I feel so behind in Christmas preparations. Six days left to make the food, cookies and make sure I’ve got something for everyone.

How are you doing?

I hope I can make you feel better by sharing a little of my chaos with you.

Farm Kitchen Chaos

My kitchen has history.

Built onto the house after 1905, it has full size doors and windows with wooden trim, bead board, hand stenciled borders and lots of quirks from various updates.

My grandfather updated the electric and the plumbing in order to give my grandma modern appliances like a washer and dryer, a full size freezer and the first flush toilet in the house.

My Dad made minor updates in the 80’s to put in a dishwasher while my mom painted the walls and trim to make it “her” kitchen – rather than keep it the same as her mother-in-law.

But since then the the flooring my Dad put in while I was at college has deteriorated, the ceiling needs to be repainted and I need new cupboards.

It’s going to be a pretty big make over – on a budget.

And guess when Farmers work on house projects? In winter, of course.

As soon as the floorboards are ripped up the house will be exposed to all the cold air coming up from underneath – there’s just a dug out crawl space there. We’ll have to work fast to fix the uneven beams, insulate, and put down a new floor.

Here’s what it looks like now:

Actually, the sink is out now and the coal stove is still heating the house.

That’s the other problem. We’ll have to detached the coal stove and let the fire go out. I hope we have some mild days to do the floor next week so that the house doesn’t get too cold. We want that coal stove back in place and pumping out heat as soon as possible.

Is Christmas Cancelled?

Thankfully, we’ve built places on the farm that we can use while Reuben takes on the challenge of this remodel.

We are cooking and eating in the farm bakery and it’s a fun challenge to share that space.

Christmas dinner will be at my brother’s house on top of the hill. It’s great to have family close by and we are glad we can celebrate together often.

Deadline to Finish

No matter how difficult this remodel is we’ll have to be done before the spring work on the farm ramps up.
We are always thinking one season ahead and Spring seems like it’s just around the corner even though winter hasn’t even officially started.

Garden Planning

We’ll help you get started on your own organic garden plan and seed starting this year so you can have the best harvest ever.
Farmer Reuben will teach a ​Garden Planning and Seed Starting Workshop​ on Saturday January, 20 from 10 am – 3 pm.

Mark your calendars now. Getting Reuben to write out his class descriptions is the next step. I’ll post the ​details on our events page​ soon. When you ​click the workshop link ​ you’ll be notified so you can be the first one to save your seat for this workshop day.

As Always…

We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and food on your table that supports that goal.

We’ll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
​Willow Haven Farm​

P.S. Reuben and Wray want you to know that you can come to the Farm this Wednesday for last minute shopping that is stress free, avoids the crowds and even enjoyable as you sip a drink with us.
Open this Wednesday, 4pm – 8 pm
shop at the farm store this Wednesday
Come Wednesday to for our Special Midweek Shopping Experience.
Wednesday
4:00 – 8:00PM

We Also Open this weekend!
Market Hours:
Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM

Be Inspired by Your Farm Community!
Come to the Farm!

SAVE THE DATE!
Farmer Reuben will teach a ​Garden Planning and Seed Starting Workshop​ on Saturday January, 20 from 10 am – 3 pm. Mark your calendars now.

Getting Reuben to write out his class descriptions is the next step. I’ll post the ​details on our events page​ soon.