Where The Orange Blossoms Grow...: The Farm

The Pig--which we just recently slaughtered. We plan on raising some more as soon as we can. We love having that good, organic pork in the freezer!

Callie and Nattie, her American Quarter Horse.

Chickens
Gathering fresh eggs every morning is the most wonderful thing about having a farm!

C.J. on hawk-guard

The Cows
Right now, we're raising some good, healthy "Scrub Cows" (Angus/Brahma/Limousin) as we call them. They weren't weaned from their mother till 8 months old and are completely grass-fed. They should provide us with healthy, tasty beef to put in the freezer. We're learning something new every day! Right now, we get our grass-fed beef from Dayspring Farms, our Grandparents' farm just down the road.

Poky, our little Charolais heifer

The Goat
Margaret is raising a Nubian goat and plans on breeding her and making cheese and soap with her milk. I guess we'll see what happens!

Our ever-loyal Lab, Grits. :)

Wrangler, our Golden Retriever

~The Home Orchard~

Peaches

We have nine peach trees which produce enough peaches to last us all year and longer!

Peach harvest is in May/June

One of the peach trees in full bloom

Peach people :)

A basket full of sugar-sweetness!

Plums

We have three plum trees which are coming along nicely! The plums are SO sweet!

We harvest them around June/July

Pears
We have four pear trees. We harvest them in the summertime.

This year mama made pear butter with them.

One of the pear trees blooming

Apples

Apples in Florida?? Yes! We have six apple trees that are still small but produce wonderful, full- sized apples! Pretty soon, Lord willing, we should be getting a bunch of them!

Figs

Sea Island Cotton
We got some Sea Island Cotton seeds from a plantation in North Florida. Callie has been propagating them and they are doing really well. One of the bushes got about 4 or 5 feet tall and produced almost non-stop fluffy white cotton balls! The cotton is so soft when it's dried and the seeds are taken out.

Loquats
"Florida Plums" as Grandmama calls them. They taste a lot like apricots, really. We made loquat butter with them and it was really good. Nate LOVES them. :)

Bananas

The little ones love these little finger-sized bananas.

Mulberries
We love our mulberry tree! When they're ripe, the little ones are out there every day picking them. We strained them through the Victorio Strainer and they make lovely jelly! We also like to make pies out of them.

Mulberry Pie!

Pomegranates

Our pomegranate tree is about 7 feet tall and produces beautiful, juicy pomegranates all year round!

They are SO juicy and sweet!

Nate enjoys
his Pomegranate!

Citrus

Navels, our favorite oranges--they're so sweet and juicy!

This is actually our neighbor's grove, but it's so pretty
I had to post it here. :)

Tangerines

Wild lemons

Kumquats--lovely for kumquat marmalade... :)

Olives
Mama has always wanted to grow olives and finally, last year, she bought 3 olive trees! This year they have tons of olives! We're looking forward to learning how to put them to use!

Thanks for visiting!

The Orange Blossom Song

I want to wake up in the morning where the orange blossoms grow,
Where the sun comes creepin' into where I'm sleepin',
and the song birds say hello.

I want to wander over yonder, Pick the fruit that's hanging low,
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

I want to wake up in the morning where the ocean breezes blow,
I want to cast my line on the falling tide,
Where the tarpon swim below.

I love the sunshine and the beaches, where the palms sway to and fro,
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

I want to wake up in the morning where the Spanish moss hangs low,
Where the gators swim through the Everglades,
And the grand old live oaks grow.

I love the wildwoods, and the cities, and the friends I've come to know.
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

I want to wake up in the morning where the orange blossoms grow,
Where the sun comes creepin' into where I'm sleepin',
and the song birds say hello.

I want to wander over yonder, Pick the fruit that's hanging low,
I want to make my home in Florida where the orange blossoms grow.

Here Is Home

Here is home, my blessed home.
Florida is her name.
God’s Providence has brought me here,
So here I will remain.

Here is home, my beautiful home,
Where God's creation sings
About the mighty power and grace
Of Jesus Christ our King.

Here is home, where in the Spring
The orange blossoms bloom,
And fill my senses to the brim
With their sweet perfume.

I love to hear the honey bees
Buzzing with all their might.
I love the clear, blue, cloudless sky,
And radiant stars at night.

Here is home, where Summer comes
With its burning heat,
Relentlessly providing us
With bugs and burning feet.

But when the Lord provides us
With a gentle shower,
It lifts the weary, wilted head
Of every wildflower.

Here is home, where in the Fall,
I don my scarves and sweater,
But really I don’t need them.
Cotton would do better.

No Autumn leaves are falling.
The trees are still quite green,
But a crisp, cool breeze is blowing,
And the days grow short, it seems.

Here is home, where Winter comes.
It's not so very cold,
But how I love to dig in the sand
My numb and barefoot toes!

In wintertime I love to eat
An orange from the tree.
Such a sweet and sticky treat.
Quite a delicacy!

Here is home where I am proud
To be a humble part
Of Florida's great, rich history,
And hold it near my heart.

The land on which I've tromped and played,
The Spanish settlers roam'd.
They called this place the “Land of Flowers,”
And here they made their home.

When war broke out between the States,
We proved our loyalty
To the precious Southern cause,
For God and Liberty!

Some folks call us “Florida Crackers.”
I'm proud to hold that name.
My ancestors were proud as well,
To call themselves the same.

Here is home, My home, sweet home,
Where life is at it's best.
Every day I thank the Lord,
For I am truly blessed!

1 comment:

BonnieAugust 24, 2011 at 12:40 PM
William, Emma says, "Thatis a pretty farm! I miss you. When are you going to come up,William? I hope you come up soon. Bye bye" I say, what a beautiful post! I know that farm and it is wonderful! Great post, Mary. You are quite creative!

Love,
Grandmama in Missouri

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