Modern day homesteading is a family dream

July 6, 2021 | Hope E. Tremblay
hope@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

WESTFIELD – The farming life may not be for everyone, but for Tanya Rogalski, it’s a dream come true.

Although she did not grow up on a farm, Rogalski aspired to live a life in nature. Raising and tending to animals, growing small crops and getting her hands in the dirt were always her goals.

“Having a homestead has been my dream since I was a little girl,” Rogalski said. “When someone would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, a farmer was always the answer.”

Rogalski and her husband Matt now own Country View Homestead at 412 East Mountain Road and Rogalski really is living the dream.

Several years ago, Rogalski began inching toward that farm life. Her family was living in a rental home that had overgrown raised beds that Rogalski transformed with love and hard work.

“I weeded those beds and planted tomato, squash, broccoli and all kinds of other seeds. To my surprise, they all grew! It’s such a great feeling when you start to see those tiny seedlings start to appear,” she said.

Rogalski took her and her family’s health into her own hands by growing much of their own food. Then came something unexpected – a diagnosis of cancer; Non-Hodgkin’s Follicular Lymphoma.

“I just kept thinking how ironic it was that I had started on this healthier journey and here I was being told I had cancer at 44 years-old. I didn’t know what my future was going to look like. I did, however, know that this diagnosis was not going to stop me from building my homestead,” she said.

Instead of feeling defeated, Rogalski put her dreams on fast forward and purchased their East Mountain Road home and opened Country View Homestead. “The idea was to be as self-sufficient as possible. I told myself that if I was going to die, I was going to do it while living my dream,” she said.

“I wanted to grow as much food as possible to give my family and myself a healthier lifestyle. There’s nothing better than cooking a meal and walking outside to your garden and harvesting what you need right out of the garden.”

Rogalski felt healthy and set out to make her new homestead for her family and for the community. Her entire family helped, and farm life became part of the “classroom” for her home-schooled children.

“After moving in, I hit the ground running. It didn’t matter that it was the end of winter, I wanted my animals. We immediately got hens, meat chickens and pigs. A few months later we added goats and a few more rabbits. Now we also have a mini horse to round out our homestead.”

Rogalski also used her primitive decorating skills to make a typical shed into a welcoming farmstand for customers. She also created front yard garden beds.

“I wanted it to look different than the back gardens. I wanted it to be an oasis,” she said. “There are arches for the peas and cucumbers to climb over. I made my antique water pump into a water feature and added a table and two chairs. I wanted this to be a garden that people visiting the farmstand would love to walk through. They can see where the vegetables come from and know that it’s all grown right here.”

Rogalski said she wished she had grown up this way, but her childhood farm was made from toys.

“I always knew I would do it for real one day,” she said. “Now, seeing my kids be so involved and loving this lifestyle, makes me so proud. I know that we are giving them the best life we can.”

Rogalski said she does not know why farming and homesteading were so important to her.

“I’m not really sure why I always wanted a homestead. I just know it needs to be a part of my life,” she said. “It is all I have ever wanted to do and here I am, doing it. Sometimes I go out with the animals, I look around at them, the gardens and everything we’ve built, and my eyes fill up with tears. I have such an amazing sense of happiness and gratitude. We built our entire homestead with our own two hands. We started from nothing and just went for it.”

The farmstand offers organically grown vegetables, fresh baked breads, free-range eggs, whole chickens, pork cuts and more. Rogalski also sells home decor items such as signs, wreaths and organic soy candles. Their own honey and goat milk products will soon be added to the growing list of offerings. Country View Homestead can also be rented for anyone who wants to explore homesteading. Guests can help feed the animals, collect eggs and more. Birthday parties on the farm will be offered, as well as classes on raising meat.

Rogalski said her cancer has not slowed her down.

“Technically, I cannot be cured. We watch and wait to see if it will rear its ugly head again, but I am happy to say that it has been two years since I was diagnosed and I have yet to need any treatment,” she said. “When it comes back, my body has healed itself. I wholeheartedly believe that it is due to my lifestyle change ...homesteading not only feeds my stomach it also feeds my soul.”

For more information on Country View Homestead, its hours and offerings, visit www.countryviewhomestead.com, like their Facebook page and follow them on Instagram.

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