My parents farm was all open land. Pastures, hayfields, barn, chicken house, out buildings and of course, our wonderful home. Momma and Daddy had purchased the land from her brother. The land touched my Momma's home place. The house was small with a basement. They added on the house making it a great home.
There were gardens for vegetables, fruit and nut trees. Berry vines of all sorts. My Momma had flowers planted everywhere. In the spring, fruit trees blossomed and the flowers showed their colors. It was beautiful and the fragrance was wonderful.
The land was farmed with all natural manures. Cow, chicken, hog and rabbit manure was added to the gardens. My parents used what they had, being organic just happened. My uncle had a sawmill, Daddy would bring sawdust for the strawberry plants. We mulched with hay and leaves. Lime was used to sweeten the soil.
I WANT A GARDEN LIKE MY PARENTS, this is very important to me. Their garden provided for us year around. Vegetables were canned and frozen. Fruit was canned and dried, the jellies would melt in you mouth. There was always something good from the garden and Momma's pickles were better than delicious.
Land was cleared to build a home, driveway cut, months of wait and now we live at the farm. We went into the woods, cleared about 1/2 of an acre, used the dropped trees to make borders for raised beds.
I have a garden. I made a lot of mistakes, but I never used fertilizer and pesticides. Used manure, and picked lots of squash bugs. Being in horse country there is plenty of horse droppings. We were lucky to find manure which was several years old and it was beneficial to the garden.
Planted raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, a vegetable garden and purchased chickens. We made it, we are a farm. I feed the extra vegetables to the chickens and they make chicken poop which I add to the garden. And the bonus, wonderful eggs from the girls.
The chickens ( aka girls) are pets. They go out for a walk in the afternoons. Mr. Bootsie or I stay out with the girls for about 30 minutes each day. They are good little workers. Turn compost and scratch in leaves and grass hunting all kinds of goodies. The rest of the day they spend in the run. We put compost, leaves and sand in the run for them to turn and scratch.
We have three creeks which run together in the lowland. This is what I have been looking for. I feel a name is more than just words.
We have our farm, and just like Momma would have so happily told everyone---
Hard work, rewarding and a Happy Hallow.
Welcome to Triple Creek Farm!!!
The kefir biscuits are hot and the tea is iced. Sit for a spell in one of our rocking chairs, relax, have a kefir biscuit with some beet jelly. A sip of tea?
That is an invitation that is too hard to refuse! I am a bit homesick now. I LOVED Sunday dinners at Grandma's. Her yeast rolls melted in your mouth. I remember those, the corn or mashed potatoes and the pickles the most. The blue and white snowball bushes that lined the driveway by the house and chasing chickens! I miss the quiet summer afternoon's down by the pond trying to catch silver fish. I can feel the warmth and the humidity now as well as hear the crickets and the birds calling to one another.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing back some memories and sharing the new ones you are making with Mr. Bootsie ;) Wish we were there to make some with you! <3 you guys!
Momma would have liked it if all of us could have lived around her and still be there today. Helping each other. One of Momma's sisters moved to California ( just as another has today) and I remember Momma talking about how lonesome it was while she was gone. She did not understand why someone would move away. Times have changed so much and families are spread everywhere. Love your comments, please keep the memories coming!
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