Growing! Growing! Growing!

A summer shower came through this afternoon and as quickly as it crossed over the mountains, it disappeared again. When the sun came out, my daughter and I went out on a scavenger hunt.

Today's theme: Things we can eat! Have a look at what we found!

Tomatoes!

Summer apples!

Blueberries!

Figs!

Mulberries! (at back) foreground= NOT edible!

Fall apples!

Patio Herbs!

A visit to Sequatchie Cove Farm

This past weekend we visited a local farm that specializes in sustainable farming and organic produce. Recently, they have gained notoriety across the South for their artisan cheeses.

On Saturday, they hosted an open house and farm tour. We were curious, so we went. (Besides, who could resist the opportunity to explore a secluded mountain cove on a beautiful autumn morning.)

One of the owner's residence
(and the official greeter on his way to meet visitors)

Gorgeous mountain cove

Brood of hens gleaning spent garden beds

My little one and her accomplice trying to herd a cat

Sequatchie Cove Farm is by no means a typical commercial farm. It is maintained exclusively by six people- two of whom make the farm's cheese. I am not sure how many milking cows they have total, but during our visit we saw about a dozen or so. "The cheesemaker" said they are at about half their capacity right now and are excited about expanding as demand gets higher. Their dairy barn is the latest addition to the farming operation and houses a state of the art commercial kitchen and aging room. (We were not allowed in for sanitation reasons but did get to peek through the window!)

Who's watching who?

The creamers

My little one and her daddy- right at home with the cows 

The autumn colors

All in all- it was a lovely visit on a beautiful autumn day. And while we have no intention of ever going commercial with our farming (or raising our own meat- sorry folks, just can't do it.....), we were very inspired by what we saw at Sequatchie Cove Farm. Who knows- we may just try our hand at cheese making too someday!

It's a jungle out there!

Not too long ago I posted a few images of our summer garden. My! My! How it has grown!

This is our second year with a raised bed garden and to be honest, I do not know if I ever want to go back to an in ground garden again!

It is absolutely amazing exactly how much one can plant in such a small space. A friend of ours owns a fencing business and the parts come in 4'x4' wooden forms. Last year she saved us four forms.  We stacked one on top of the other to create two 4'x4'x16" beds. Then, we nailed boards between the two beds to create a third bed. We lined the bottom with landscape cloth to prevent weeds and filled them with mulch, dirt, compost, and old straw from our rabbit hutch. We watered the beds daily and let them rest for about 2 weeks prior to planting.

Green heirloom tomatoes on the vine

Green roma tomatoes on the vine
The perfect canning tomato!

Squash blossoms taking refuge from the sun
under the canopy of  leaves

Little squash forming at the buds of the blooms

When I was a little girl, we always planted a vegetable garden in our yard. My dad tended it all summer and then he and my mom canned whatever surplus we had. When I was old enough, I helped them too. To this day, I can remember the aroma of freshly boiled tomatoes ready for canning!

Now that I am grown, I have continued the gardening tradition. There is something extremely satisfying about growing your own food. While I do not think I can ever grow animals for this purpose, I do take great pleasure in the idea of self subsistence.

Fresh eggs ready for washing

Not only does the food you grow yourself taste better than food purchased in a grocery, you do not have to worry about where it came from or what chemicals have been used in its production. Gardening makes you appreciate the hard work it takes to provide food for yourself and your family. And, in the long run you will find you waste less and save more!

Happy gardening everybody!