Farmers Market Goodies and Family Fun in GA!

These Cabbages weighed nearly 6-7 pounds a piece!!! INCREDIBLE! And you know what makes it even more incredible??? They only cost *gasp* $2.00 a piece! Now, that's some bang for your buck! I love the farmers market:-) I dont' look forwards to dragging myself up and out of the house early on Saturday mornings and make the drive over the Shelby market first to pick up some stuff and then drive over to the Columbus market for my vegetables. There is something about driving around in the mountains in the early morning hours that is just almost magical. The air is so crisp and clean, there are few cars on the road, and there is still that calmness that only comes with first light and nightfall. I love it! Maybe one day I'll be waking up to that right on my own farm:-) But you know why I go through so much "trouble" as many people tend to think??? I love my family. I love helping them stay healthy. I love meeting new farmer friends. I love how I meet the farmers need by buying his produce and he meets mine by growing good produce and how this relationship is instantly formed and doors of opportunity to share other aspects of our lives are immediately thrown open. I love knowing that my food is NOT grown in my next door neighbors toilet refuse, well, in toilet refuse in general! I love knowing that what I'm eating is really what I'm eating. I love keeping the money in my local community...lower prices for everybody! Most of all, I just love knowing that I am taking care of the four people God has entrusted me with and that my sacrifice of personal time to do it all is daily worth it as I watch my children grow into strong healthy individuals who will, Lord willing, be able to outlive me in God's service

I wanted to share all these pictures because I wanted people to see what I bought for $65. Now, all this fed a family of 5, plus seven more on vacation, with some leftover to put up for the winter. I made casseroles, started sauerkraut, we're still eating on the cucumbers:-), still eating on the cabbage, and used some of this to put into this.......

THIS is chicken stock that I have been slowly simmering for three days. I have the bones and skin from two chickens, vegetables, garlic, onions, and eggshells (they provide lots of calcium!!) and once it is finished I will let it cool, strain off the cooked stuff, and I will have delicious healthy chicken stock to add to my soups and broths!! So so easy and so so cheap:-)

Now, here's a few pictures from our little three day excursion to the GA mountains with my family!

My camera gave out while we were there, but I got more on Audreys camera...I hope to get those up later!