Welcome Fall – we hope everyone had some rain this past weekend.  We were grateful to receive a bit on Saturday night, but the gardens are certainly dry -

Fall sale dates are set for this Thursday, September 8 and Friday, September 9 from 4p.m. to 7p.m.

Follow Rt 32/33 west and turn north on Rt 32 – there will be a “Plant Sale” sign.  Drive 1 & 1/4 mile and you will see the fall displays on the right side of the road (more signs here too).

Pumpkins, mums, Indian corn, all the fun fall decorations-

We look forward to seeing you there.

If you have questions, please call Vanessa @ 217 343 7731.  Thanks!

Our coveted sweet corn patch (with Gary’s absolute favorites of Candy King and Silver Princess) have finally been discovered by the local raccoon population.  The deer, of course, had made their presence known as the first ears were ripening at the 4th of July, but thankfully, they aren’t happy with Dad’s “radio in a bucket” response.  Apparently they don’t want to listen to the golden oldies while they munch their sweet corn.

The raccoon are quite another story.  We have considered live traps and have let both dogs run throughout the patch, but it really hasn’t deterred them at all.  My teenage boys have offered various solutions to the problem, but their dad has nixed those “well thought through” plans.

So we are picking the last of the crop this evening and packing it safely away in refrigerators where neither the raccoons or the tremendous heat will ruin what is left of the summer sweetness.

For the rest of the garden goodies though, the heat is our worst enemy.  We have been watching, watering and harvesting as the weather allows…  The greenbeans are holding steady, the okra loves it, of course, and amazingly the daylilies are continuing to defy the heat too.

We look forward to sharing more of summer’s flavors with you.  Check your email for Vanessa’s latest list and order that sweet corn while you still can.  Have a great week and stay cool.

And Jacob’s grilled veggie recipe is very simple.  He slices any veggies we have on hand, puts olive oil in a cast iron skillet and then while the veggies are cooking he adds Fleur de Sel De Guerande or French Finishing Salt (available at Amazon.com just search “French Sea Salt”).  I especially love it when he adds kale to the mix.  Note that if you do add kale, add it only toward the end as it wilts quickly and can cook too long.    This coarse salt is just enough to bring out the flavor of the vegetables without the overwhelming saltiness that our traditional saltshaker produces.  And I may sound crazy, but I, honestly, didn’t know that I could like vegetables this much!

Have a wonderful week and enjoy these cooler temps!  We look forward to seeing you this weekend at the Farm.

The daylilies are gorgeous, the gardens are lovely and as an added fun incentive, Jacob will be grilling vegetables on Friday evening for those interested in trying yellow squash, kale, peppers and onions-

Don’t hesitate to contact Vanessa at 217-343-3371 or vanessa@hisgloriesfarm.com if you have questions or would like to schedule a different time to see the Farm.

We look forward to seeing you soon!  Have a great week.

The gardens are simply picturesque this weekend!  Sweet corn is tasseling- Yay!  Sweet corn for the 4th of July- The daylilies are beginning to bloom and with all the rain the Asiatic and Oriental lilies are simply gorgeous this year.

As always you are welcome to purchase produce, flowers or simply enjoy walking through the gardens.  There is always something new to note -

If you have questions, please call Vanessa at 217 343 7731.  We look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Thank you for your continued support of our fresh, local produce.

We are looking forward to providing you with a variety of fresh vegetable choices this summer and will be working our tweaking our “route” to make the most of the challenging gas prices.

Have a great week, and we look forward to seeing you soon,

Scenes from the Farm recently:

Gorgeous aliums, a member of the onion family these flowers are planted as bulbs and will return annually and Audra dancing with one of the new goats -  Fun times!

With all the hurrying, be sure to mark your calendar for Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16.  From 2-6 P.M. on Friday and 8-Noon on Saturday we will be at Vanessa’s location (1 1/2 miles north of Route 32/33 intersection – watch for the Plant Sale signs).  This will be your first opportunity to see all the fun new plants and, of course, our returning favorites too.

Don’t forget that we will have various vegetable seeds available for purchase too.

The Produce Route will be starting soon!

If you have questions or would like to be added to our email produce route, please email Vanessa at vanessa@hisgloriesfarm.com.

See you soon

These few photos highlight the nine “new kids on the block” that were born on the Farm this past month.  There has been a lot of excitement as one mama had even four kids!  Two girls and two boys!  Everyone has had a chance to try their hand at bottle feeding (a bit harder than it looks) and caring for this busy group-

The Spring sunshine has also brought out the best in our chickens!  Right now our flock is providing over 30 eggs a day- so…

If you would be interested in Farm fresh, local eggs (from well fed, happy chickens – $2 a dozen), please email Vanessa (vanessa@hisgloriesfarm.com).  We’ll gladly make arrangements to deliver to businesses or homes in the Effingham area.

Set in Seattle during the days following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the story follows a Chinese American boy, Henry and his Japanese American friend, Keiko.  The faith, respect and commitment these characters share shows humanity at its best while reminding us that love isn’t for just the young-

Enjoy!

Published just four times a year, the magazine’s  rejuvenating blend of do-it-yourself, easy decorating, fun recipes and outdoor ideas, has led me to  mark pages and make plans.

One of the first articles that got my attention was in the Fall 2010 edition.  Entitled “Real Woodworking for Life” fresh Home highlighted Ana White a true do-it-yourself woodworker who creates furniture.  The piece they emphasized was a storage locker that Ana had designed and built herself (for under $100).

Missing a closet by the inside door has been a challenge for our family.  The coat tree was an improvement, but the shoes, the book bags, the gloves, hats and mittens- they were all still lost.  So finding a great (but inexpensive) storage locker has been on my radar for quite a while.

And just ten days later, we (yes, this was a family project) brought in our new storage locker – as you can see from the pictures below it fits beautifully and adds organizational charm to a once messy area.

Bottom line:  Try fresh Home and let me know what you think