Top 10 Gifts For A Farm Lovin' Mama
A homesteading Mama ain't your typical Mama. Instead of diamonds and pearls, most of us have our mind focused on seasonal produce, bountiful garden baskets, and the latest electric fence tester. Hence this top 10 gifts for a farm lovin' mama.
I know. I know. It's a pretty romantic life.
I've been secretly stashing away fun gift ideas for Mother's Day and Father's Day, both of which are right around the corner. And since I'm a homesteader, and a Mama thrice over, I feel extremely qualified to bring you my Top 10 Gift List for A Farm Lovin' Mama's Mothers Day.
You know, ahem, just in case someone (Stuart) decides to read this (read this Stuart!) and purchase any of the suggested items (buy them Stuart!) as a surprise for me on Mother's day (do it, Stu!). I am, after all, his baby Mama.
Top 10 Gifts For A Farm Lovin' Mama
1. A homemade breakfast.
Does that count as a gift? I think so.
Life on the farm, at least on our farm, includes a large daily breakfast prepared by yours truly. Oatmeal, eggs, bacon, fresh bread, biscuits, fruit, fritattas - the works. Every day. It's how we fuel our bodies for the work ahead! A homemade breakfast is, in my opinion, one of the simplest and kindest ways to show your appreciation for the lady who so often sets that warm plate in front of your sleepy face. And, let's face it, nothing says I LOVE YOU like bacon.
HERE ARE some delicious recipes that you can check out for inspiration.
2. A new pair of gardening gloves.
No one likes to squish cabbage worms with their bare hands. NO ONE.
Your farmin' Mama will most likely spend the next three to four months pouring over her vegetable garden - weeding, planting, tending, harvesting, preserving. Pamper the 'ol work horses that she so relies on - her hands! I use these gloves and absolutely love them. They don't get all hot and sweat inside and they fit... wait for it... like a glove! Their not clunky like a lot of gardening gloves out there. It's like your working with your bare hands which is a huge bonus.
3. Fresh flowers.
For free. Or for purchase.
It just so happens that Mother's Day coincides with the blooming of my favorite flower - the lilac. When I worked as a florist, I always looked forward to this delicious smelling time of year. Fresh flowers brighten up a house in a way that is only matched by a sparkling kitchen and vacuum lines in the carpet. I try and keep a vase on hand always - primarily wildflowers plucked right from the hillside. When Georgia brings me a sweaty handful of grasses and weeds from the pasture, my heart melts. It doesn't have to be fancy. It does need to be thoughtful.
If traditional flowers are more your thing, check out this wonderful line of organic flowers which you can easily order online. So beautiful!
Or (this would be fun too!) order a wonderful flowering bush to plant on the farm! Fresh flowers for years to come. Which reminds me - I need to plant approximately 1,492 lilac bushes. Pronto.
4. BOGS.
And then, order a pair for yourself too.
If I could only have one homesteading "tool" in the entire world, it would probably be a good pair of BOGS. These are like no other farm work boots I've ever worn. They're so comfortable, like house shoes. They're incredibly resilient. Warm when they need to be warm. Cool when they need to be cool. I've been wearing mine every single day for the past two and a half years and though they look a little rough, they're still perfect. A new pair of easily slipped on BOGS garden clogs is on my Mother's Day list for the dozens of quick-trips-to-the-garden I take during the summer.
Every farm girl in the world should have a pair of BOGS. That is my mission.
5. Essential Oils.
You know us farmers tend to be down to earth.
And what a better way to celebrate that than with essential oils that can be used on the animals, around the house in cleaning products, diffused in the air to purify and freshen, and even rubbed on as perfume. I can't imagine our homestead without essential oils - they're a huge part of how life functions on the farm! From teat sprays to bubble baths to wounds, they're utilized for just about everything.
We only use the best essential oils here (after all, we value our health and our animal's health greatly!) which is why we stick to this brand of oils. You can read more about purchasing them HERE.
6. From Scratch. Or Family Table. Or Welcome to the Farm.
What kind of author would I be if I didn't suggest that you purchase my cookbook From Scratch or perhaps my cookbook Family Table, or hey, why not make it a trio and get Welcome to the Farm, too? They are such a fantastic gift for Mother's Day - the cookbooks are full of from-scratch, whole food recipes that are easy and don't take too much time to prepare (and Welcome to the Farm is loaded with how-to wisdom for homesteading). Us homesteaders love cookbooks and homesteading books.
Mama will love it. I promise.
Hear me out, now.
I know it seems a bit weird, but on the farm, you'll use a pocket knife approximately 58 times per day. Whether it's opening a bale of hay, cutting produce in the garden, or chasing off bugs, there's always a use for one! I constantly carry one in my apron pocket. Just because Mama is a girl doesn't mean she shouldn't have a knife. After all, she's out there with the best of 'em putting in her hard work on the farm. And a good knife is what you need 99% of the time. The other 1% is more coffee. HERE'S THE ONE I'm lusting after.
8. A new, clean, stainless steel bucket.
You know that farm Mama - she's always hauling slop to the pigs, milk from the barn, or feed to the chickens. And even though she's got a stash of approximately 19 buckets sitting on the porch at all times, it's hard to beat a new stainless steel milk pail. She'll be able to see her smiling reflection in it for at least 36 hours before it's dented and destroyed. Let her savor those few minutes of feeling like her life is in order and doesn't revolve around weather and manure. Please and thank you.
Preservation season is right around the corner, and most likely, the farm Mama in your life has been utilizing the same canning supplies since approximately 1962. I inherited my grandfathers, which I'm pretty sure were made 102 years ago. Their rusty and in need of some repair. Truthfully, part of my canner is held together with an old, metal coat hanger. Hence the reason a few new canning supplies are on my list! There's an array of canning supplies, but here are the basics:
- Reusuable canning lids (oh how I dream of the day!)
A few of these will really put the pep in her step as she stares at that thirty pounds of asparagus she just purchased from the roadside vendor with dreams of pickled product in her near future. Ahem.
10. Your words of encouragement and love. And other's too.
There's a reason that these farm Mamas slave over their stoves, gardens, and barnyards each day. It's for the people that they love. Meals are made with their children's tummies in mind. Animals are cared for selflessly. Husbands are encouraged, loved, fed, and clothed in clean clothes. There's no greater job for a homesteader than caring for her land, animals, and family. Take a few minutes to encourage her in the battle that she fights each day against dirt, bugs, exhaustion, and farming heartbreak.
If she's a reader, here's a few books that I've found particularly encouraging and helpful in this farming journey: