Chicken-Watching For the Soul

This bench was placed just so visitors can 

sit for a while and catch the next  show. . .

Watching chickens is a hoot!  If you're in a good mood, they'll make you laugh out loud.  If you're feeling down, they're sure to make you smile.

 Constant hunting, pecking, scratching, socializing. . . 

funny little jerky moves. . . 

and fast as lightening if you're trying to catch a good photograph!

 So next time you visit The Farm, be sure to take

 a few minutes to check out the daily  show :)

Fall Signs Continued

It's Fall  at The Farm :)  YaY!

This is the yummiest jelly ever--Apple Pie from Shannon Berry.   

A little scoop on one of Shannon's cinnamon cookies?  Sigh . . .  

And of course, pumpkins! 

And the shop is filling up with new fall designs.  

It's been a long hot summer, but joy comes in the fall :)

See you soon!

 

Fall Signs

 

Signs of fall are showing up at The Farm. . .   Rain (what a relief!) and pumpkins (our favorite!). 

Preserving Hydrangea Blooms

Check out Barb's front garden--She has a bumper crop of Kent's Beauty oregano along the driveway.  Beautiful!

We went to visit Barb a couple of weeks ago to check out her  hydrangea blooms.  Her oakleaf had blooms a foot long!

Barb says this is her best hydrangea summer ever, most likely thanks to the mild winter.  So we thought we would try our hand at preserving some blooms while we had such a great harvest.

 (Hydrangea + glycerine + water + blue stem dye) x a little bit of time = preserved blooms.  It sounds so simple.  We've consulted the manual from the big name dye manufacturer and we've had a lesson from expert Deb Damhorst of Ohio Street Originals.  But still, we keep having mixed results.  Next time, we're going to try adding more blue dye.  And maybe a little less than 50-50 glycerine. 

So we'll keep trying.  In the meantime, there's peach crisp & good friends :)

Jean, Barb, Gail, & Cheryl

Cherry French Toast From a Michigan Garden

Yes, we're all hot hot hot these days.  But as Gail says, we're thankful we can water the garden until the rains come again.  In the meantime, how about some Cherry French Toast?

This recipe was recommended by PJ, who visits The Farm every time she's in Springfield.  Here's a little glimpse of her Michigan garden.

 Love this little angel basket garden.

And here's her recipe:

Cherry French Toast
1 loaf of thick-cut bread -- Lay out the bread in a 9 x 13 pan.  PJ kept hers in slices, the picture shows the slices cubed.

Mix together -- 6 eggs, 1 cup half-&-half, 1 1/2 cup milk, 1 t vanilla, 1/2 t nutmeg, and 1/2 t cinnamon.  Pour over the bread.

Sprinkle 1 cup pecans and 1 cup dried cherries  over bread and egg mixture.

Cover well and refrigerate overnight.

Mix 2 T butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 T dark karo syrup.  Sprinkle over cherries & pecans.  Bake 350 for 45 minutes without covering.

If you're a Farm visitor and would like to share a recipe and a picture of your garden, leave a comment or e-mail us. 
We'd love to hear from you :)

News from Gail

Just heard from Mark McDonald of "Illinois Stories" - they're gonna air The Farm's story 3 times! Thur @ 7pm, Sun @ 4pm, and Mon @ 6:30pm... yay!!!!!

Spring 2012

We cannot get over the incredible lushness of the garden this year!  Thanks to the mild winter, our early early EarLy! spring and some good rains--every plant seems fuller, brighter, and more oh-my-gosh beautiful this year. 

 These blue hydrangea are like old friends that return to visit us every summer. Welcome back, friends. . . you're looking good this year!

okay, okay--but you gotta admit the color combo is good :)

 Have you ever tried to photograph a chicken?   They are quick!  These little guys came to us the last week of April and they are loving the coop & run that Eric remodeled for them.

The vine on the fence is bittersweet--it's looking great too.  We can't wait for a super-harvest of mother nature's red-orange-yellow bling to go on the pumpkins!  Well really, we've got lots of summer to enjoy before the fall comes, but it's fun to look forward too. . .

When was the last time the lavendar looked this good??  It's been a while. . .

 The peonies bloomed by the bucket-fuls this spring.  And the season lives on, thanks to the power of air-drying. . .

  The fairy roses outdid themselves--the bundles are filling the ceiling already!   YaY!

 The Loft is becoming very popular with our guests. Eric has been hard at work finishing the downstairs area of the barn and a new tent will be installed in the next few days.  It's wedding season at The Farm!

 Be sure to come out for the Acts II, III, and IV of this season's  mega garden show! Hope to see you soon <3

Open House Report

Thank you to all our visitors who came out to our 2012 Spring Open House.  Lots of people, lots of animals, lots of flowers. . .  We had a ball!

 Look at these adorable visitors!    Rick & Elizabeth Lord brought three of their beautiful alpacas  for Open House.  So fun to see them hanging out in the garden under the pergola drawing all kinds  of attention.   You can find out more about them on their facebook page at Timberview Alpacas.

Dawn and Gail from Native Acres (nativeacres.com) stopped by to show us how they harvest and spin angora.

Food, of course :) Featuring Halladay dip mixes and those delicate Shannon Berry cookies that we all love.

A full greenhouse with lots of bloomers. . .

Peony season.  One of our very favorites of the May garden.

Farm Gals:  Cheryl, Megan, Barb, Gail, Jean, and Betty.

And  a drawing for a free night at The Loft-- congratulations to Debi Iams!   Enjoy your stay :)

All in all, it was a bea-u-ti-ful Saturday at The Farm.  Come out to see us again soon!

Farm Mail

 Greetings from The Farm ~

I almost should say “greetings from The Jungle”. Is your garden like mine? HUGE plants already (both good and bad). I’m thinking we’re going to have an abundant harvest this year! And the greenhouse is fuller than it’s ever been. Wow – lots of great selection – and of course we’re always trying to find you something unusual. 

I hope you’ll come on out for Spring Open House on Saturday, May 5, 10-5 and Sunday May 6, 1-4. There will be goodies & refreshments served, and special sales. AND I have a surprise coming: all I can say is soft & fluffy !

From the Garden, 

Gail