Cindy Woodsmall ~*~ A Season for Tending: Amish Vines and Orchards Book 1, ©2012

Check out the first book in the new Amish Vines and Orchards Series!

Book 1

I have book 2, The Winnowing Season, but wanted to read book 1 in the series before reading it, and am so glad I did. I have the background on the families and their adventures that will bring them to book 2.

Book 2

A Season for Tending tells the story of Rhoda Byler, who is gifted in gardening, and Samuel King's family who own an apple orchard. Rhoda is looked upon unfavorably by the other Amish in her community because of her insightful leanings concerning others and her abundant crops she is nurturing. Because of gossip and uncertainties about her, her herb garden is destroyed to stop her from passing on her remedies.

Due to lack of overseeing by one brother, his section of apple trees becomes infested, and the Kings' Orchard is in need of Rhoda's skills to process their apples joining her Rhode Side Stands business. A tornado destroying most of the orchard compels them forward to The Winnowing Season. I am looking forward to continuing the story in this second novel to discover more about the intertwining of these families and the future before them as they decide to venture forward to new beginnings.

***Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah blogging for Books for the copy of A Season for Tending in exchange for a review in my own words.***

A Season for Tending by Cindy Woodsmall from waterbrook multnomah on Vimeo.

A Season for Tending is a tender story of hope and what pulling together can do to create harmony and understanding as growth moves toward trust.

About This Book

In a community where conformity flourishes, seeds of Rhoda’s odd behavior were planted long ago. Can she cultivate her relationships with the same care and tenderness that she gives her beloved garden?
   Old Order Amish Rhoda Byler’s unusual gift and her remarkable abilities to grow herbs and berries have caused many to think her odd. As rumors mount that Rhoda’s “gift” is a detriment to the community, she chooses isolation, spending her time in her fruit garden and on her thriving canning business. 
   Miles away in Harvest Mills, Samuel King struggles to keep his family’s apple orchard profitable. As the eldest son, Samuel farms with his brothers, the irrepressible Jacob and brash Eli, while his longtime girlfriend Catherine remains hopeful that Samuel will marry her when he feels financially stable. 
   Meanwhile, Samuel’s younger sister Leah is testing all the boundaries during her rumschpringe, and finds herself far from home in Rhoda’s garden after a night of partying gone badly. But Leah’s poor choices serve as a bridge between Rhoda and the King family when a tragic mistake in the orchard leaves Samuel searching for solutions.
   Rhoda’s expertise in canning could be the answer, but she struggles with guilt over the tragic death of her sister and doesn’t trust herself outside her garden walls. As the lines between business, love, and family begin to blur, can Rhoda finally open up to a new life? And what effect will this odd, amazing woman have on the entire King family?


Recipes provided by Sherry Gore for Dutch Apple Pie and for Apple Dumplings at back of book.