9/2008 - We believe we are in a time where folks should be particular about their food. As we grow our own we will have extra to offer for sale and will post it here.  To hear how we got started you can scroll to the bottom if you like. We are not newcomers.

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beef - We are taking orders for grass fed Long Horn beef. We only have a few each year to help us pay for our hay.

 Long Horn is the leanest heart healthy beef you can get. We will deliver the beef to the butcher for you. You can give him your instructions as to what cuts you would like. If it is your first time, he will help you and so will we.

The beef is under a year of age, will not be overly large and would fit in a small chest freezer. We pull the young weaned beef from the large pasture with the herd to a smaller one the last two months. This way we can observe this beef one on one to check his health and supplement his grazing with corn and hay in the fall of the year. We also believe they should have fresh water on a daily basis these last two months, not ground water. We will be eating this beef as well and want the best we can get.

You can order a whole beef or we can sell you a half of one and split the other with someone else. This beef is fork tender. The first steak, a rib eye, we grilled sold us on this beef. It is high quality. If you want drippings left in the skillet for hamburger you will have to add oil. There is no fat in this meat.

It will be frozen and ready for you to pick up. We have taken solid frozen food and tightly packed it in a good cooler for up to ten hours and made it fine to our daughter’s home.

In the end, you will have a better beef for near the same regular price as beef in the store. I warn you though; you will never want to buy meat in the grocery again.

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By next spring and into next year we hope to offer goat milk, yogurt and goat milk soap from our dairy. We will also offer eggs from our chickens and fruits and vegetables. Bill has been a beekeeper for many years and will be offering his own honey from our hives. I made fig preserves from our honey this year.

We also will be raising our own pork once again and will go through the same process with the butcher as beef.

In the past we processed our own pork and have done very well. I have a cousin who is teaching us his secrets as well to curing bacon and making sausage. He has processed and sold hogs for forty years with much pride. We always welcome advice and new recipes.

We will offer the same foods we eat and of the best quality possible. Produce can be reserved and picked up at its peak.

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill and I have moved back to my grandparent’s farm where we had lived before and I grew up. We just could never get it out of our system. Our life is centered around self sufficiency and depending on the market place as little as possible. It is freedom, believe me. We are do-it-yourselfers and will do what we can to help and encourage others in doing for their selves.

I am a Master Gardener and have had my own garden since I was 18. When I was 22 I filled our two freezers and my grandparent’s two freezers. Mamaw and I canned over two hundred jars of food. We use to only buy flour, salt, coffee, tea, etc. We are once again doing the same. Mamaw, age 95, still keeps an eye on all I do. She still has good tips and advice. I was extremely happy to inherit four generations of canning jars. I Think I really have enough to last until Jesus comes back.

 My grandmother just shakes her head. She said she knew when we went off to live our adventures we would be back. She says "Vic, you took after Papa. It is in your blood." Her dad, Grandpa Coke, was a peddler in his senior years. I still remember him driving around in his old truck selling everything he could to supplement his social security. He came around our place in time for lunch and MaMaw always sat him at the other end of the table opposite Papaw. (The senior men always set at the end of the table with everyone else to the sides. It is a place of respect.) His plate would be full of fried chicken, purple hull peas, stewed potatoes, fresh tomatoes, onion and hot cornbread. Oh, sweet tea and then her banana pudding. Here we are gardening the same ground, eating in the same kitchen and eating the same food. It may sound old to some folks but it is great to be home and to get out of the rat race of life, including the hour long traffic jams going to work.

Back to Mamaw, she says we can't help who we are and I guess she is right. It is always in the genes. About ten years ago I sent her a photo of me holding two angora rabbits. She pulled out a photo of Grandpa Coke from over fifty years ago holding two angora rabbits. Honestly, how often do you get a photo from close relatives holding two angora rabbits over fifty years apart? We are what we are. I will post a pic of Grandpa sometime. Maybe I can find that one.

Here’s one last story about Papaw, to help explain why we are back on the farm. I came around the corner of this very house and up on the porch where Papaw and Bill was sitting. It was over thirty years ago and I heard Papaw telling Bill "Don't ever get mad at her, she can't help it. It is in her blood." When I asked what they were talking about. They said "your gardening." So here we are. I'm working the same ground I had as a child and using the same push plow. When my dairy starts again this year I will be using the same milk churn. In a country persons world I am truly blessed.