Pumpkins!

Pumpkins are big around the farm these days! I guess we didn't realize just how well pumpkins grow in this area. So basically we overestimated on the number of plants and now we have pumpkins coming out our ears! We've been taking them to sell at the farmers market. It's been helpful since the chickens slowed production due to the cold snap last week.

We have also been roasting and freezing pumpkin purée for the winter since you aren't supposed to can straight pumpkin. It's a lot easier then you realize! Cut your pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds and then sprinkle a little salt on the flesh. Then roast it for 30 minutes at 400 degrees and then purée the flesh when it's  cool enough to handle. So easy, right?! Rebecca is our master baker so she turned our purée into pumpkin cream cheese coffee cake for the market on Saturday. And let me tell you that stuff was heavenly!!

A lot of our heavy gardening is over for a while. We still have pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, greens, gourds, and late tomatoes. The guys will soon be gearing up for hunting season while the girls bring out their handiwork (knitting, crocheting, sewing, and quilting). It sounds almost like a dream to us old fashioned souls but it's really coming true! And I know I've said this before but life here is hard but very satisfying. We are having a bonfire this weekend to celebrate how far we've come in our journey. Until next time dear readers!


Sincerely,
Ann 

We're Still Here!

Yes, I know its been a WHOLE month since my last update. Things have just been really crazy around here. Just last week we planted over two acres of little strawberry plants! That took several days getting the fields ready (especially since the tractor has been giving us fits lately). We are hoping to have enough strawberries to preserve, sell, and also invite people to come pick their own! but they wont be ready until next spring. For now we have pumpkins, winter squashes, gourds, and various greens that are ready to be picked. Who knew that people really enjoyed pumpkins?! They have been our #1 seller the past two weeks. We've also picked all of our eating corn and now we are waiting on the rest of the field corn to finish drying.

Addie, Rebecca, Laura, Will, and I have been working almost nonstop getting the last of the summer produce preserved. The peach trees have all finished up for the year as well as the tomatoes. But pears and apples are in full swing! Apple butter and pear preserves are our top priority right now. We are also trying our hands at pumpkin butter and canned fresh pumpkins. they haven't sold as well as we'd like for them to at the markets yet but we can always keep them for our own personal use.

The chickens are doing well right now and fresh eggs have continued to be a big seller (even after we had to raise the price). Addie, our chicken expert, has decided to add some meat breeds to our farm come springtime. This will not only provide us with fresh meat but will also provide another source of income for our small farm.

I know it seems like all we do is sell things, but there is a reason behind all of it. You can't run a business if you aren't making a profit (and I view this farm as a sort of business), and you also need to invest some of your profits back into the business to keep it running for the long term. For example you can't buy fruit to make more jam if you didn't make enough profit off of the last batch and you can't invest in more canning jars if you haven't set aside some of the profits. I don't know why I'm rambling on about this topic. Haha well on to more interesting topics.

How could I even forget this little piece of information: Laura and Wesley told us last week that they are having a baby!! We are all so excited for them! The due date is March 29th. This will change the dynamics of the farm just a tad bit. And just an f.y.i. even though we are living out here and trying to make it on our own, we still believe in modern medicine and the importance of health care professionals. Laura has been going in for regular checkups to make sure that both she and the baby are healthy. She has already decided that they will go spend a few months back at home with their family before and after the baby is born. We've decided to call it their "maternity leave". But like I said we are just BEYOND excited for our new parents!! All of us girls have been busy making clothes and Ward and Lance made an absolutely stunning bassinet the other day.

Until next time dear readers!


Sincerely,
Anne

Gone fishin'

By living an almost completely agrarian lifestyle for the past two months we have noticed a few things:
1. The initial start up is very difficult (but worth it), and
2. We have to work really hard to make sure we are getting a completely balanced diet.

Getting in our fruits and veggies the past two months hasn't been too difficult because they are in abundance during the winter months. We make bread every week and also eat lots of oatmeal and rice. But meat is a different story. we cant just go kill a couple of chickens for dinner each night. We wouldn't have any left after a few months! We have a few goats that we keep around for milk, and we don't have any beef yet.

So we have learned to live off of fish during the summer! There are a few lakes on our property as well as in the surrounding area. This is Wesley and Laura's favorite "get away". They will go and fish for a couple of hours to have alone time as a couple and then they bring back food for the rest of us! It's a win-win! Occasionally some of the other guys will go as well but this is by far Laura and Wesley's favorite thing to do on the farm. And let me say that I'm not a very cutesy/emotional person, but they are just the cutest! They'll gather up their fishing supplies and off they go holding hands through the woods to their favorite spots. Aaahh I love it!

In the mean time, we all continue to work around the farm, preparing things for the coming winter. It won't be long before we get our first cold snap. I'm so nervous!! But I know we will do just fine. We have been super busy for the short period that we have been here. And speaking of beef, we are looking into getting some cows. Milking? Beef? Any suggestions?

Sincerely,
Ann

Summer ending

Our tomatoes, okra, and peppers are about to finish up for  he season so we are trying to get every last little thing picked and put up for the winter. The corn is still going strong though! And pumpkins are on their way! I see lots of pumpkin butter in our future. YUM!! The farmers market is also starting to wind down. It will still be open through the end of September and then... Well we don't have a definite plan after that. There's another market that stays open year round in a neighboring city so we might check that out. And yesterday Will, Lance, and Thomas planted some winter squashes and greens. And we are getting ready to plant some fruit trees and bushes! But those will take several years to mature.

On top of all the final summer gardening we are doing I have started quilting! Like actual full sized quilts. Addie got me hooked on quilts and she says she's going to help me quilt my first one. I've just about got the quilt top finished. It will be a single Irish chain with light pink and floral scraps. Oh I'm just so excited!

Ward has been revising out "constitution" this week. He says he wants it to be more specific to what we are doing here in Freedom. And we are both working on some by laws that will be used to govern our little society for now and hopefully the next generations that will be born into and also move to Freedom. We are praying that God will help us construct the proper documents to keep this beautiful place alive and well for a long time. But until next time dear readers!

Sincerely,
Ann

Pear Picking!

The local pears are in and Swanson Farms has given us a great deal on their pears! So we took an outing today to go and pick our own and then grab extra sugar and canning lids on the way back home. Fresh pears, canned pears, pear jam, pear butter, pear preserves!! My mouth is just watering. This will be the first time that all of us have left the farm together since we moved in. It is definitely a momentous occasion for our little group!

And what little outing wouldn't be complete without a picnic lunch! Rebecca and Laura packed quite a feast for our day of picking. We had fresh bread, peaches, sliced chicken breast, sliced tomatoes, and peanut butter cookies for dessert! YUM!!

We set out around 10 am from our farm and picked, ate lunch, and picked some more until about 1 in the afternoon. We had picked about 8 bushels of pears during this time. Good thing we brought the trucks! But it was so much fun! Afterwards we went to the store for sugar, canning lids and extra jars, and a few other items. Then home again, home again, jigity jig.

We quickly went to work packing some of the pears away in storage for later and pealing the rest. We planned to make about 100 jars of pear preserves and we weren't too far off of our calculations. In total we now have 113 pints of preserves in the cellar. For those who don't know, that's a lot of preserves to make in just a few short hours.

But we are now settling down for the night after our big excursion. And I'm about to fall asleep. But I'll keep you updated on all the goings on here at Freedom!

Sincerely,
Ann

Back Online

We are back online! Internet has been down for the past week and I still can't post pictures but we are still alive and well! Harvest time is upon us here in Freedom. We pick about 15-20 bushels of tomatoes, 20 gallons of okra, 10 gallons of peppers, and 15 gallons of squash and zucchini per week!! My word we have been blessed! The corn, peas and beans are almost ready to be picked. And we are leaving some of the corn to dry in the fields for livestock feed. Unfortunately the blackberry season has ended for us. But they were delicious while they were here!

We continue to go to the farmers market every Saturday. But our demand for fresh eggs has brought us to buy more chickens. So we now take anywhere from 35-50 dozen eggs to sell each week. Any extra produce is also taken to sell. And on top of that, Laura, Addie, and I have been making potholders, oven mitts, decorated hand towels, crocheted doilies, and other little projects to sell. Yes, pictures will be posted as soon as we can. It's always exciting to see what other farmers are growing in the area. There's one particular farm, Swanson Farms, that has a HUGE orchard filled with lots of peach, apple, and pear trees, as well as other seasonal fruits! We are going to get some more of their fruits for jams and preserves soon.

But one of the best things that has happened because of Freedom, Tn is our Sunday bible study! We come together on Sunday mornings to read different passages of scripture and pray for each other. We were already a close knit group but we use this time to develop those bonds. This is why I believe we have stayed together so far. We share concerns and pray requests for each other as well as family and friends outside of Freedom. Thomas usually leads the bible reading and then we sing hymns. The peace in that moment is unexplainable! "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them" Matthew 18:20

Until next time dear readers!

Sincerely,
Ann
P. S. If there is anything you need prayer for just let us know in the comments below! 

A Brief Update

We are starting to harvest some of our first produce!! We picked some of the first tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, and herbs today! It's getting busier here in Freedom which is why I haven't posted in a week. But stay tuned! Pictures to follow as well as some of my latest projects for the Saturday farmers market!

Sincerely,
Ann

Thursday Night Thoughts

{a poem of sorts}

The sun sets on another day
The evening bugs come out
We sit around our table
Eating from our labors
It isn't much at this point
But it's more than we had
We have a bounty before us
Faith family friends Freedom

We started out small
But ever so strong
Planing planting preparing
Tending the crops
Watching the animals
Preserving fruit
Making and selling wares
Faith family friends Freedom


There's fruit in jars
Animals in their stalls
Dreams of a better life
Now coming true for us
Working hard everyday
Using what we can
Keeping that dream alive
Faith family friends Freedom


Sincerely,
Ann

Blackberries!!

We found blackberries growing wild on the far edge of the property!! Well, I say they are wild, but they look larger then most wild varieties. They could have been planted there years ago by a previous owner. This is such a blessing! They were covered up with weeds which is why we didn't see them until this afternoon when Rebecca and I went exploring around the property. This is awesome because many fruit plants usually take several years to grow before they start producing. We still want to plant more vines, bushes and trees later this fall, but we will have some to eat on until then!

Sincerely,
Ann

A Trip to the Market

It has now been two weeks since we first lived here in Freedom and it has been amazing! Not a cakewalk by any means, but very satisfying. We are up before dawn on most mornings making breakfast and getting ready for the day ahead. As soon as we have enough daylight we start to work on our garden: weeding, more planting, pruning, fertilizing.

But today we had a plethora of fresh eggs that we decided to take to the local farmers market, which was about 30 minutes from the farm, to try and make some money. (You can do that when you've got 50 chickens and only 10 people to feed!) I took Adelynn and Lance with me. We set out with 25 dozen eggs. And man oh man did they sell! We sold out within three hours!! It was crazy. It's as if the people around here are starving for farm fresh eggs. But there really is nothing like them. I also found time this past week to make some potholders with some fabric scraps. We were able to sell some of those as well. The people here really enjoyed the log cabin quilted pattern.

While we were there we were able to buy some more produce for the farm as well as produce for canning. Addie and I decided that we could spend afternoons this coming week making some jams and preserves to sell the next time we go to the market. Blackberry and peach seem to be favorites here so we bought 4 bushels of peaches and 3 flats (8 quarts each) of blackberries. We also sent Lance out to make a deal on some vegetables. By the end of the morning we had sold all our eggs,  about half of the potholders, and left with a truck full of more produce. All in all I'd say that this morning was very productive! So until next time dear readers!

Sincerely,
Ann

In the Beginning

Well it's finally happened! "What?" you may ask. Freedom, Tennessee!! I am beyond excited about this adventure and it finally came about. But before I get into the details of our first days let me explain how we got here. 

About 5 years ago I was sitting with a group of close friends and, like the good homeschoolers that we were, began discussing our society as a whole. We felt like the government was getting too big for its britches and needed a reboot. Adelynn, my good friend, wanted a simpler society that was based on agrarian practice. Ward, the political science major, wanted to create a form of government and run it as president. And I wanted a combination of the two; also someplace where I'd be able to create and sell my wares. We decided that the best way to accomplish all of this would be to buy some land and start our own country. 

And thus the idea of freedom tn was born! (Yeah, I know, pretty crazy) But that's all it was for the first year that we talked about it. Just an idea. Because we were all still in school, we didn't have the funds to just pack up and leave home to start an entire miniature society. I mean get real! And it seemed more like a fairytale then anything else to us. An escape from our world. It wasn't until the second year that we started to actually plan out the logistics of the situation at hand. The more we planned the bigger and closer our dream became!

At the two year anniversary of the birth of our idea we decided to make our dream a reality. But there was a lot of planning, learning, and saving to do over the next few years. We didn't really know how big we had dreamed or how large the expenses would be. Ward and I prepared a document outlining the rules that would need to be followed in Freedom: a constitution of sorts. We sent Adelynn to research about our potential livestock. The farming part was easier because we all had been raised with gardens. 

We spent the next three years planning and preparing to embark on this journey together. Within that time we procured 500 acres of land, a tractor, gardening equipment, seeds, fencing for animals, lodging for ourselves, and an unbelievable amount of know-how. We convinced our friends Wesley and Laura, Rebecca and Thomas, and Adelynn's brothers Will and Lance to join us. Adelynn also married Jesse during that time.  

The last thing we had to do to prepare was pack up our belongings, say goodbye to friends and family that weren't going with us, and head out. We set our starting date for July 4th. The same day that the U.S. declared independence from Britain. (We thought that would be fitting) We spent the Saturday and Sunday before unpacking and worshipping God for our "new country". We had a celebration on the 4th and then after that our real work began. 

Our meager group of 10 homesteaders started out bright and early getting our crops into the ground. Because we were starting later in the growing season we planted the fall seeds and late summer starts. We worked long and hard our first week. We knew that people were watching us from the outside just knowing that our little society could crumble at any time. But we believed in a better life and we desperately wanted to succeed.

And now we are all caught up to now. It's been a wild and exciting journey so far but it hasn't finished yet. I hope to use this blog to share with y'all about all the "goings on" that happen on the farm. I have high hopes for this project. Internet connection isn't the greatest out here so I won't be able to post updates everyday, but my goal is to write to y'all at least once a week. So until next time my wonderful readers!

Sincerely,

Ann