Fall is coming...

Right here at Maple Valley... This taken right here fall 2009... Come to the farm for your very own color tour, horse drawn of course!
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Watchin' Poppa

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More 3rd cut baliing

LIVE from Maple Valley farm TV! Ha!
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Maple Valley off-grid Farm

August 30, 2010
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3rd cut baling...

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Balin' 3rd cut!

On a very warm day...
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No one wanted their picture taken

On 3rd cut baling...
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On the menu at Latitudes Road House in Howard City, Michigan

Only 7 miles from our farm, Latitudes serves our grass-fed beef and more! Pictured here: grass fed beef tenderloin! Delish!
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More of butchering!

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makin' pesto

From der shoppe garden!
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All ages participate

In all walks of life on our farm and they are happy to oblige! Even on butchering day :)
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Farm Dinner today

All fresh picked this AM! Heirloom tomato soup, homemade bread with "ripe" homemade butter... Fresh made pesto with Maple Valley Farm's cheese on another heirloom tomato and fresh well water ;)!
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The boiling broth...

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The making of the best stock!

With chicken feet!
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Chicken butcher day

All 8 of us, all day! A family affair! Lot's of fun and good food (not chicken today!
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Fall is in the air at Maple Valley Farms!

Book your stay this September and October for some wonderful West Michigan color all from a horse drawn hay wagon!
www.maplevalleyoffgridcottage.blogspot.com
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Fall is in the air at Maple Valley Farms!

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Fall is in the air at Maple Valley Farms!

Scenes from last year here at the farm...
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Soap recipe questions

You can go to www.wzzm13.com under the Take Five Morning Show and do a search on it and the recipe should be there :) by the link

-Ang
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Today's soap episode...

you can watch today's soap making

here

or

Take 5

And...... Action
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it all went swell except for thanking those who helped me with the easy soap recipe like my dear friend Farm Girl Cyn! Check out her blog for some more easy peasy recipes (her words) :) I know she too had the recipe passed along but from where I cannot recall :) maybe she can fill you in :)

Gearing up!

20 minutes to count down!
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See Maple Valley off-grid Farm LIVE

Tomorrow morning and Thursday morning (taped) at 9 am on the Take Five Morning show

www.wzzm13.com

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A wonderful day!

We were invited today to a wonderful family baptism today at the home of the "G" family (www.shelookethwell.blogspot.com).

Wonderful food and fellowship with like minded believers!

Here is from l to r some blogger friends:
www. reganfamfarm.blogspot.com, www.cindy50.blogspot.com,
me ;) and www.shelookethwell.blogspot.com

Thank you for inviting our family!
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Fun stuff!

In the next week or two we have some family fun to post here!

You will not want to miss it so stay tuned in, no pun intended...

-Homemakerang and fam
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Reflections...

Feeling it...
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fall 2009 at Maple Valley Farms
Remember we are celebrating here...?

Here is an oldy but goody! Laundry just never goes away, does it? this was an original post from 2008!

Hope you are having a great day...


There are many exciting things on the plater (literally) here in the next two weeks! Stay tuned, no pun intended...


Homemakerang and fam

she cautiously looks...

Betty has become a true family friend... As fall approaches we are seeing her a little less frequently as she returns more to the wild...

Maple Valley Farms

Beef tongue and ox tail tacos!
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That NY strip...

Going, going GONE by the Gentle Giant!
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Maple Valley Farms

Grass fed NY strip at rockwells/republic tonight!
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Smoked eye-of-round

From Maple Valley Farms Grass fed BEEF @ www.republicgrandrapids.com we are here... Dining on our own grown beef...
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Quail eggs again...

You just might be seeing these on a local menu in GR...
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The first of many

Quail eggs...
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Unloadin'

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Loadin' cattle

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We are watching you...

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The weather

Is cooling...
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remembering the journey to now at Maple Valley off-grid Farms

The off-grid farmhouse kitchen...

In the spirit of celebrating, here is a neat post on looking back almost 2 years ago now

read it here and see the transformation begin... and this is a neat post too... and last but not least, The Great Him before the move!

Reflections... won't you join us?

"Oh love of GOD!

How rich and pure,

How measureless and strong.

It shall forevermore endure,

The saints and angels song."~ F.M. Lehman

Could it be that it is already just shy of 2 years (October 14, 2009) that our family has followed this God led journey to the country, to the land and to Him?

Some days the time seems to just fly… That seems to be during our successes and the “fun” times (hay rides, cottage guests, farm classes and family time)… Then on other days life can drag on and on, during the hard times, during the failures… (off-grid pregnancy, loosing horses, extreme heat , LONG MICHIGAN WINTERS and much more just to deep to share here).

One thing stays the same, during any of these times God has never turned away from us or has been closer to us. Just today we asked the children during our family devotion time, “Do you pray more here on the farm or at our last house”?... All of them replied they prayed more here at the farm… we asked them why and they all came to the conclusion that “we need God more here” and “we have seen Him provide for us”…

We have become so close to the Lord here, waiting on bated breath at times to see what to do next. Praying on our knees for his protection and learning to really LOVE spending time with Him during family worship and more.

I am not saying you have to live on a farm or live off-grid to find the Lord. For our family though this has seemed to really draw us closer in to God… Draw us closer to what seems to be important and to see life through much different eyes than most people.

We never take for granted being here in our life situation…. We know there are many that want to be here, where we are. I still find it amazing that you can live so simply and in the old ways even in this great technological age! The funny thing about this is that it takes a quite a while to get here… But, tomorrow we could have a "typical American" life back to some degree?. That doesn't seem to make much sense…

When people harass us for being here I just stop and think that I could be like them "tomorrow"but it took us a while to get here and I am again so thankful that we have had this opportunity of a life time! I actually feel sorrow for them as I know deep down they are very unhappy...

We have gotten to drive buggies 25 miles to and from church, deliver calves by hand, hay in the pitch dark into the wee hours of the morning with the stars over our heads as night lights… Learn many lost arts of days gone by and more… We have had the privilege to meet so many different people from all walks of life that have come to visit us at the farm. We have communed with a wonderful group of people that live as in ages of old and more and have continued some of these wonderful friendships still to this very day. We have seen “the other side” of situations and realize their truths. I have learned so much about myself living in the dark and being plain for a good part of an entire year. Our children have had so many incredible experiences living here on this farm and opportunities that are just too private and precious to share here with you all. Experiences of a life time! We would not trade this last 2 years for anything...

Through it all God has taken care of us and we still know that God wants us right here… right here farmin’ and workin’ outside on the land He has given us. Did you know even we have huge dreams of farming more land and more and continuing on! When dreams and visions die, I believe people spiritually die as well… Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. ~ Psalm 37:4,5 and Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish”… Thank you God for having us here...

Will you join me in remembering up to our 2-year anniversary of our journey of living off-grid up until October 14, 2010 with posts on looking back on our experience? Will you join me for a contest for some fun up until that time? Will you join me in leaving and comment on what you would like to see here or a class you would like to have at the farm? Would you please allow me to thank YOU, yes YOU personally from the bottom of our hearts for reading this blog and cheering us on? THANK YOU ALL!

Will you celebrate with us for the faithfulness God has given us this past 2 years and for providing for all our needs according to his riches? Let’s celebrate together shall we?

~The Matts

2 cool videos on our take on the move 2 years ago:

The Gentle Giant's Take

Homemakerang's Take

I love being a farmer's wife...

2 years ago he was a lead account manager for an IT business for over 20 years... Now he drives horses and more! We have loved learning together all these farm things. There is quite an art to backing up horses, especially when you are new to all of this stuff! Check it out!

She is growing to fast!

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Putting things in better perspective...

At the end of the day this is always a good thing to do...
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I always was fond of my german heritage... Here is a gorgeous German Striped heirloom tomato with a beautiful nastursium flower, "empress"... A spicy edible delight!
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Farm fresh cheese

Right from our own herd!
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Maple Valley off-grid Farm Brushetta

Heirloom fresh, right from our gardens! Nastursium flowers, summer squash, tomatoes: cherokee purples, yellow brandywine, nepals, german and great whites... Now add Basil, MVF musak garlic with olive oil and our very own homemade raw cheese!
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Two dears...

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It's 5 o'clock

At Maple Valley Farms with the chefs and the Gentle Giant...
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Haulin' tree!

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It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

Maple Valley off-grid Farms Tuesday CSA pick ups and produce stand!
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Local MICHIGAN peaches!

LOW SPRAY firsts local harmony cling free peaches! order for SAT AM 8-14 pick up $13.50 1/2 bushel! call the farm 616-566-8481
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I've always been a heritage girl!

Heirlooms: Valencia, German and Cherokee Purple organic tomatoes! With farm fresh eggs and more...
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