Down on the Farm

We finally made it to one of the Colvins' Shareholder Days they host at their farm (one in spring and one in fall). It was so much fun!!

It sounds like a yuppy thing to do: go check out your produce at the local farm and eat their food whilst you pepper the farmer with nerdy questions on the organic nature of the produce.... but the Colvins aren't like that. They welcomed everyone into their home warmly, answered any and all questions, were bold in their declarations of trust in the Lord, and took us on tractor rides around the farm.

I must say, seeing all those fields bursting with new baby lettuces, greens, baby cucumber plants, ripening strawberries, and the like really hit home. When they say to pray that the temperature doesn't freeze these next couple of nights, I have a real sense of how much they will lose (and we all will lose!) if the temperatures drop too low. We enjoyed our time of fellowship with them immensely. We also enjoyed getting to know some of the other shareholders a bit. And... we ate two DELICIOUS salads that I can't wait to re-create here at the house and post recipes for. Mmmmm... [And, since Val snuck me a bag of kale--thanks, Val!--I'll be trying that wilted kale salad first. Yum Yum Yum.]

Below are some pictures of "our" farm and the produce that we'll (Lord willing/weather permitting) be indulging in soon. You'll see some of the baby chickens, too, since they're working towards adding eggs into the lineup someday. The metal things pictured are high tunnels that will enable them to start wintering crops more successfully. The farmer pictured is Caleb, the young man who mans the booth at the farmer's market where we pick up our shareholder box each week. They have pick-up locations in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Crossville, and--new this summer--in Franklin, TN.