The task this afternoon – to fix a wiring problem with our International 444 tractor – went smoothly. I had her repaired with time left over, so I did what any good farm boy would do – I foraged for snacks as I went to seek the next task. No, I didn’t raid Josh’s garden. I started with some wild cherries. A cherry tree blew over last week, and it was loaded with ripe cherries. Mind you, we are talking about a black cherry tree. These cherries are small, about the size of a modest pea. The pit is almost as large, so its hard to fill up on them. They are tasty and just a bit tart. It always gives me pleasure to eat a handful.

Walking down the lane, I was still enjoying the taste of black cherries when I caught a wonderful aroma. It was familiar, but I didn't immediately place it until I looked up. On my left, clusters of wonderfully ripe muscadines hung from a healthy vine, just begging me to take a taste. Of course I obliged. I hadn’t had a muscadine in quite a while, and they were every bit as good as I remembered from my childhood. Tough skins and lots of seeds, but oh! They are tasty. Of course, I had to compare them to the concord grapes we grow there, so I sampled a few of them as well. They were good too.

And I grabbed a freshly fallen apple for good measure. Our summer apples are gone, and it is just a tad early for these fall apples. The one I ate was quite good, with a nice flavor that you won’t find in any grocery store. Give them another week or two and they will be perfect. Maybe it is the flavor of heirloom and wild plants, or maybe it is the pleasure of sampling the delightful fare as you walk down the lane. Or maybe some of both, but it just seems to me that everything tastes better on the farm.

I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you about the upcoming reenactment of the Battle of Marion. It will be at the museum on September 10-11, 2022. Come on out and watch the excitement! I understand we will have soldiers, cannon, and cavalry. It should be very interesting to see. Come join us!

​​Welcome back to News from the Farmhouse! Although it has been a while since the last post, we’ve been very busy behind the scenes. A lot has happened over the last year or so. While sometimes it seems that simply keeping up with basic maintenance around the farm is more than enough, we have made several significant improvements. We have a new visitor center building next to the picnic pavilion. It is not open yet – there is still some work to be done – but we hope to open in September. It is a better space than our old visitor’s center – more convenient and comfortable for visitors. Look for an announcement when it opens, and please drop by!
 
Other improvements include a new roof for the picnic shelter (and don’t forget that members can reserve the picnic shelter for private events for a very modest charge!) and restoration work on the farmhouse. The farmhouse is re-plastered and painted on the inside with floor work and re-arrangement and significant additions to the collection on display. Our board president and go-to for all manner of historical information Josh Powers has worked diligently at this and many other improvements. He deserves a hearty thanks and three cheers all he has done. Please stop by the farmhouse and see the many period-appropriate improvements. I hear rumors that there may even be some wood-stove cooking demos coming in the future….
 
Josh has also acquired chickens and ducks for the farmyard. They have been doing well, and supplying plenty of eggs (which we share with AT hikers). Unfortunately, a predator, likely one or more coyotes, raided the chickens a couple of weeks ago. Despite the foul act, we still have fowl with us. Josh has also managed to acquire several period pieces of farm equipment, and is in the process of bringing them all back into service. With luck, we may see horse-drawn equipment working the farm in the near future.
 
Please plan a visit soon – we would love to see you! Remember that while the grounds are open anytime, tours of the farmhouse and buildings are only available when our volunteers are working. The hours right now are variable, but there is a fair chance you will find one of us there when you visit. As my daddy used to say, come as soon as you can and stay as long as you can!