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Tasty food, lamb meat, jams and jellies, fresh produce, and crochet accessories.

Tag Archives: #farmlife


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Market Days 06.19.25 and 06.21.25

The longest, hottest, and busiest days of the year are upon us!

The Thursday market is a chill vibe. A time for people who can’t make it during the morning hours to visit the market and relax. It’s usually a much smaller scale than the Saturday market, but there’s food trucks, baked goods, great food, entertainment, cooler evenings, picnic tables, and a good time. This week was a “Taste of the Market” event, which means a local chef shops the market, prepares a dish, and serves free samples. It happens every other Thursday in June and July and is a great way to discover new dishes. It’s always delicious. This week, we had 400+ people visit the Thursday market. IT’S GROWING!!!

On the way home, our truck blew a cylinder in the engine. He limped it and the trailer home. I was thankful we didn’t have to call a tow truck – again. Decisions had to be made. We ended up renting a truck to get our trailer to the market because missing the Saturday market was NOT an option. Friday, he picked up the truck while I was running errands and refilling my mom’s medication boxes. He also checked out a replacement truck. It was a late night of baking for him. He maybe got 3 hours of sleep.

The Saturday market included the local hospital’s annual art and health event – always a very large crowd. Not only did our little market set a new market record with 48 vendors, attendance was 4000+!!! What a lovely day! I’m so proud of the growth of our market! Twelve years ago when we become vendors, there were maybe 10 vendors at the busiest time of the season. Now it’s an experience. Food, fresh produce, music, and a great place for everyone to just hang out and have a good, wholesome time.

It was forecasted to be hot and humid, but no rain. There was a lovely breeze and we had plenty of fluids to drink. We visited with many people – always great to see our customers, old and new. It got VERY warm around 11:30am, but we stuck it out. At noon, we tore it all down. We were 1 worker down, but we did it. By the end, we were hot, tired, sweaty, and hungry.

After the market and loading up, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. On hot days, air conditioning is the #1 requirement for lunch. The cold air washing over us as we walked in was so refreshing. We enjoyed many glasses of ice water with lemon, wings, and salad. Then it was time to head home.

I drove worker bee #2 home and came home while he dropped off the market trailer and headed to town to drop off the rental truck. The original plan was for him to come home with his vehicle after dropping off the rental, then we would head back to town to pick up the replacement truck. But, he forgot the key. So, I grabbed his key and headed to him. We parked his vehicle at my office (yes, I have a day job working as a Business Manager – it’s a very odd life I live LOL), and picked up the new (to us) truck. I’ve named it “The Beast.” Hopefully, this truck will last us a while and allow us to keep building this dream on our shoestring budget.

We were hungry, so we ate at a local Himalayan place that offers delicious food. What a great meal! We like to eat at places that will offer us a sample of food from other cultures as much as possible. We watch a LOT of Food Network.

We came home after the meal, sat down for a moment and had a cold beverage before we went to bed, exhausted at the end of this long day. He was up early this morning (he’s a morning person – I AM NOT). I slept for 11 hours and was able to wake up slowly – a nice change of pace.

We picked up his truck and ran a few errands. The rest of the day was chores, laundry, watching some TV, and getting stuff done before our work week begins again.

He brought me in a fresh cherry tomato – our first of the season. It was warm, juicy, and sweet. A delicious reminder that summer DOES have a few good things like fresh tomatoes. Yeah, we’re weird people who like cold and snow; the people who sleep with the window open during the winter.

As crazy as it can sometimes seem, we are blessed to live this life. We are helping make a difference in our community. We are building a dream that will hopefully become a reality when we retire. We are building relationships with our customers while they watch our business grow. It’s an amazing life.


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Market Days 05.31, 06.05, 06.07, 06.12, 06.14

It’s been a minute, but I have good reason to not write.

I’ve been tired….

5.31:
Morning market AND food truck event that night. My day began at 4am and I got home at 10:30pm. Step count: 16,490. It was a VERY good day. The next day, I slept and pretty much stayed on the couch because I am old and my body was hurting. Thank goodness W took a day off. Grateful for the Helpers, who, although they didn’t expect to be THAT busy, hung in there and did good work. My Stepmom B pitched in and helped.

6.5:
First Thursday market. Normally, we don’t do the Thursday markets because of our work schedules, but we will have 3 Thursdays in a row where we’re available. It was a Taste of the Market event and a few food trucks showed up. For a Thursday, the crowd was great. It’s a real VIBE. A time for people to hang out and relax.

Left work, ran an errand, rushed home, changed clothes, grabbed a few things, rushed to the market, set up, worked the market. Home. Slept. Went to work the next day. Home after to prep, load, nap, go to market. Interviewed by the local news. Surreal.

6.7:
Saturday market. Up at 4am. Another Saturday. Moist day. Everything feels wet. Spilled an ENTIRE container of sausage gravy in the trunk of my car on the way to the market. Good crowd. Good market. Lunch with the helpers. CAR WASH to hose down the trunk liner and the trunk. Errands. Home. Sleep.

6.12:
Thursday of a very busy week. Monday was errands with 6 different stops after work. Tuesday Board Meeting. Wednesday Blues Fest and prep work. Thursday is game time. Errand after work, home, change clothes, grab stuff, rush to market to set up in time for open. Art at the Market tonight. My actual kid taught the class. Super proud of her. Good crowd, good sales. Late night.

6.14:
Up at 4am, pick up the kids, stop for drinks and ice, stop for doughnuts, set up the booth, Wes is back (YAY!). Nice to be able to actually take a quick walk around the market, buy things, and visit with fellow vendors. Car accident in the parking lot that I had to handle. Some grump people, but most were pleasant. RAIN. Tore down 15 minutes early. WET. Everything WET. Lunch. HOME. Sleep

Here I am, on my one day off, writing, to get it all out of my head.

It’s a lot. Job. Shopping for weekly supplies. The errands. The bills. Car issues. Did I mention my trunk suddenly decided it no long wanted to open? Yeah. That. I’ll have to get the car looked at this week or next. Might have to rent a car for that because I’ll have no transportation and that’s not an option for me or my life.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. But it’s been a lot of fun. We’re building something. Not only our personal business, but the market itself. We have a vision for the market and we’re getting there. Baby steps, but it’s happening. I’m proud of the progress. I’ll eventually take a few days off, go camping, and recharge in the quiet of nature, among the trees. But, in this moment, tomorrow is Monday and the list of “Things To Do” begins anew.


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Market Day 05.24.25

Certain days are just so busy, we don’t have a chance to take a breath.

After sleeping 11 hours last night, I think my brain is finally clear enough to process yesterday.

Another day with W at work. A team of 3 – until Helper #2 missed their alarm. Yeah, I texted. I called 27 times with no answer. On the way to the market, Helper #1 and I decided we’d have to adjust the menu and psyched ourselves up on the monumental task of setting up the booth. GIRL POWER!!!

But we did it. We got the entire booth built, the electrical cords ran, the equipment set up, the food to temp, the griddle fired up, the sign updated, etc. We did it! Then the whistle blew and the day began. We had a beautiful day – a little cloudy, a little chilly (nice when you’re set up on asphalt) and a great crowd.

#2 showed up 90 minutes in and the regular menu was back on. We enjoyed the morning of people watching, talking with everyone, seeing the cute kids and dogs, and we made it through the day. We decided where we wanted to eat – always a popular topic. We tore it all down and went to lunch. Cold water, air conditioning, and tasty food while we relaxed. Ice cream after and our day was complete.

I drove each helper home. Once I got home I washed my face, put on comfy clothes, and relaxed. Everything else could wait until tomorrow (today as I write this). We went to bed early and I slept for 11 hours – much needed. I unloaded things today and have been going all day.

I’m thankful to have this day to recover and get things done. I’m thankful for an extra day off tomorrow and for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to make sure we still have our freedom.

Until next week… do your best with the knowledge you have, with the best of intentions and be kind.


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Lemon Balm Infusions

My lemon balm was overtaking the herb garden. I had no idea what to do with the stuff, other than walking by and pinching a leaf to smell. I turned to Pinterest for ideas and decided I would use my lemon balm to make infused oil and infused vinegar. The oil will be used later in products such as lip balm, salve and soap. The vinegar can be used in cooking, salad dressings or (most likely) as a conditioner for my hair (fragrance allergy, if you haven’t read past blog entries).
The process is super simple:

Harvest the lemon balm and wash.  Our wash station is made of two halves of a 55-gallon food grade barrel. 

That’s a LOT of lemon balm!

2.  Strip the leaves from the stems. Rinse leaves again. Dry leaves. I use my handy dandy salad spinner. 

3.  Stuff a clean glass jar 3/4 full with dry leaves. Really pack them in there. The more leaves, the better the infusion. 

4.  Pour liquid over leaves, making sure to get rid of air bubbles. I added grapeseed oil to some jars, apple cider vinegar to the rest. 

5.  Using plastic lids (I bought mine at Walmart), close jars. 

6.  Gently shake and roll jar to cover all leaves. 

When I was finished, I had 3 quarts of vinegar and 2 quarts + 1 pint of oil. 
Here’s the difference between oil process and vinegar process:

OIL:  Place jars in a sunny windowsill. Occasionally shake the jars and place back on windowsill. 8 weeks later, your oil will be ready. 

VINEGAR:  Place jars in a cool, dark location (mine are in my bathroom). Every few days, shake the jars gently and return to their dark place. 6 weeks later, your vinegar will be ready. 

After the infusions are finished, strain the leaves from the liquid and store liquid, to be used for whatever you need. I’ll be making soap, lip balm and salve with my oil. 


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05.19.17

Hello friends!  It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post. We spent the winter working on off season projects, then in February we started plants.

This year, we started cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs in the greenhouse – all of which have now been planted in the main gardens and are growing happily 🙂

Our chickens seem to be working overtime and we’re getting 5 dozen eggs each day. If you know of anyone who needs any, please call or text me at 270.302.9468.

 

We’ve also planted corn, radishes, beets, spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, peas, green beans and probably a few other things I can’t recall at the moment.

We decided not to offer a CSA this year, focusing more on the farmers market. Delivery times were just too much and was keeping us out of the fields.  It’s just us. No employees, so we have to make the best use of our time.

Anyways, we’re still around. Still having fun and making the most of each day. We’ll be seeing everyone soon at the farmers market!


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Update

After so much rain this summer, we finally got rained out two weeks ago. However, since then Mother Nature has been kind to us and we’ve finally dried out. The Fall crops have been planted and are looking great!  Broccoli, cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini, scalloped squash, kale and beets are all in our future.  Winter squash (butternut, acorn and spaghetti) are ready to be harvested. That will happen within the week. 

The chickens began their late summer molt a couple of weeks ago. This reduces egg production because they’re using most of their protein stores to make new winter feathers. This should end in the next few weeks and egg production will go back up. 

We replaced the second back tire of the summer on the tractor. It’s expensive and not something we financially needed, but it is what it is. The new tires should last a long time. It sure beats doing everything by hand!  

It’s been a long, hot, humid and downright moist summer. I’m ready for cooler nights with the windows open and cheaper electric bills. 


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Meet Zuzu!

Please welcome Zuzu to the farm!  She’s a Boar mix goat who recently turned one. In a few short months, she’ll be bred with our Clarence to make beautiful little kids!


when Clarence met Zuzu 🙂

Additionally, yesterday was Ferdinand (AKA Cow)’s 1st birthday.  Of course, Farm Girl had to bake him a cake. Or two. One was for us, the other for him. She said she wrote “MEEHR” on the cake because that’s how he calls to us when we’re outside – as in “come MEEHR and feed me animal crackers!!”


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Apple cider vinegar

Google apple cider vinegar and you’ll discover a myriad of uses. It can be used as a non-toxic cleaning solution, hair conditioner (my personal favorite), fabric softener, cooking ingredient…  I could go on and on. ACV is my “go to” liquid. I use it for everything. 

Last summer, I read an article (or twelve) on how to make your own apple cider vinegar. I didn’t  believe it could be as easy and simple as the Internet was telling me. 

But it IS!! It really is!

I buy a lot of apples. Sometimes they get eaten quickly, sometimes not. When they get a little mushy, they get made into ACV. You can also use the peels and cores. 

  
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

You will need: 

  • Water
  • Apples
  • Sugar
  • Glass jar with ring
  • Coffee filter
  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Teaspoon

Directions:

1. Dice organic apples. (You can also use leftover peels and cores).)

2. Place in glass jar. Fill 3/4 full. 

3. Mix 2T. sugar with 2 C. water. 

4. Pour water into jar, covering apples. 

5. Cover with cheesecloth or coffee filter. (I use a coffee filter and the jar ring)

6. Store in a warm, dark place for 4 weeks. (I write the date on the coffee filter)

7. Strain out apple pieces. 

8. Return liquid to jar and cover with same cover. 

9. Put the jar back into the dark place and store for 4-6 weeks, stirring occasionally. 

At the end of this time, your apple cider vinegar will be ready to use.

I made a total of three batches in quart jars, which yielded 1.5 quarts of ACV. 

  
I can’t wait to use it, but I’ve saved a portion to be made into rose vinegar this summer when the rose bushes bloom. (Also easy, but that’s another post.)

Until next time…


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Jalapeño Jelly :)

We’ve had a great crop of jalapeños this year. So, I thought I’d attempt jalapeño jelly for the first time. It was no more difficult than any other jelly, but since my skin is pretty sensitive to jalapeños and I had to stir it for 10 minutes while it boiled, my hands are burning. 

I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard it’s good served over a warm block of cream cheese. We’ll see…

  


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Red Pepper Flakes

When we have extra cayenne peppers we dry them and process them into red pepper flakes.  

A quart of pepper flakes will last us a LONG time.

 

  1. Wash the peppers and allow to dry. 
  2. Remove tops. 
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  4. Place in oven on lowest temp (we have an old gas oven with a pilot light that keeps the perfect temp for drying). 
  5. When dried completely, place in air tight storage container until you have enough to process.
  6. * Place dried peppers in food processor and process until desired consistency is achieved (some people use a blender, but I like the consistency from our food processor). *remember that cayenne can irritate your eyes and skin. Use caution and try to avoid breathing in the dust produced by this step. It WILL make you cough, sneeze, nose run, eyes water, etc. 
  7. When desired consistency has been achieved, place flakes in air tight container. Remember to avoid breathing in the dust. 
  8. Pepper flakes are now ready to use.