I love hearing people tell their stories about how cotton makes them feel, so much so I have welcomed a series of posts on the topic. It isn’t the factual pieces I write like what a cotton plant looks like as much how warm it makes hearts as well as bodies. There have been several of these that I just love!

Well, last week, as I was getting back in the swing of things after the holidays, I stumbled on a post by a writer I met earlier this year while I was in Austin. Addie Broyles does a great job of writing about a family quilt from generations ago. I had to ask if it was cotton and she said she was certain it was! So here’s a short excerpt of it and a photo from her blog… I’m sure once you read it, you will want to follow the link over to her site! I skipped part of it that you’ll want to catch back up on!

….. Like always, I slept on the couch under the fern, but this time, I had a new source of warmth: my great-great-grandmother Lena’s postage stamp quilt.

Lena and her husband, Gustaf, have given my family more than they ever could have imagined. Maybe they knew the roots they were planting when they left Sweden’s Gotland island, 10 years apart, in the late 1800s, but I doubt she could have guessed that her granddaughter would still be making pies with her rolling pin, much less than her granddaughter’s granddaughter would Instagram it.

She could have never guessed that that quilt she made when she got to Springfield (at least we think), would still be in such good condition that the newest member of the family, 7-month-old Nash, would chew on its corners.

via Sleeping under a quilt that’s older than all of us | The Feminist Kitchen.

The post Wrapping Up in History, Family & Cotton appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

In October, I spent several days in Memphis. On one trip, you may remember I got stuck in the mud on a turnrow in a cotton field and I became one of the problems cotton farmers can have when it rains at harvest time! A couple of weeks later, I returned to Memphis and with really nice weather, I decided it was a weekend for me to get back out on a farm. My buddy Bob who had shown one of my city kid niece’s around and he was up to the challenge of taking on another when until he had problems with a picker. So I called Allen’s farm and asked if I could come their way, they were gracious enough to point me to a field where a picker would be rolling.

This October, it was a teenage niece. One who had only a little experience on a cotton farm and it was five years ago!! For those of you who have read my blog since the start (if anyone has stuck with me PLEASE let me know! It feels like it has been forever!) And comparing the photo we took as we headed out, I think you’ll agree that a lot has changed since the two of us went to a cotton field together.

Oh…. and yes, I think it is clear… my niece shares a passion for cotton and agriculture! Granted, she is probably a bit more reserved with her enthusiasm these days, but I loved seeing the excitement of discovery!

Five years later, having organized a bit of a visit, we had a lot more adventure to check out so I’ll be putting together several posts on our day’s adventure! Here are some of the key elements of the day that will be featured in posts are:

• Checking Out a Soybean Field
• Getting Up Close to Cotton
• Picking Cotton & Making Modules
• Riding the Tractor & Moving Round Modules
• Standing on Top of the World
• Visiting the Cotton Gin

The post Two City Girls on the Farm for a Day appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpSNK7UbRmg]

So the reality is, I was so excited to finally get Alicia into a cotton field at harvest, that I was giddy. You can hear it at the beginning of this video. (Yes, I resoundingly admit to being an agnerd.)

But seriously, having had cotton as the focus of so much of my work over the last mumble mumble years, and having not been able to really share that with some close family members due to the long distances…. well, it was long-awaited and did not disappoint.

Talking through the look and feel of the plant — seeds in the locks, some immature fiber that would make for a question if there was much of it (and there wasn’t) and basically getting set for a day of fun. I hope you enjoy the video.

This is part of my Cotton 101 series. I feel like I need to put a disclaimer here, I really enjoy cotton & have worked with it a long time but I’m not an expert. I just know experts (farmers, physiologists, consultants, etc.) I hope you enjoy what I’m doing, if so, subscribe via email above right.

The post Cotton 101: First Field Basics of the Boll appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Nothing like getting out in the field with a kid — whether they are from the city or farm.  You suddenly realize how cool it is to know even the slightest things about farming.  And luckily my nieces & nephews have always been up for a stop along the road and some ag education.

Last fall, as I drove my niece to a friend’s for a Halloween hayride, I spotted the first cotton field ready for harvest.  By the time I pointed and said look, my 7 year old niece screamed with delight “it’s cotton!”  She proceeded to point from one side of the highway to the other doing shout outs — cotton, soybeans, corn. Not bad for a couple of city girls! With that sort of enthusiasm I HAD to ask if she wanted to stop.  (I asked because she was “starving to death” and dinner awaited us when we arrived at our friend’s house.) 

She greeted the question with gusto and as we pulled onto the turnrow, I asked why don’t we get out for a couple of minutes?  We had to!  I said we could pick a few bolls, and my niece reminded me I had taught her a little about ag cause she asked me if I knew the farmer, saying she didn’t want to get in trouble.  Love that she understands and I assured her I know a lot of the farmers in that town and thought all of them would be okay with us taking a few minutes to learn more about agriculture and cotton.  I caught part of what happened on video and while I was far too caught up in her enthusiasm, I want to share it with you.

And yes, we may just have to get back out soon to watch as friends being planting the food, feed & fiber that sustains us.  I can just see her now asking questions about how far apart the seeds go, how deep, when we’ll see the plants and so much more!!!

If you want to know more about farming, you may find the Facebook group called Farm2U helpful.  They are also on Twitter with the @Farm2U ID.  Its by a group of farmers who want to talk to consumers.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTgmFBA4SM&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

By the way, she had a great time on the hayride too!  AND she got a whole big thing filled with candy.  WHAT A DAY!

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