Hans Dengel, 6, (left) walks with his mother, organic farmer and artist Cortney Moses, 39, into an uncertain future on the family's farm.
Cortney Moses, 39, and her husband, Paul Dengel, 38, wouldn't have it any other way. On their GoodThymes Organic Farm on Jellico Creek Road they are raising two children, Charlie Dengel, 9, and Hans Dengel, 6, as well as a smorgasbord of certified organic food. Chickens, children and crops all require love and care to thrive and survive, and that is an organic part of their operation.
"You have to be able to do hard things because life is hard," Cortney says. This ethos underlies everything that happens at GoodThymes, teaching Charlie and Hans to grow their own food, and be prepared for the world to come. For the kids, all work and no play it is not, with Scouting, woodcarving and all the fun and frolic that comes with living in such a beautiful, rugged countryside filling the time between chores.
A Whitley County native, Cortney moved away to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Louisville, but she couldn't resist the mountains' call. "I knew that I wanted to move back here, to grow food, to help," she says. "I like being in the quiet." After graduation she returned to be the Whitley County extension agent for community arts and in 2014 began farming organically. A farming conference brought together Cortney and Paul, a community liaison for the Rural Partners Network, over a decade ago, and they've been growing ever since.
Growing crops and animals organically is even more work than conventional farming, but for Cortney and Paul, a transplant from Wisconsin and an Air Force veteran, the rewards are well worth the work. Better, healthier food for themselves and their kith and kin, improving the land, and supplying area establishments and farmers' markets at a lower cost outweigh the additional effort.
With its focus on sustainability and being climate smart, GoodThymes Organic Farm isn't a business so much as a way of life.
For Hans, the morning gets off to a fowl start. On GoodThymes Organic Farm it is difficult to distinguish where work ends and play begins.
Cortney (left) and her husband, Paul Dengel, 38, weigh the year's last harvest of sweet potatoes.
Building skills is part of the fun down on the farm as Cortney lets Hans drive the side-by-side.
On the farm, chores come first. When the days get short, it's dinner after dark. Cortney (left) and Paul prepare the evening meal after harvesting sweet potatoes and corn until sundown.
Farm-to-table just means walking in the door of their home as Charlie (from left), Paul, Cortney and Hans gather for a home-cooked meal.
Cortney and Paul catch a quiet moment whenever they can.
Charlie sits atop Hans as they enjoy a moment of fun after their chores are done.
