Mother The Mountain Farm

A steaming hot summer day here in the mountains -- with lots of swimming, and hiking to the top of a waterfall. We eat homegrown tropical fruit, and encounter some dangerous wildlife! We follow our daily routine with the animals, harvest some cluster figs and cook gular ki sabzi from them 4 March 2021

Join us today as we canoe across the dam to a hidden orchard on the other side. We harvest our jackfruit, wax jambus and mangoes, climb many tropical fruit trees, and jump in the water to swim home with baskets filled and heavy with fruit. We cook it all up into a delicious homegrown meal, with fried spiced jackfruit, a wax jambu salad called rujak, and delicious chilli beans! Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: @motherthemountainfarm https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ Opening Music: Indira Elias https://indiraelias.com/ 18 February 2021

Join us for a day in our life as we feed the animals, the sheep go missing and we go on a big adventure to find them. We pick some fruit, mend a fence, cool off under a waterfall, and return home for a yummy snack cooked from food we foraged (all while wearing little dresses!) Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: @motherthemountainfarm https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ Opening Music: Indira Elias https://indiraelias.com/ 12 February 2021

An insight into how we stay entertained as young women living in the mountains! This life can be isolating, but we have found that through creativity, we stay fulfilled and full of purpose. We tour our farm shed turned studio space, and follow the process of creating this special garment from start to finish! We pick lots of wax jambus, do a little cooking, and of course - cuddle some ducks. Join us! Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Julia's Website: https://juliavanderbyl.com/ Facebook: @motherthemountainfarm https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 4 February 2021

A walk through showing how we upcycled our trampoline into a chicken tractor! And the many ways we strive to live not just sustainably -- but regeneratively. We follow principles of regenerative farming and permaculture, and in this video -- we will share our methods of making a rotational no-dig garden system, where our chickens magically create incredible soil! This method mimics mother nature and requires less water, less maintenance, is naturally pest free -- and simply abundant! Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Julia's Website: https://juliavanderbyl.com/ Facebook: @motherthemountainfarm https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 28 January 2021

A typical day in our life as we care for animals, work in the food forest, pick fruit, regenerate land, and balance our work and the monsoonal weather with a swim in the rainforest. As we adjust to this way of life, we have learnt to follow the cycles of nature rather than a clock or calendar -- and have suddenly begun to find joy in all of the smallest moments. Join us! Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: @motherthemountainfarm https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 21 January 2021

Today I dyed my clothes from earth pigments foraged in the Australian bush! - I built an outdoor fire and boiled a copper mixture (this can be dangerous so please be safe!) - I pre-dyed my clothes with this mordant, creating a better bond for the dyes - I boiled the tallowwood eucalyptus leaves for an hour and then took them out leaving a dye bath! - I added my clothes and let them simmer for a few hours before putting out the fire and leaving them to soak overnight. - In the morning I was so excited to see what colours I created! I would like to acknowledge that this work took place on the unceded land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People and that these processes of dyeing and finding pigments in nature have been practiced by First Nations People for so many years. We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ 31 December 2020

I set myself a challenge to sleep all night (alone!!) in my jungle treehouse -- in the Australian rainforest. It's 5m above the water with so many Australian creepy-crawlies -- like spiders, snakes, and bugs. Very scary, but I lasted through the night! We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 10 December 2020

Join us this week as we move in to our rainforest cabin and magical lakeside treehouse for the summer! Always with the help of — two naughty goats, 11 sweet ducks and a whole flock of sheep 🐑💗🐐🦆🌼 We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 19 November 2020

I built a treehouse from salvaged timber, foraged bamboo, and recycled rope! 5m above the water in some pine trees — with the help of Magnolia and Moth the goats, of course! We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ Music: Soon Enough - Indira Elias https://indiraelias.com/ Instagram: @supermustard http://instagram.com/supermustard Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ILJ4BFUKsb3ocmlBrDMcZ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indiraelias Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRlhNNcabterptjLYT7bbNA/featured?view_as=subscriber Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/indira-elias 13 November 2020

Tag along for a day on the farm! We fix a fence, cuddle many duckies, and build a gate -- all from recycled materials. And the goats act VERY naughty We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 6 November 2020

Join us this week as we give a tour of the farm, and all of the fruit and nut trees! We forage as we go, and then cook a pavlova and make tea -- entirely from all of our foraged ingredients! Perfect for a rainy day picnic. We also chat about how grateful we are to be nurtured by the trees planted and the actions taken by our parents and grandparents. 60 years ago, our grandparents immigrated to Australia and moved onto this land. It was an old banana, pineapple and passionfruit farm -- and unsustainable farming practices meant that the land was degraded, the old growth rainforests were chopped down. Our grandparents then planted so many tropical fruit trees (avocados, mangoes, lychees, longans, macadamias, pecan nuts, passion fruit, black sapote, guava, jaboticapas, jackfruit, kiwi fruit, custard apple, malay apple, brazilian cherries, wax jambus, carambola, citrus, and bananas!) Then, our parents took over and continued this legacy of regenerating the land and planting and caring for this immense food forest. Now, it is our turn! We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 30 October 2020

Our morning routine on the farm! Join us this week as we wake with the sunrise to feed and cuddle all of the animals, and cook a breakfast picked straight from the garden. We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia -- working our way towards self sufficiency and off grid living on Bundjalung Country in the rainforests of East Australia. We moved from the city to our family’s regenerative, organic farm with a dream to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. Join us as we learn to care for the land, the animals, and take steps every day to live self-sufficiently! Here we will share a weekly diary of our trials and joys as we learn to be gardeners, builders, farmers and carers for the land and animals. Links: Instagram: @motherthemountain https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ Anastasia's Instagram: @anast.asia https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram: @juliavanderbyl https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 23 October 2020

Join Anastasia and her four ducklings named Whim, Orb, Cardigan and Sailor as they walk to the creek and swim for their first time ever. So many duck dives and splashes! 💗🌼 https://www.patreon.com/motherthemountain This is the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on, and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial. https://www.instagram.com/motherthemountain/ https://www.facebook.com/MotherTheMountainFarm/ https://motherthemountain.com/ Anastasia's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anast.asia/ Julia's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/juliavanderbyl/ 2 October 2020