Farm Tours = Date Day

My honey and I had a wonderful day together yesterday.

It was our date day, we enjoyed lunch in Grafton IL alongside the river.

Afterwards we headed up to Dow to tour a couple of farms who are farming some of the things we would like to farm.

~ J & J Berry Farm ~ Dow, IL

This farm raises raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and gooseberries.

Raspberries

Herbs were set in square boxes and each box planted with only one herb per box.

Looked great and easy care!

Blackberries

Blueberry bushes

The last of the berries picked will be used in our desserts at the food sampling later in the day.

~ The Stine Farm ~

Kathy Stine grows vegetables and raises eggs.

Check out the old log 2 story home on her property. Her father and her were in the antique business and had that dismantled, moved and reassembled on the property years ago. Now it is just the centerpiece of her farm.

I would like to live in there!

~ E.F. Carpenters in Jerseyville, IL ~

This restaurant was given an assortment of goodies from the local farms (some we just visited) and asked to see what they could come up. Amazing!

We had fried zucchini, gazpacho, peaches with creme fresh and I think I have fallen in love with fresh blueberries!

Must try and grow those, too!

After our sampling and some great information shared with everyone, we headed up two blocks to the farmer's market. We met a wonderful family who raise bees and we purchased some honey from them. But more importantly feel we have found some mentors and a source to purchase some bees and help head us in the right direction with raising healthy organic honey. We will be visiting them in the near future.

All in all it was wonderful day. We wrapped up the day with registering our boys for their new school and a nice dinner.

It was a day of dreams, hopes and knowledge. We feel are really getting a vision for our farm. And it is oh so exciting!

All in a Day's Work

Buffy the Egg Layer started working early. Found her with our first egg in my barrel on the porch. Later she was making a lot of fuss and she had another egg. I am gonna guess that the first one we found was from yesterday.

Friday, I made a batch of peach jam. Yum-O And waiting on the pepper jelly to finish gelling. Trial and error. Happy to be doing the things I love. My life is so Wonderful!

YES!! I think I have a signature now!

Saturday

Me and my honey




My honey and Slippy the Rooster


Photos by Dad :) Thanks Dad! Had fun!

A Wonderful Independence Weekend

Saturday's Adventures














Rooster Hill Farm ~ Fults, IL
(Just a little south of Waterloo)
Drive down this country lane to find a great little country shop in an old barn filled with great country items. Then add a gorgeous country setting, beautiful weather and great food! We enjoyed some iced tea while we sat outside eating lunch and even splurged on some dessert. The owner was very sweet and gave us some input on our berry farm. She is interested in selling our honey and shared some contacts with us.








Fort de Chartres ~ Prairie Du Rocher
Boys LOVE forts!
The fort was started in 1753, however much of this has been rebuilt since by the State of Illinois on the original stone foundations. The powder magazine is the oldest surviving non-Indian structure in the entire Midwest.









Of course, I loved the garden of the old days.

















































~ Ye Cutting of Ye Olde Cedar Trees ~

Since we found our property, we knew we wanted this row of 5 cedars along the drive to be removed to open up our view of the fields. It is the perfect place for a perennial flower bed.

So to get started Jeff was removing lower branches and burning them. The boys job was to haul them around the house.

Is that a live chainsaw in my boys hands??
Ohh yes, Jeff felt confident Josh could NOT start it, so after letting him try for over 5 minutes, he started his countdown to stop: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4" rrrRrRRR R (that was a chainsaw sound) with under 5 seconds left to try, he actually started it! So now what? Well let them cut a piece a wood, of course! I am a mother of boys, and I wanted a country life for them. May the adventures begin . . .



















Sunday's Adventures

Tractor Pull at the Monroe County Fairgrounds
Antique tractors, homemade ice cream cranked by an old John Deere, and watching lawn tractors pulling, makes for a full day in the sun.






Another gorgeous Illinois Sunset




*** Happy 4th of July America! ***
I hope you and your family had as great of a weekend as we did.

Picnic dinner in Valmeyer watching the fireworks display.