I’m Functioning

{ November 23, 2025 @ 2:51 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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I saw this picture on facebook this week and I loved it. It just seems to say how I feel when I am hit with a difficult time. I was asked to share a testimony of thankfulness for our Thanksgiving service at church today. The following is what I shared with a few editing changes.

I don’t need to tell you about my last two years (Gene’s long-term illness and our devastating fire this spring) or pretend that they were not difficult. I have felt like that broken sink many times but I can promise you I am still functioning. When you ponder the picture, there is something very revealing about that sink. It is still serving it’s intended purpose by receiving water and it is still useful. Life giving water that flows in also flows out.

Last night I was reading in James (5: 10-11, 13)…..

“For examples of patience in suffering dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. Are any of you suffering hardships? Then you should pray.”

Through the years I have found great comfort and encouragement from the Biblical heroes of faith. Every one of them faced suffering or great “giants” in their lives, bitter disappointments, and trials that I can’t even fathom. But they clung in faith, to the God they knew and through their suffering they endured. (Hebrews 11).

I have found that sometimes God answers prayer during difficult trials  by alleviating the suffering. Sometimes he eases the suffering and other times he shows His sufficiency in the suffering.

Habakkuk (3: 17-18) asked some tough questions… what if?

  • What if…. the fig tree does not blossom?
  • What if…. there is no fruit on the vine?
  • What if…. the olive harvest fails?
  • What if…. the fields yield no food?
  • What if…. all the livestock dies?

What if you lose everything? What if? Job experienced that devastation. All he had left was his whining wife and a painfully ill body. (You can read the story of Job in the Bible).

After the what ifs, Habakkuk (3:19) said, “Yet I will…rejoice in the Lord. Yet I will…. joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength”.

“What if”…what if the what if becomes reality? What if our business burned to the ground? What if my husband has an extended illness? What if my two of my babies died?

In the midst of Job’s great trial, he said the very thing he feared has come true, that which he was afraid of has happened. (Job 4:25) Often during my teen and young adult years I had recurring nightmare dreams of a fire that usually centered on the big bank barn on our family dairy farm. I hadn’t thought about it for years until our fire happened. What I had feared….

 After much reckoning in Job’s life he said, “Yet I will”.  Have you prepared your heart for the “Yet I will”?

Many times through the years I have preached this message to myself…. “God I trust you.” The last two years I have practiced the “Yet I will” that has been imprinted on my heart.

If you are fearful, you are not trusting. If you are not trusting, you are not thankful.  Let me repeat that…. These are tough words.

But, if I  trust, I will find peace. If I have peace, I will have strength to face whatever hardship comes my way. Strength gives us the courage to move forward, to rise from the ashes, or mucky pit, and to see God at work. Giving thanks is a choice. Do you remember how often your mom had to remind you growing up, “And what do you say?” Sometimes I just have to be reminded what I need to say…even if I don’t feel like it!

I make it a part of most of my prayers to express the holiness and greatness of God and to thank Him for my many  blessings. In the midst of great loss and illness, I saw lots of things to be thankful for.

  • How could I not see God’s mercy when I got Gene to the hospital with mere hours to spare?
  • How could I not see God’s care when dozens of people showed up to help even while the fire was still smoldering.
  • How could I not see God’s provision when a meal train was set up and I didn’t have to cook a meal for six weeks and yet daily I fed dozens of people.
  • How could I not feel God’s peace when people sat on my patio eating and would say, “it is so peaceful back here.”
  • How could I not feel God’s comfort when donations were given because people cared deeply about our huge loss.
  • How could I not experience God’s leading when the market vendors gathered in a circle in our yard a few days after the fire and expressed a deep desire to stand with us and “rise from the ashes”.
  • How could I not feel supported when I was told by many in the community that “I am praying for you and our church prayed for you the morning after the fire.”
  • How, how could I not trust my God to carry me through?

 I am so grateful and thankful I can trust him.

My testimony can best be summed up with….

Psalms: 111:1-4,7-8, 9b

“I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.

How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them.

Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails.

He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our LORD!

All he does is just and good and all his commandments are trustworthy.

They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

What a holy, awe-inspiriting name he has.”

I have a plaque hanging in my bedroom that reminds me every day, “Thankful, grateful, blessed.”

Old Fashion Sauerkraut

{ July 25, 2025 @ 2:49 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Late spring I had an a lesson on making sauerkraut from a master of the trade! Thanks Rob Falt for sharing your culinary skill with me. It was so interesting, easy, fun and a nod to both of our German roots. Rob even gifted me with a “real” sauerkraut crock. The lid sets into a water trough around the lip of the crock that makes a water seal.

This year I grew OS Cross cabbage and the heads were big. In the picture is 18 lbs. worth of cabbage. The heads reminded me of Flat Dutch; flat on top and a little loosely leafed but not as loose as Flat Dutch. They were not hard solid on the inside like Stonehead. At first I was disappoint, but then discoved they shredded much easier in my electric Hamilton Beach vegetable shredder than the really solid heads. That appliance is probably the only appliance I have from our wedding 53 years ago!

After shredding the cabbage, we sprinkled it with 1/3 cup of salt (regular not iodized) and in about 20-30 minutes it had started shrinking and drawing it’s own water. After working it with our hands a few minutes, we stuffed it in the two gallon sauerkraut crock and poured the juice over top, laid a few large cabbage leaves on top of the shredded cabbage, and then set the crock weights on top of that. We added just enough water to cover the cabbage, filled the crock trough with water and set the lid. The cabbage filled the crock only about half way. Yes, you read that correctly. My two full bowels of shredded cabbage only filled a two gallon crock halfway. I put the crock in my pantry and marked my calendar for six weeks. (4-6 weeks is the suggested fermenting time).

Every Monday morning I peeked in at the kraut and made sure it was still covered with water and the outside trough still had water in it so that it maintains a proper seal and does not spoil. The Falts said the fermenting cabbage makes gas and you can hear and smell it burp occasionally-just like a fart! I guess I was never in the pantry at the right time as I never heard or smelled it.

Cabbage:

It does not matter what variety of cabbage you use. If you have a variety you like, use it. However, I found this to be very interesting….An internet search on the OS Cross variety of cabbage said that this is a favorite in Alaska and the heads can grow 3-4 feet in width and weigh 70 lbs. Wow! That is absolutely amazing. They must like the rich Alaskan soil and cooler temperature! My plant grower likes this variety as they say it does not split as quickly when hot weather hits it.

Canning:

Canning the sauerkraut is very easy. I dumped the crock of kraut into my large metal bowl. I took my hands and stuffed it into pint and quarts jars. (I have found a pint is a good meal for two people). I used just a few tablespoons of fermented juice to finish filling the jars. I pressure canned the pint jars at 10 lbs pressure for 15 minutes and the quarts at 20 minutes. My one turn was a mixture of pints and quarts so I did it all at 20 minutes.

The end result was 10 pints and 3 quarts of beautiful golden sauerkarut. I can’t wait to taste it. Our favorite dish is porkchops and kraut. I put two porkchops in a baking dish and top with one pint of kraut. Do not add any extra liquid. It makes it own. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hr. 15 mins. I use the thin cut pork chops. Baking time may need to be adjusted for thick cut.

One little warning…. messing with the fermented kraut does make your house smell– not too pleasant. Some of my family thought it plain stank! My son-in-law said, “I can’t imagine anyone eating something that smells that bad!!! Which day are you fixing that for supper? I might just have to be somewhere else!”

Other recipes:

Rueben Sandwiches: Pumpernickel bread, good corned beef sliced, swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.

Sauerkraut and hot dogs. Bake the two together just like how I do the pork chops.

Nutritional Value:

According to the VeryWellFit.com website: A one-cup serving of sauerkraut (140g) provides 72 calories, 1.4g of protein, 18g of carbohydrates, and 0.2g of fat. Sauerkraut provides fiber and is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, and iron. This nutrition information is provided by the USDA.1

Along with being low calories, it is high in Vitamin C. It is full of gut friendly bacteria and its substantial fiber content could help smooth your digestion.

Facing the Giants in Our Life – Rebuilding

{ June 27, 2025 @ 6:49 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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It is exciting to be able to say the rebuilding is in progress. We are rising from the ashes and new things are happening. The barren landscape is starting to change.

I love sitting in my store office and watching the progress out of my window. Benson Construction from Jetersville is our contractor. They are one efficient team and the work they can accompolish in a day is amazing. The farmer’s market pavilion was built in three days.

A newly built pavilion for a farmer's market, featuring open sides and a red roof, with vendors and tables set up under it on a gravel parking area surrounded by trees.
The Pavilion was started on June 9, finished on June 11 and open for busines June 12.

The pavilion (stage 1 of the building process) was built the beginning of June. This is an important first step in the larger scope of things. After the fire, we put up two large tents to quickly get the market up and running. Later this summer the market will have a new permanent building (stage 3 of the building process) but for the short-term the pavilion is better and safer than the tents. While we are in the temporary stage, the market is open Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 noon. When the permanent building is built, the market will be open Monday-Saturday and the pavilion will be available for pop-up or temporary vendors on Saturdays.

Construction site of a farm shop with a red exterior, partially built structure, and a machinery lift in front.

Currently the farm shop (stage 2) is being built. The shop is an intregral part of our farming operation for tools, maintanence, repairs and a place to work on our equipment. A farmer has to have a shop! Fortunately, when the shop burned, we did not lose our tools as the fire was up in the ceiling. We had a metal drop ceiling and the fire got between it and the metal roof. The building and round baler, that was in the back of the shop, were destroyed. They had just finished doing $3,000 worth of spring maintanence on the baler the afternoon before the fire, getting it ready for the hay season. The baler was insured, but somehow the building was not on the insurance policy.

A firefighter inspecting a damaged agricultural machine in a charred structure, surrounded by debris and remnants of a fire.
Burned up baler.

Life has settled into a comfortable routine, we are no longer functioning in stress or emergency mode. Plans are falling into place, change is happening and life is moving on. The incredible financial, emotional and physical support from our friends, family, church and community has been our lifeline. Through it all God has been faithful and we are so grateful. We are seeing so much good come from such devastating loss.

An illustration depicting the biblical story of David and Goliath, featuring a young David facing the giant Goliath, who is armored and holding a spear, with soldiers in the background.

Recently our Sunday School lesson focused on the story of David and Goliath. The giant loomed menancingly large before the Israelite army and the soldiers were in panic mode. Suddenly David shows up. He was just a lad bringing food from home for his brothers and a gift of cheese for the commander of the army. After David evaluated the situation, he basically said, my God is bigger than that giant! I have rescued a lamb from a lion’s mouth and killed a lion and bear with my hands. That giant has defied God, and God will bring him down. David did not have a sword, gun or tomahawk missile, but he had the well-used tool of his trade-a sling shot. He carefully collected five small stones from a stream as he crossed the valley betwen the two armies to meet the giant. He used what he had; a smooth stone and a prayer. That stone precisely aimed sank into the giant’s forehead and he crumbled at David’s feet.

What are you facing in your life? Can you trust God to help you overcome? What tools of the trade do you have in your hand? Can you use the opportunity to show the goodness of God and his divine intervention? For forty days the whole Israelite army, including the king, had listened to the threats and taunts of this haughy giant of a man as he stood on the mountain every morning yelling his mocking words across the valley. They could not see past the giant and trembled with fear. They almost missed what God wanted to do, it took a lad to show them. Our challenge is to allow God to help us see past the giants in our life. To fight them in our own strength is overwhelming, but with God, all things are possible.

I was recently reminded of the verse in Deuteronomy 33:27 that has ministered to me often through the years, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you…” You have literally been His arms lifting us up. We are trusting Him for our future. God is faithful.

Quarterfield Markets: Relaunch Day-May 10

{ May 16, 2025 @ 7:43 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Our relaunch was a gorgeous day for an outdoor tent city. It felt so good to see smiles on faces, children playing, groups sitting on the grass eating, and the busy buzz of shoppers connecting with vendors. It was a day of joy on the farm and it was what we needed to lift our heavy hearts and fill us with hope that soon we can once again have our indoor market.

A combination of large tents made up the main tent area. Across the driveway and along the edge of the lawn were numerous pop-up tents.

Mason’s Lobster Roll and the Powhatan Fire/Rescue Department were our food vendors.

I

It seemed so right to invite the fire department back for a “good” day on the farm and let them have a fundraiser. The children enjoyed seeing the trucks and fire fighters up close and personal. There were lots of little “future” fire fighters running around with smiles on their faces and plastic helmets on their heads.

The hours for our outdoor market is Thursday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8-12. (Weather permitting). Once we are back into a permanent structure, we will go back to our original plan of all week shopping.

Behind the scenes…..to prepare for our outdoor market, we took this……

and made this to as a shelter for the refrigerators and freezers for our meats (beef, poultry, pork and lamb), cheese, butter and other dairy products.

Samson welcomes you to the barnyard and he is so glad to be home. He was taken to the Stauffer farm after the fire where he and his little family were treated with the best of care.

Quarterfield Markets: Launch Day-April 5, 2025

{ May 12, 2025 @ 8:40 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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The anticipation and excitement was high for the launching of Quarterfield Markets. It was the first indoor farmer’s market in the area with 42 vendors and 8 outdoor vendors making its grand debut on April 5. The plan was to be open 6 days a week matching the hours of Hertzler Farm and Feed. We had worked hard rennovating an existing room at the farm supply store creating a welcoming and unique vendor space.

We painted yellow shelving black, created new shelving using pipe and boards, reoiled pine board floors, and found creative ways to repurpose and give new life to shelving and items we had around the store and farm. It was a lovely inviting space.

The dynamite team-the shakers and bakers-behind the market. The market was the vision and dream of our daughter Jill Hostetter (on right) and granddaughter Lauren Hertzler (on left) quickly caught the vision.

Our team of vendors was exceptional and chosen with care. All products had to be homemade, handmade, hand produced/crafted or created. Each vendor had their own designed space with a centralize checkout station. They fully embraced our concept and were so excited to promote and be a part of our grand adventure.

The overall view of the main market space.
The food area we called “The Pantry”.
Lamb, beef, poultry, and pork.

The day of the launch was gorgeous and over a 1000 people came to enjoy the day and shop.

Instead of shopping carts, we had shopping baskets.

There were food trucks and a barnyard with chicks, a bunny, sheep, a goat family and a trio of baby pigs.

“Too Dippin’ Good”, a dessert food vendor.
Archer’s BBQ: The best barbecue in town!
Beverage Vendor: “Sippin’ Spot”
Outdoor Pop Up Vendors
You can drop your knives, clipper blades, scissors, almost anything that needs a sharp edge at the store and he will pick them up and sharpen them.
Our Transportation Manager: Obe Hostetter

Exactly one week later the market laid in ruins, burned to ashes.

On Wednesday evening we invited the vendors to a meeting on our front lawn and also to give them opportunity to see the devastation first hand. The mandate was clear. We would rise again and rise quickly. The date was set for one month, an almost unseemingly possiblity, with a tent market. Ideas were tossed around and the vendors pledged their support and help.

Hertzler Farm Fire: From the Ashes We Will Rise

{ May 11, 2025 @ 8:18 pm } · { Hertzler Farm & Feed, Quarterfield Markets }
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We were alerted to the fire at 6:54 p.m. on April 12, a Saturday night. It was a night we will never forget and crawled into bed at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning full of grief and exhaustion, mixed with lots of questions about the future and a sinking feeling of total helplessness. Sunday morning we realized it was not just a bad dream but a horrible stark reality. A stinky, acidity, smoky smell lingered in the air and the view from the kitchen window was witness to the stark reality of the overwhelming task before us. A firetruck had spent the night and was still maning the smoking ruins.

Our retail store-the main room.
Looking in the front door of the store.

There was no way we could drag ourselves to church. We were physically and emotionally drained and needed to be just us-a family in grieving. In the afternoon an amazing thing happened; cars and pickups started pouring in filled with caring friends and neighbors wanting to help.

For the next two weeks there were 25-45 people each day sorting through the ruins, picking up trash, cleaning and drying photos and personal items.

We had a storage room where Jill and I were storing household items and keepsakes as they were in the process of moving to Powhatan.

Track loaders, dump trucks, and excavators arrived. The farm shop and baler were also destroyed but most of the tools were salvagable and had to be moved to another building.

The burned up round baler that was in the shop. They had just finished maintanence on it earlier in the afternoon and had it ready for this year’s hay season.
Only a handful of treasurers were spared. An old milk can from Gene’s home in Denbigh.
On the left is a quilt made by my Grandmother Heatwole (Fannie Belle Heatwole) and on the right by my mother (Fannie Showalter Heatwole). I had put them in plastic totes to “protect” them in storage.
A bed spread made by my mother from scraps of material from my “homemade” dresses as I was growing up!!!
We had to build a new space for the pressure tank for our well water system.
The shop with the burned out storage area on the left.

An existing warehouse had to be readied to serve as new storage for the feed store. There was so much to do and so many willing hands to do it.

Repairing the dock.

Mealtrain was set up to provide food and for one full month I did not fix a meal. Many people benefited from those wonderful, delicious meals delivered with love. Go-Fund-Me and private donations provided the necessary funds to keep us surviving. Our church had a community barbecue fundraiser. We needed so much and so much was given. Boxes and boxes arrived from Amazon with office supplies and equipment. One Amazon driver said, “I have never delivered so many boxes to one place”. Local businesses helped us get our new office set up and flooring put in. Another got our water restored, another replaced an electric pole and another removed some trees.

A team of fifteen students came from Liberty University for a Saturday workday. After a hard day of work, a full belly of food and relaxing on the lawn they enjoyed a hay ride.

People were truly the arms of Jesus holding us up and helping us get back on our feet. The community of Powhatan and beyond truly was amazing.

A friend and former pastor came from Pennsylvania to sit with us. It was what our weary souls needed. Thank you Tim.

The transformation has been amazing. It is now been a month and the ruins are cleaned up. We have felt a strong mandate from the community to rebuild. Social media buzzed with a desire to see us rebuild and to pledge to help that happen.

Our feed store reopened in five days in a revamped version. The Farmer’s Market relaunched yesterday, exactly one month from the fire, in an outdoor tent setting.

An Old Hickory storage shed came in two days after the fire. It has become our new office and sales for feed, lawn and wildlife seeds, fertilizer, lime, shavings, hay and straw.

Our vendors from our Farmer’s Market, that had been open for only one week, gathered on our lawn several days after the fire and the mandate from them was clear. They were solidly behind us and wanted to be a part of a relaunching. A blog post about the relaunching will be coming soon. After the fire, channel 8 and channel 12 (local news stations) came out and interviewed us. One reporter said, “We heard about the fire and began to look at social media. We saw the support of the local community and noted that something special was going on and wanted to cover it.”

Relaunch Day-May 10: The market is set up and ready for business.

It was an amazing Relaunch day with absolutely perfect weather, lots of excitement and crowds of people. Until a permanent facility can be built, the market will be open Thursday and Fridays 8 am – 5 pm and Saturdays 8 -12 noon weather permiting.

We can never express our thanks adquately. Caring and sharing is never about public praise and so we are refraining from publicly naming people or businesses. You know who you are. May God bless you and please accept our humble and grateful thanks

This puzzle piece that was found among the ruins seems a fitting ending to this post. I had a puzzle library of over 500 puzzles that people could check out. The fire was furious and almost nothing survived it’s consuming fury. But the few finds were surprising and this puzzle piece was one of them. A fragile thin piece of cardboard, charred black, but still intack. I just wonder how! Sometimes it takes more than a fire to bring total ruin. From the ashes, we will rise.

The following verse is a comforting promise from God….good can come out of bad…. joy and beauty where they are ashes.

“To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” This verse is often interpreted as a promise from God to replace sorrow and despair with joy and beauty.”  Isaiah 61:3

Hertzlers Farm Fire

{ April 28, 2025 @ 10:40 am } · { Hertzler Farm & Feed, Quarterfield Markets }
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Never could we have imagined such a devastating fire that almost completely destroyed our business and farm shop. Here is our story.

Saturday evening, April 12, Gene and I were in our comfy spots in the living room, me resting in the lazy boy chair catching up on social media and Gene stretched out on the sofa watching TV. Our peaceful quiet evening was shattered at 6:55 when my cell phone rang. It was Luanne from up at the horse stables. “Are you burning something down there”? I responded, “No” and she said, “You better look out your window.”

The sight from my kitchen window stunned me. I yelled to Gene, “The store is on fire.” He leaped off the sofa, shoved on his shoes and raced to the store on the golf car while I dialed 911. Then I took my first picture.

6:56 p.m.

Mike, Luanne’s husband, was there in an instant. He and Gene tried to enter the store but the smoke was too thick.

4 minutes later…7 pm. The retail store was totally engulfed. Black smoke was pouring from the old dariy stanchion barn which we used to warehouse feed.
7 minutes later…7:03 p.m. They quickly ran out of water. Ironically the county “dry hydrants” were dry and they had to pull from a nearby pond in Maple Cottage.

The fire trucks started to arrive and water sprayed on the fire. Heavy smoke was also coming from the back left of the stanchion barn where our main warehouse of feed was located.

7:06 p.m……10 minutes. The firemen attended to break into the stanchion barn door.

7:07 p.m….. 11 minutes
7:09 p.m…… 12 minutes. The stanchion barn was fully engulfed.
7:12 p.m…. 15 minutes. The whole structure was a totaly engulfed inferno. There was no saving the stucture-just trying to control the spread.

It is a terrible thing to sit in a lawn chair in your backyard and watch your business, your livelihood, burn to the ground and there is nothing you can do. By this time there were lots of fire and tanker trucks. 55,000 gallons of water were dumped on the fire. I am not sure how many counties responded to the call but I know we saw Amelia, Goochland, and Huguenot. Someone said they were about 15 fire trucks here.

We lost a total of six buildings, five of which were attached to our store complex and the farm shop which was to the right.

7:27 p.m…. 31 minutes.

I asked about the towering, black smoke billowing from the structure. I commented to the fire chief I couldn’t figure out what was burning as there were no tires or anything rubber that I could think of. He said it was the feed. Feed have oils in it and even though it is vegetable based, it burns black. I found that very interesting.

7:36 p.m.

Family and neighbors gathered to watch and grieve with us. There were literally the arms of Jesus surrounding us and holding us up. We knew they cared and it was good to have people to help process what was happening. Someone said that cars were parked all they way out the driveway to the road.

Later we were told that the smoke was seen in Amelia and Cumberland. Someone traveling on 45 from Farmville saw the smoke. Bits of insulation floated to a neighbor’s field a mile or more away.

The sheriffs department flew a drone overhead the entire time shining a light for the firemen and watching for spreading flames and hot spots. They told us that there were four or five other drones of neighbors taking a look but they stayed their distance and did not interfere.

7:41 p.m.
7:46 p.m…. 1 hour.

The really bright yellow over the top of the firetruck are the four propane tanks that were at the back of the store. They did not explode but vented as they were suppose to do fueling a very hot fire that spread to our personal storage room and farm shop. Our daughter and her husband (Jill and Obe) are in the process of moving to Powhatan and had a significant amount of things already moved and in the storage room by the shop. To make room in our house, I had stored some of my personal things also; pictures, family treasures, quilts made by mother and my grandmother, blankets, books, childhood toys and treasures, floor shampooer, grill, etc.
7:47 p.m. The storage room and shop are now engulfed.

Our round baler was in the shop getting it ready for the hay season. They finished at 4:30. The smoke was too intense to get it out. We had an appliance man add freon to a fridge in the store earlier in the afternoon and he asked me to check it an hour or so later to make sure it was working properly. I checked it at 4:30 also. Nothing seemed amiss and the fridge was working properly.

8:50 p.m.
8:55 p.m. Two hours….all that was left was an arid smelling, smoking and burning shell of a stucture and rubble. Amazingly the feeders on the front dock of the store survived!

We started Hertzler Farm and Feed in October 1983. It had survived the test of time for 42 years. Quarterfield Markets, the pride and vision of Jill and our granddaughter Lauren, which had been open one week was gone. On launch day the Saturday before we had over 1000 here. Now all that was left of our business was hay, straw, fertilizer, lime and shavings as they were in another warehouse and containers.

Finally at 1 a.m in the morning we gathered in the living room of the house to decompress and process as a family. At 2 a.m. we all headed off to bed, exhausted, emotionally drained, sad, and weary. There were so many questions and so few answers. A firetruck stayed and kept watch all night for flare ups and hot spots. All I could say as I crawled into bed was….God I trust you. We are all safe, it could have been much worse. Give us peace, wisdom and your guidance for the future.

Stay tuned….Part 2 coming soon.

A Funny Bunny Story

{ April 25, 2025 @ 7:49 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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This week we had a really funny bunny thing happen.

Jill’s phone rang, “I am stuck in the bunny pen.” Jill was busy and she knew I would get a big kick out of this. “Lauren is stuck in the bunny pen. Would you like to go let her out?” Immediately the mischievous instinct took over. I say to Wray, one of our employees, “Lauren is stuck in the bunny pen. Would you like to go with me to let her out?” You should have send him grin!

We hopped on the golf cart to go 100 feet and drove past Kevin and Rich who were working on the side of the warehouse. We spread the news. Lauren is stuck in the bunny pen. You want to go along to let her out. Away we all went with big grins and wise cracks forming in our heads.

Isn’t this just the cutest bunny!

There was talk of just leaving her there for a while. Rich said he could bring her water and I offered her a pillow but after some good ribbing and empty threats we let her out.

The latch to the pen is tricky. This problem has happened before. If you go in and shut the door too tight it latches and there is no escape. So I rigged up a cord and threaded it through the wire and put a big ring on it so that it would not slip back through the wire and lock me in when I was using it for chickens. The problem was Lauren shut the door and it latched. When she tried to open it by pulling the emergency cord, the cord broke. She was stuck.

Oh dear Lauren, you sure gave us all a good laugh in the midst of a hard week. Thanks for the good laugh. This is the end of my funny bunny story.

Grand Opening of Quarterfield Markets April 5

{ March 2, 2025 @ 8:06 pm } · { Quarterfield Markets }
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A new adventure is coming to reality for our family, Hertzler Farm and Feed and the community of Powhatan with the soon to open Quarterfield Markets.

Quarterfield Markets is the vision and motivation of the next generations of Hertzlers to offer a new opportunity for Powhatan and perserve the future of Hertzler Farm. It will be an indoor, year-around farmer’s market operating in conjunction with Hertzler Farm and Feed.

Our Vision: Quarterfield Markets offers a collective of shops, creating opportunities for local producers and artisans to promote locally grown, raised, produced and sourced items. The Markets will give an authentic farm experience for families, support local business and develop a support system for a collective of local vendors.

We have an amazing line-up of local vendors selling their homemade, homegrown, handcrafted wares: coffee, sourdough breads, treats and yeast breads, free-range eggs, grass-fed beef, poultry, and pork, bagels, pasteurized milk (packaged for animal consumption), cheese, butter, elderberry syrup, honey, candies, baked goods, elderberry syrup, muffins, cupcakes, freeze-dried fruits and candies, homemade barbecue sauce, cream cheese, duck eggs, baskets, herbal supplements for cats, dogs and pet pigs, plants, cutting boards, charcuterie boards, vases, lavendar products, oregano and black seed oils, pretzels, vanilla, fresh flower arrangements, 3D printed toys and fidgets, graphic tees, candles, pottery, soaps, candles, skin care products, pet treats, dog collars, leashes, bandanas and harnesses, blacksmith items and metal art, reusable cloth towels, swiffer covers and bar dishwashing soap, body oils and lotions, dried flower items, flower confetti, luffa sponges and soaps, eucalyptus oil and body scrub, pine oil and cleaner and on-site knife sharpening while you wait……and more.

We have been busy as spring bees getting ready for our grand opening Saturday, April 5.

We are calling our food area “The Pantry”.
Freshly oiled floors.

Are you interested in becoming a vendor?

On our Hertzler Farm and Feed website is more information about becoming a vendor. Our list or partner vendors (almost 40) is growing almost daily. Vendor Interest form.

Hours of business:

Opening day, Saturday, April 5, we will be open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with most of our vendors on site. Normally, our hours will be as follows: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

Where is the market located?

The market is in an adjoining room inside the Hertzler Farm and Feed store. This provides the opportunity for the market to be open whenever the feed store is open versus a 3-4 hour window of summer farmer’s markets.

Opening Day:

We are excited for opening launch day. There will be an outdoor “barnyard” with some animals for the children to pet and love on.

There will be several food vendors: Too Dippin’ Good (desserts), Sippin’ Spot (Drinks), and Archers Barbecue (Pork and chicken).

Popup vendors (outside):

  • Stay Sharp: Bring your knives, hoes, farm tools, scissors….anything that needs sharpening. He will sharpen while you wait or have them available for you the following week. He will be providing a weekly pickup service.
  • Blacksmith demonstration.
  • Stone ground cornmeal grinding: Freshly ground cornmeal (on site) will be available.
  • Tales of Joy: Gail Timberlake will be selling and signing her book “Two Cows and a Plow”.

As the season progresses, we are hoping to have produce vendors on Saturdays.

We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the local community and the faithfulness of God as we prepare to launch this new adventure. Come see us and shop local!

Goodbye 2024

{ December 28, 2024 @ 4:48 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Ryan Hostetter is taking the picture. Left around the table: Me (Pat), Lauren Hertzler, Harrison Davenport, Karla Hostetter, Emily Hertzler, Gene, Obe Hostetter and Jill Hostetter.

What a year! It is one that will go down in the archives of my mind as very difficult and challenging. The whole year we just hopscotched from one mud puddle to the next. It was a good thing we had our wading boots on and an umbrella over our heads. However, I have to say it was not all gloom and doom. Through it all the sun shone brightly. We saw and basked in it.

The year started with the first puddle. In January our granddaughter Karla had a very serious and life-threating sledding accident when she careened into a post, shattering her spleen and a kidney. The weather was too bad for med-flight to transfer her from Harrisonburg to Charlottesville to the trauma center so an ambulance inched it way over the icy Afton Mountain while paramedics manually squeezed blood into her veins. They made it and she has made full recovery. She had the worse possible injury to her spleen but with modern technology the doctor was able to repair it. The kidney had been without blood flow for 12 hours. After 4 hours, medically it is considered dead and non-reviveable (if that is a word!). Going against the advice of all her colleagues, the doctor said, “I have to try.” God heard our prayers and miracleously blood began flowing and the kidney was restored to health. God can do the impossible and she is a walking miracle. The sun shone bright revealing God’s tender care for her.

The next puddle was in March when my dad left this world and went to be with Jesus. Death is never easy and we miss daddy but do not miss the suffering and demented condition he was in. Dementia is a cruel taskmasker. Mother had passed away three years prior from cancer so now the reins of the family are officially in the hands of the next generation. The sun shone bright as we grateful gathered to remember daddy and reflected on our godly family heritage.

On Mother’s Day the sun glowed with sunshine. Our daughter Jill and her husband Obe came for the day and announced that they were moving to Powhatan in 2025. We never saw this coming and our hearts overflowed with shock and joy. They had been praying and seeking God’s wisdom. This was brewing in their minds for quite awhile. Jill had a dream, a vision for the tired farm and store to revitalize and give it new life. It was time to make a change and easy to welcome it. Jill was ready to leave the corporate world and return to the farm to help her dad. Gene has been struggling with his health (long-haul covid) for several years and it was becoming more and mored challenging for him to do what needed to be done on the farm. He needed help and until that moment we didn’t have a path to move forward.

The reality of the next puddle was not anticipated or predicted.

Two weeks later Gene was in the emergency room with severe septic shock due to an exploded gall bladder and had a 50% chance of making it. The next five months were a blur of surgeries, medical procedures, scans, relapses, therapy, doctors, nurses, pain meds, infections and sleepless nights. Several times he came home from the hospital and within days was back in the ER. More than once we wondered if he really was going to make it. Our days were filled with discouragement and uncertainity. Finally on September 5 he came home and little by little he is getting better. It is a long road to recovery. He had lost 43 lbs. and had to regain strength to even stand and walk. The mud in those puddles was thick and sticky, threatening to sink us but God’s arms were around us through the support, encouragement, prayers and love of family and friends. We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

This Christmas season we as a family were reflecting on the events of the past year and the unimaginable blessing, hope and joy that the announcement from Jill on Mother’s Day held. It was our lifeline as our ship was sinking and we grabbed hold of it with all our strength and held on. What looked dark and unnaviagable has become full of hope and anticipation.

Change is coming to the farm and store as the next generations, full of energy and vision, are involved. It is good and we see the blessings that have come out of the hard times. The sun has burst through the storm clouds and glued our family together in way we never dreamed possible. So with great gusto we wave goodbye to 2024 and look forward to the changes of 2025. Stay tuned.

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