Welcome to Sanctuary Ridge Farm! We offer seasonal U-Pick events at our beautiful farm overlooking the Cumberland Mountains in East Tennessee. Come pick flowers to your hearts content! A variety of Zinnias are blooming in the field by our hand-crafted greenhouse where you can pose for some wonderful family photos. Feel free to bring a photographer along at no additional charge. Private sessions are available during our off hours, just contact me via email farmatsanctuaryridge@gmail.com for more details. Purchase a container that you get to keep, and fill it full for $10. Bring your container back anytime and do refills for $9 all season long. Event dates and links for pre payment are posted below. We do accept cash, Venmo, and cards onsite. Local honey, jams, and homemade breads are available at our shop!
16
August2023
U-Pick Zinnia EventCome pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers on our farm! We provide a cup and the equipment to cut your flowers. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view. Bring your own photographer for some lovely family photos. Cost is $5 per vehicle & $10 per bouquet. Purchase parking via the link or in person. We accept cash, Venmo, and cards. Please remember this is an outdoor event where insects and wildlife might be encountered! https://square.link/u/JVIWnVNC
1pm-7pm1917 Armstrong Ferry Rd Decatur, TN 37322
17
August2023
U-Pick Zinnia EventCome pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers on our farm! We provide a cup and the equipment to cut your flowers. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view. Bring your own photographer for some lovely family photos. Cost is $5 per vehicle & $10 per bouquet. Purchase parking via the link or in person. We accept cash, Venmo, and cards. Please remember this is an outdoor event where insects and wildlife might be encountered! https://square.link/u/JVIWnVNC
1pm-7pm1917 Armstrong Ferry Rd Decatur, TN 37322
18
August2023
U-Pick Zinnia EventCome pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers on our farm! We provide a cup and the equipment to cut your flowers. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view. Bring your own photographer for some lovely family photos. Cost is $5 per vehicle & $10 per bouquet. Purchase parking via the link or in person. We accept cash, Venmo, and cards. Please remember this is an outdoor event where insects and wildlife might be encountered! https://square.link/u/JVIWnVNC
1pm-7pm1917 Armstrong Ferry Rd Decatur, TN 37322
19
August2023
U-Pick Zinnia EventCome pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers on our farm! We provide a cup and the equipment to cut your flowers. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view. Bring your own photographer for some lovely family photos. Cost is $5 per vehicle & $10 per bouquet. Purchase parking via the link or in person. We accept cash, Venmo, and cards. Please remember this is an outdoor event where insects and wildlife might be encountered! https://square.link/u/JVIWnVNC
9am-7pm1917 Armstrong Ferry Rd Decatur, TN 37322
2
September2023
U-Pick Zinnia EventCome pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers on our farm! We provide a cup and the equipment to cut your flowers. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view. Bring your own photographer for some lovely family photos. Cost is $5 per vehicle & $10 per bouquet. Purchase parking via the link or in person. We accept cash, Venmo, and cards. Please remember this is an outdoor event where insects and wildlife might be encountered! https://square.link/u/JVIWnVNC
Biscotti is the perfect snack paired with a delicious afternoon cup of coffee or tea! It’s not a cookie, a biscuit or a scone, so what exactly is a biscotti? A slightly sweet, crunchy slice of goodness! And who knew they are soooo easy to make at home? I first made these almost twenty years ago. Since then, I have tried creating several different variations. I hope you enjoy making these at home! Without further ado, here is the recipe:
Biscotti
Monica Scott
Biscotti that you can make your own way with cranberries, almonds, pecans, chocolate chips, or anything your heart desires!
Combine oil, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. Beat until combined. Slowly add four 1/2 cup at a time, adding 1 TBSP Baking Powder with the last 1/4 cup of flour. Mix until dough is formed. *You can add cranberries, orange zest, chocolate chips, almond slivers, pecans, ect. to add your favorite flavors to the biscotti!
Shape dough into 2 equal sized loaves on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice loaves into 1 inch slices. Turn the slices onto their sides and bake an additional 10 minutes. Cool completely. Enjoy!
I usually make breakfast for dinner once a week. I rarely make a big breakfast FOR breakfast, but I love to host a big Brunch a couple of times a year. Many years ago, I saved a recipe from a coupon magazine for this delicious Banana Bread French Toast. The first time I made it I knew it would be a staple in my recipe collection. With layers of delicious flavor, this one is a winner in my book!
Back in November, I hosted the first Brunch in almost two years and decided this would be the centerpiece of the menu. One really great thing about this recipe is that you SHOULD make the bread a couple of days ahead of time. This actually makes it taste better. The Banana Bread recipe is not one that is good by itself. It is perfect for the right texture and flavors for the French toast though!
The Caramel Rum Sauce and candied pecans can also be prepared days in advance.
I find myself using these all the time now for side salads, soups and other side dishes. They are the perfect size!
I buttered these little baking dishes and then layered the custard dipped slices of Banana Bread in the Ramekin until they were almost full, leaving enough room for some sliced bananas and candied pecans to garnish each dish. I filled a baking sheet with the prepared ramekins and baked just before my guests were to arrive.
Preheat Oven To 350 Degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, sugar, vegetable oil and mashed bananas until smooth and creamy. Slowly add 1 Cup Plain Flour and mix well. Finish mixing in 1 Cup Self Rising Flour and 3/4 tsp Baking Powder.
Pour mixture into lightly greased loaf pans and bake for approximately 1 hour. Allow to completely cool before removing from pan.
Refrigerate for 2 hours minimum before slicing for French Toast.
Custard
Combine all ingredients until mixed well. Refrigerate until ready to make French Toast.
Caramel Rum Sauce
In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat sugar on medium high heat until sugar begins to melt. Continuously stir the sugar until it is melted and turns to a dark amber color. Slowly add the slices of butter, whisking until butter is melted. Very Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking until smooth. Be Careful to not add the cream too fast! It will steam burn your hands and cause the sugar to ball up. Whisk constantly and add the rum. Allow to cool before serving. Refrigerate to store.
Preparing French Toast
Slice the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices. Soak each side in the French Toast Custard. Cook each side of soaked Banana Bread on 375 degree buttered griddle until each side is browned. Top with Rum Caramel sauce, fresh sliced bananas, and chopped pecans.
*OPTIONAL BAKING METHOD: Slice the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices. Cut the slices in half. Dip each half slice and place in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Rum Caramel sauce, fresh sliced bananas, and chopped pecans.
Keyword Banana Bread, Caramel Rum Sauce, French Toast, sanctuary ridge family recipe,, Toasted cinnamon Pecans
Family and Friends
I love hosting these special times with family and friends! What are some of your favorite brunch recipes? I’d love to hear from you, just leave a comment below!
Every farm needs a farm dog! I’ve researched many livestock guardian breeds from Anatolian Shepherds to Australian Shepherds and everything in between. Since we have confirmed coyotes on our property, I felt it was time to add our own farm dog. I really liked what I read about the Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd mix for several reasons.
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs
These family friendly livestock guardians will protect everything on the farm with proper training! Even the family cat will find a friend in this fierce protector. This breed can reach 29” tall and weigh up to 150 pounds.
The Great Pyrenees dog is a familiar breed in our area- almost every farm around has a Great Pyrenees. One draw back to this breed is that they wander. This dog will literally learn to walk the borders of the property every morning and evening. Their “home” range can be up to 2 miles, so if your property is less than two miles, the dog is likely to roam into your neighbors property.
This breed is also a fierce protector of their livestock and farm family! One major difference between this breed and the Anatolian Shepherd is that Great Pyrenees are very affectionate dogs.
I am a fan of mixed-breed dogs. One benefit is that usually you get the best of both breeds. When researching these two dog breeds, I found multiple farmers commenting that when these two particular livestock guardian dogs are bred, the result is less roaming and a friendlier pup.
For this reason, I decided to add a Great Pyrenees/ Anatolian Shepherd mix dog to our farm.
Meet “Crew”
We picked Crew up about two hours from our farm. He was already living with Goats, Cows, and chickens so I’m hoping he will do really well with all of our animals. So far, he is a normal, playful pup but he also seems to understand when the chickens, cats or goats have had enough of his playing one antics.
As the main caretaker of all our animals, I have to make sure Crew is being trained by me as well. With such a large breed dog, it is vitally important that he learn commands to sit, stay, come, ect. So that if he gets out of hand I can regain control. This is a whole new learning experience for me since we have two dogs inside that I have spoiled rotten. Leaving the pup outside in the barn at night made me feel guilty at first, but it is necessary for him to bond with his herd so he is compelled to protect them.
Although these pups are irresistibly fluffy and affectionate, they absolutely NEED to be outside. They were bred for a reason, for a purpose and they need a job or they will absolutely be a menace. This is why you rarely see them as only a pet.
“Crew” has been part of our farm family for almost four weeks now and he’s already grown so much! He is going to be a BIG boy! He has bonded with all of us, including our other dogs and all the animals on the farm. Even the cats like Crew and tolerate his playful pawing at them.
Crew loves attention more than anything. He grunts happily and leans against you for extra attention. When I’m out working, he follows me everywhere and interacts with the other animals as I go about the daily chores of feeding, ect. We are excited to see how he progresses in his training since he already knows the commands for sit, stay and come.
Playtime!Sleeping on the job, sitting pretty and playtime!
A Huge Commitment
As you can see, I spent a lot of time researching and planning this new addition to our farm. I even picked the “perfect time”, when I would be home over Christmas break, so that I could devote as much time as possible to training this sweet puppy. That’s why it was so hard for me to admit that this was a Huge mistake. Ultimately, I am responsible for all of the animals here. Everyone is willing to help some when needed, but the bulk of the responsibility for these animals is on me.
The reality of how much I fell in love with this sweet puppy is not to be lost in the reality of knowing this was a mistake. Crew was so attached to me, he followed me everywhere. But he was also a puppy in all the normal puppy mischief. That’s really not something I can deal with right now. I have so many commitments, I quickly realized that there was no way I could properly train Crew. This is a two year commitment with a livestock guardian dog, and I realized that I had to do something soon. In fact, admitting it and doing something about it was a very hard thing for me to do, but it ultimately led to Crew being adopted by a family who is familiar with farm dogs and their requirements. Thankfully, I had so many people interested in adopting him that I could carefully choose a family who had a large cattle farm, chickens and even small children to keep Crew busy. I cried when he left and I still miss him when I go out to do chores and he isn’t there. Crew’s new family have been so kind, sending me updates and even some video of Crew playing with their one year old daughter.
This sweet boy will always have a place in my heart…
A true southern delight, a flaky, buttery biscuit can be a challenge to perfect! After several attempts at making biscuits in my early twenties, I gave in to the idea that I just couldn’t make biscuits. It’s true! I have bought frozen and canned biscuits my entire life. It’s really ridiculous to me now that I can actually make them from scratch.
Last year my dad began searching for a perfect biscuit recipe. I’m not sure how many recipes he tried, but he made them with shortening and sometimes with butter. He tweaked the recipe, combining butter And shortening to make a perfectly flaky, buttery, high rise biscuit.
Biscuit cutter!I bake my biscuits in a cast iron skillet!YUMMY!
So, if you are like me and have struggled to make fantastic biscuits, you really need to give these a try! I can whip up a batch of these, bake them and have it all cleaned up in under thirty minutes! Want to add extra flaky layers? Just pat the dough out to 1/4 inch and fold it over 2 times before cutting the biscuits. Make sure you bake them close together too because this actually helps them rise UP instead of OUT. Cookies need space between them, but biscuits don’t!
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! This recipe has become a staple in my kitchen over the past year. Actually, I think I’ll make some right now!
Dad’s Biscuit Recipe
The perfect, melt-in-your-mouth southern style biscuit!
Combine butter and shortening until creamy. Slowly add flour, salt and baking powder until a crumbly consistency. Next, add buttermilk just until combined in a fluffy dough.
Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Gently pat or roll the dough out to 2 inches thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Place biscuits in a large cast iron skillet. Biscuits need to be close together to rise nice and tall so don't leave much space in between them! Roll the remaining dough into a ball and repeat the process until all dough is cut into biscuits. I use a large and small cast iron skillet to bake my biscuits but you can use a 9×12 greased baking pan if you don't have cast iron.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with melted butter as soon as you remove them from the oven. Enjoy!
One day this beautiful Peacock showed up on our farm. When I first saw her, I thought she was just one of the wild turkeys who roam our hills. I was sure she wouldn’t stay. Surely she was just passing through. She really loved hanging out with our chickens, eating their food and sticking close to the flock all day. I kept waiting for her to go home but she decided to stay here.
I notified neighbors of the peacock, hoping to find her owners. Days went by with no one claiming this beautiful bird. I considered keeping her since her owners couldn’t be found. There is just one problem with that big, beautiful bird: She really loved roosting on Noah’s car- and coincidentally scratching it. These were not little hairline scratches, no, they were long deep scratches.
Every time I looked outside, she was roosting on Noah’s car. I’d grab a broom and run out to the driveway yelling and waving the broom in the air to “shoo” her off the car, but it was useless. As soon as I turned my back, she was back on the car again. With frustration building I began to hatch a plan to get the peacock off our property.
Hatching a Plan…
One day I caught the naughty peacock as she was grabbing a snack in the chicken run. I raced as fast as I could to the chicken run door, just barely beating her to a narrow escape. I’m sure it was a funny sight to see- me frantically running to the coop in the middle of the afternoon! With the bird finally trapped in the chicken run, I quickly snapped some pictures and posted her “FREE” on a local farm page. Within an hour, a very happy young man showed up to take her home with him!
I wish I had a video of him catching her! The 6 1/2 foot tall fella entered the chicken run, cornered the peacock and swiftly grabbed her by the feet. With feathers flying, he brought her out of the run. I helped him tie her feet together and he carefully laid her in the back seat of his car for the drive home. We chatted for a minute and realized that I had planned to buy some goats from him earlier in the spring. I had to cancel the appointment when Jamey was injured. The young man was so happy to get the pea-hen, he promised me a “good deal” on a couple of young goats after we returned from the July mission trip to Belize.
We drove out to his farm one Saturday, planning to purchase one bottle baby doeling. He showed us all around his farm full of goats, turkeys, and even a few beautiful alpacas. He offered me an older nanny goat and another bottle baby boy. I really didn’t want another boy, since you can only have one in-tact male. At the last minute, he gave me a deal I couldn’t resist. We left with a nanny goat “Martha”, a doeling “Gracie”, and a wether boy “Rusty”.
Martha and Rusty above, Gracie pictured below
So, that’s how we ended up with three more goats on the farm! You just can’t make this stuff up- farming truly is an adventure!
I am notorious for buying books and then never having time to read them. I’m sure none of you do that, but it is a thing that happens to me often. I love to read and have stacks of books that I WILL get to one day!
Many years ago, I headed up the children’s Christmas play at the church we attended. The first year I was the only person willing to do it but I enjoyed it so much that I ended up leading it for the next 2 years as well. It was a lot of work but it was so rewarding! I would begin searching in July for the perfect little Christmas program for the kids. It had to have a great theme, some humor and of course really great music. By August I had the program in hand and was listening to the music whenever I was in the car by myself so that I would know every word before I started working with the kids. The most difficult part of the entire project was always deciding who would play which role in the play. It was inevitable that some child was going to be hurt that they didn’t get the role they wanted. I dreaded the day of announcing the roles of the play.
Second Guessing
One year in particular, I had a very difficult time deciding which play to do. I ended up choosing a play that included a theme of “giving” for the kids involved. The plan was for them to collect shoes to donate to the homeless shelters in town. I prepared big boxes to place in the church foyer for the donations. The play incorporated a beautiful story about showing God’s love to others by meeting their basic needs. Even after I decided, I had doubts about whether I chose the right program for our kids. Maybe it was too serious? Here we were focusing on a topic most kids are oblivious to. It seemed that things were not going as I had planned and I really began to doubt myself.
I presented the play to the kids in late August that year. We listened to the CD in kids church together and then began the list of who was interested in which role in the play. By the end of October, we had assigned roles and started practicing each week. By the end of November, the kids had memorized most of their lines but something still just didn’t seem to click.
Long Lost Book
Around this time, I began decorating my home for Christmas- bringing out all the boxes of Christmas decorations and family momento’s of Christmas pasts. As I rummaged through one of the boxes, I came across a book that I had bought 7 years before to read with my kids through the Advent season. It was one of those books that I never even cracked open. I decided to sit down and read the first story in the book immediately.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul- Christmas Version”
All week I had been doubting the kids play at church: did I choose the wrong one??? The kids just weren’t even TRYING to learn the songs this year. Most of the kids knew the speaking parts but the songs just weren’t clicking for some reason.
But then, the first story I read in the book that night was about a man witnessing some local teenagers on a side walk in town. The teens were riding their skateboards on the sidewalk when they stopped to talk to a homeless man on the street. As the man watched, the teens began removing their shoes, letting a homeless man try on their sneakers. The boys then gave him the socks off their feet and the shoes that fit him best. On a cold night. The teen Left the place barefoot- riding a skateboard!
And our play that year was about meeting the basic needs of people to show God’s love by donating SHOES!!!
What a powerful confirmation that was for me. Seven years before, I had bought a book that God would use to quell my doubts. So I knew it would all be ok. I was doing what God wanted me to do. I sat, reading that story with tears streaming down my face. It IS the right play for the kids! I love God’s sense of humor! HE”S got this- I just need to do my part and leave the rest up to HIM!
When God Speaks
Sometimes when God speaks, it’s just a gentle reminder to calm our minds that want to question everything. That’s what I think of when I hear people talk about a “still, small voice”. It’s a confirmation that can come in so many different ways.
Psalms 29:4 (NIV)The voiceof the Lord is powerful; the voiceof the Lord is majestic.
Job 11:7 (NIV)“Can you fathom the mysteries ofGod? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
Colossians 1:10 (NIV)so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge ofGod,
My prayer for you today is that you will ask God to help you with those things you are worrying about. And then, keep your heart and mind open for that “still, small voice”, the voice of the One who loves you more than you can imagine!
Not too long after Rain and Kudzu came to the farm, I found a beautiful Buck. Since we hope to have baby goats next year, we need an intact male to breed with Rain. Our new boy “Fergus” is a registered 50/50 Nubian Boer mix. Boer goats are raised for meat and for show. They have good temperament and I just fell in love with him. He is a beautiful boy!
He was NOT happy about riding in the kennel on the way home.
Fergus Cried all the way Home!
Settling in with Rain and Kudzu
It didn’t take long for Fergus to fit right in with Rain and Kudzu. The three kids get along great! I am amazed at how they each have a different personality. Rain is very sweet. Kudzu is sweet and very goofy. Fergus is sweet and dramatic. The three are very close in age and size. It will be interesting to see how they change as they grow. I am hoping for some beautiful babies next spring!
Rut Season
As Fall approached, Fergus began getting more aggressive at feeding time. It’s only natural for goats to use their horns to push and even to play, but it’s very easy to get hurt if you are not very careful. After a couple of close calls, I researched the best way to deal with this new issue with my beloved Fergus. I was surprised to learn that goats go into a Rut Season, or a mating season in Fall. This affects the Bucks of the herd, making them aggressive and a little crazy. A quick spray with the water hose calmed him down, but I won’t be able to use that method year round. I ended up using a large stick to “herd” him when I am in the pen with him. This method works great for me.
Fergus, just like other male goats, became a stinky boy during Rut. It is common for the male to urinate on their head. For some reason, this is found attractive to the female goats. The males also make this goofy face when they find a female they like. The female can be a goat or a human. Madison and I can talk sweet to Fergus or scratch behind his ears and he will act all goofy for us both!
My family will eat lots of soup this fall! Soup is one of my favorite one dish meals. The versatility and variety of soups are endless. I love trying new soup recipes and one day I had Ten Vegetable Soup at Panera Bead Co. for lunch. I was so surprised at the brightness that the fresh slice of lemon added. It was a vegetable soup like I had never tasted before so I began experimenting with several recipes at home until I came up with one that is as close as I could get to the original. Since then, this has been on my Fall and Winter meal rotation. Sometimes I add a little venison stew meat and the boys seem to really love it that way. Add some delicious corn bread baked fresh in a cast iron skillet and I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Ten Vegetable Soup
Monica Scott
This soup is just delicious! So much flavor in this one!
1BoxUncooked Quinoa with seasoning packet (Roasted Bell Pepper and Basil)
1CupChopped Cabbage
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
In a large pot, sauté the onion and celery in olive oil over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic, mixed vegetables, corn, tomatoes, lemon zest, chili powder, rosemary, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, vegetable broth and Quinoa with seasoning packet. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring 3-4 times. Add Cabbage and cook an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with thinly sliced lemons.
Keyword Panera Copycat, sanctuary ridge family recipes, Ten Vegetable Soup, Vegetable Soup Recipe
Here in Tennessee, it is Apple Season! All the best apples are harvested in this season of cooler nights, and breezy, sunny days. Fall has arrived and it is time to cook everything Apple! I’ve already canned Apples, cooked Apples, Apple Butter and dried Apples. I even made Apple Spice Jelly with the peels and cores this year!
Our local orchard, Wooden’s Apple House, sells apples by the box and if you are lucky you might get a box of 2nd’s. These are the apples that may have a bruise, or be smaller than the ideal apple but they are a fraction of the cost. The box of 2nd’s are usually what I use to make Apple Butter and cooked apples.
ApplesCanned Cooked ApplesSpiced Apple JellyCanning Day!
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Today I want to introduce you to Apple Oatmeal Cookies. These cookies taste like Fall! They are so soft and chewy. In less than thirty minutes, you can have a warm, Apple Oatmeal Cookie to eat in your own kitchen. What are you waiting for?
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Monica Scott
Chewy, Apple Oatmeal cookie with cinnamon. A perfect way to welcome Fall!
