From Last Fall to the 2013 Old Homestead Farm Market

Chris is never one to sit still. The winter offers very little opportunity for excavation work or residential site development, so he has been a systems analyst, doing a variety of design, mechanical and engine repairs for area farmers. 

I took time off from working on the blog, the farm market, and everything else, to write a book. It's available through Amazon and has NOTHING to do with homesteading but is an action/adventure on something I feel passionate about! Click Trapped in the Mayan Tattoo to learn more about it. This was intriguing to research and write, based on some real-life events. I would rate it PG-13. It's an e-book, and can be downloaded to a Kindle or you can get a free Kindle app for your PC, Mac, or e-reader.

Chris spent his free time in the fall and winter renovating equipment such as this Oliver hay rake and his Oliver baler, both from the early 1960's, while he continued to rebuild his 1958 Allis Chalmers tractor. Then he started building a hay elevator from his own design, using a few salvaged pieces of metal, some new metal and parts, and a lot of ingenuity. He still needs a mower but he's been prepping the soil and sowing red clover and orchard grass because, frankly, if the hay isn't there, you wouldn't really need a mower! First things first. 

Last year his equipment was minimal and that meant a lot of manual labor. We had haystacks! Really! Then he baled the hay from the haystacks and one farmer bought all of his hay in one sale. This year, he'd like to be able to help more farmers so he plans to put up a lot more hay.

Recently, we had our business meeting to plan our 2013 Farm Market. In addition to hay, Chris is looking forward to adding some items to the farm side of our farm market. These will be useful additions and I'm excited about them but, in order to expand as much as we want, we need to get our building up. Until then we'll continue to use the Airstream camper.

Another change is that the Old Homestead Farm Market sign is coming down for a much-needed face lift so that it won't continue to blend in with the sky. I love what Chris has planned for it!

We'll have eggs each week, both chicken eggs and duck eggs, fresh from Pauley's Pampered Poultry!

As for produce, we won't do as much vegetable farming for the market. Our clients prefer the jams, jellies, breads, fruit pies, and fudge. That was a surprise to us! Although we have a few who look for carefully grown produce, most of our customers love the sweets. I will continue to offer special gluten-free and sugar-free items. We thought we would have more followers who would come just for the fruits and veggies but we had some veggies left over each week, except for green beans that consistently sold out! For this year, I  have requests for more green beans, beets, corn and, of course, we'll still offer a variety of tomatoes. 

People have asked if we're interested in becoming a CSA, where people buy memberships and pick up their farmer-chosen produce each week. NO!!! We like to be able to pick and choose what we eat, and we believe our friends who come to us enjoy that freedom as well. 

More changes:  No seedling plants. They didn't sell well and they are very time-consuming. And Mid-March is too daggone early! Brrr! We'll open in Mid-May! 

Looking forward to opening our Old Homestead Farm Market!

(In the meantime, I'm working on the second book, a sequel to the first with many of the same characters and more adventuresome challenges, expecting to publish by August.)

To know more about the book, click on this link:

Trapped in the Mayan Tattoo

Old Homestead Farm Market, one year down and counting

This year my husband Chris and I started on a wild new adventure, our own farm market. I enjoy a good laugh, and this brought several! Friends I never knew we had would come, shop our wares at our Airstream camper, and share stories. For this season, our farm market has come to an end but the memories and appreciation will long remain of the many people who came to shop and visit. 

What I learned:

• produce safety how-to
• cottage food laws
• We have more friends than I realized.
• Many people like knowing where the food comes from. Our customers got to tour the poultry area, the chicken condo, the hoop coop for the ducks, and our gardens. Little children seem to  be fascinated by it, as did many grown children. And any time we got some friends or relatives together, there was sure to be laughter!
• Advertising helps. People get busy. No matter how pretty the baked goods look, no matter how fresh and nicely produced the eggs are, no matter how tasty the tomatoes and other veggies are, things don't sell if no one is there. Word of mouth advertising is best. 
• There is so much need. We made a lot of people happy each week with donations we were able to give to local charities, fundraisers and emergency shelters.

What I suspect:

• Some people don't want to know that meat comes from animals. (That's a pity because farm children who learn that also often learn to have compassion for the animals. Sometimes, so much compassion that they become vegetarians! A balanced approach might be better, maybe just eat less meat.) Likewise, I suspect that a whole lot of people either don't want to know or truly aren't aware that much of the produce that goes to supermarket and restaurant chains is harvested by slaves, much of it on American soil, an epidemic that grew rapidly in the 1990's starting in the tomato production industry and is just recently being addressed by the Dept. of Labor, the FBI, NGOs and local law enforcement groups. It's hard to see because when slave workers are used, they are kept hidden from view with no way to communicate. Most agricultural workers are NOT kept as slaves but slave labor does exist in the (mostly southeastern) U.S., where people are owned and forced to work in horrible conditions, so please be aware.
• There is a group of people who, if they knew, would have more compassion for livestock animals than for human slaves who are involved in the production of food.

Would we do it again?

YES!!! This year would prove to be the start of something good for us and for the local community. In spite of drought, our gardens produced after depleting our well of its water twice. In spite of my flawed attempts at producing cottage foods, I had some loyal customers who appreciated not having to do the baking themselves to have dessert or homemade bread for their families. In spite of the depressed economy, we broke even I think. In terms of humanity, we came out ahead! Had we set out to make a lot of money, we would be disappointed. Instead, we brought something new to our local community in the form of fresh eggs from uncaged poultry, safely grown vegetables, and homebaked goodies that were made from the heart, often with fruit grown locally that we picked ourselves. Having a farm market was a lot more work than I expected when we started out, but this was a labor of love (no slaves involved!) for a community I very much love.

Look for our farm market next year when, again, I'll be offering Mrs. Pauley's pies!

Question:

If I limit my cooking to ten cottage food items next year, 

what should they be?

Finding a Fun Way to Serve the Community

We are now in the middle of our first year with our farm market and no two Saturdays are alike. It began in March with eggs and some home baked items, pies, breads and cottage foods such as jams, jellies and fudge. From there we have added some fresh local produce. 

Lately, I've been mixing and trying out rubs for slow smoked and grilled meats over indirect heat. That has been so much fun because I really, really like to eat and, of course, I have to sample the wares!

  No matter what we offer at our market, there will always be pies. And, since I listen to what my customers want, I'm also making fresh fruit turnovers and special items for the gluten-free. 

Our primary goal is to bring a fresh and delicious food experience to our friends in this out-of-the-way and under-served community, as a way of providing a convenient service to these wonderful people. And it's working! 

Lately, as word has spread, more visitors from surrounding counties have come to our market. One poor fellow got lost and said he was starting to hear the banjos and almost turned around before he got here!  HAHAHA! It's really not that bad, but it might seem like it! We are located in the scenic rural hills of southern Ohio, and it can be a long winding drive. We try hard to make it worth your effort. The man who could "almost hear the banjos" left with two pies, peanut butter fudge, and brochures to share with his friends. He loved it!

Our vintage Airstream camper is set up on the small family farm my husband grew up on, where most of our gardens are and all our poultry live. You can come out and walk around the gardens, see the chickens and ducks, and in general reminisce about life on a family farm as you see the antique farm equipment Chris has collected and restored.

To add to our market's uniqueness, we have a drawing at the end of market every Saturday. The lucky winner gets to pick any leftover item for free! Everyone, including the children, gets a chance to win! If you're within driving distance, give us a try.

A refrigerator magnet will remind you that we're open on Saturdays, 12 to 5, at 2589 Blain Highway, Waverly OH 45690.  Come and get yours!

Sourdough Breadmaking, from starter to delectable finish!

I decided recently, for the benefit of patrons of my farm market, to revive an old skill: the making of sourdough bread. 

A stone jar works best for the starter that takes several days to prepare.

On baking day, a dough hook can save you from a labor-intensive task.

One day recently I made 8 loaves of sourdough bread. Some for the market...

      and some for me and my family. The experience is  something near heaven when you sit down after long hours of work to enjoy the ageless salty and somewhat nutty taste of a chewy sourdough bread along with a good aged cheddar cheese and your favorite beverage.  In this case, it's a glass of my grape wine, ready to bottle.

Preparing Garden Spots for the Vegetable Starts

A brief moment of rest for Chris at our camper on the farm where we hold our farm market. He's been working night and day, growing the little seedlings that soon will go into the ground that he's getting ready. After all, if you're going to have a farm market, you kinda need to have some produce!!!

Chris is using a 1980 Gravely that can do ANYTHING!  We believe that was the last year the Gravely tractors were made in America. I have the utmost respect for his older machinery. The plow was made in the 30's. All his attachments were made from the early 30's to the mid-50's. It's really handy that Chris likes restoring things. These work well and help keep the cost down.

After all, Chris is the real force behind the farm market. He says it's me, but I know better. Sure, I love cooking and baking, but he has wanted to farm all his life, and what better way to serve the community than to raise fresh, safe, great-tasting produce?! 

During the day, the gardens are getting plowed and tilled while the little plants are getting much-needed sunlight on our deck at home. 


Then at night, all the little plants come back inside. After all, the babies need warmth to grow and, remember, we have no greenhouse yet so our home has to serve the plants' needs for now.

Some of these seedlings will be planted in our garden spots and eventually find their way to market.

Others will be sold as plants at our farm market to go into other people's gardens.

Restoring Old Equipment with Sand Blasting

While I played around with the farm market, Chris had other things to do.

He had traded for a very old, 1957 model, Oliver rake and an Oliver hay baler, almost as old. These were partial payment on a land clearing job he had done. Since Chris is not a person to just leave equipment in the yard as ornaments, he proceeded to take them apart and get them back into good working condition so that he can make hay for local farmers.

 That meant sand blasting in our back field where the clay soil needs the sand anyway. He is very cautious about safety. You shouldn't breathe the dust from the sand. It stays in the lungs like asbestos. Besides the silica, the old paint could be lead-based.

Chris had built this sand blaster several years ago out of an old sand pot, box tube, lawnmower wheels, steel pipe, and a heavy duty air hose.

(He also sand blasted something for me, but that's another post.)

Here are some pieces sand blasted and primered.

[Meanwhile, I sold out of just about everything I had, and I had started with a huge tableful! No more bread, cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, blackberry jam and strawberry jam! Gone was the 16-hour day of baking! By the time I needed to put things away, there was very little to do. Just a few cookies and a little black walnut fudge. I had my weekly drawing and...(drum roll)...

the winner was Joy Carter!!! 

She's going to pick up her winning prize next Saturday! I've promised her some jam.]

 Chris has his parts protected from the  elements ...

and ready to put back together before the final painting.

Farm Market Offerings

For our farm market this Saturday, I made blackberry jam that is cooling on its rack. 

I also made two pans of black walnut fudge. I had to make two, since  one pan was  a special birthday gift to my husband.

Making black walnut fudge is a labor of love. The nuts are gathered from our walnut trees and stored. Then they have to be cracked and the nutmeats taken out of the hard shells. Since they are very hard to crack, Chris surprised me last Christmas with a nutcracker of his own design. (Yes, he is hoping to get yours finished soon, Granny Sue and dr momi!!! He hardly sleeps at all right now since he is into so many things!) 

 Even with the handy dandy nut cracker, it takes me a full hour to crack and shell out that many nuts! But black walnut fudge is a delicious and rare delicacy and the effort is so worth it!

At the farm market, we have farm fresh brown eggs from the Speckled Sussex hens and duck eggs from the Pekins. 

Each week I replenish  the table with freshly baked breads, cookies, cakes, pies and cinnamon rolls. Wednesday is an easy day. Thursday and Friday are two long days of preparation. I try to provide at least a couple of baked items for the gluten free diet. I'll offer a few surprises. Again, it's worth the work. I love that people come to the farm and enjoy my food! I'm having such a good time with this, and every Saturday has been like a party! 

Before long, we'll be able to offer a wide range of vegetable plants and produce at a price that will make it easier on local household budgets and closer to home. We've started a couple of kinds of heirloom tomatoes that promise to have a delicious, old-fashioned tomato flavor. 

Our farm market is an exciting new adventure and we appreciate that so many people are enjoying following us, shopping and sharing ideas. Thanks!

Prepare the Soil, Then Plant the Seed

Chris says it's my farm market. 

I say it's his.

The fact is, we're both sharing the labor

as we begin this journey,

not knowing exactly where it will end but fully aware that

the journey itself is the destination.

Chris takes a moment on the step of our vintage Airstream to catch his breath after working on the grounds while I've been tending our farm market.   The camper serves as a comfortable base for our work.

The chickens and ducks do a great job of providing the eggs for Old Homestead Farm Market. While I've concentrated on the jellies, jams, breads, cakes, cookies, candies and pies, Chris has done all the  work of preparing the grounds, parking area, making signs and getting the gardens ready for planting--after his day's work.
Then, after dark, he retreats to our loft and tends his little plants. He has turned our loft and deck into a sort of greenhouse nursery, but he's having much better luck with his seedlings than I ever had. At this point, where he had hoped to raise 5 or 6 dozen little white cabbage seedlings, he has around 500! And he has about the same number of red cabbage.

These (broccoli?) plants are crowded and need more room for root development.

Who knew he had such a green thumb?!

Chris is explaining how he needs more room in the loft area of our home because  his germination rate far exceeded his expectation. 

Luckily, Chris just happens to have some old bolt trays that were no longer being used so he's been transplanting.

These shelves should help!

As usual, Chris recycles salvaged materials: old egg cartons that people have traded in but are not our brand, his brother's used garage shelving, and bolt trays that had been thrown in the dumpster when a specialty fastening shop moved. 

As I write, it's 2:30 a.m. and he's planting little pepper seeds. Our hope is to provide not only baked goods but also fresh produce and plants at our farm market. We want to offer a variety of seedlings to encourage others to grow their own vegetables, whether it's in a patio planter of tomatoes, a community garden or a family garden spot. Fresh, homegrown vegetables just taste better!

Market Ready!!!

I love the mini angel food cakes!

Getting ready for this week's Old Homestead Farm Market takes a little bit of this, and a little of that, and VOILA! Magic in the kitchen. No, it's not that simple. I make some weird mistakes sometimes. I should collect my bloopers for a video display!

Besides the angel food cakes, apple pies, cinnamon rolls, chocolate walnut fudge you see here, I also cooked up an assortment of breads, jellies, and cookies! You'd think I'm really into sweets, but not so much. I do love the magic of the ingredients though!

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Chris spent a full day of planting potatoes. Onions and garlic are already planted, and the cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower plants are just about ready to go into the ground. The tomato plants are still tiny but strong. Before long, we'll have well-chosen garden plants including some great heirlooms to offer at a savings for the locals. Within a month, we'll have some produce to add to the market.

We're certainly working up an appetite!

And isn't there always room for movie theater popcorn? There's magic in that, too! I love watching it pop, and all this smells SO DELICIOUS!!!



Old Homestead Farm Market
     Saturdays 12 to 6


                    2189 Blain Highway
                    Waverly OH 45690

Signs of Spring: The Market Sign, Playing in the Grass, and New Plants

Here's our sign on the basement floor.

Same sign being hoisted up.

Notice anything unusual? Notice how the letters just disappear in the light of day? When you drive by, it's like a blank slate. So, the sign has to come back down and we'll make some adjustments. As you can imagine, that won't be easy. Chris will climb back up to the bucket on the backhoe, attach a pulley, and hope the dag-gone thing doesn't slip.

At least the sign was up for the third day of our farm market. The little slat below it says "FRESH BREAD" but, as you can see, that also did a disappearing act. Much like the freshly baked bread on the table did!

The biggest hits at the most recent farm market were angel food cake, blueberry pies, and green popcorn balls for St. Patrick's day! And the freedom and fresh air. The kids loved romping around and touring the farm.

Starting our farm market is a family adventure. In the end, I guess it's all about the kids. As a parent, you pass on a love of food, family, and friends, and show the lasting value in keeping the old friends while making new friends along the way. It is hard  but honest work. Eventually they'll understand that our meaningful connections with the land and with people define us all, and they'll cherish each unique piece of the whole puzzle.

Chris recycles egg cartons to turn the deck into a nursery for garden plants. Before long we'll have plants and fresh produce for the farm market.

I think one slat on our farm market sign should say:

Life is an adventure. Live (and eat) well.

or:

Farming. It's not a spectator sport.

What do you think?

A Week of Getting Ready for Farm Market

Someone recently said, "It must smell great at your house!" 

Oh, I wish I could just show you! Thanks, dr momi! (You can catch her blog, Homesteading at Redtail Ridge, for more interesting accounts of adventures in homesteading. Check out my sidebar for a quick look.)

The aromas of cinnamon, freshly baked bread and spices fill the air all day on Fridays at our house since we started this little adventure called a farm market. I save Friday for the bread-making and baking so that the items I offer on Saturday are as fresh and tasty as possible.

On Mondays I plan the offerings and make sure I have all necessary ingredients. Then I spread out my work for the week. For example, I plan jams and jellies for mid-week.

Next market day is Saturday, March 17 *St. Patrick's Day*, so I'll be offering a few special treats: "Irish Pub Pickled Eggs", Irish soda bread (Thanks for that suggestion, Jenny!), and some green popcorn balls. In addition to fresh unbleached white bread, whole wheat bread, and cinnamon rolls and/or cinnamon bread, we'll also have banana nut bread, angel food cake, apple and blueberry pies, and strawberry jam.

Before long, we'll have seasonal vegetables, fruits and some flowers. Later Chris has plans for expanding with gardening and farming supplies, and eventually Christmas trees, but we're taking baby steps for now.

Our farm market is open every Saturday. We are located at 2589 Blain Highway, Waverly OH 45601. "LIKE us" (Old Homestead Farm Market) on Facebook for all the latest photos and comments. When you come out to our farm, watch for a vintage Airstream camper and a flying cow.

Yes, the aroma is wonderful at our house on Fridays! Even better, it's followed on Saturday by a fun and relaxed atmosphere at our farm market where we share samples of fresh and delicious foods and enjoy the company of great folks! Come and join the good times and the conversations if you're in the area!


We're inventing our own little farm market, as opposed to a farmers' market, so if you have some ideas to pass onto us, we would love to hear them! Ours is a very small operation of homesteading and producing cottage foods. Chris and I provide fresh home-grown produce and freshly baked goods made with only the best ingredients we can find, something that's good for us and for the community. We work hard so that others will benefit, and a share of what we produce goes to charitable causes. Why do we do it? Because we can? It's not easy but fun and real!