Winding it Down...

As we go into our last weekend of Colvin Family
Farm CSA deliveries we'd like to remind everyone
there's more to come!

Welcome to our last CSA blog entry for the season! I'll still be writing weekly for a few more weeks to help you keep in touch with "your farm". During the winter I'll be posting at least once a month. The blog will follow the off-season of a farm family. What does a farmer's family do when there's snow on the ground? Well... keep in touch by reading The Farmer's Wife blog and you'll get a peak into the farmhouse when the cold winds are blowing.

We still have plenty of vegetables in the field IF

the cold temperatures this weekend do not kill them. So be looking for us at your local farmer's markets in the coming weeks. We pray we'll be serving you until Thanksgiving at the following markets: Oak Ridge, Market Square, Cumberland Sustainable,  Franklin, and the Main Street Farmer's Market in

Chattanooga. We'll continue to serve Dixie Lee in Farragut until it peters out also.


The good news is that we hope to have our website online store running all winter long with new items being added weekly until markets open full time next spring. There are also a few all winter markets that we plan on attending that you can either pick up your online sales at or buy off our table. Market Square's monthly markets at the Train Depot, Cumberland Sustainable Farmer's Market. This market is an online market where you can buy organic vegetables, meats, dairy, freshly baked whole wheat breads, home crafted personal care items, and MORE! Lots of folks enjoy the convenience of buying online, paying online or with one check at the market for all your purchases. Cumberland Sustainable Farmer's Market is a convenient way to shop weekly during the winter. Crossville is right off I-40, a short 1/2 hour trip from Oak Ridge. Our farm manages this market, so if we can serve you in any way, just write or call. There is a feature on the website that allows you to virtually visit each farm you plan to purchase from to read their growing standards, see pictures, and "get to know your farmer". Just because your CSA share is ending doesn't mean you have to go back to the grocery store for your vegetables and meat. Please support your local farm families by continuing to come to the farmer's markets.

Sooo, on to what went on at Colvin Family Farm this week?

First thing this week our 300 broilers reached

maturity! It doesn't seem that long ago they were cute little balls of fluff. We moved them each day in movable pens to new grass, so they have feasted on grass and bugs, along with the GMO/naturally grown feed. Last

week we invested into 3 new 20 cubic feet chest freezers to store the meat for markets. All was set for the big move to the FDA packaging facility. 3:30 a.m. Monday morning (in the rain) the boys began moving the birds for transport. By 5:15 they were pulling out and heading for Sparta, Tennessee. A little over 24 hours later the meat was back on the farm packed in the new freezers. We'll be selling various cuts of the meat along with whole birds all during the winter.

Whole chicken, along with individual cuts
will be available throughout the winter.
The chicken was raised naturally on pasture with
GMO/Soy-Free Feed.

*Coming Attraction*
Farm Raised - Free Range Pork
Raised on Colvin Family Farm Vegetables
and GMO-Soy Free Feed

Also on Monday the farm kitchen was in full swing once again. We canned more okra and pickled okra along with prepping all the beans that were leftover from the weekend markets for canning.

On Tuesday Cerina and I made pumpkin butter from

the pumpkins deemed unfit to sell. The butter's got the perfect spiciness that made the farm kitchen smell like...FALL! Then we had a ball experimenting with watermelon! Noah (16) helped us seed and puree the tender sweet pulp so we could make watermelon jelly! It tastes fabulous and will give us a mid-winter treat when the cold winds are blowing! There are small amounts of these products for sale. We'd love to hear your comments on them here or on Facebook!!

Before the sun was up on Wednesday we were busy

making shares for our last mid-week shares. The light is very dim, so the pictures aren't great, but as the sun made it's beautiful appearance the truck was packed for Market Square and Main Street Farmer's Market's shares were also ready. The beauty of a full harvest is a blessing this time of year, so we are counting our blessings that we got the whole 18 weeks of deliveries made without a weather related disaster! We had our share of floods, hail, and frosts last year! 

The sun coming up over the home farm Wednesday
morning as we finished packing mid-week shares.

Week 18
Colvin Family Farm
CSA Delivery

Thursday brought us the challenge of Cumberland 

Sustainable Farmer's Market! We harvested alllll kinds of vegetables for the market along with baking new fall treats like these new apple fried pies with

cream cheese frosting! The Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls were another fall treat too. We also offer whole wheat breads made with fresh stone ground wheat. This market is packed and run by Farmer Steve and his youngest children...what a challenge! :) 

So, as you can see there is plenty still being harvested. Don't miss out on your weekly Certified Naturally Grown vegetables! Visit your local farmer's market, or visit our online store.

One way I can tell the year is winding down is when I look at all the pictures our family has taken over the week. This week there are more pictures of girls (the top three...Allison, Shelby and Destany) guns (target practice is now an almost daily occurance) and

 get-a-ways are more prominent than field work!

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On the way back from Sparta with the chickens this week, Adam and Caleb stopped off at Rock Island State Park. They climbed around amongst the rocks and took lots of pictures. They get to see a lot of our fair country as young farmers! They've been to Washington, D.C., Wisconsin, New York, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and all points between! 

We've enjoyed the return of lettuce this week! I've been making lettuce wraps for my sandwiches this

week. What a creative way to cut down on wheat...I know! I'm the farmer's wife that makes around 25 loaves of whole wheat bread a week! But cut wheat out I must for a while...so I've been tucking all kinds of vegetables, sospretta, and plain yogurt into one of our large lettuce leaves. Who would have thought a bread-less sandwich could be so good?!

I'm looking forward to getting on with fall now...we start school Monday...all the clothes are switched...the maple tree in the yard is ablaze...cool evenings find me cuddled up with a book and a cup of peach chamomile tea... things are winding down.

The Word of God tells of a time when God's plan for the ages will wind down also. The future we will spend for eternity will be determined by how we live today. Since I'm saved I'm investing each hour of my day in what will bring God glory. I want to be able to cast crowns at Jesus' feet to show Him my gratitude and love. How I spend each day will determine how I'll be able to shower Him with my praise.

If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, He desires for you to draw close to Him. He will show you the way of salvation. It is a free gift, we don't have to earn a thing! "Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." Acts 16:31 Repent from your sin, and cry out to Him. He is waiting for you! Read my testimony in this blog post.

The Colvin Family would like to thank each and every shareholder for your support during the 2014 growing season! We've learned a lot about how to grow smarter, serve better, and shine for Jesus! Come and join us for 2015! Watch your e-mail and our website for early sign up bonuses!

Abundant Blessings!

The Farmer's Wife

Val