No Frills or Bows 2015

As I sit here this morning, still in my pj's, drinking coffee and refusing to move forward with my day, I am reflecting upon 2015.  Last year at this time I imagined I would be sitting here with a smile upon my face with eager anticipation for 2016.  This year was supposed to be a year of positive changes, exciting new adventures and moving forward in a big way.  I had such great visions in my head and knew "this would be the year" for our farm and our family.  I just knew it.

You know what happened?  Our farm was flooded over and over again causing us to lose 80% of the crops planted.  We faced bug challenges, like the kind you read about in the Bible. Seriously.  We endured intense heat partnered with wet conditions which promoted plant diseases like blight. The bird flu hit an area farm which then shut down our egg sales for a while. Every piece of equipment we owned which aided in our gardening, broke.  I swear this.  This was the year we introduced a CSA program to our community.  Trying to ensure we provided quantity and quality to each and every member through these trials almost killed this farm girl.  

In addition, we faced some personal trials.  The kind that you can't hide or put in a box and pretend they don't exist.  The kind that deplete you and leave you feeling desperate and afraid.  The kind of trials that can break a person.  I struggled. I mean I really struggled to even get out of bed and face the day.  My feet felt heavy, my heart was empty and I felt my prayers weren't being heard.

I was reminded of how desperate I felt this summer as I talked to our youngest daughter, Aggie.  You see, we have a cross in the middle of our gardens to always remind us that God is the reason any of this life is possible. I made mention that it was time for another coat of weather protectant on the wood.  Aggie said "Yep, you can't let that cross get rotten mama.  That's your strong place.  That's where you went to cry about the beans and corn this summer. Remember how God met you there?"  I distinctly remember that day well.  It was the day I couldn't stand on my own two feet anymore.  I fell to my knees at the cross and cried out, no, SCREAMED to God "why?" I couldn't understand why any of this was happening.  

It was following my screaming fit, as I sat in the heat at the foot of the cross, that God did meet me there. He has always met me "there", wherever "there" might be. His love and provisions never stop. I was reminded of the new friendships forged this year with members of our community, other farmers and visionaries.  Individuals who supported us in word, prayers and actions.  I was reminded of Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another". The expectations of our farm customers forced us to keep moving forward, learning new techniques and striving for a better way of production.  Other farmers pushed us to implement processes to better our farm.

John 12:24 says it all, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."  

We were stripped of all and stretched beyond what we thought possible and it forced us to acknowledge God in the most pure and simple way.  He is our protector, our keeper, our friend, our provider.  I do not understand it all and don't claim to "get it", but I do understand this, all things work together.

I am grateful for every single person in our lives.  My thank you's are endless. This I know, my life is full of good people and a good God.  Many good things and fun times have happened this year as well.

As we enter into 2016, my expectations and plans are different.  Things have changed at our farm, within our family and inside of me.  I look forward to 2016 and all it brings.  This is the life of a farmer . . . planning, expecting, modifying, praying, changing, growing.  

Goodbye 2015.  

xoxo
Farmer Carrie
and the gang

    
 
  

Bald Knob Farm Holiday Goodie Guide

To order any of the following items, please call Carrie @ 870.204.0216.  Thank you!

Grandma Lucille's Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls		5	/	$   7.00
		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Sticky Fingers Peanutty Cornflake Cookies		5	/	$   7.00
		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Chocolate Pecan Pretzel Thumbprints		10	/	$   7.00
		20	/	$ 12.00
		30	/	$ 15.00
Thyme for Lemon Bars		5	/	$   7.00
		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Cranberry White Chocolate Crunch		5	/	$   7.00
		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Southern Bell Bourbon Balls		5	/	$   7.00
		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Stuffed Ritzy Cookies		5	/	$   7.00
		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Mama's Favorite Ever Pistachio Bites		10	/	$   7.00
		20	/	$ 12.00
		30	/	$ 15.00
Grammy's Favorite Fudge		5	/	$   7.00
Plain or with nuts		10	/	$ 12.00
		15	/	$ 15.00
Bald Knob Farm Sampler
Includes 2 each of items 1-9 (18 total pieces)		18 pcs	/	$ 20.00
Includes 3 each of items 1-9 (27 total pieces)		27 pcs	/	$ 25.00
Includes 4 each of items 1-9 (36 total pieces)		36 pcs	/	$ 32.00
Includes 5 each of items 1-9 (45 total pieces)		45 pcs	/	$ 40.00

Thank you!

THANK YOU for signing up to receive Bald Knob Farm's email correspondence!  Please make sure to add BaldKnobFarm@yahoo.com to your email address book in order to keep our emails from being considered spam or hitting your junk folder!

Make sure to check us out on Facebook

Wearing my big girl panties today!

It's been a while since I have taken the time to blog, as this has been an intense growing season and mostly all of my time has been spent working in or worrying about the gardens.  You know the saying "when it rains, it pours"?  Well, that has been the case thus far this year.  We started our season with a bang . . . cool temps, drizzly rain and overcast skies, which led to some amazing root veggies and lots and lots of greens.  This was following by continuous rains which brought on blight, flooded areas, weeds which couldn't be managed and lots of flea beetles.  We then entered our garden one morning to the sound of loud buzzing which proved to be millions upon millions of Japanese beetles.  I had never seen one before this day and to see them swarming everywhere eating everything . . . oh my gosh!  I wanted to sit down and cry (and I think I did at one point).  There really are no words for what I felt.  It took us a few days to locate an organic source for eradicating these nasty beetles and while we were traveling to Fayetteville to pick-up the remedy, a wind storm hit and knocked over mostly every corn stalk which had just begun the tasseling process.  We experienced a few good days of weather at which time we worked diligently, 12-16 hour days, to transplant growing items to higher ground, work on the beetle and blight issues, dig our way through the weed patches and begin again on replanting.  As we really started seeing progress this week, we have again been hit by continuous rain and flooded fields and wind which tore plants right out of the ground.

As I begin this morning poking seeds back into the ground which are floating on puddles in the fields, salvaging plants which were uprooted during the storm and taking inventory, I will admit, this has been a tough growing season thus far, but I will not complain.  I am thankful for the opportunity to learn better, more efficient ways to garden.  I am thankful to have a strong back.  I am thankful to wake each morning to the sound of birds chirping.  I am thankful to have strong community support and fantastic farm friends.  I am thankful to have lots and lots of seeds as my backup plan.

Today, I feel accomplished, knowing that though storms have and continue to hit the farm, I keep putting on my big girl panties and heading out to the fields day in and day out.  I love gardening and feeding families.  I love to taste the first sweet corn and perfectly ripened tomato. I love to see my children enjoying homemade pickles and veggie pizza.  I love learning more and more about better ways to produce food.  So today . . . . I am happy, thankful and grateful to Garden like a girl.

On the Farm Newsletter May 15, 2015

If you wish to receive our regular newsletters, please send an email to BaldKnobFarm@yahoo.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.  Thank you!

On the Farm Newsletter April 30, 2015

If you wish to receive our regular newsletters, please send an email to BaldKnobFarm@yahoo.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.  Thank you!

On the Farm Newsletter April 15, 2015

If you wish to receive our regular newsletters, please send an email to BaldKnobFarm@yahoo.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.  Thank you!

ON the FARM Email Sign-Up!

YES, PLEASE SIGN me up to receive monthly / weekly "On the Farm" email updates!

Bald Knob Farm's email distribution keeps everyone informed as to what has been planted, progress of growth/approximate harvest dates, the occasional recipe or how-to prepare tip and seasonal offerings such as our "on the farm" events and specialty jams, jellies & fruit butters.

Click here to sign-up! 

January 24th "Out on the Farm" Class - Seed Selection & Companion Planting

Yeah!!!!! It's finally here . . . January and time to order all the seeds for this year's planting!  

Bald Knob Farm is hosting our FIRST "Out on the Farm" class series which will cover topics such as seed selection and companion planting.  We will have some great prizes, everyone will get to take home seed catalogs AND some seed packets specially grown and prepared by Bald Knob Farm. I also heard there will be wild blackberry cobbler and hot coffee!

Location: Bald Knob Farm, 4921 Creel Road, Harrison, AR 72601
Date: Saturday, January 24th, 2014
Time: 1 pm - 3 pm
Cost: $10 per person
Payment must accompany RSVP and is non-refundable.
This is to ensure enough materials are available for everyone.

There are only 20 slots available for this first class, so sign-up quickly!

REGISTER HERE!!!

"Antiquing" made easy

My sister Amy does an amazing job on "antiquing" pieces of furniture. She has a real eye for beautiful things.  I asked her for a step-by-step process to antique a few small pieces of furniture and "update" their look.  She explained it to me over the phone, so I hope I captured what she was trying to say.

Supplies
Paint (whatever color you choose)
2 paint brushes
Dark colored wood stain
Small container non-sanded grout (linen or natural color)
Rubber gloves
Old t-shirt or cotton cloth
Can of poly acrylic or finishing wax with paint brush

Directions

1. Mix 1 cup paint with 3 tablespoons non-sanded grout.
2. Brush onto furniture, doesn't have to be smooth.
3. Let dry completely.
4. Use sanding paper to add wear and tear.  This is called distressing.
5. Wipe down thoroughly to remove any dust or particles.
6. Wearing gloves, dampen old t-shirts or cotton cloths with water.
7. Working in sections, use brush to apply thin coat of stain, making sure to get into all the creases and crevices, then wipe down with damp cloth.  This will allow dark coloration to get into every crevice and enhance the wood pattern.
8. Let dry completely.
9. Spray poly acrylic or brush on finishing wax.
10. Let dry completely.

*Note, when selecting paint color, remember you will be applying a dark finish over the top so the color will be slightly muted.

Ed's Crockpot Greek Yogurt

Ok, I admit it, I didn't think making Greek yogurt would be easy or taste good, so I have put off my attempts as long as I could. I read recipes and methods online and it seemed complicated and I didn't want to special order ingredients. I had absolutely no excuses left though when my brother-in-law (Ed) handed me a hand written recipe, verbally explained the process, equipped me with tips and then said "call me with questions". WTH! Really? Uggh. Loud sigh. I thought, here goes nothing!

First off let me say, don't attempt this recipe if you are bleary-eyed and sleep deprived. That was me on the first attempt and it turned out like milk soup. Though appetizing to a kitten, not what I was planning. I read the directions wrong. I salvaged it, but it took twice the time and an extra cup of yogurt.

All I can say after making this recipe is I may never buy yogurt again. This is creamy, not too runny and fairly inexpensive. I taste - tested it on my 10 - yr old Adam and he gave it two thumbs up and I caught him sneaking seconds when I was putting it in storage containers.

Here are the directions as provided by my brother-in-law with a few extra notes included:

INGREDIENTS & kitchen tools...
Gallon of whole milk
Optional-Sugar (I used 1 cup)
Optional-Flavoring (I used 2 tablespoons vanilla)
Yogurt starter (I used 1 cup Yoplait Greek yogurt because it was on sale)
Crockpot
Cheese cloth or thin towels
Strainer
Storage containers
Candy thermometer (unless your crockpot shows temp)

NOTE: Follow steps in the exact order

1. Pour milk, flavoring and sugar together. Stir. Heat mixture to 185 degrees. Any method, any speed. Stir.
2. Cool mixture just below 120 degrees.
3. Add starter, stir.
4. Maintain temperature between 100-120 for 6-8 hours. 
5. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
6. Strain with thru cheesecloth to desired thickness.

Here are some notes I added to this recipe.
I used the crockpot on high in the first step, stirring every little bit and keeping lid ajar slightly with candy thermometer tucked into the lid opening. You will see a meat thermometer in the first picture, which was part of the problem with the first batch. The meat thermometer is not accurate in liquids. Once the temp reached 185, I removed the lid, cooled for a bit added the yogurt and waited for temp to drop to below 120. Not necessarily the right way to do it, should have been cooled to 120 first.  Once it did, I placed the lid back on and monitored the temp. When the temp got near 100, I turned the crockpot to the "keep warm" setting for about 30 minutes and turned off again.  I started the yogurt around dinner 6'ish and let it culture till I woke at 4 am, then refrigerated for a couple hours. When straining, you will want to use multiple layers of cheesecloth or a thin towel.  

The last picture is of they whey (watery part of milk) remaining after being strained.  There are many uses for whey, just google it.

This is a fairly simple recipe and worth the try.

Thank you Mr.Ed for sharing with me!

I used the crockpot on high in the first step, stirring every little bit and keeping lid ajar slightly with candy thermometer tucked into the lid opening. You will see a meat thermometer in the first picture, which was part of the problem with the first batch. The meat thermometer is not accurate in liquids. 

This is after the yogurt had cultured and before refrigeration.  You can see the milk/yogurt separating from the whey.

After straining the yogurt, it became thicker, but was still silky when stirred.

After straining, I thought I had overcooked it and may have just a little as there were a few chunks, but they smoothed out when stirred.

This dude LOVES this stuff.  He dressed his bowl with a drizzle of local honey and some pomegranate arils.

The remaining whey.  Lots of good benefits for those who want to use the whole mix.