An Excerpt From the Farmer's Wife's Journal

I'm the Farmer's Wife...on our farm it's never ever
really quiet...there's always something going on, come on
over to the farm and join us for a day on the farm.

There's a lot going on in the farmhouse...and farm for that matter lately. With 12 children ranging from 11 months to 25 living on the farm there is never a really quiet moment. Come on over and join us for a "day" on the farm.

When I think it should be quiet...it's loud around the farm. With over 600 chickens on the farm, roosters

start crowing between 3:30-4:30 a.m. Usually I love to hear a rooster, but right now the movable pens are right outside my bedroom window. This pen has adolescent roosters trying desperately to crow the sun up...they sound more like squeaky doors! We also have a few rogue chickens that range about the farm. The rooster that accompanies the small group likes to sit under our window and make sure the Farmer and his wife is awake. Anyone for chicken soup?!

First to rise in the morning are the adults on the farm...details of the day start taking shape in our minds as the coffee is ground, laundry loads are (prayerfully) switched for the last time and quiet corners are sought for private devotions with our Lord. Thoughtful Farmer Steve delivered a cup of strawberry tea to my desk, so I savor this quiet time of day...or is it?  Well, it's almost quiet...the coffee grinder, wild washer, and dryer join the chickens early morning chorus.

By 6 a.m. though everyone should be moving! (Should is the key word here though as some need extra "motivation" depending on if they worked a market somewhere the evening before and got home late.) The children are having their devotions/Bible time, neatening their rooms, and then getting to their morning chores. 

Farmer Steve with our award
winning Sun Gold Cherry
Tomatoes!

Farmer Steve is answering e-mails for FARM (East Tennessee's Farmer's Association For Retail Marketing) where he is President, and working with the online Cumberland Sustainable Farmer's Market that we manage until he hears the breakfast bell ring. I make breakfast while encouraging productivity among the troop!

 

I hear the pump running down by the pond, so Adam (23 yrs., 11 1/2 mo.) must be out watering the greenhouses, Caleb (22) is

taking care of the chickens and hogs just down the lane, and Isaac (20) is in charge of cleaning the upstairs of the farmhouse. (He's the bold bedroom inspector!) Titus(18 This week!) is my odd job man plus  keeps the grounds neat outside. Noah (15 for

Noah

a few more weeks)  takes care of the ducks, and keeps our packing-shed porch semi-organized. Faith Anne (13) rises early to pack a good lunch for the men to take to the other farm, and helps with breakfast. Luke (11) empties all the trash cans in the house and burns. Levi (8) has the task of keeping our mudroom mud-free and organized before helping where he is most needed. And lastly Charity (6 1/2) empties the

Caleb and Charity

dishwasher and dish drainer before she can eat. If all goes well, we'll have an organized house and farm chores done by the time the retired Coast Guard ship's bell on the porch is rung for breakfast.

We all enjoy mealtimes when we can be together! Talk is lively about crops, politics, movies, and what

Our tradition is to put a
candle in the biscuit on
a birthday breakfast.
Titus turned 18 this week!

happened at the markets. We always cook 2 dozen eggs, make a loaf of homemade bread into toast or make 50+ biscuits, sausage, granola, and fruit. When winter rolls around again we add oatmeal or grits and gravy to the egg menu too. My active family eats a lot..people are amazed when join us around the farmhouse table.

When the conversation winds down (or gets wound down by Daddy) we begin our family Bible time. Farmer Steve is my favorite Bible teacher! Since he knows our needs, weaknesses, and faults, he can teach to the hurts, expound on our joys, and further teach what we've heard as a family at church. We pray that the lessons taught around our 12' breakfast table will make a lasting impact on our children's lives for eternity!

After breakfast time the family splits up into groups to finish up the remaining home farm jobs. Sometimes the greenhouses takes longer to water, fencing needs attention, and there is always a long list of must-be-done-soon jobs that get done slowly. Soon though, a group is off for our other farm where the majority of the crops are grown. 

Today the "boys" are pulling plastic mulch, tilling up ground to plant fall crops, picking squash, cutting okra and picking for today's markets in Knoxville

and Chattanooga. There is always more to be done than actually gets done. I'm proud of my boys though, as they exemplify Proverbs 6:6 to me, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." The training in diligence is now bearing fruit in my men.

Farmer Steve is the jack-of-all-trades on our farm. Each day holds different challenges. Today he is fixing a huge backhoe tire, giving an interview to the News Free Press in Chattanooga, helping move the large

chicken house for our layers, cleaning up after packing shares on our porch, disciplining/training children, and sooo much more! Since my accident he comes alongside me and does the work that will over tax me. He has a true servant's spirit!

Titus was left at home to mow. We have a smaller tractor that stays on the home farm for things like this. He spends the majority of his day mowing and moving the chickens. He got a hot meal at mid-day whereas his brothers are having sandwiches in the shade of the incomplete packing shed at the other farm. There are perks to working on the home farm!

Inside the farmhouse the girls and I clean up the

dining room and kitchen before beginning our project for the morning. Today we canned okra and baked pumpkin to can after giving our stoves a good once over with a new scouring powder that we just mixed up. It's working GREAT!! ( We have two, 4-eye commercial ranges...yes, that's 8 eyes in all!) So far this week we've canned squash relish, green beans, and a few jars of okra too.

The Farmer's Wife (Val) prepares 3 sugar pie pumpkins
for the oven before breakfast.

Eggs need gathering mid-day to keep them clean, so off goes Levi to gather them for me. We get about half in the morning and half in the afternoon. By visiting the hen house often, any problems can be quickly fixed...today more hay is needed in the nest boxes. It won't be long and we'll have about 300 hens laying!

 Before we know it, it's time to get another meal on the table. Thank you Jesus for planned leftovers that can be combined into a good hot meal. The farmhouse table is only half filled..."a sign of the times to come", I think in my head as Adam will be marrying in late winter and two other sons are also in courtships. I'm slowly working myself out of a job.

While we're still enjoying fellowship at the dinner table there is a "varoooom" coming down the drive... here comes a truck! Adam and Luke (11) are back from the other farm, and need to get packed for the Main Street Farmer's Market in Chattanooga. As usual they need to be out of here quickly, so we all jump in to help in some way. I help bunch kale, and soon they are off with a truck full of vegetables, honey, and eggs, for the market. Again, it's almost quiet!

Caleb gathering carrots for the shares.

With the men back to work, and the kitchen cleaned up again we come to our traditional quiet time of the day. Before Daddy came home from his corporate job to work as a farmer 6 years ago, life was so very different for everyone...we even had a "predictable" schedule. After lunch we had nap time/quiet time for a couple of hours. During this time of the day our older children finished their high school work, sewed, worked in the workshop, etc. quietly. The rule was, if you were a "little"  and you could read fluently you could read quietly on your bed. If you couldn't read fluently you napped.  I napped with the little ones, read, did paperwork, or tried to finish a project between nursing and getting little ones to sleep. (Ha ha!) 



Quiet time is my favorite time of day. I love to snuggle up with the youngest and read aloud before naps. A 15 minute nap allows me to work calmly later in the evening than if I struggle to keep going.  Also interaction with the children is not done "in mass" but one-on-one. I have time to gather my thoughts, and have a bit of "me time".

 (I encourage all Moms to not give up naps until much later than is now fashionable. Everyone needs a quiet time. A stack of books or the Lego tub on a child's bed around the age of 6 or even 7 along with a little training will give everyone some much needed down time.)

Since my fall I spend most of the afternoon resting.

After reading time and a nap I get to work on the blog, plan our school year, and do paperwork. I feel REAL lazy, but they keep emphasizing I need not overdo it. This grates against my spirit, but the Spirit is teaching me soo many lessons during this down time that I can only see His loving hand.

At 4 o'clock an internal alarm still goes off in our children...quiet time should be over and evening chores need doing. Now with full time farming, we don't have the same amount of chores to be done then. One person usually makes sure all the

chickens have water, and look in on the broilers that may need more feed also. Levi or Faith Anne  gathers the eggs for the final time of the day and I "wash" and pack them.

Supper takes a few hours to prepare, so we begin preparations. It's always an adventure to see what vegetables are available and use them for supper.

FARM FAST FOOD
Saute a chicken thigh per person. Add minced garlic, thinly sliced
Sweet peppers and onions to the saute pan. Seed 1/2 jalapeno per
person, slice thinly and add to the pan. Optional: add a good heavy
hand of sprouted lentils to the pan. Saute until eldante. Place a four tortilla on top of the pan to soften. Place the tortilla on a plate and fill the lower half with sauteed mixture. Salt and Pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese. Fold the top of the tortilla down "omelet" style. Eat with a fork and knife. Enjoy!

We cook from scratch scratch (which means we've killed the hen, shot the deer, raised the hog, harvested the honey, or grew and canned the vegetables and raised the chickens that lay the eggs). Cooking is a family affair, so if I need help I can ask just about anyone to help or take over for me. The guys are getting good at "reading me" to know if they should do the cooking. The trick nowadays for us gals is to know when to have the meal ready. The guys can usually be seen rolling back into the home farm around 7-7:30 p.m. to take care of any outside chores that need done before eating.

Gathering around the supper table is more predictable in the winter...but for now during the busy season there is usually a few empty chairs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. Farmer Steve has taught the children to, "approach the supper table quietly" but that doesn't mean the table is quiet. Tonight I was told I wasn't cultured because I didn't know who a Froghorn Leghorn was. Joking and stories abound. Not cultured!?

Our day is winding down and so is the table conversation. Little ones are directed to bed, and the boys clean up the kitchen, close up the broiler brooders, and find something private to do for the evening. Isaac's new Foosball table is the newest evening activity with the hearty laughter and  joking reverberating into the house from the porch. They only play a few games because there are gals to call and they are tired.

The sun is going down, and a quietness spreads like a mist across the fields in our house. Boys seek the solitude of their rooms...studying, planning, and an occasional late night movie fill the last hour or so of their day. 

This is my favorite time of day to walk. Last week I finally got permission to start walking again...but not far. As I walk on our gravel road the cicadas and other night insects have tuned up their evening orchestra. It's actually very loud! I thank God that He created all the insects and purposefully turn my thoughts to the God of the universe. It's the perfect time of day to praise Him for His faithfulness to me!

When I return to the farmhouse, I too seek the solitude of my bedroom to pray and research ideas for new school year coming up. With only 6 students this year (and Titus graduating by Christmas) it should be easier. Each year I take time to seek God's will for our "school". How do we invest this time for our child's future? More on that subject maybe next week in another blog.

Our daughter Hope (25) and her family that live here on the farm are in South Dakota on a

Hope and soon to be
one-year-old, Josiah.

missionary trip. They work with a group of men that buy abandoned churches and fix them up again. Soon a young preacher's family will take over the church and another Independent Baptist Church will be planted in the mid-west. This is the time of the evening when we can text and share pictures of our day.They'll be home next week...and I have the blessing of hearing lil' ones going in and out of the farmhouse.  I'm looking forward to it.

This little tree frog made it's home in the okra
this week. A nice surprise for the men cutting
the okra for your markets!

One lesson I'm learning during my recuperation is that I have been keeping too busy in the past. There are many things crying for my attention, and I often give an ear to as many of them as humanly possible. I hadn't learned to quiet my spirit and narrow my focus to the urgent or important.

Urgent- Pressing with importunity, necessity

Important- Literally, bearing on or to. Hence, weighty; momentous; of great consequence; having a bearing on some interest, measure or result by.

After my accident when all I could do was to lay still, and be quiet, my mind would cry out...I needed to learn to silence my thoughts and "be still and know that I AM God." Only when this happened could I begin to learn the lessons He had for me during this lesson.

I have to admit I am still learning this needed lesson. If my thoughts fill my mind throughout the day I cannot hear the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit directing, guiding, and often chastening me. This has taken some time for me, and much self/Spirit discipline. 

It's late and everyone is in their beds, but Farmer Steve is thinking ahead as he starts the stone wheat mill up to grind the wheat for our bread sales tomorrow in Crossville. The hummmm is not quiet...Is it ever really quiet on our farm?

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Abundant Blessings,

The Farmer's Wife

Val

Scenes from the farm....

Caleb is trying to virtually stare me down!
He is weak!

Happy 18th Birthday Titus!
He made a dirt cake in this huge bowl!

Charity's little friend came to visit this week.
This toad was hand-fed flies! I put up with things
like this in the name of a good education. She
learned about a toad's habitat, diet, and endurance
for 6 year old girls!

We made a large batch of hot summer
squash relish for the family this week.
I love it on eggs! It's a great way to get
your veggies in the winter!

Jalapeno Summer Squash Relish
A market and family favorite!!

Who are You Dependent On?

We've reached the half-way point in our CSA this week! My, how time does fly by! Children are heading back to public school, the winter squash and pumpkins are now being picked for the markets, and even the weather has had a nip of fall it all ready! It seems like everything is in a rush.

We won "Best Tasting Tomato"
at the Franklin Farmer's Market
last Saturday with our
Lemon Boy Tomato!

Who are You Dependent On?

In past posts I've talked about the old-fashioned, no green,...I mean sustainable lifestyle. These words are fashionable, but the true commitment to live

truly sustainable would bring us a lot more comfort in these turbulent times than just a fad is able to do. If you are living sustainable you'd be prepared for the uncertainty that abounds. 

Another word that described a group of folks around the turn of the century was "Prepared". During the months before Y2K folks were preparing for the technology collapse, economic collapse, and food and oil shortages. The wise took some precautions, and others just scowled and called them alarmists. The wise were relieved, and grew to be frugal,...green...no, sustainable. 

Today, 14 years latter, there are even more

uncertainties in our lives...just no exact dates. We hear reports of government shut-downs, huge governmental debts that are impossible to pay back, drought, epidemics, shortages, natural disasters, ETC. During these times we can not depend on the government, science, or technology to be our lifeline. We must take personal responsibility for ourselves and families.

 We as a family moved to our farm in the months preceding Y2K, and were prepared  for whatever the computers of the world threw our way. It was a natural step for us as we all ready were living as

"sustainable" as we knew how. We had canned as usual, and even tried our hand at canning meat and butter for the first time. We had a non-electric way to retrieve the water from our well, and  used a wringer washer to wash our laundry in a minimal amount of water. We heated with wood and had plenty of lanterns and candles to light our small home when necessary. We had chickens to provide eggs, and goats for our milk. We also had a good supply of our grains and a hand powered mill so I could

continue to bake bread and other whole grain products that we were used to "just in case". I had researched home health care beyond our basic herbal remedies to arm us with the knowledge we may need in case of emergency also. For us to be ready for the unknown of January 1, 2000 was a family challenge.

 I remember when the t.v. showed the world that the lights were on in Australia....we were all relieved. The next morning the sun rose as usual and we were able to turn on the lights and use the computers. Relieved, we didn't do as some folks we knew who unloaded their cans of dehydrated foods on us. To them the crisis was over and they were back to depending on their daily or weekly shopping trips. We continued to live in the challenge. Our

Isaac harvesting honey
for the fall and winter.

garden got bigger and the dependence on the conventional grocery store got smaller. We enjoyed the challenge of the wringer washer until we all got frustrated with the broken buttons and overall galluses. (All our little boys [6 at the time] wore overalls.) We outgrew the OLD little house and built a larger, energy efficient home using an outdoor wood furnace that heated our home and water. The challenge of living as sustainably as possible had begun long before Y2K, but shaped us into the farm we are today. 

You may be asking how this relates to you...in the city or town where you live far from the rural mountain farm where we live? Who are you dependent on? I am not an alarmist..but I think I am very practical. The stability of our homes depends largely on the parents provision physically, emotionally and spiritually. We need to be able to provide the security our children need whatever the situation. If the power grid were to go down this weekend for a prolonged period of time, what would you do? If an epidemic of unknown origin were to sweep across the state and your city was quarantined, what would you do? If our supply of foreign oil were to be cut off, and the trucking industry shut down resulting in bare shelves at the grocery store, what would you do? And even more realistic, if your spouse lost their job, and you had to live on unemployment income, what would you do? Who could you REALLY depend on?

It's easy to see why we don't live a more prepared (sustainable) lifestyle like past generations did.

"Progress" and the technological advancements of the past decade have lulled us into a false sense of security. We are spoiled into thinking we can have anything we want anytime we want it. Amazon Prime, easy credit, and buy now/pay later plans abound! We take for granted the public utility services, and get frustrated when they are not available for a few minutes!  We are so pampered with Walmart's 24-hour availability that the thought of bare shelves is a far fetched notion. We bank at any hour,  purchase the desires of our heart while in our pajamas in bed, and we don't even see real money exchange hands! We are a plastic society that is addicted to the technology that feeds this hand-to-mouth lifestyle. We like the idea of becoming sustainable...but the deprivation of our desires behind the word is glossed over in the attempt to be fashionable. 

I  won't be able to solve the whole issue tonight, but my main goal of this blog entry is to wake us all up to the very real possibilities I mentioned above. We lead such government, technology, and Monsanto dependent lives that if there was a real crisis we would be found wanting in many areas and in a crisis. 

A beautiful summer day at our farm.

So, what does it REALLY mean to live a sustainable lifestyle? Not just green...but more "old fashioned" in a modern world? There are many lifestyle changes that will save money in the short term, and bring comfort in the midst of hardship that we all can begin to make. Unlike 1999, the Internet has exploded with knowledge that is easily obtained to lead you step-by-step to a more sustainable lifestyle without going radically overboard. 

Here are a few steps you can take now:

*Build your pantry~ If rice is on your grocery list, buy two instead of one. Repeat this simple process again and again with your staples. Rotate your food stores with your latest purchases going in the back of the shelves and sliding past purchases forward. 

Another idea is to join a food co-op. We belong to two. Cloverdale is the group we order with in bulk

Charity is perched on
top of our stack of newly
arrived grains.

and reap the price benefits on things such as our wheat berries, flour, oatmeal, dried fruit, coconut oil, (great price, though it is not organic) raw cane juice crystals, (raw sugar) brown rice, etc. They have a wide range of products to order quarterly. There is no membership fees, and everyone splits the shipping. They deliver to the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton. 

The other group we order with is Naturally a Deal. It is the home business of Jonathan Einwechter and a great way to find some real bargains! If you like the adventure of shopping United Grocery Outlet or

Garlic

other over-runs, scratch and dent stores you'll love this group. Denver Foods supplies through Jonathan cases of organic, exotic, and the normal and average foods for sale at GREAT prices. When Jonathan sends out an email that he's taking orders, respond quickly! Farmer Steve says it's like the Flea Market, "If you snooze you loose!" There is a limited amount of the really cheap things...like large containers of cottage cheese for .25 cents, Hot Italian Sausage for $1.50 lb., and organic cereal for .88 cents to $1.85! There are hundreds of items on his online grocery list..CHECK IT OUT. This is a great way to stock your pantry on a budget!! Contact Jonathan at naturallyadeal@gmail.com to be put on his mailing list.

*Home supply closet~ We live 30 minutes from the nearest real store. If we run out of toilet paper,

light bulbs, or cleaning supplies I do without until someone is going to town. My solution has been to keep a stock of non-food items also. We buy cases of Scott-like toilet paper from Naturally A Deal, and keep a stash of ingredients to make our cleaning supplies on hand. I use the same system for these items as I do the food items. Pintrest has a lot of ideas that can help you organize a storage closet.


*Alternative emergency lighting ~ Our forefathers scheduled their days around the rising and setting of the sun. If we were to be without light, this would be our mentality too. We keep the old fashioned kerosene lamps on hand. I love to light a table with them in the winter, and they come in handy when the power goes out....which is often

in our rural community! I don't trust the children with candles or lamps, so we use LED flashlights, and even LED candles to give the needed comfort when the power is off. Some lamps give better light than others, and lamp oil is expensive. If you learn to keep your wick trimmed and low you can use kerosene sold at gas stations. We keep a 5 gallon kerosene tank on hand. One day I'd love to be able to invest in some of the lights from Lehman's, which is one of our favorite places to buy sustainable items.

*Emergency medical supplies ~ Since we use herbs to build our immune systems and treat minor

A peek into our "personal
supply closet".

illnesses I keep a basic supply of herbs. We also have shoe box sized tubs of supplies that are labeled for different categories like pain, teeth, eyes, skin, and emergency in our "personal supply" closet. In each tub I keep herbs, salves, bandages, gauze, or whatever falls under the label on the tub. This helps my family find what they need in time of need. 

 With 13 children we've had our share of medical emergencies to deal with. I would have to say nasty cuts are at the top of our list. Years ago a doctor told me that most emergency rooms have stopped using stitches for "minor" cuts. He recommended me having a supply of Super Glue on hand. He then told me how to use it. (Stop the bleeding by elevating the part of the body that is injured, and keep pressure on it. When the bleeding has stopped, clean the wound and put a antibacterial salve on it. Using your Super Glue, squeeze a bead of glue in a line along either edge of the cut. Let it set a few seconds before drawing the two sides together with a bit of pressure and connecting either side of the cut with a few other beads of glue in a "railroad track" fashion. Let dry thoroughly. Super Glue is sterile, so it makes a great bandage that doesn't need to be changed. It simply wears off as the cut heals. If you peak into my "emergency" tub you will find small tubes of Super Glue!

There are many more areas we could talk about, but I'll save them for further posts. Just take time in the coming week to think through who you want to be dependent on.

In all situations I am ultimately dependent on God Almighty for His sustaining love and provision. He alone knows what today will hold, let alone tomorrow or next week. He has promised me if I ask for wisdom, He will give it to me.  I'm daily learning to trust Him for direction for what is best for me, and my growing family. I will not fear in the midst of all the uncertainties I face, for He alone is able to "keep that which I committed unto Him against that day"! Praise His name!

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." 

James 1:5

Abundant Blessings,

The Farmer's Wife

Val

We harvested honey this week!
Stock up for the winter as these
little guys won't last long.

Grilled Vegetables

Fresh cinnamon rolls made with our fresh
stone ground wheat.

Picking squash

Kale...a farm favorite green!

It's hot pepper season!
Read this week's blog on hot
peppers from our
virtual farmhand at
Full Tummies .

The boys dig potatoes for the shares each week.
There's nothing that can beat a fresh dug
potato!

Braided loaves of fresh whole wheat
bread ready for the market in Crossville.
The house sure smells good!

My favorite snack food!

We salvaged the "bad and the uglies"
from last week's onion harvest and
ended up with 33 pounds of usable onions!
We are busy dehydrating them to make
Onion Season Salt!

Thank you for allllll your help
Cerina!
(This is a 5 gallon salad spinner.)

Caleb is moving a pen of chickens to new grass.
Our "free range" hens get new grass daily.
I'm proud of Caleb's diligent spirit!
Look for our eggs at your market.

These little cuties arrived today. By mid-September
they will be for sale as all natural broilers!
Stay tuned for details!