The Forest Farm

11/13/2024

Moved a heavy piece of furniture today, and found this blast from the past! Our 23 year old asked if she could still get paid a quarter for peeling it. 🤣 So grateful to be in our forever home on our little farm after years of military moves.

11/05/2024

A few thoughts to close the day. Hope you are encouraged.

11/03/2024

The hens are checking out the tiny pterodactyls, probably establishing pecking order before integration. 😉 Look at how small the little bantam frizzle is compared to the others! 🤣

11/01/2024

Let the soaping begin! This pan of cranberry hibiscus and bidens alba will be processed for our Flower Child handcrafted, small batch soap. Stay tuned for finished product!

10/24/2024

The baby have some new ! They had outgrown the garage brooder, but are weeks away from being able to integrate with the main flock. This mini chicken coop keeps them safe, is next to the main chicken run, and can be slid to fresh grass every few days. Bonus: no more p**p in the garage!

10/20/2024

The are getting a change of scenery with some yard time! Strider is on duty as their protector. Good thing, because those little sassy pants are now flying! Ask me how I know. 😬 🤣

10/16/2024

Baking like crazy for this weekend’s Founder’s Day at Hickory Grove. What’s your favorite cake? This fall festival starts Saturday morning at 8 am. Come find me in the cake booth at Hickory Grove Methodist Church Madison Florida! (Photo cred to my cousin, Julie.)

10/10/2024

After disassembling and cleaning the carburetor to get the cranky generator to crank, we are back up with some basic operations. This one was a doozy, but running water makes it much more bearable. Hope you are all well!

10/09/2024

Waiting on by canning all the fruits hanging out in the deep freezer from the summer bounty. Loquat jelly always surprises me with its rich color!

10/06/2024

How do we hurricane prep? By canning, of course! Can’t finish planting until passes, so why not knock out another item on the to-do list? 🤣

09/29/2024

Spent a couple of days on the north homestead dealing with hurricane damage from Helene, but very grateful that it isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. We lost the pecan and persimmon harvests, but the oranges amazingly held through those CAT 4 winds. 🤯 Many thanks to the electrical contractors and power companies, tree services, and even retail workers who are serving the community even when many of them were hit just as hard. Now, NO MORE STORMS! Shoo! Big bend has had enough!

09/26/2024

And it begins. Outer rain bands moving through at sunrise. Thoughts and prayers are with all of our friends and family in the direct path of Helene. Our northern homestead is in that area, too, so we are poised and ready to help with cleanup after the storm passes. This is a big one! 🙁🌀

09/25/2024

Checking Out Chickens Workshop:
Important date change! Impending Hurricane Helene has interfered with our ability to receive chicks this week, so the hatchery has delayed our delivery, forcing us to move the workshop to October 11th at 9:00 a.m. Link in comments to register!

09/24/2024

Took a few days off from the farm to go see our daughters in Atlanta. Enjoyed the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, some fabulous restaurants, the massive world farmer’s market, and snuggles with the “grandcats.” Back in Florida just in time for the impending hurricane, which seems to be making a beeline for our north homestead. 😭 Y’all stay safe out there! Go away, Helene!

09/23/2024

Just saw that this is leaving Netflix at the end of September, so here is my plug to WATCH IT NOW! Entertaining, educational, and great musical score.

The must-see trailer for Kiss the Ground. Watch it and discover a simple solution for climate change. The full-length film is now streaming on Netflix! Take ...

09/18/2024

Had a wonderful walk across the north homestead property with state representatives from forestry and conservation. These knowledgeable folks provided us with a management plan to restore wildlife habitat on the land, and pointed out so many awesome natives that are thriving already. What a great resource to protect our state’s ecosystem!

09/13/2024

This Florida softshell turtle meandered up to the back door, quite a haul from any water source! Never fear, I donned gloves and put it back near the swale. It tried to scare with a half-hearted attempt to bite, but I think it was just tired and glad to be put back near food and water.

09/03/2024

This beautiful butterfly was hanging out on the loquat tree, completely unbothered by my presence as I worked in the area. I feel like a Disney princess. 😉