Jonestead Farm

Since it's spooky season, here is my short story on Amazon. It's based on true events that happened to my family when I was very young. Please share the link 💜👻

The Promise: A Paranormal Short Story

The Promise: A Paranormal Short Story Marie, six-months pregnant and mother to a three-year-old, is thrown into a living nightmare when her husband falls ill. On his death bed, he tells Marie that he promises to come back to her in spirit, and to watch for him. After bringing her newborn son home from the hospital alone, faint whispe...

This morning

I sowed my tomato seeds a little late this year. I simply put 5 different types of tomato seeds in the ground and let them do their thing. I've rarely germinated seeds inside to grow to seedlings then transfer to plant in the ground. Most of the time direct sowing my tomato seeds worked fine, a couple of times it didn't. This year direct sowing worked fine.

My tomato plants are full of fruit. I planted all yellow or orange for less acidic slicing tomatoes to eat fresh. I have one Aunt Ruby's German Green plant that is a true green tomato! Although they will turn a blush color if left on the vine for a long time.

We will be frying up some green tomatoes to put on some BLT sandwiches soon!

Yesterday was spent with my oldest daughter shucking, cutting, and canning pints of peaches and cream corn. Some we kept as ears to freeze, and a couple of meals fresh eating. Lots of work to make that corn shelf stable. But we only paid $20 for a bushel 60 ears of local raised, unsprayed, just picked, beautiful, delicious corn!

We also picked green tomatoes from my garden and my hubby fried those up. And I picked our first cantaloupe and cut it up and it was truly unbelievably delicious! Today I'm cleaning bits of stray corn kernels out of the kitchen!

My small summer garden is winding down for this year. I cleaned out the dying cucumber vines in my raised beds. I'm prepping the beds for a fall planting. Most of my lovely sunflowers are past their peak, but I'll leave their heads to droop and seeds to dry. The tomato plants were put out late this year but are producing nicely; they are all yellow or orange, less acidic slicing tomatoes. I'm hoping for a late green bean crop...but pushing that 60 day mature date ever-so-close to central Kentucky's chance for first frost. I've got to try!

Mid-summer. The heat of the blazing sun blankets everything this time of year, suffocating and scorching the moment I step out the door. The clay ground underneath my feet is cracked open begging for moisture. I follow those desperate crooked scars to the baking plot where my hopeful harvest is planted. The garden swelters by late afternoon; its vegetation wilted with curling leaves and fainting stalks. As the horizon mutes that blazing ball of fury, I pull the water hose and slowly drench the roots of each thirsty plant. Stalks straighten and leaves unfurl, welcoming the quench of moisture and dusky skies. And still, through this killing heat, the garden gives with all it has. The bounty of God's gift covers my dining room table, kitchen counters, stove, and buckets on the floor. The cycle will continue with heat, wind, floods, and freezes. And as gardners, we will nurture and tend as much as we can to bring those harvest blessings into our homes.

The Tiger Lillies are bursting with blooms! And last night I spied our first couple of baby cantaloupe!

My supper tonight. Every single veggie on my plate from my garden! Green beans and onion. Yellow squash, purple potatoes and onion tossed in garlic olive oil with a little salt and pepper and roasted. So good!

We were out of town over the weekend. I watered the garden before we left as it was parched. I checked to see if anything needed to be picked. I saw some yellow squash that I knew would be huge by the time we got home, but those could go to the chickens. I did see tiny cucumbers coming along, but figured since it was so dry they wouldn't grow fast.

Boy was I wrong! As the skies darkened behind me and thunder rumbled in the distance, I checked the six plants climbing the cattle panel trellis...looks like it's a spicy dill pickle makin' night!

Beautiful Dragon Tongue bush beans just picked, snapped, and ready for cookdown, along with a fresh garden onion!

In February I was so excited as we were getting ready to build a cattle panel greenhouse. One of my goals since moving to the farm was to sell plant starts/seedlings. We already had about half of the materials, and we sat down to figure out how much wood we'd need to build the raised beds inside it, and how much plastic to cover it. That coming late February weekend we'd planned to go get the materials. That Friday my husband was laid off. It has been a really tough road since his job of 26 years suddenly announced in 2021 they were closing and moving those jobs held in Lexington Ky for many years to Mexico. In times like that, which so many are going through, you buy only what is needed.

We tilled and planted a smaller garden and used seeds we already had, and free ones from our local cooperative extension and local library. Thankful to be blessed with an abundance of seeds to grow!

Last week, before hubby had to go in to work at his new job, we stopped at Rural King to get some chicken feed. I stayed in the Jeep with my 3 year old granddaughter that I watch everyday through the week. I looked up and here comes Kevin pushing a cart with a big box and an even bigger grin. The walk-in greenhouses were on clearance for $49!

God winked.

This Father's day weekend my husband and I put up our little cheapie greenhouse. We know it's not near as sturdy as a cattle panel greenhouse, and the winds we have out here may eventually wear it down, but right now, I'll have a place to grow more food through winter and less spent on chemical-laden and sometimes sparce selections from the big box stores. And in spring I'll be able to start seedlings!

Blessings abound even through life's storms.

First Candy Onion from the garden!