The Jamboween

On the Saturday before Halloween, the Elderberry and Potluck Farm communities team up to host a huge Halloween bash.  This year the weather was absolutely perfect - enough clouds to keep the temperature balmy, but few enough that we could see the stars and watch the moon slide across the night sky throughout the evening.  We always invite a lot of friends to this party, and this year we had a ton of kids, who had a blast pressing apple cider, carving pumpkins, going on the hay rides, playing corn hole and generally being wild and crazy.  The adults had fun too.... eating veggie chili, potluck yummies and an awesome bbq pig that Kenny cooked up on his new cooker.  And of course we had our favorite band, the Gravy Boys, who have been playing at this party for 11 years, and who lead us in dance and song.

The party really gets rolling after dark, but I didn't take any after-dark photos!

The Gravy Boys setting up

Jim getting the cider press going.  Older kids love this as much as the younger ones.

Food tables!!  On the right side of the table is one of our newest associate members, Mindy Neal

We make the veggie chili in a huge 6 gallon cast iron pot, and by the end of the night is GONE.  We had lots of helpers this year a couple of hours before the party.... David, Diana, Karolyn and Jack all helped chop onions, peppers and garlic ,and open lots of cans of beans!

We start a big bonfire for warmth (not needed this year), S'more making and heating up the cider.  And just because people love hanging around bon fires!

David, Diana and Karolyn chowing down (Kenny's new red cooker in the background)

Carl, Vonda and Cheryl found food too!

Kids getting started on pumpkin carving.  Every year each pumpkin gets a ribbon for "best something" (best smile, scariest, most toothy.....)

Cecil (the wizard) helping himself to some tasty bbq with Kenny, the bbq master, in the background.  Kenny also made 3 awesome bbq sauces this year.

October Fun!

Hi Folks!!!! I have not taken the time to update our blog in a while and so much is happening!!!  We had a couple of fun workdays in Oct, and also an Open House that was very well attended.  We would like to welcome Mindy Neal, Barbara Cole and Linda Miller - all new associate members.  We still have two homes left for sale and we welcome visitors!  Our newest adventure is putting in a little pizza oven, which allows us to make pizzas and have them for lunch together on our workdays (or any other time we want wood fired pizza!).  The first firing of the oven was on our last workday, and it worked all too well!  It got up to about 900 degrees and stayed there!!  Mary didn't want to delay lunch while we waited for the over to cool down to about 500, so we had burned pizzas.  Hopefully at our next workday they will be a bit better :)

Barb helping to clean up an area that we seeded at our last workday.  

Grass is actually growing there now!

David clearing some trees that we cut behind one of our barns.

View of the south quad - the last of our homes to be completed.  Two of these are for sale.  Check out information on our website for sizes, floor plans and prices.

The gardeners have been so busy!  We have 3 huge group gardens and an area for individual gardens.  The group gardeners have been very kind in sharing excess produce (and they also take some to our local food bank).  The lettuce has been amazing!

Folks sitting around taking a break and having lunch together~

Joyce helping to lay straw on the newly laid seed in front of our old log cabin.

Vonda, Joyce and Rosemarie in our common house, getting ready for the Open House

Joyce and Karolyn at the Open House - we had loads of good treats for our guests.
We are good at making great food together!

Vonda and Karolyn, who were later joined by others, getting ready to start tearing down an old barn on the east side of the property.  Inside were many treasures - very old (horse-drawn) farming implements!

The first firing of the pizza oven.  If it works well we will put it on a more permanent base!

Cheryl, Mike and Mary (the art committee) took on the job of making improvements to a little pump house on the property.  They washed it, added some decorative fascia, and plan to paint it and add some art in the window.  Look for the before-and-after views in a later blog!

Cheryl preparing fascia boards and Mike cutting soffit.