Back to the Land

There is something to having your own land.  A connection you feel in your bones to the land.  Our forefathers for centuries claimed their land because it was the one thing they could posses this side of heaven.  The one thing that they could tend and keep, and the only thing they had that they could give as an inheritance.  It was a family effort.

Through the ages, lands have been fought over to obtain, and still we strive and work for land.  To pay for it. God created the garden and put us in there.   He created man and woman to tend and to keep it.  There is a deep connection from the beginning to the land.  And by the sweat of our brow, we were meant to keep it.

In our society, we have surely come away from tending the land, as high risers and big cities replace the once rural landscapes.  People carry cell phones instead of pitch forks.  We put the food in our shopping cart, instead of walk into our own barnyards to find and kill it to eat it.  And the people live vicariously through the reality television shows that take them closer to the land that they so yearn to keep.  It is in our bones.  God created us from the dust of the earth.  He put that desire there, yet we live for the next best gadget.  None of those things will give the fulfillment as the land will.

Kids need the fresh air, the responsibility, they need to feel the earth between their toes and work with their hands alongside their parents.  It is the cure for discontentment.  When a child has purpose and direction, they feel needed and have something to live for.  No video game or virtual world on a device can replace the REAL THING.

We raised our kids this way and they don’t even really know that they are living the dream on the land that God gave.  We have had so many trials as I look back on the 18 years of marriage, raising kids on a limited budget and sometimes all we had was what our land would yield.  It feeds us when the money dries up, it gives back for all the tender care we give to it.  And God created it to be that way!  That is why we have a yearning to get back to the land.  More and more people are seeing it, tasting of it, and finding their way back to the land.

It is emotional to me when I look out my back porch as the sun sets its golden light upon the fields.  For the past 5 years we were moving from one place to the next, renting, and trying to get caught up.  At one point we lost everything we worked for because of health issues that were beyond our control.  Finally, one year ago, we bought this homestead here in TN and it is humbling when you have not been able to put down roots for so long.  God is merciful!

Here we can do what we want, when you have your own land, you call the shots.  You can make the improvements and put the garden where you want.  You can rip out trees if you need to and the satisfaction you get from improving your property is something no one can take from you!  I love to see the energy that the land gives to my husband, the farmer!

Each day he goes out to tend and keep HIS land and I see LIFE!  I see a man who is thankful, who is growing his roots in the land.  He lovingly cares for his plot of 22 acres.  He prepares for the future.  He looks well to the ways of his household by planting and harvesting, by his animal husbandry.  I love to see him home.  He is home full time!  He is in his element.  God is good to have given us a way to find healing and financial freedom.  We can finally be right where we always needed to be, tending our land, keeping it, raising our family, and ministering to others.

We are planning the homestead camp!  We have been working on the monthly newsletter to bring families together across the globe. Thank you to all those that took the time to submit your voice so we can see your perspectives and all that you have to share.   So far we have had two families stay in one of our cabins by the creek.  It is rustic.  It gives you the entire feeling of the homestead and the work is in no short supply!  So far we have one cabin and our prayer is to renovate the other 3 cabins.

This old shackville will be soon the Homestead Community Post!  The place where we can give families some training on homestead life, and bring them back to the land!  Working together as a community, working with their kids, with their hands, and fellowshipping with other families.  What a blessing!

With spring comes such a picture of God’s hand of mercy!  Behold, all things are new!  Each new baby animal born is a promise, each seedling is hope for 100 fold, and all we have to do is care for it, God does the rest!  I love new growth, green pastures, and living beside the still waters that flow around the land we call home!

I want to give you some photos of our past month on the homestead because lots has happened!!!!

This past week Mark started seeds in our rustic homestead kitchen…

When the plants get established, Mark puts them into this make shift cold frame green house in our kitchen garden outside our back door…
Here are some pretty flowers that are blooming around the homestead…
Here is my loving husband on his trusty tractor removing the trash from the yard to plow up our garden plot. He never seems happier when he is out there on his tractor…
We butchered our hogs a few weeks ago and invited a family over to learn.  This is what we will be doing at our camp, teaching skills like canning, butchering, gardening, dairying, and so much more.  It is really neat to see people enjoy the process!  Owen is a butcher and he is definitely cut out for passing along these great skills.  We are excited that Owen will be teaching butchering, curing and smoking meats, black smith work on the forge, and leather working at our future camp. He is totally in his element!  We hope to have a whole butchering shop built in our camp so we can teach these skills.
Mark and I are working alongside each other, as it should be…
Abigail and her mother enjoying the process of butchering the hogs…
I am the camp cook and I love cooking for lots of people!  That day I made an oriental rice dish and it was enough to feed an army!  The other family has 6 grown kids and with our bunch we only got through half of it, so we had about 5 more meals off of that during the next week, which was so handy!
In the meanwhile, here are the sausages that were stuffed.  It was some polish kilbasa and later Owen took it back to his place to smoke it.  I can’t even express to you how good it tastes!  Home smoked meats are truly the best!
The family blessed us with a pot rack for our homestead kitchen.  I love it!  Since we have no kitchen cabinets and very little storage space, this was a true life saver…
Here is the new commercial sprayer for our sink, and boy is that wonderful for spraying off pots and pans…
Another family came to spend the day on the homestead. We had a tea party to start with.  A fruit salad was served.  Genevieve brought some fresh fruit and I added some of our homemade yogurt to it.  We poured yummy tea for all the girls and I lit some of our candles and an old oil lamp while playing classical music in the background.  I tell you, it was lovely…
Gave them a tour of the homestead.  They got to pet Mrs Marilla Moo and see all the layers in the chicken tractor…
I showed them our dugout root cellar filled with all kinds of wonderful things we canned from our homestead, as well as other things we are storing up…
Brought them in to hear some music.  Molly played the piano while I accompanied with the cello.
So thankful that Genevieve is doing so much better with her health as well, as a cancer survivor!  We take the same natural supplements and have the same results to which we give all the Glory to God!  We are both in remission, and enjoying life! Yay!
Here is Mark tilling up the enormous garden we will have this year…
This year he bought starters for berries of all kinds…Loganberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and goji berries.  Finally, we have our own land where we can establish our own berry patches and get to harvest them in summers to come!  We are so excited!
He soaks them in water first…
Lines the plants up to get into the ground…
Miles hauls the water…
The sun sets on his back as he puts the last of the berry plants in the ground.  Make hay while the sun is shining as they say!  On the farm, daylight is your guide, and from morning until dusk, we work the land and hope for the promise of a great harvest.

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7 thoughts on “Back to the Land”

  1. classy resume service

    The main purpose of man is being closer to the ground. Our ancestors proved it long ago. It is really very important to keep your land and work on it.

  2. I really like your chicken coop. We have 16 laying hens right now and are getting about 20 more in about a month. What did you use to make the hoop on the coop? I couldn’t tell by the picture. We are planning to build another coop in the next couple weeks and this looks like what we would like to do. I always enjoy your stories and photos. Thanks!

  3. Erin, I had such a smile on my face while reading all of this. I’m so excited for you and to be honest, just a teeny bit jealous. This was my dream for my family. God has given us only 2 acres. As I feel discontentment and jealousy in my heart because I am wanting something more, I am reminded that God needs to see me be a good steward of the little things before anything bigger can happen. Will it happen for my family? I don’t know. But, I can smile for your blessing and be more grateful for mine.
    Hugs to you sister. Maybe we can visit one day and I can help you with your berry patch.
    Love,
    Janet…. countrylivingmama

  4. Thankyou for all the pics! You have a beautiful life, so inspiring. I was thinking about having a smaller garden this year, but now maybe not. 🙂

  5. Always inspiring. Thank you. You have a wonderful vision. We will keep you in our prayers. God blesses hearts that are giving and willing to share His goodness.
    God bless you and your family.

  6. I love that you are so willing to share your homesteading skills. I may only have a small hillside garden but even here I grow all sorts of berries and in raised planters I also grow as much salad and vegetables crops as I can. I try to encourage others to do the same and I always grow more seeds than I need, a good excuse to share with others. God Bless you. Diane x

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