Food Forest Family

Food Forest Family Family of 7 + animals, starting our first food forest. Learning as we grow on our Bali mountain farm.

Family of 7 + animals, growing food, raising kids, and figuring it out as we go on our Bali mountain farm.

15/05/2026

It’s amazing how many things you can make from bamboo.

Today we made traditional bamboo stilts together with the kids. Stilt walking has been popular for generations in both Indonesia and the Netherlands, and many other parts of the world too. Such a simple toy, but still so much fun.

We used thicker bamboo for the footrests and secured everything with large nails the old-fashioned way. Simple, strong and made mostly from materials we already had lying around the farm.

The kids immediately got excited and all wanted to try them out themselves. Safe to say they still need a lot more practice though haha

08/05/2026

A farm never truly feels complete to us without chickens roaming around.

This time, we specifically wanted to raise ayam kampung instead of the usual ayam merah. They’re incredibly strong, independent chickens with the most beautiful feather patterns and natural colors. Every single one looks unique and they have a lot of character.

The eggs may be a little smaller, but the flavor is so much richer and more delicious.

Earlier today some of our neighbors gifted us different little chicks, and they were warmly welcomed by our kids right away. That meant I had to get to work quickly.

Luckily, I still had plenty of bamboo, wood and wire fencing lying around. So with the help of the kids we managed to finish the coop in just one day.

This coop is only temporary for now. Later on, I’m planning to build an even bigger one. This coop will eventually become the home for our quail (ayam puyuh).

Now it finally feels like our farm has truly begun.

30/04/2026

Our fish pond got a little… too successful.

The fish are super happy, but they’re growing and multiplying fast.
And now the water turned really green.

So we’re taking a few simple steps:

1. adding Nevergreen to help the water
2. introducing two algae eaters
3. moving some of the bigger fish to the lower pond

New farm animals always feel like a small celebration here.
The kids were especially excited to see the new fish go in.

Now I’m really curious to see how the water will respond over the next days.

Have you ever dealt with a green pond like this?
I’d love to hear your tips or experiences.

20/04/2026

Our land keeps growing and so do our plans.

We’re slowly shaping the space around the house, so it becomes easier to use for the kitchen. A herb garden felt like the most natural next step.

It started simple with a few beautiful stones we found in the back of the garden. And before I knew it, they turned into small raised beds.

We added some cow manure from the neighbors, and now everything feels alive.

The herbs look so happy in their new home

I planted these herbs:
Apple mint, basil, celery, chives, cilantro, parsley, curry leaves, java ginseng, lemon balm, lemon basil, Mexican culantro, mint, oregano, pandan, rosemary, spearmint, lemongrass and thyme

Aku tanam herbal ini:
mint apel, basil, seledri, kucai, ketumbar, peterseli, daun kari, ginseng jawa, lemon balm, kemangi, ketumbar Meksiko, mint, oregano, pandan, rosemary, spearmint, serai dan thyme

We are really looking forward watching them grow!

What would you plant here, or which herbs grow well in your garden? Let me know in the comments!

17/04/2026

Meanwhile at one of our banana flowers…

11/04/2026

Today I wanted to try something different than building another raised bed and realized our okra and beans are natural climbers. Perfect moment to build a trellis.

With everything I learned from Pak Man in Plaga, I was able to come up with a simple design and start building with bamboo.

The more I work with bamboo, the more I appreciate it. It’s such a beautiful material to work with. It's strong, flexible, durable and completely natural.

Amelie was very curious and kept coming to check on the progress.

Now I’m really excited to see how the plants will grow up the trellis. And also how the mustard greens will do in the raised bed.

Have you ever built a trellis like this? I’d love to hear your tips or ideas for next time.

07/04/2026

I’ve never built a raised bed before… but after learning so much from Pak Nyoman in Plaga, I really wanted to give it a try using bamboo.

I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it this much. It was such a fun process, and I already know I’ll be building a few more soon. We have plenty of bamboo lying around.

Now it’s just waiting for the right moment to start planting. I’m really excited to place the first seedlings we grew from seed into this bed.

Maybe we’ll start with some sawi to let the bed settle a bit or wait a little longer and go straight for tomatoes and chillies.

The next bamboo project will be our chicken coop.

Have you ever built a raised bed?
Would love to hear your tips and tricks for the next ones!

06/04/2026

After heavy rain, we always head down to the river to see how wild it’s become and how high the water has risen

05/04/2026

Neo used to be really scared of the Barong.

We still remember being at the beach, when he saw one up close… it completely overwhelmed him.

But something shifted over time.

Instead of avoiding it, he became curious. Watching, learning, trying to understand the movements. So little by little, that fear turned into fascination.

Now he dances it himself… with so much focus and dedication. It’s by far his favorite thing to play with.

From fear to passion, it’s been beautiful to witness. We’re very curious how far this will go.

05/04/2026

Every home we’ve lived in had a trampolin and all our kids absolutely love it

04/04/2026

When the scent of cinnamon rolls spreads through the house… you reach a whole new level of feeling at home

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