THE YEAR OF JUBILEE

As you may have learned, we sold our farm.  Never fear, we are not giving up on country life, we are simply relocating to a different plot of land closer to family.

The new farmhouse is not yet finished, therefore, we are renting a townhouse in a hip, urban neighborhood for the time being.

The Year of Jubilee

I keep feeling like this season of my life is a Jubilee.

What is Jubliee?

The Israelites farmed the land for seven “Sabbaths of years” (that is 7 groups of 7 years).  A total of 49 years.  On the 50th year, they rested.  The ground rested.  The Israelites rested.  They were instructed to eat of the increase from the fields and have a year of Jubilee.  No one was to sow or reap.

Leviticus 25:8–13

You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you; and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you. In it you shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself, nor gather from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field. In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 

I think it was a celebration AND a year of rest.  Not only did the farmers and the land rest, but it was also a time when families returned to homelands and people returned to families.

There are so many parallels happening in our world that coincide with the picture of Jubilee.  DH and I have both been on the planet for 50 years (I’ll be celebrating my 50th next year).  We are returning to our family. And we are in between farms with nothing to do but reflect and dream.    I can’t help but feel like DH and I are having our own personal year of rest.

As I hunker down on this reality of stillness, I am amazed at how nice rest is and how much I needed it.

DO YOU REST?

Due to our move, this year of rest has been kinda forced on us.  All of our animals are displaced to friend’s farms.

We went from a 23-acre farm to a 3-foot front yard – literally.

There is no garden or landscape to keep my hands busy.  Renting a townhouse has its perks, there is zero yard work or home improvements.

Everyone and everything needs rest

Thankfully, Kentucky living provides it’s own periods of rest thanks to the seasons.

It’s called winter, y’all.

In my area with a greenhouse, one can garden year-round.

I have never had a greenhouse on my farm. This is not because of a lack of ‘wanting.’  It is intentional restraint.  If I had a greenhouse, I don’t’ think I would ever stop.

Did you know that ground NEEDS rest too?

God said it first.  In addition to the year of jubilee (the 50th year) the Jews also observed another Sabbath every 7 years:

In Exodus, God instructs: “For six years you are to sow your land and to gather in its produce, but in the seventh, you are to let it go.” (25:10)

Every garden expert I’ve studied agrees with God.  Most self-sufficient books, websites, and Master Gardening classes concur that ground needs rest.  Every crop rotation I have seen includes a year of rest.

Ground can not be planted year after year and expected to reap a nice harvest.  Just like us, it needs time to rest and restore.

GUILT FREE Free-TIME

Garden Guilt – the struggle is real, friends.

For years I spent days either working in my garden or feeling guilty for not working in it.

Am I the only one?

There is always something to do –

• the diatomaceous earth needs to be applied
• the weeds need to be pulled
• the paths need to be mulched
• the squash bugs need to be murdered
• the tomatoes need to be caged
• the beet seeds need to be planted
• the squash needs to be harvested
• the pepper plants need to be tied up
• the weeds need to be pulled- again
• the squash needs to be harvested again (bloody hell)
• and apply the diatomaceous earth again because it rained
• and the squash bugs had babies – so go kill them

It never ends.

And I don’t know about you, but it can be hard not to feel like a failure if you aren’t out there fighting the good fight every day.

If you are struggling with garden guilt… setting a schedule can help.

Weeding Wednesdays

Pick one day and deal with weeds then.  The rest of the week you can take weeding off your mind.

FUN FACT: You don’t need to pull weeds if you don’t want.  Simply cover them with a thick layer of mulch (wood chips, pine needles, newspapers, cardboard, grass clippings, leaves, etc).  Without sunlight, weeds will die and seeds can not germinate.

Harvesting Saturdays

Pick another day to go out and harvest your bounty.

The rest of the week, wish your plants well and tell them they are on their own.

This sort of schedule can help relieve the guilt.  Your garden will be properly tended weekly and you will not feel a constant tug to get out there.

If you want to go out to the garden more often because you enjoy it – Go For It!  Just don’t feel guilty if you want to lay on the back porch and drink a mojito.

FAMILY

I think it is interesting that during the Jubilee year, the Israelites were not just taking a break from the busyness of life, they were reconnecting with family.

This year DH and I are moving BACK to our family.  We had a blast living in the country.  I would do it all again, but that season is over and a new day is beginning.

God always required that his people stop and remember.  He commanded that they take time off of work and celebrate the feasts.

I love this!  I love that we have a God who wants us to stop the craziness of life from time to time in order to reflect (on what He has done), remember (how blessed we are), enjoy (the food, wine, and people we love).

Be sure to stop, look around, and be grateful.

It is biblical, y’all.

THE COMMUNITY GARDEN

For just a minute, I thought I may be able to grow a couple of tomatoes this year.  I was pretty jazzed to learn that there is a community garden down the street from our townhouse.

After talking to some locals I found out that every spot is taken and there is a waiting list.

This simply confirmed that this is our year of Jubilee.  After growing nearly all of our food for the past umpteen years, and raising dozens of animals, this is a huge exhale.

• No milking.
• No gardening.
• No mowing.
• No weeding.
• No canning.
• No planting.
• No shearing.
• No harvesting.
• No mending.
• No watering.

When I look at this list I am kinda sad, because some of my favorite things are on it.

I crave these things; at the same time, I have been given a break from them.

I am already dreaming of what the garden will look like at our next farm.

XO,

Candi