GL this year, and I’m experimenting with several other vegetables to find which will do well in my soils. I recently started up a web site for the farm, www.tnofarm.com, where you can learn more about the farm and see what vegetables are in season.

Visitors are welcome! 1/2 mile N Gunder Road on X-16