Summit Valley Farm Natural Wellness

06/15/2026

From field to jar! 🍓 Yesterday’s strawberry haul was a massive success, but the real work started once I got home. Here’s how I’m preserving every bit of that summer sweetness.

First, I didn't let those tops go to waste! I popped them into a jar with a blend of apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. In a few weeks, I’ll have the perfect strawberry-infused base for homemade vinaigrettes.

For the berries themselves, I went for a versatile sauce that tastes like sunshine in a jar:

Puree: Blended the fresh berries until smooth.

Simmer: Moved them to a pan over medium heat with a splash of lemon juice and a scoop of vanilla sugar.

Boil: Brought it to a soft boil to thicken and meld those flavors.

Preserve: Processed the jars in a water bath canner so they're shelf-stable!

What are my plans for this?

Swirled into maple syrup for waffles and pancakes, mixed into morning yogurt or smoothies, and last but not least stirred into lemonade for a pink summer twist!!!!

There is nothing better than opening a jar of strawberry season in the middle of the year! 🍓

05/15/2026

These two hummingbirds were super cute, hanging out and living life. 🙌

04/26/2026

'tis the season...hands-in-the-dirt season! I am getting started by grabbing some herbs for the inside.

To start I got sage, peppermint, basil, strawberry mint and chocolate mint! Mints of all kinds make good starter herbs for the kitchen. They are easy to grow and you can easily add them to drinks, dinners and desserts!

I hope you are having fun adding plants to your kitchen this spring!

04/13/2026

What a pretty loaf! Added some Everything But The Bagel seasoning on top and it smells amazing! I am also happy I got this extra large loaf pan. Nothing better than more bread. 😊

03/20/2026

The big boil begins!

03/13/2026

Prepping for my next sourdough loaf! 🍀🍻

02/22/2026

Chicks!

Madi, as usual, is in awe and just does not know what to do with herself.
🐶 🐥

There are 14 little ones, so we may just need help coming up with14 names!! Put your ideas in the comments!

02/20/2026

Freeze dried chili!

I made a very large batch of chili with beans, tomatoes, ground beef and turkey, seasoning and chilis and it is amazing. I poured it onto the 5 trays and freeze dried it all. A day and a half later I had 2 extra large mason jars filled with dried chili for us to eat in the near future and put the rest in mylar bags to be stored for up to 25 years! We got 4 large bags!

Rehydrating this is super easy, I added some chunks of the dry chili into a pot and kept adding water until it was the consistency I wanted and heated it up! It was amazing! It's so nice to have this handy for days cooking is not in the cards. 🙌

I know what's in my food and that is important!

02/16/2026

Perfect timing! I just opened my last maple syrup jar from 2025 harvest. But of course, thankfully, it's already time to start this year's collection of sap! Absolutely nothing beats our own maple syrup!

02/12/2026

This was such an amazing journey to watch over the last so many months. I will miss the updates about Aloka the peace dog, for sure! There was a wonderful live meditation tonight after reaching their destination in DC. I hope you all were able to catch some of their journey!

📌 Update for Day 110 (2/12/2026): Peace Gathering in Maryland & Journey Home to Fort Worth, Texas

Tomorrow, our Walk for Peace continues in Maryland for one final Peace Gathering before we begin our journey home to Fort Worth, Texas. After 110 days and 2,300 miles across ten states, we will gather one last time on the East Coast at the Maryland State Capitol to celebrate peace together. Then, we turn homeward—carrying with us every blessing, every smile, every moment of love we have received along this journey.

📌 Itinerary for Day 110:
- 9:00 AM: Walk to Maryland State Capitol begins from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
* 550 Taylor Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401
* Starting Point: Gate 6 on Taylor Ave

- 10:00 AM: Peace Gathering at the steps of the Maryland State Capitol
*100 State Cir, Annapolis, MD 21401

- 12:30 PM: Departure by bus for Fort Worth, TX

- Night Stop: Legacy Church, 2150 W Ridge Rd, Wytheville, VA 24382
(Note: No visitation due to late arrival, but we will have a Peace Gathering at this location at 7:00 AM on Day 111 - 2/13/2026)

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has walked with us, welcomed us, and believed in this mission. Thank you to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Maryland State Capitol, and Legacy Church for their generous hospitality and support.

We warmly invite everyone to join us tomorrow morning for this final East Coast gathering. Your presence would be a beautiful blessing as we begin our journey home.

📍 Please check the Live Map (the link is pinned at the top of our page) to track our route and see near-live locations throughout our journey. Please continue to follow along, as the Live Map will still show our path home as we travel back to Fort Worth.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace. 🙏✨