~~~ Please Read ~~~

Trying to Playing Catch Up After A Long Season

I am so far behind at this point, all I know to do to even try to catch up with everyone, is to do it all at once. I quickly put together this website with a few pictures of the gardens, so you could hopefully see why we have been so absent the last few months. So here goes:

The gardens are done now. Tom has begun pulling up many of the plants, readying the beds for a fall layer of compost and a quick tilling. I have been busy canning and freezing much of the excess. What didn't sell and I couldn't get processed fast enough, the chickens were very happy to eat up. The shelves and freezers have filled up fast, with salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, roasted red and yellow peppers, hot poppers, chili rellanos, green beans & taters, corn, okra, veggie soup, stuffed peppers, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, pear butter, peach sorbet and much more. 

Our produce stand was a success this year and we want to thank everyone who came out and supported our efforts. Your business was very much appreciated!! We met alot of new people this year, from a lot of different places and we were pleasantly surprised at the number of them who returned to buy our produce, even when they had markets closer to where they lived. They all seemed impressed with our gardens and really appreciated that we didn't use any chemicals.

The massive plantings did usually find us starting to pick by sunrise, most times heading out while sipping our first cup of coffee, trying to have a nice selection for those early morning shoppers. We were open from early morning til dark, seven days a week. Although we were set up as self-serve, especially this being our first year on this large scale, we liked to be nearby in case someone needed something that wasn't picked yet or if they had questions or wanted to place an order, for later pickup. The self-serve was especially handy for us at midday, when we came in for a quick bite to eat and fell over for a well deserved nap! Then, right back at it.

As things are winding down, I realize I missed several birthdays and anniversaries of our family and friends since we started the garden in May, and I just want to sincerely apologize!! My computer reminds me everyday of all the special occasions, but I have to get ON the computer for it to tell me and that has been a very rare thing the last few months! So in case we missed yours or do until we get all the fall garden work done and get the new projects of excavating for our new outdoor woodburning furnace that is on order, new drain lines, expansion & new roof on the barn and site prep for the new garage is done: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to RICK, JERRY, HALEY, CHRISTIAN, MARY LOU, LEAH, BECCA, SARA, ADAM, PERRIN, JIM, CALEB, JON, ISAIAH, TAMMY JO, CORY, DEBBIE, OLLIE, DAD & KAREN.  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to JIM & JENNY, TERRY & DEBBIE, ADAM & KRISTIN, KAREN & PETE, AMY & DREW, MICHAEL & ALLYCIN, LEAH & TIM, MIKE & SHARON, JENNY & CORY, TAMMY & JON, MEGAN & CHRISTIAN, JESSICA & BROCK. We love all you guys and hope you all have or had wonderful special days!

I would also like to apologize for being so out of touch for so long. Almost all my communications, even with our own kids, were text messages with my cell phone, while in the garden. So if you want to reach us during garden season, text or call me on my cell or leave a message on the home phone. Apologies too, to those that didn't recieve some of my text invitations & garden updates, of veggies ready. After talking to a few people, apparently, as I checked sometimes over 25 names in my cell phone book list, it didn't send to all. I will now send in 2 or 3 sections. I know this was a bit of an impersonal way of staying in touch, but with so little time, it was a great time saver.

We also need to apologize to our beautiful grandchildren for not being able to come visit with you more or come to more of your events. Thank you Jenny & Jessica for understanding and bringing them to see us and sending pictures on my cell. As well, we owe Allycin a HUGE thank you for all the shopping, banking, bringing us dinner when I didn't have the energy to cook, and general errands she did for us during this time!! Not to mention all the veggies orders she & Michael took from work and delivered for us.

Anyone who came out and saw the gardens in full production, hopefully will understand how much time and energy this all took. I may need a whole winter hibernation to regenerate for next year! During that down time I am trying to get our beautiful new granddaughter, Ava Jane's website made. I have been a been a bad Grammy! You can see what little bit I have done so far, here: https://hawk357.tripod.com/avajane/

We're already working on garden plans for 2009. If anyone has anything they would like us to raise for them next year, please let us know, especially if you will want a large quantity. We got caught unprepared for the large orders this year that we got, for an example: 25 pds of beans, plus at the same time several 9-10 pd orders. This year, due to the extremely cool weather in May, we had to replant alot of our main crops, so much of them were coming ready the first of August, which caused us to cancel our trip to WV. We're looking for a few people for next year, to watch the stand for us, so we can attend our WV family reunion, and on a few other local special events that we missed this year.

Well again, our sincerest appreciation for helping make this season a success and our deepest apologies for those events that we may have missed. This was a learning experience for us, we will try to do better next season! Since I do not have everyone's current email address or cell phone numbers, please make sure to send this website address onto family and friends, who I mentioned or might be interested.

Thanks everyone!!  Susan & Tom

PS: Please take a look at our more detailed list of the new projects we have going, see the Current Projects page and 2008 Garden Photo's. Or use the links are found at the top left of this page.