Laura Wade | Special to The Botetourt View

When they cook, Kirsten Moeckel, Angie LeNoir and Patricia Whitt (from left) share food from their gardens and home-based agricultural businesses.

Angie LeNoir and Patricia Whitt met at a Bradley birthing class just over seven years ago. Both were pregnant for the first time. Both were seeking friends who could relate to the changes taking place in their lives.

Over the years, their friendship has evolved from sipping tea and nursing newborns to sipping tea and starting a business together. They have each had two sons, and shared the joys and challenges of motherhood.

Their circle of friends has expanded to include many other women, including Rachel Thomas and Kirsten Moeckel. What started as a playgroup for their children ultimately led to getting together weekly to cook, pot tomatoes or fold laundry while they sip tea and talk. Once, they even built a chicken tractor.

This day, LeNoir arrives at Whitt's Buchanan farmhouse with a pot full of beans, chopped garlic and fresh thyme. Moeckel shows up with a bag full of fresh vegetables and meat to add to the pot. The friends are cooking up some chili as they catch up on the latest happenings in town and in each other's lives.

LeNoir tells Whitt that the Web site for their new business, Blue Ridge Poultry Co-op (www.blue ridgepoultrycoop.com), is live. Moeckel shares that her dog has just delivered puppies and her goat had twins. She brought some home-school supplies for Thomas, who calls to tell her friends she won't make it today. Everyone is disappointed that she'll miss out on today's activities, and they agree someone will deliver chili to her later.

As they chop vegetables and sauté meat, they drink tea and nibble on bread topped with wine berry jam made from berries they picked on one of their outings. They talk about their families, where to buy local produce and garden supplies, and their businesses. Twice, they double over in laughter at stories about their children.

That is why these friends come together ... to bake and break bread together, to share their stories and laugh together. Thirty-something moms, they are grateful for their friendships as they redefine themselves as women. They believe that people want a circle of friends, and they marvel at the sense of community they share.

"Friends really make a difference," Whitt says.

The women enjoy getting together, and getting things done together. They feel a sense of accomplishment as well as camaraderie.

"Everything is just easier when we do it together," says Moeckel.