The Kindred Life: Stories and Recipes to Cultivate a Life of Organic Connection
Even though technology makes us more "connected" than ever, we still hunger for authentic relationships--with the natural world, our creator, and one another. But how do we find them, especially when we've lost touch with many of the foundational rhythms that draw us together?
The Kindred Life is a rallying cry for real connection in a time when we need to recapture what's been lost. In this collection of stories, photos, and recipes from her home on Kindred Farm in Santa Fe, Tennessee, sustainable farmer Christine Bailey shares both the beautiful and gritty moments as she grew from a hopeful urban gardener to co-owner of a farm full of produce, bees, chickens, and flowers that provides meaningful experiences for friends, family, and hundreds of guests each year.
Kindred means "tribe" or "family," and at the center of The Kindred Life is an invitation to pursue the experiences that unite us, like spending time in the dirt, slowing down, and joining in a simple meal under the stars. We were all created with the ability to carve out a life of connection, and it's worth every bit of sweat it takes to get there. We can slow down. We can step forward in bravery to do hard things well. And we can be intentional about gathering with and investing in others.
Discover the beauty of community, the magic of coming together around the table, and the lessons the land can teach you as you unearth your very own Kindred Life--right where you are.
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Christine Marie Bailey is a grateful farmer, writer, and dreamer. A former music industry gal turned social entrepreneur turned sustainable produce and flower farmer, Christine is growing deep roots with her chef husband on their seventeen-acre Kindred Farm in Santa Fe, Tennessee.
Christine grew up an Italian-American Jersey girl before leaving the northeast for college. She attended Belmont University in Nashville and worked in the Christian music industry for several years on tour promotions, new album releases, and films. After marrying Steven and moving to Dallas, she helped found an Africa relief non-profit called Mocha Club where she worked for five years as Membership Director. In 2009, she and Steven started Urban Acres, an organic produce co-op, market, and urban farm in Dallas.
In 2015, she moved back to Tennessee with her family to start Kindred Farm, where they raise sustainable produce and gather the community around long tables under the stars several times a year at unique farm-to-table events called Kindred Dinners.
Christine is passionate about homeschooling her two wild and free daughters and will always say yes to waterfall-chasing, campfire-sitting, and eating ice cream on the roof under a country sky. She shares adventures and inspiration on her website, ChristineMarieBailey.com.
'The Kindred Life is an invitation to experience more; more laughter, more meaning, more risk and more life. Christine has a rare ability to write in a way that makes you feel that you are sitting with an old friend around the table with a cup of coffee or a matcha green tea latte with steamed coconut milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Her own journey along with her gritty and beautiful experiences on the farm will leave readers with the gentle and inspiring nudge to dig in and reach out for more. Whether you are a gardener, a cook, or someone just trying to figure out how to squeeze more out of your life, The Kindred Life will unlock the potential that's inside of each one of us and give you the courage to move towards your dreams.'--Chris & Julie Bennett, Hosts of Finding Family Podcast
'Christine Marie Bailey is brave, and the kindred stories she shares are beautiful. She is like a kind companion, holding your hand and gently inviting you into a life of courageous community and connection--a life of depth, simplicity, and wonder. This book will awaken the dream in your heart to center your life around reclaiming the earth, time, your deepest desires, and all that really matters.'--Rachel Marie Kang, author of Let There Be Art
'Christine Bailey is a ray of sunshine, a wise sage, and an heirloom friend to all who meet her. She is the full embodiment of peace and joy, love and kinship, fun and grit, hospitality and grace, simplicity and kindness-- and she has put all of her heart into these pages to share these essential foundations of a Kindred Life with us. Listen well to the life she lives. We would all be the better for it.'--Jeremy Cowart, Photographer and Artist
'The Kindred Life is an authentic and inspirational read. In a world that too often values productivity and efficiency over peace and connection, this book will encourage you to live a life that prioritizes courage, nourishment, belonging, listening and hospitality. These stories, recipes and invitations will stir your spirit and compel you to a more emotionally healthy way of life, where the harvest is rich relationship and days full of meaning.'--Amy Alexander, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Refuge Center for Counseling
'In The Kindred Life, mother, farmer, and author Christine Bailey shares poignant stories from her life that inspire me to build community and love my home. Her tales of meeting her husband, traveling to India, and starting their farm drew me in and sparked a desire in me to evaluate aspects of my own life and further align them with my values of simplicity, generosity, and hospitality. Readers will love the stories and find themselves drawn towards a more purposeful life as they turn the pages of Christine's beautiful book.'--Jennifer Pepito, Author, and Founder of The Peaceful Press
