Turtleman Chris Adams

12/01/2024

Y’all come join me and my friends this weekend! Fun for all ages and everyone is welcome. We’ll see ya there!

12/01/2024

Why am I out hoeing rows to plant cane at night and it 46 degrees outside? The better question would be what’s so important about this cane that prompted me to get it in the dirt right now?

The story begins in the year 1858, William T. Chesser brings his family to the vast wilderness of the Okefenokee Swamp. He settles there after killing a man in Tattnall County over some land dealings… that being another story for another time. They built a homestead on an island then called Little Cowhouse (today known as Chesser Island), and the swamp became their cherished home. What they ate they grew, gathered, reared, or hunted in the swamp. Seldom did they go to town, but when they did it was to get supplies such as gunpowder, lead, salt, and what few necessities they could not produce and the swamp did not provide. In time the name Chesser became synonymous with Okefenokee. The people of this swamp land became known as Swampers, and they were a tough lot.

In my quest for heirloom seeds and such, time and time again I’ve come up dry in the Okefenokee Region. For whatever reason seeds from this area have eluded me… until now. Thanks to y’all sharing a previous post of mine a gentleman just over the line in North Florida reached out to me with not one, but three different heirlooms from Chesser Island! This particular family befriended one of the Chessers long ago and that is how they came by the seed stock.

One of them being the original strain of sugarcane once grown by the Chessers. It is similar to varieties like ‘Yeller Gal’ and ‘Home Green’, further assessment is needed on my part. What I do know for a fact is that this cane was once planted by Tom Chesser, the grandson of W.T. Chesser, and it was grown on the island right up until the family left their homeplace in 1959. It’s possible that the cane was passed down since the mid nineteenth century, and I believe it likely was. It was pretty characteristic of the swamp folks, if one had something and the other didn’t, neighbors and kin alike would share. No one went without. So goes the story of this cane. Perhaps I could’ve waited a couple of days to get it in the dirt, but the way my schedule is that’s like playing roulette. It’s already established good roots from the joints so I got it planted deep enough that the frost can’t get at it. I also received plenty of Satsumas descended from a parent tree that grew on the island. This was likely one of the first strains of Satsuma orange grown in Georgia, first imported in the early twentieth century. This particular Satsuma is frost tolerant and will grow pure offspring from seed. I was also told I’d be receiving some of the original field pea seed very soon!

Today was a victory for me, but more importantly by obtaining these seeds it will ensure the survival of these culturally significant heirlooms for future generations and guarantee food security.

10/01/2024

Seed saving is a real passion of mine! Heirloom seeds tell the stories of the people that stewarded them; the hands that planted and nurtured and preserved them for future generations to follow thereafter. If someone gives you an antique vehicle, it’s only a matter of time before it turns into a money pit or a heap of rusty parts. If someone inherits an old house, after a century of repairs it would only be a shell of the original structure. Seeds are tangible links to days gone by. They’re perhaps the closest thing to a time machine we have; they remain unchanged pieces of the past! I can hold a seed in my hand and think someone’s great-great granddaddy said “Here son”, and because of that domino effect that same seed now rests in the palm of my hand to plant and pass on.

I spent this rainy afternoon collecting some landrace pumpkin seeds for upcoming events. After I put away enough to eat, I figured the chickens and the hog deserved a treat. If ya can’t tell by the look on Dixie’s face, she likes my seed saving too.

05/01/2024

“There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway…” 🎶

Having grown up in the rural South, it is not uncommon or unexpected to be riding along and look out your window to see three wooden crosses standing beside some little country church. It’s no coincidence that they look the same as the next bunch every time you see them. There’s always two white ones, and one larger that is yellow in color. You see back in the mid 1980’s a gentleman from West Virginia by the name of Coffindaffer claimed to have a vision from the most high commanding him to do his will and erect crosses across the land. Bernard Coffindaffer was born in West Virginia and served in the Pacific as a marine during World War Two. When he returned home he had a rocky start, but soon found himself a successful businessman. When he received that vision, everything changed. He sold off his business and poured over three million dollars into the project. Starting in West Virginia, he then went out into the Bible Belt of the Deep South convincing church congregations and landowners to further support his mission by allowing him to put up these crosses. At the height of this movement there were some 1,900 crosses that went up. Crosses were erected in 29 states, and even in the countries of Zambia and the Philippines. Coffindaffer passed away in 1993 leaving behind a legacy that still stands in places along the roadsides.

"The Crosses stand to remind people that Jesus was crucified on a Cross at Calvary for our sins; there is hope in Jesus Christ; and, that He is soon coming again."

05/01/2024

A day in the life of a South Georgia dirt farmer…

Throw the pup a pine cone, keep the guineas out of the collards, mend wire on the chicken yard, turn the boar in with the sow to ensure pigs in the Spring, and change out the old martin gourds with new.

29/12/2023

Howdy y’all!

As a good many of you know, I am an heirloom seed saver. My mission is simple; preserve as many South Georgia/North Florida seed varieties as I can before they are lost. If you have seeds passed down through the generations or know someone who does, please do not hesitate to reach out! I’m interested especially in seeds that you know go back at least 100 years or more. Many thanks for your help!

I kindly ask you do not say “go to such and such website”. The internet isn’t much help, but home folks are. 🙂

Please, feel free to share this post. I encourage it! If it means one more seed variety can be obtained and saved for future generations, then it is worth me aggravating y’all about it!

29/12/2023

I put in some real work gathering lightard out of the river swamp. Plenty of deadfalls and drift lying about. “Lightard” or “lighter” are corruptions of the olden term “lightwood”. Some folks calls it fat pine, fat wood, and fat lightard here in parts of the Deep South. Whatever ya call it, it’s a sure fire starter. As a yellow pine dies and the outer layers rot away, the resinous heart remains… sometimes for a century or longer under right conditions. This also happens where branches meet the trunk creating knots, lightard knots. Old timers when clearing new ground would often fell trees a little higher than we’d cut one nowadays. If a tree wasn’t used for rails or splitting for shingles, logs were often piled up and burned. The stump remained for years, which ensured a steady supply of kindling for many a fire in the hearth or underneath a washpot. That rich golden kindling is of no less value to a contemporary pioneer today. Folks that use it know ya don’t cook on it, ya don’t use too much of it, and you especially don’t waste it! A little goes a long way, and it’ll durn near burn through a pouring rain. I’ll be faring well through the ensuing year. The Good Lord and the swamp provides!

28/12/2023

Reflections in a cypress and gum swamp 🍂

The reflectivity of dark blackwater can make for some interesting photo opportunities.

28/12/2023

This green anole wasn’t so green today… I spied it basking on a leaf of lamb’s ear in my herb beds. Anoles were mistakenly called chameleons not so long ago, however there are no chameleons native to North America and there is no relation between the two types of lizards. It’s often said that these lizards change color to blend in with their surroundings, this however is only slightly true. Their color is influenced by hormonal changes or because of external factors like heat or humidity. This little one was making good use of the sunshine this afternoon! It seemed mighty comfortable in that spot and paid me little mind, though an eye was kept on me all the while I was near.

27/12/2023

Feelin’ something like Forrest Gump… 🦐

The sh*****ng season is over here in the Lowcountry. Shrimp are harvested from late spring until August, and then a secondary season runs from September to December. There are three types of penaeid shrimp that shrimpers are after; pink, brown, and white shrimp. They all begin their lives in the tidal creeks way back up in the salt marsh. A single female can lay between a half-million and one million eggs in a season. Varying environmental conditions determine the survival rate of these larval shrimp, and of course the success of trawlers during the sh*****ng seasons. As the shrimp mature they grow a couple of inches each month and begin to make their way out to the ocean with the high tides. Each year’s yield varies greatly. According to South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, annual hauls have ranged from 1.3 to 6.8 million pounds of shrimp!

26/12/2023

In the year 1721 the British government established a small outpost near the Altamaha River that was named after his majesty King George the first. This fortification was to serve as a boundary marker of sorts, to show where the English colonies ended and as a reminder to the Spanish that this area and anything north of this point was the claim of Britain. Spain protested, claiming rights to these lands since the early mission days. This area of what would become Georgia was soon known as the “debatable lands”. Though surrounded by a moat and earthworks, the fort’s greatest asset was a 40’ blockhouse constructed of cypress. The trees were harvested and milled on site by a provincial scout company. In the event of an attack, soldiers could retreat to this structure to defend the fortification by firing muskets and cannons from within. The fort was garrisoned by soldiers from his majesty’s Independent Company of Foot; an invalid company. Many of these men were veterans of foreign campaigns in Europe. Most of them were already in poor health when they arrived from Britain. The coastal Georgia environment did not help them any. Being stationed at this post meant dealing with the constant buzzing and biting of mosquitoes, sand gnats, and yellow flies. The summers were sweltering with thunderstorms almost daily, and despite the idea that our winters here are mild, cold is cold and the winter winds whipping across the marshlands cut just like a knife. Top that with the looming threat of an attack by local Indians or Spanish soldiers or just absolute boredom, the mental fatigue must have been exhausting. It’s no wonder why replacements were needed constantly. Fort King George served as the Southernmost British outpost in North America from 1721 until 1727 when the garrison withdrew and returned to South Carolina. After General James Oglethorpe established the Colony of Georgia at Savannah, he chose this site of the abandoned outpost to serve as a point of defense for the new colony. Soon a group of highlanders from Scotland arrived and established the settlement of New Inverness, later called Darien. These Scots were instrumental in defending the new colony, and fought at the Battle of Bloody Marsh on Saint Simons Island in 1742.

You can visit a recreation of the fort at Fort King George State Historic Site! Take a stroll around the grounds and even hop in a kayak and tour the Darien River for yourself!

25/12/2023

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Merry Christmas to all, and to all of y’all a goodun! Be blessed.

24/12/2023

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…” 🎶

The snow white sands of Arabia Cemetery are about as close as we’ll come to that ole fluffy stuff fallin’ from the sky this Christmas. The cemetery is one of the oldest burying grounds in this section. Located in Clinch County it serves as the final resting place for some of Wiregrass Georgia’s earliest pioneers. It sits just behind Bethany Primitive Baptist Church on the edge of Arabia Bay, a large Carolina Bay type wetland encompassing several thousand acres. Pioneers often sought out tracts of sandy land to build a meetinghouse and establish a cemetery for two reasons; the land would not typically be utilized for farming or stock raising, and the ground was often much easier to dig in for burials. Perhaps it was this bright sand that led them to call this place “Arabia”. If you ask me, the name is quite appropriate. As for Bethany Church, it began as a branch of Union Church in 1841 and was later constituted in the spring of 1847. The present meetinghouse was built sometime in the early twentieth century. It remains an active congregation.

23/12/2023

Despite current temperatures, alligators like most all reptiles are still subject to move about on cooler days. Their activities may be infrequent and limited as their metabolic rate slows down, but they are ever present. In the Okefenokee Swamp there are an estimated 12,000-15,000 alligators. This bull (male alligator) is one of many that resides near Mizell Prairie in the eastern part of the swamp. During harsh weather these animals will take refuge in a wallowed out place, commonly called gator holes or dens, where their bodies can stay submerged below the waterline. In the northern reaches of their native range, alligators have exhibited a behavior known as “icing” where all but their nostrils remain under water, and as the surface of the water freezes over with a sheet of ice, the alligator simply remains in place for an extended period of time. This is not commonly observed in the Deep South as our weather almost never turns that cold. 🐊

23/12/2023

Sunset over Saint Simons Sound ☀️

Doesn’t matter the time of year, the beauty of our Georgia Coast never ceases to amaze.

22/12/2023

Greetings Old Man Winter

This day of solstice marks the official start of winter, though temps have already warned of its coming. Daylight is shorter and the night drags its heels. Here in the sandhills the colors blend effortlessly with red and orange hues of turkey oak and sweet gum leaves. Clumps of saw palmetto amid wiregrass make it even purtier to me. You may notice the apron of the gopher tortoise burrow in the bottom right corner of the image. Their burrows provide a safe place for other critters to over winter, especially the cold blooded kind like rattlesnakes, indigo snakes, and pine snakes. Throughout the winter the tortoise acts like a door, and on warmer days is subject to move up the burrow to bask with other critters down below following suit.

21/12/2023

White “Leggerns” 🐓

When folks who don’t know much about poultry think of a chicken, this is the image they conjure up. That typical chicken is usually bright white with a dark red comb and wattles. The white leghorn breed exhibits those characteristics. In fact the reason most folks think up that image is because of the old cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn. Leghorns are an old breed, hailing from the area of Livorno, Italy; a little seaport town on the west coast of Tuscany. When they were first shipped to America that’s what they were called; “Livorno”. I reckon our American tongue couldn’t handle that, and that’s how the name Leghorn came to be. Now this all happened before the Civil War. Their popularity faded in the North and they virtually disappeared. This breed was again imported after the war and slowly but surely found their way to the South. By the early 20th century the Leghorn, or “Leggern” in our southern vernacular, was well established here. They are known for their egg production with a single hen capable of laying up to 300 eggs a year! It’s no wonder why these became a fixture on Southern farms during the depression years. Like all my farm critters, non-industrial white leghorns are a heritage breed. They do on my farm as their ancestors did one hundred years ago. They forage, they lay, and they bring me joy. They’re a great option for the modern homesteader!

21/12/2023

Goes to show, even indoors you can never be too careful where ya put your feet. I make it a habit of shaking out my pants legs, turning my socks inside out, and of course checking my boots for some unwelcome visitor. Walking across the floor of the cabin, I noticed something scuttling along and realized it was a Florida bark scorpion. Like their name implies, their habitat includes scales of trees bark, fallen logs, and general debris associated with a forest floor… not a cabin floor. The warmth inside is likely what made the little bu**er active. I didn’t have the usual knee jerk reaction that most folks would, I gently picked it up with a pair of pliers and put it in a jar. Come morning when it warms up a bit I’ll place the little one out by a pine tree where hopefully it’ll eat some palmetto bugs or termites. They are venomous and a sting from one of them will hurt, but it’s not lethal to humans. No need to be afraid of something the size of a quarter. It meant me no harm.

20/12/2023

20/12/2023

It’s a chilly mornin’ here in South Georgia! Some of the animals have yet to crawl out of their warm beds. Dixie here, a “pineywoods rooter”, much like her wild kin builds up her nest when temperatures start to drop. Some mornings it looks like the earth is erupting when she arises from her bed of fodder and leaves. Feral swine have been on the North American continent since the first conquistadors stepped foot on the Southeastern coast. They provided a source of food for the Spanish, the indigenous peoples, early English colonists, and especially settlers of the early to mid nineteenth century. Today wild hogs are very much a nuisance here in Georgia costing annually over $150 million in both ecological and agricultural damage. In this case Dixie is spared from being called a nuisance, and her sole purpose is educating folks about her kind.

20/12/2023

Howdy friends!

At the request of many of my colleagues, I’ve decided to make a public page. For those who don’t know me, I’m a tenth generation son of South Georgia. My roots run deep, and my love of the Southland is what drives me to share this wonderful place with folks. From the Marshes of Glynn to the Great Okefenokee Swamp, the Satilla to the Suwannee, and beyond; I consider it all my home. I’ve been a naturalist most all my life trying to understand wild things and wild places. From a very early age I developed an interest in history, especially local history… the kind you don’t find in text books. So you can expect that to be the usual content on this page.

I hope you’ll stick around, and try to see the world through my eyes.

-Turtleman