Homemade, Delivered with Heart

Earlene and Ricky Henley, longtime hosts of Squire’s Village in Bakertown, transformed their Lynchburg-focused Airbnb into a hub of generosity after the pandemic forced it to close.

HALEY PAYNE ROBERTS
MCO Senior Staff Writer

It’s in moments like these when we most appreciate our neighbors – the folks who step up with service, resources, or simply their time. Earlene and Ricky Henley are no exception, spreading goodwill across Lynchburg with a steady stream of homemade goods for anyone who needs a hand.

The Henleys are the familiar faces behind Squire’s Village in Bakertown, once a Lynchburg-centric Airbnb before the pandemic forced it to close. These days, they’ve shifted to a different kind of business model: generosity.

“We just let people camp here for free when they come into town so that they’ve got somewhere to go with somebody they think they know,” Earlene said. “We have people stay here from all over the world: Canada, Australia, England, and the Netherlands.”

In retirement, Earlene and Ricky have leaned into the art of homemade creations. “I just got addicted to YouTube. I was tired of watching TV and started seeing what I could make. Ricky wanted to make some pickled eggs, so we did that. Then we had our muscadine vines that were prolific this year, so we made muscadine jelly, too,” Earlene noted.

One experiment led to another, and soon their kitchen was a full-fledged test lab. “My son is a middle school coach, and he was selling peaches for the football team. We bought peaches, cored them, peeled them, and made peach preserves out of them,” Earlene said.

“I then wondered if we could do the same with strawberries, so I looked it up on YouTube and found out you can make preserves out of frozen strawberries. They were so good!”

Their favorite place to share the bounty is the Moore County Senior Center. “I’ve also learned to make lip balm, candles, bath salts, potpourri, and washing powders. I just took a load of washing powder to the Senior Center. We also grew gourds this year and took them to the Senior Center so that they can do something with them,” Earlene noted.

In the end, the Henleys’ passion project comes down to simple compassion – and what Earlene jokingly calls her own brand of politics. “I wasn’t wealthy growing up, nor was I wealthy for a long time as an adult. This makes me happy! I think everyone should help people,” she said. “My politics are humanitarianism. I just think you need to help people, and that’s just what we do. It takes everybody. Some people need a lot more help than others do.”

“You’ll never go wrong with helping somebody when you can,” Ricky added.

Winter canning? Yes, you can can

Wintertime canning is all about preserving fruits that either have long shelf lives or that are in season in late fall, so you can enjoy them throughout the colder months.

The best fruits for wintertime canning are those that hold up well to heat and storage, maintain flavor, and don’t turn mushy easily. (Combining fruits makes preserves more interesting – i.e., apple-pear, cranberry-orange ...)

Here’s a range of fruits with some guidance:

Apples
• Why: They keep their texture well and are versatile.
• Best Uses: Applesauce, apple butter, spiced apple slices, apple pie filling.
• Tips: Use firm varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, or Granny Smith.

Pears
• Why: Sweet, juicy, and excellent for desserts or sauces.
• Best Uses: Pear halves, pear preserves, pear sauce, spiced pear compote.
• Tips: Slightly underripe pears hold up better during canning.

Cranberries
• Why: Naturally high in acidity, perfect for water-bath canning.
• Best Uses: Cranberry sauce, cranberry preserves.
• Tips: They maintain tartness and flavor well even after long storage.

Citrus
• Why: Great for marmalades, preserves, and flavoring.
• Best Uses: Marmalades, candied peel, lemon curd (refrigerated or frozen).
• Tips: Use thin-skinned varieties for marmalade.

Persimmons (Fuyu, Hachiya)
• Why: Sweet, smooth texture when ripe; can be made into spreads.
• Best Uses: Persimmon butter, jams, or sauces.
• Tips: Hachiya must be fully soft to avoid astringency.

Grapes
• Why: Sweet and tart varieties work well for jelly or preserves.
• Best Uses: Grape jelly, grape syrup, wine-infused sauces.
• Tips: Concord or other seeded varieties are classic for jelly.