Double Up Farm

Sometimes, I lose sight of the fact that food, and our interaction with it, is a very very good thing (okay, I don't lose sight of it very often...) But, for most of my life, I viewed my obsession with food as a bad thing. And to be fair, it has occasionally been a negative driver. But I really loved what Shaye Elliott wrote. I'm a good writer, but this....I could not have said it any better. This is a long read (given today's 15 second attention span), but it reminds me

In a log home, maximizing space is a constant challenge. We have a little closet downstairs used for coats, the vacuum cleaner, light bulbs, etc etc. And it's a battle every time we need to get something out. This is really our overflow coat area, the active in-use coats live on hooks near the door. In the Carolinas, the temperature can range from 20 to 70 in a single day, so we keep quite an assortment ready. So this weekend, I did a little makeover which has left me ve

So, I have been more or less holed up in my bedroom for the last two months recuperating from surgery. I am headed back to work next week, and today, I crept out to meet a friend for a pedicure. Except that it wasn't just my friend, it was two other friends who drove a long ways to be here. And it wasn't just a pedicure, it was coffee, and a pedicure, and more coffee, and lunch, and hours of wonderful conversation with wonderful women. Such a fabulous time - it almost makes

(for those of you who care: Tobias, Skyler, Ada, and Will) I really love my sheep - in so many ways. I knew I would, but I never expected them to be so good at clearing brush. I mean, that's what people get goats or tractors for. But a couple of years ago, I expanded the sheep pasture to include a wooded area which was completely impassable due to an invasive shrub. I had tried cutting it back to no avail. Turns out, the sheep love the stuff, ate every speck of greenery

I went to visit a farmish friend (Whisper Creek Farm). I meant to go to their house and visit, but I was distracted when I got out of the car by Mr. Darcy (a breathtaking rooster), and started wandering toward the chicken area. Fortunately, my friend came and found me, and we had a wonderful visit (I never did make it to the house, because, well....chickens and ducks and quail - why would I want to go to the house???). I was gifted with some quail eggs, and while I know I

This giveaway has been unexpectedly exciting - we have been hovering over the entries (more than 100 !!!), and planning the drawing, packaging the basket. Way more fun than I imagined, and I think I am going to have to do it again next month. As much as I love my own products, I love giving them away even more!! So if you did not win this time, stay tuned, because the Farm Gifts will continue and there is always next time!! Of course, you may just want to go right to the

That's a real word, right? It was bound to happen - 5 weeks of euphoria, I was due to crash sometime. And as far as crashing goes, so far, this is not too bad. Mostly, I think I am tired and afraid of my upcoming surgery. It does not matter how many times I have had surgery, or how many millions of people have had knee replacement, i am pretty sure I am going to die on the table. Also, even with insurance, my 20% share is a lot of money. Busy day at the market today, but

Sure, I cook a lot, because I am all about the foods. But sometimes, I like to do other stuff. If you have come within a mile of me, you know I am having knee surgery. So, I got a recliner, which is great. I also know I will want to be in my bed a lot (well, that is true even without surgery, but I digress). I decided I need a more comfortable way to sit up in my little bed. Sure, I could have purchased those special pillows, but noooooooooooooo.....I decided to make a p

It occurred to me today that in the event of an emergency, I would save my chickens before most people. I really love and admire my hens (I tolerate the rooster). Someone asked me today why I had such a big hen house, and why I cleaned it so often. I didn't have an answer, but I figured it out after work today: I came home tired and cold, and in a good bit of pain from the old knees. I limped out to the hen house, opened the door, and sank gracefully to the floor (well, t

Not in this house - you're kidding, right? So many wonderful things happening at the Double Up these days. I have been harvesting hibiscus and processing into Hibiscus Tea. It is a bit time consuming - cut the calyx from the plant, strip the outer leaves from the seed pod, dry the seed pods to collect seeds for next year, dry the leaves to make tea. This stuff is so delicious, tart and cranberry-ish, and full of vitamin C. As always, love to my big sister who got me star

I grew up in Florida, and as a kid, hurricanes just had no negativity associated with them. It meant everybody got to go to the hurricane shelter, which involved lots of junk food, and basically a giant block party. I lived in a trailer park, so we had to evacuate several times growing up. In retrospect, I guess my parents were probably concerned - but I did not realize until I was an adult that hurricanes meant serious business. All this to say, with Hurricane Matthew sta

Once a month a group of us spinning types get together to talk about sheep, wool, yarn, spinning, and pretty much every other topic that comes up! It is one of the highlights of my month. This month, I got to host, and our topic was dying wool. One of our number is pretty much a professional, her hand-dyed yarns are just breathtaking -if you get a moment, check out Cranberry Creek Fiber. I have always used a crock pot for my dying, so I jumped at the chance to see how the

Who knew the other man in my life would be green? But I do love my tractor. And oddly enough, it seems to like me. Sure, I have lost count of the times I have gotten it stuck in the mud, or taken out a section of fence, or gotten into situations I couldn't get out of. But, unlike my horse, it has never thrown me off. And when it gets sick, I can call my husband to come and nurse it back to health (just for the price of some rice pudding!!) I especially like to mow. I hav

The slacker hens have been on my list this summer. I am between flocks - the older hens are slowing down, the little hens were not old enough to lay. Between that and the incredible heat, our egg production slowed to 1 or 2 per day - from 27 hens!!!! That is a lot of dead weight, so to speak, and I was getting kind of grumpy about it. Good thing I adore those ladies. But the little hens have kicked into gear and egg production is up to 10-12 a day. I am happy, my hens ar

Back in the olden days, some people were good at focusing intently on things. I figure they grew up to be authors or scientists. And some people were good at working on many things at the same time. We called it multi-tasking, and those people grew up to be...well....me!! Somehow over the years, the ability to multi-task has morphed into a disability; we call it ADD or ADHD and we are drugging our children to make them stop. As I was working around the farm today, I tried

Last year, I saw a photo of a nifty fire pit, and loved it so much it has been my desktop for the last year. And slowly, I have been building my own version. And by "I" , what I really mean is I am directing younger and stronger people to do want I want. This was my inspiration: The absurd thing is - I don't even really like the whole fire pit idea. But what I DO like, is the idea of cooking over an outdoor fire. So I have a raised grill on the left to cook over flames, a

We've had chickens for quite a few years now. And there are two things that have never, ever gotten old: New Layers - when young hens first start to lay, they produce little bitty eggs. I find them adorable, and prefer eating them over any other egg. Some kind of weird pride over their accomplishment, coupled with how dang cute the little things are. The current babies are not supposed to start laying until next month - but at least three of them are ahead of schedule. T

or something like that... Two years ago my older sister sent me some loofah sponges she had grown, and I was amazed. She graciously agreed to send me some seeds, and I am in my second year of growing them. I love these things! Easy to grow, beautiful plant, gorgeous flowers that bloom all summer, you can eat them when young, and they produce loofah sponges. #FarmLife #Gardening

Well it's a hot one - like 7 inches from the midday sun 94 degrees, and I felt every one today!! Today was not as much fun as normal, mostly because I am wearing a full leg brace trying to help the hamstring problem . But sales were good, the market really hops in the summer when all of the produce vendors get their harvests in. I have taken the responsibility of eating a watermelon every week from a different vendor. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. The mos

Well yeah, that would be me, doing what I do best!!! Summertime on the farm is not for the lazy!! Just as I was congratulating myself on managing the garden, and the hens, and the sheep, and the house (and oh yeah, my paying job), the freaking elderberries started ripening. Now, I love elderberries, and they have been berry berry good to me - but I am just not ready for 2 months of daily picking, cleaning and juicing. Too bad for me. My biggest whine festival? In chasing d