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Ten Months to the Day

{ February 12, 2026 @ 7:56 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Ten months ago was April 12 and as I write this, in one minute (6:54 p.m.), it will be the exact time we got the call to look out our window.

This is what we saw.

Never could I have imagined how our lives would change in the next few minutes and hours. Everything we had worked for, our feed store business, the newly opened Quarterfield Market (one week) and farm shop all burned to the ground along with a storage room of our and the Hostetters personal stuff, memorbilia and irreplaceable family treasures. Our life was now devided in two distinct seasons; before the fire and after the fire.

Within 15 minutes it was totally engulfed.

Today, February 12, our farmer’s market opened in the newly built barn. It wasn’t planned this way and there was a push all week by everyone involoved to make this happen. Orignially we were told the market would be done by Christmas, then New Years, then the end of January but dealing with contractor’s schedule, permits, subs and weather it was the way it turned out.

Tonight we realized what a peaceful, stress-free day it had been. We had stressed and worked so hard for ten months leading up to this day. And then it happened. There were no more deadlines to be pushed back, no more construction decisions, no more what ifs and how longs. We actually received our occupancy permission yesterday at 2 p.m. We were pushing and stressing down to the wire. The market opened this morning at 9 a.m. and all day there was a steady stream of vendors and happy shoppers. Jill and Lauren were very excited and pleased with how the day went. It was fun. It was relaxing. It was stress-free. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining.

Ten months to the day. The reward has been worth the labor. Quarterfield Market was the last of our rebuild and it feels like we are moving forward. We lost so much but received so much more. By the way, it is a terrible way to get new buildings!!! We give God thanks and praise for how he has provided during a dark season of our life. We thank each who reached out with caring arms and gave us the encouragement to keep going. Many supported us with gifts of money. It was invaluable. The raw wound has healed and we are so happy to be at ten months to the day on this side of the tragedy.

You can follow Quarterfield Markets website or on facebook and Instagram.

Hours are:

  • Sunday and Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday-Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Saturday: 9 a,.m. – 2 p.m.

Emergency Calf Nursery

{ February 1, 2026 @ 7:46 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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We only had 4 inches of snow but then we got a layer of pelleted sleet and freezing rain with brutally cold temperatures.
Feeding the cows and calves hay just before the storm.

Since Thanksgiving we have had 28 baby calves born, four of which came this week during the brutal winter weather. Suddenly we had an emergency. There was no way the week old calves would survive in the severe cold, snow and ice even with an attentive mother. We were not prepared. We did not have a place set up to keep one baby warm, much less four.

My laundry room became the NICU for the first calf. The shivering calf was wrapped in blankets and laid in front of the stove. A few hours later I had another one. He was in the barn but had gotten wet and muddy and was shivering uncontrollably. Soon we had another that didn’t look good. Then yesterday, Saturday morning, Jill was feeding hay and spied a newborn laying in the middle of the pasture on ice with no mother in sight. She had done her motherly duty of licking him off but then deserted him. He couldn’t get up, the inside of his mouth was cold and his hooves were still soft. (Hooves are very soft when born but very quickly harden). He was very weak, couldn’t suck and had to be tube-fed. We gave him a colostrum substitute but it is very difficult when they do not get their mother’s colostrum. If he makes it through a week, we will know this rescue was successful. Jill has her hands beyond full and she called for her backup helper, Lauren, to come help with the critical care nursery. He is now alert, trying to get up and looking much better.

They tried building “hot boxes” with heat lamps in the barnyard but with the night temperature dipping in the single digits and daytime temperature hovering below freezing, it was not enough. Yesterday they ended up building four pens inside the shop where we could run a propane heater. This is working so much better and all the calves are looking good. My laundry room is no longer a barnyard!!! This coming week the weather is to mellow out some. We are also watching a mama goat that is ready to drop her baby(s) any moment. We are so grateful she is holding off.

Nursery setup
Kristoff and Ana
Lauren was invaluable in helping Jill feed and nurse the babies to health

I am so grateful that God in his wisdom and foresight brought Obe and Jill to us last year. Our granddaughter Lauren lived in our apartment before her marriage and she and Jill formed a strong aunt/niece bond, working together to bring Quarterfield Markets a reality. After the fire last year, Kevin came to work for us which has also been a God-sent blessing. There is no way Gene and I could have handled this situation alone. God knew we needed our family close.

Obe helping to feed calves. He helped build the pens and has been an very helpful handyman and support.
The snow and weather is hard on all the animals. The older ones can tolerate it better.
Ana
It wasn’t long until the calves were given names.
Sven and Elsa.
Sven was the last calf born and deserted on the ice. He weighed 71 lbs at birth. He is still struggling. He can now stand but refuses to suck the bottle and has to be tube fed. They put him in with Elsa, our favorite, to see if she can teach him to how to be a calf and encourage him. She is a sweetheart. She was a week old when they brought her in. The cold weather was just too much for her.
Elsa
Jill checking on the cows and calves
Breaking the ice on the water trough.

Snow Day(s)

{ January 28, 2026 @ 10:42 am } · { Uncategorized }
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What do you do on a snow day? What traditions have you embraced through the years that have become family traditions and wonderful memories?

I love watching it snow; the peaceful, quiet beauty of a stilled world. By the time it is done falling, I am done and want it to go away. For those on the farm, it makes so much extra work as there are animals to care for and trudging through snow makes the work ten times harder. Snow means cold weather, frozen nose, toes and fingers, breaking the ice on water troughs, roads to scrape so that equipment can move around, vehicles to deice, sidewalks to scrap and the list goes on and on.

This past weekend snow was threatening to come with a vengance. Not only the threat of unknown amounts of snow ranging from 3 inches to 18 inches but also sleet, freezing rain and ice with brutally cold temperatures and warnings of power failure. All week it is not to go above freezing and the night time dip is in the single digits.

We did everything we could do to be ready. The two generators were hooked up and ready to do their job. All the animals were nestled in extra bedding and their feed was staged nearby. Heat lamps were put in the pump houses and insulation tucked into drafty corners. Gas cans were filled for the generators, tractors and vehicles fueled up. Bracing was added to support the greenhouse roof and most of the vehicles were parked under roof. I joined the other crazy shoppers at Food Lion stocking our pantry-just in case. In the feed store I made sure I had orders placed and as much as possible inventory stocked beforehand. This weeks deliveries were run at the end of last week. Even though we have a generator to run the house, I drew a gallon of water to set on the counter, just in case and turned the computers off to guard against power surges. Saturday evening as we waited for the dreaded anticipated snow to start someone said, “We are as ready as we can be. I can’t think of anything else we need to do.” To end the day we watched a movie “The Lunatic Farmer”. This was a movie about Joel Sabatin, a Virginia farmer in Augusta County who used unconventinal old time farming methods to rejunvnate a worn out farm into a very productive organic homestead. It was very interesting. You can google Polyface Farms, Joel Sabatin or The Lunatic Farmer and find all kinds of fascinating info. He has quite a story to tell.

The magical snow show time was 6 p.m. Saturday evening. A few stray flurries were spotted but it was a good hour before it actually started. I got up several times during the night to look out and make sure our world still existed.

By Monday morning, the ‘storm of a lifetime” was over. The ground was blanketed with four inches of snow, a layer of pelleted sleet and then a layer of freezing rain forming a crust you could barely stomp through. We were so blessed as the freezing rain did not stick to the trees and the wind was not blowing.

Sunday and Monday I became my mother. When it snowed, she always had to put on a pot of white navy bean and country ham soup and made doughnuts. She always said it was the perfect time to make anything made with yeast because it is a low pressure system and the atmosphere pushing down on the dough is lighter.

I choose to make a big crockpot of beef stew, with a batch of cornbread. I just kept baking; party mix, chocolate chip cookies, a tray of peanut butter brownies, doughnuts and a batch of cinnamon/pecan friendship bread for the store. My house smelled so good you wanted to eat the smell!!! In between I ran the vaccum sweeper and worked on a puzzle.

It has been a long time since I made doughnuts. Jill said if I made them, she would help me as it is a two person job. We had fun working together and there is nothing like savorying a freshly made, soft, warm, glazed doughnut that just melts in your mouth. I said, “Mother would be proud!” Did you know that because the doughnuts have a hole in the center the calories all fall out when you deep fat fry them? And even though you fry the holes-the best part of the doughnut- holes can not possibly have calories!!!!

As I reflected on some of my memories of making doughnuts though the years, I remembered years ago when I was young, mother helped Gladys Harman, a good family friend, make doughnuts. She came home with the “best” doughnut recipe we had ever eaten. It became our family favorite. After I was married, sometimes I could convince Gene to help me. He would fry and I would dip but most often I would call a friend to come help me. Mary Flippo was my most frequent doughnut sister. She lived nearby and Watt would bring her over in his four-wheel drive truck when it snowed and it was our moment, our day in our world! It was fun and oh the memories we made along with good eating.

Note: Becky Fox saw my facebook page and she reminded me that she helped one time. I would be curious who else helped me through the years.

Others who helped:

  • Daughter Jill Hostetter-many times through the years.
  • Granddaughters Emily Hertzler and Lauren Hertzler Davenport

Links to my recipes I have mentioned. I will be adding these link later today so if you are interested, check back later.

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.

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.

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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