Mockingbird Mill Farm

06/26/2025

“Teach the children. We don’t matter so much, but the children do. Show them daisies and the pale hepatica. Teach them the taste of sassafras and wintergreen. The lives of the blue sailors, mallow, sunbursts, the moccasin-flowers. And the frisky ones–inkberry, lamb’s-quarters, blueberries. And the aromatic ones–rosemary, oregano. Give them peppermint to put in their pockets as they go to school. Give them the fields and the woods and the possibility of the world salvaged from the lords of profit. Stand them in the stream, head them upstream, rejoice as they learn to love this green space they live in, its sticks and leaves and then the silent, beautiful blossoms. Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
- Mary Oliver
Artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein

01/03/2025

Over the last few months, there has been so many hours spent digging through our genealogy, gathering documents and writing our families history down. We are so happy that it has paid off and we are now able to be recognized as a 7th and 8th generation Pioneer Century Farm! We are honored to be a part of this program through Tennessee Century Farms Program and excited to see what our future holds!

10/26/2024

Today is a great at day to start on some Christmas shopping! We are set up today from 9-1 at Mt. Pleasant UMC, Greeneville for the annual craft and gift bazaar with gourd birdhouses and matted photos for sale today. So come on over and check out it out.

08/12/2024

The harvest rush is on…

07/10/2024

For over 200 years, the dirt on this farm has sifted
through our families hands and we’re proud to be the sixth and seventh generation working this land. Over the last few years, we have worked to shift the farm from animals to produce and while it has been hard work, we are starting to finally reap the benefits.

08/15/2023

07/27/2023

Why we leave our leaf piles, because tis’ the place that fireflies, moths, butterflies and their other insect friends overwinter. Without these safe winter homes, there are no fireflies lighting summer night.

🎼I'm gonna let 'em shine 🪳 🧚‍♀️

07/02/2023

Lavender wands ~ History hands down valuable garden crafts like weaving lavender wands. Stems encase the fragrant flowers like green woven basket, to create artful wands that can ornament closets and drawers, while perfuming clothes, lingerie and bedding. Science reinforces what our ancestors already understood - that lavender's calming perfume, also keeps moths and bedbugs at bay.
As your skills grow, wand making becomes a fragrant meditation, and aromatherapy for the weaver. It's a great craft to share with kids...and of course there is a little magic in every wand.😉

To make your own lavender wand, gather the longest stems of fresh lavender. Secure an odd number of stems tightly (19 or 21 work well) just below the flower heads with fine ribbon and bend the stems back over the flowers like a cage. Use the same ribbon ends to weave back through in opposite directions (in order to leave flowers exposed in a checkerboard pattern): over and under, over and under, until the flowers are encased and you can use the remainder of the ribbon to fashion the handle of the wand.

05/14/2023

"My Mother Kept a Garden"
My mother kept a garden
A garden of the heart
She planted all the good things
That gave my life its start
She turned me to the sunshine
And encouraged me to dream
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem
And when the winds and rain came
She protected me enough
But not too much because she knew
I’d need to stand up strong and tough
Her constant good example
Always taught me right from wrong
Markers for my pathway
That will last a lifetime long
I am my mother’s garden
I am her legacy
And I hope today she feels the love
Reflected back from me.

(author unknown)
Artist Pamela Zagarenski

03/22/2023

Another Tidbit Tuesday post 🌻