The old pastures were overgrown in 1996 when the land was purchased after it failed a perk test that would have placed a house in the middle of an old pasture. The land, bought as open space, was cut back to reveal the old bones of stone walls.

When it came time to built a log farmhouse in a far corner of the field, the perk test passed easily. A barn was raised in 2008, the old bones of fields revealed and fenced, and the finest milking shorthorn heifers bought in Vermont and New Hampshire and delivered here in the back of a pickup truck.

The breed is the very heirloom variety that would have grazed this land in the 1700s- noted not so much for its milk volume as its creaminess. The breed is hardy, and multipurpose Cheddar cheese was born with shorthorn - Devon- milk. Teamsters prefer this breed above all others for power in oxen competitions.

Even as the business of farming falters, interest in community supported agriculture is exploding. It propels this, and other artisanal agricultural ventures forward, on a thread of idealism not so different from Joshua's.

The eggs you are buying are from several different breeds, Auracanas and Bantams and Barred Rocks. They vary in color from blue to chocolate, brown and white.

Bakers especially crave the whites which don't run thin like supermarket eggs- even the ones packaged as farm fresh, and yolks full of flavor and creamy color.  The smaller Bantam eggs are slightly sweet.

Although science would discount it, we believe that healthy and happy farm animals with room to roam produce healthier products for human consumption.

If you prefer uniformly sized, less expensive eggs, you can find them on sale for $2 to $3 in the supermarket. These eggs are imperfect, from chickens likewise so, and entertaining, given human attention.

They are fed a diet which consists of as much local produce and foraging as possible, including local apples. In season, they are allowed to range freely.

We do not use the term "organic" because we have found that the word "local" seems to be more important to consumers who are increasingly interested in connecting with farmers. Their feed is about as chemical free as the loaf of whole grain bread you find in the store.

The cartons are recycled, whenever possible, and likewise imperfect.

We apologize for the price, which seems high but is a few cents more than cost. Joshua's Farm exists out of passion, not profit, though some day that might be possible. We are simply carrying on an idealistic and spiritual tradition that ought not to be so ethereal.