Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 133 and My NEW Vintage Homestead Etsy Shop!

  Happy Farmgirl Friday everyone! Are you ready to sit back and relax with your favorite farmgirls and boys this weekend? Me too! We've been gathering so long now that I get excited when the season changes because I know I'm in for a real treat with every link you share as we lead up to the holiday season. If you've got time and you can remember to do it please share some of your favorite holiday recipes on my Facebook page for Recipe a Day! It's so inspiring to see all that yummy goodness in one place and its easy for others to share too! 

FARMGIRL FUN: After becoming a vintage dealer in my local antique mall last January I decided to take the plunge into online shop keeping. I am now an official Etsy Shop Owner, along with millions of other shop keepers. Boy, do I have a lot to learn! I hope I'm not in over my head! I'm not fully stocked yet, but I am having fun adding new vintage, handmade and time worn items every day and I've already made a couple of sales! The actual online set up shop wasn't really difficult, but I need to make a little packing station area and have a place to store items that are waiting for a new home.

 I know many of you are  already savvy Etsy Shop keepers. Any tips for a newbie shop keeper like me would be most appreciated! Do any of you advertise or join communities on Etsy? I would love to hear your experiences too. I'm working up a new business card at Vista Print and investigating shipping materials. I like the idea of keeping things simple. I'll post when I get it all coordinated!
 I invite you to come visit  MY VINTAGE HOMESTEAD and favorite my shop and I'll return the favorite to you if you Etsy too!

 

That's the excitement at Dandelion House Homestead this week! What's new in your farmgirl world? 

Heidi, Dolly, Debbie and I want to hear all about it!!!

 Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed 
and me of course!

You know what to do!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 

 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you on the hop! 

PS. This is a blog hop, so please share it with your friends by copying the code at the bottom of this post and including it into your weekly entry!

Who's Your Farmer?

 

Good question isn't it? Unless you grow your own veggies or make it a point to eat local most folks have no idea where their food comes from never mind when broccoli or asparagus is in season. If you go by the produce section in the supermarket every thing's in season year round' and we've gotten used to the convenience and wide selection of fruits and vegetables that are available to us. But at what price to our local farmers and our over all health? Locavores are coming out to the farmers markets and supporting local farms and businesses in increasing numbers all across the United States for a variety of reasons. Some people just want to feel better about what they put in their bodies. They KNOW eating fresh, local and organic, and GMO free is what's best for them. Others want to participate in the cycle of farm to table on a local level. They want to keep their hard earned dollars in the community by supporting local farmers and in turn reap the benefits of being able to choose fresh, local produce, dairy and meats over mass produced food and in- humane treatment of animals raised for food consumption. They want to KNOW their farmer.

I'm happy to report that last week I was introduced to 30 local farmers by two of my enterprising farmgirl friends, Pam and Charlotte of South Shore Organics, in Hanover, MA. After visiting their store a few weeks ago in preparation for an upcoming ( in depth ) article in MaryJanesFarm I just had to learn more!

Pam and Charlotte

  I attended a local locavore meeting where they spoke about their passion for organically grown, GMO free ( clean food ). They are pioneers in the concept of home delivery CSA and the only one of their kind in Southern Massachusetts. 

 Behind the farm-stand storefront is where all action is. 

 Local produce is picked and delivered the day of packing and boxes go out the following day to be delivered to your door!

 After getting the tour and tasting some of the yummy fresh produce I came home and immediately signed up for service. The website gives you several basket size options to choose from as well as how often you want to take delivery. Once a week, twice a week, once every three weeks or once a month. We chose to have delivery every three weeks to start.

I've already unpacked my box and stored my veggies away but this partially filled box ( pictured above ) gives you an idea of the variety of foods that go in to one delivery.

Here's what I got in my box called Humble Harvest

Humble Harvest - $45

2lb Sweet Potatoes (SG), Local

1lb Parsnips (SG), Local

1 head Celery (SG), Local

8oz Habanero Peppers (OG), Local

1 head Cauliflower (SG), Local

1 Butternut (SG), Local

1 bunch Kohlrabi (OG), Local

1 head Lettuce (OG), Local

5 Bananas (OG, FT), Imported

1.5lb Spencer Apples (IPM), Local

8oz Cranberries (OG), Local

1 bunch Tatsoi (OG), Local

1.5lb Zucchini (SG), Local

3 D’Anjou Pears (OG), US I am so excited about this service not only for the convenience aspect but because I  feel good about supporting my local farmers. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction knowing I play a small part in helping local farmers grow and sustain their livelihood. Everyone benefits! Plus, my teens are eating more veggies too.. I'll keep ya posted with some of the new recipes I'll be trying too! Oh, and did I mention I'm learning new things too! I had no idea what Tatsoi or Kohlrabi was until last week! I encourage you to do a little googling and see if you have such a service in your area! Even if you grow the bulk of your veggies and put up your harvest you could still EAT FRESH during the winter months!   Another great resource for finding out who your farmer is are the Edible Communities Magazines. Can't find one for your area?  Start one!

Farmgirl Friday blog hop # 30

Hello friends and welcome to the week 30 of the farmgirl Friday blog hop!

Time to link up once again for your weekly dose of farmgirl soul food!

Here are the rules for the Farmgirl Friday blog hop!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals, quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the Mr. Linky space to your Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

Thanks so much for all you talented farmgirls share each week! I'm so grateful for this wonderful community of bloggers who meet here each week to visit each others homesteads and backyard farms!

Meet back here Tuesday November 1st for the first annual Hen House Hop !

Share the Chicken love!

When you're done hopping here, come on over the MJF Beach Blog and see why I think
Fall is the Artist!

Farmgirl Enterprises ~ Oaklahoma Pastry Cloth

Tis the season for delicious smells of baking pumpkin pies, torts and fruit cobblers wafting through our homes and what better way to dive into seasonal baking than with the right tools to make your work easier in the kitchen.  Today I'd like to introduce you to farmgirl Mary Beth of the original Oklahoma Pastry Cloth.  Her business is new and enjoying growing pangs thanks to word of mouth about her wonderful down home products. In addition to her signature Pastry Cloth she also sells soup and gravy mixes, bread, cookies and scone mixes too!

She also offers beautifully packaged gift sets  ready for any baking occasion.

Scone Gift set

Mary Beth is entry # 31 in this weeks Farmgirl Friday Blog hop and she's offering a fun and useful give away!

Go visit Mary Beth  to learn more about the history behind her unique farmgirl enterprise and enter her fabulous give away!

Cooks everywhere are rediscovering the joy of getting back to the basics of home kitchen creations. Whether for healthier meals or simply to enjoy the tactile experience of hands kneading soft doughs, baking has taken on a revived personal touch. The Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ takes your baking to a new level of ease, offering quick and easy cleanup and a nonstick work surface that will make you wonder how you ever baked without the Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™.