Day 6: Tis' the Season

Day 5: Comfort

Comfort

Day 4: Cold

Cold

Day 3: Words

Words

Day Two: Gratitude

Gratitude

Join us for the Click-A-Day Challenge: Our Little Coop 

Day One: Red

My friend Emily, at Our Little Coop has put together a photo challenge for the month of December - #clickadaychallenge - and you can find more information here.

I'll be posting my photos here on the blog and on the Hope Farms' Facebook page as well, with the hash-tag of #clickadaychallenge.

The first day of December's inspiration is Red.

Hope you'll join us!

Five Ways to Love Your Farmers' Market

1. Get there early for the best selection. Typically towards the end of the market there will be less offerings. In a perfect world, we small-timey, local farmers would have an abundance of everything you want, when you want it, but in our very flawed world we deal with crop failures, pests, drought, too much rain, storage, transport issues, packaging conundrums, food-safety and more. It's always good to have questions, but be understanding in your approach.
2.  Be aware that in a small, local growers' only market there will be less of a selection. It might be different in larger, more urban areas with produce overflowing into the aisles of a large, packed multi-stall covered market but here in the rural county of Montgomery, North Carolina this young market certifies each grower and holds to the standard of "if I don't grow it, I don't sell it here." This can mean the variety or amounts are not overly abundant, but you can be certain that this food is indeed local.
3. Bring a bag! Buying new bags to send your produce home with you can up the costs for us farmers. Some of use re-use grocery bags, but it's best for food-safety reasons not to put your produce directly into that used bag, so I usually place your fresh food in a bag and then into that used grocery bag to carry it in. If you can bring your own re-usable bag it will do two things:
1. Lower YOUR cost
2. Prevent more plastic bags from being thrown into our landfills.
4. We encourage you to shop around first - go by each vendor table and see what's available first - then come back by and make your selections. You'll be much happier if you do that before making a purchase only to find out another table had more product/better quality/different variety. A little healthy competition is a good thing at the farmers' market!
5. Get to know your farmers! Ask about their practices; do they use synthetic chemicals, what type of seeds do they use? What other markets do they attend? How long have they been farming? What are their favorite varieties? Often they will have recipes that will offer ways to try things you've never eaten before - be adventurous! 

What are some of the ways YOU love your farmers' market?

Spencer Love

Horses, like people, can enter your life for a reason, season or lifetime. Spencer happens, thanks to my mother who bought him nearly sight-unseen the day he was born, to be a lifetime horse. Within that lifetime there have been many gifts - given and received - and hard lessons learned.

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." Vernon Law

More recently I've come to appreciate him in ways I never understood before and could not see. I could wax poetic about all of his wonderful qualities and humorous personality, but it's something you have to experience for yourself to really absorb the full effect.

At attention.

Horses tell the truth, you see, they live in the present. They may remember the past but it is not always their driving force, as it is for some humans. A horse is ever-true to their emotions, their physical pain and their honesty is sometimes hard to take. It's personal unlike any other relationship you'll have.

Living in the moment.

There are many reasons to be thankful for the gift of horses in my life. One of those reasons is that I stayed out of "trouble" as a teen because of a few very special horses.

And now, as an adult, this horse can take me on the trails, around the back pasture and more importantly, he can transport me out of the past and smack dab into the present. This horse is therapy. Caring for him is therapeutic and if you look closely, he has the capability of being a mirror.

What would you see if you looked into the mirror of a horse?

Comfort Food for Your Feet

It started decades ago, without me consciously realizing it, this love of creating beauty, and it certainly was not something I spent time contemplating. Especially a favorite was taking something that was intended for one thing and using it for another. I firmly believe my mother instilled this in me by example: she could, and still does today, create something out of practically nothing - in home decor and food.

The creative side of me was not born, it was developed; cultivated, coerced, bribed, and given an ultimatum: Create or be "normal." This flower of ingenuity did not begin to bloom until the year 2007 and has not stopped since. Oh, sure, there have been quiet spells, busy spells and "normal" spells - but there is always this need to create something.

farmhousewife rag-rugs of yester-year

One summer, about five years ago, my mom came to visit and stayed for a couple weeks. She taught me how to make a crocheted rag-rug.

The Three Original Rugs that Mom and I made.

Vivid in my memory bank is the red crocheted rag-rug she had for many years. Easily washed, re-shaped and laid flat - it was ready for duty of any kind. Kitchen duty, bath duty, or "let the kitten play underneath and peek through the holes" duty.

Most Recent: currently in a lovely little shop called LaLa & Co in Troy, NC

We made three rugs and a basket that visit, and I kept all three of them. Most of the ones I've made since then have been bartered, sold or given away as gifts. They're time consuming - mostly the prep work - yet very satisfying to create with endless color combination possibilities.

"Prairie Pink" completed yesterday....so sweet!

Easy to care for, these rugs can be washed on gentle cycle, line dried and re-shaped to enjoy over and over again. They can be used as a bed-side rug, accent, baby's room, basket-liner, RV door mat, and more. Durable, soft, and oh-so-cute they are sure to serve as comfort food for your feet. Each one a farmhousewife original, made from up-cycled sheets, pillow-cases and various other materials, they put good use to these items that might have otherwise been discarded. The materials are laundered and line-dried before the creativity begins

If you're looking for something handmade, unique, no-two-alike for yourself or a loved one - let me know how I can create something for you. Have a look at my in-stock rugs in my Etsy store and tell me what you think! As always, let me know if I can answer any questions. Ordering is easy, secure and, also, I'm happy to deliver if you are local to Montgomery and Stanly Counties in North Carolina.

Happy Creating, y'all!

Happy Cows Come From...Hope Farms

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