By Angie Mentink
We enjoyed a leisurely walk to the dam on Sunday afternoon. After about an hour of visiting, skipping rocks, relaxing, soaking up the sun, and taking advantage of the pleasant temperatures a strong north wind began to blow. We decided we better head home quickly. As we were walking briskly, watching the leaves whirling far distances from the trees, it occurred to all of us that winter was near. The summer flew by faster than any summer in the past and none of us feel ready for the cooler temperatures. The kids do look forward to sledding and four wheeler sled rides with dad and more time spent in reading in our cozy living room with mom watching the outdoors from our large window.
The summer was spent raising and preserving food and animals for our family to eat, putting up hay, moving animals, a few day trips, school, farmers markets, swimming, camping, projects, milking and making butter, canoeing, numerous walks, and simply enjoying the outdoors. Each spring I am determined to keep up with all the weeds through the summer. That plan went well at first. Our huge wood chip garden and pumpkin patch remained mostly weed free through the summer, but the sweet corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes got pretty weedy. Despite the weeds we were blessed with an abundant harvest. I’m determined to do better next year. The cucumber beetles were thick this year so every day I and sometimes the boys would pick them off the plants. This resulted in an abundance of cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkins, squash, and gourds that would have otherwise perished. The wood chip garden yielded much better than last summer. We were able to put up over a hundred quarts of fruits and vegetables. For the first time we had an abundance of cream. We consumed and froze many pounds of butter. In the past we kept the calf on Candice and milked her. This year we worked to get another cow to accept her calf along with her own. Without the calf Candice didn’t hold back her cream. We especially enjoyed a lot of whipped cream and homemade ice cream.
Much time was spent putting up fence and moving animals. We experimented with cover crops this summer. Cory would throw out seed after the pigs had disturbed an area and let the rain bring them up. Then we grazed the animals on it. All the animals really enjoyed this and we plan to do more next year. It was decided that during the winter we would do more planning and writing down dates to plant the cover crop and have a better idea of when to move everything with greater efficiency. We pray that each year we continue to see improvements on our land.
We all agree the pigs are a chore to move! They all tend to go in different directions and they don’t care if their friends leave them. It takes everyone to accomplish this task. Several times they escaped their fence during the day and the kids and I would have to get them back in. One day several small pigs escaped and found their way into my garden. Kailey found them right away, but a lot of damage had been done. It looked like someone had taken a tiller through it. I was able to save most of my pants by replanting them and I’m so thankful that was the only time they got into our garden. Moving the pigs to new areas greatly improves their health and especially the flavor of the meat so it’s worth all the trouble. It is very rewarding to watch their excitement once they finally reach their destination. They spend a lot of time eating greens and then they dive in and start rooting around in the soil. We noticed they usually start with the weedy areas and then move into the grass to dig. Despite being physically tired from the days work and play, we often enjoyed a walk in the evenings.
We were blessed with our 7th child, Abigail, on September 18, 2017. She was our first baby born at home and it was the most amazing experience. The night before her birth we spent hours attempting to get one pig loaded onto a trailer that had escaped. My contractions started during this process, but they were not regular so I ignored them. They continued through the night and in the morning I dug potatoes and accomplished a lot of work. I called my husband at 11:00 and he arrived just in time for the hard work. She was born an hour later. I was able to care for my baby with little interruption in a very relaxed atmosphere. I remember thinking, “This is how God designed birth to be.” Our children soon arrived from hanging out upstairs and couldn’t believe she had already arrived. We greatly appreciated the quiet afternoon at home recovering and spending time together.
Cory was able to spend two weeks at home after the birth. We savored our time together and he got several projects done as well. We removed two dying oak trees from our front yard with the help of our step dad. Cory and the kids hauled them to a saw mill and got to see the process of milling boards. They are currently drying in our open shed and need about a year to dry. One project we are planning is a large table for our family.
When we moved here, the big open shed was full of stuff and unusable to us. Although not a priority, Cory and the kids decided it was time to clean it out while he was home. Everyone was excited for the treasure hunt. Some of the things discovered were an old army wagon, a sleigh that their grandpa had used one Christmas, a cream separator, cream cans, a ping pong table, and much more. Most of the “treasures” were in need of recycling or thrown away. The broken basement door to the outside was replaced and will make chores and hauling in wood this winter easier and more efficient. Several small projects inside were accomplished and the time ended too soon!
As another season ends I am reminded of the many blessings through the good times as well as the struggles that strengthen and grow us. We are always learning and discovering something new. We feel so blessed to be raising our family and good quality food for ourselves and others on this piece of land God gave us. Our goal this next season is to continue to improve our practices and provide more customers with flavorful clean food. We are so thankful for the positive feedback on the lamb and pork from our customers as far as flavor and health benefits. Please let us know if there’s a way we can help you!