A VISION IN WHITE!!!

Every morning I peak out the kitchen window, gazing at the hoop house, my mouth watering at the thought of the first of the season tomatoes. The Farmer and Son are putting the finishing touches on the ends and it will be ready for its occupants. Pairs do much better than singles on a farm, so he has already ordered another one, that will sit along side, to house squash, cucumbers, eggplant, and whatever else we decide to plant. Speaking of pairs, I am going to be taking applications for a future daughter in law this year. The Farmers son is dragging his feet and I am ready for him to settle down with a good woman. There comes a point when a mother may have to butt her nose in and take action. And believe you me, I know just what is BEST for him! Being a dedicated farmer, he never has time for an active social life, let alone courting! If Mohammed can't come to the mountain, I will bring the mountain to Mohammed. I have matched up many a successful union here on the farm! Just ask LuLu about her beloved Colorado..... or Lily and her dashing Don Juan!( I am trusting that he never has time to read this blog, or I am toast!) This week will be a flurry of activity, if it is dry enough. The asparagus crowns are ready to be planted, the Farmers son planted  some olive trees in the orchard.( Why Not!) Hopefully the fruit buds will hold off a little in case we get a blast of arctic air. The strawberries have blooms! The occasional warm spells turned their cycle topsy turvy. It is anyones guess when the U-Pick strawberry season will start. It is a waiting game for kidding season, hopefully the last week in Feb. will find the first babies on the ground. MARKET HOURS:Fri and Sat from noon until 4:00. Call anytime through the week for a special appointment for dairy pickup. From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support!!!    

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY.....TO ME!!!

The Farmer and Son are diligently assembling my hoop house, so that I can get a jump start on Spring planting this next week. The stately skeleton rests in the garden, ready for its cover and the doors at the ends. Mulch beds were pulled down the middle, with irrigation lines to make maintenance so much easier. The propagation houses are full of starts to plant, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli, and more. The weather has slowed our progress, but no complaints here, as we need the moisture more than an extra early harvest. The market is in full swing, with breads, cow milk, honey,  preserves, etc. The girls are winding down their gestation period, preparing for babies to begin their arrival in a couple of weeks. The goat milk will be plentiful. The CSA is full, we will be taking names for the waiting list. As the commitment is month to month, the chance to participate should be good, as some may go on vacation, grow their own produce in the summer, or just choose not to continue. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 pm. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

LAST RITES FOR A DEAR COMPANION!!!

The Farmer came to me and asked for an itty bitty favor. " Honey, could you please patch up my coat, I think that if you fix the holes and the zipper, it still has a few good years." He might as well have asked  me to find a cure for cancer, or solve the world hunger problem. This coat has been ready for the rag pile for quite some time. Now, let me make myself clear, it is not that he doesn't have a brand new one, same color, same style, hanging in the closet, he says it just doesn't feel right. This one is "broke in". To me it is just BROKE!!! Our neighbor happened by with a couple of shirts in hand, asking the Farmer if he could wear them. To me that is a sure sign for a garment retirement ceremony, when friends think you may be destitute and share their clothes. I am betting on the fact that as soon as he gets tired of looking for his gloves, after they have fallen out of the holey pockets time and again, he will put his old friend to rest. In my age old wisdom, I have dedicated a tub in the storage room that is full of  threadbare jeans, tattered shirts, boots without soles.......just in case he wants to visit some old friends. I am not even going to mention his overalls! From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support!!!

A GARDNERS DREAM..... THE FARMERS NIGHTMARE!!!!

I have always wanted a great big greenhouse! One that I can grow everything and anything. Tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, berries, oranges, even pineapples and bananas and lucious avacados..... no matter how impractical it may be. The Farmer and Son, finally got their bellies full of my constant reminders and incessant nagging and after countless road trips and inquiries, found a sweet man in Oklahoma who appreciated my horticulture visions and delivered to me, a greenhouse, actually a hoop house, but to me a greenhouse, none the less. The only dilema is that it is in a thousand pieces! As the sections of pipe, the boxes of plastic, the cartons of screws and nails were unloaded,  I was jumping up and down with glee, the Farmer was shaking his head, saying "Oh, dear, this will be quite an undertaking!" Actually, he had a few other choice words to say, but that was the gist of it! Assuring him that I had complete faith in his and the Sons abilities to tackle even the most challenging project, I paid the delivery man and happily waived goodbye to him as he drove off. I can hardly contain my excitement! The Farmer and Son have tackled the chore with goodhearted enthusiasm, and I have been on my best behavior, making sure a good supper is on the table, taking on a few of their chores, being patient, as they work on the greenhouse in  between the plowing, planting, tree trimming, pipe laying, milking, feeding, and all else they have to do here on the farm. No more frost bitten tomatoes and peppers, no more flattened eggplant, due to the high winds across our  fields, no more grasshoppers. We are hoping to be able to extend our growing season to be able to produce crops a little earlier and a little later. It would not be practical to try and heat it in the cold winter, but the sun does a remarkable job heating a greenhouse, enabling plants to thrive longer under its protection. Lots of trial and error will be happening this year, to see what will grow, when it will grow, and ........fish! The Farmer and Son want to try aquaponics and grow fish. More on that later. One thing at a time. I just want to be able to have tomato plants that are not bit back by the frost, or  cut to the ground at the knees by 50 mile an hour winds. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

OREGON TRAIL SOURDOUGH BREAD!!!

My new obsession! Who knew that bread could consume ones life! I have spent the last few weeks studying, gathering tools,( I had no clue what a banneton was), and equipment, reading about crusts and crumbs. I have baked bread most of my adult life...... just took a little flour, yeast, salt, water, oil and tadahhh! Bread! But sourdough is like the rocket science of breadmaking. I came across a sourdough starter some time back, originally from 1847, and used on the Oregon Trail. That alone tweaked my curiosity. I obtained some of it, trying to get up the nerve to see what bread with a hundred and sixty year old starter would taste like! It has been dormant in my refrigerator, getting a little nourishment here and there, when I was recycling leftovers and would shuffle it around. I had been hesitant to give it a try, as sourdough bread is my favorite, and knowing that if I tried it and it did not live up to my expectations, it would  put me in the funk for days to come.  The beginning of a  New Year and wanting to broaden my horizons, found me activating the starter, searching for the perfect flour, all the right tools, thoroughly studying different experiences of others with the sourdough bread venture, and this is where my quest has led. They look right darn tasty, if I do say so myself! Mind you, since I have also started curtailing my intake of carbs, I have not tasted one morsel of my sourdough bread. My recommendation comes from the three days from start to finish that it takes to make it. Anything that takes that much time, has got to be good! The bread is available in the Market on the weekends, at $3.50 a boule'. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 pm.  Call throughout the week for dairy pickup.  From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support!!!

WONDERFUL RAIN AND.........FISH FROM ABOVE!!!

Will wonders never cease! As we scoped the pastures and gardens for the welcome effects of the continuous rainfall that has blessed the farm, we noticed some collateral damage from the storms, resting in the driveway. I have heard of the phenomena of frogs, worms and fish, falling from the sky during a violent tempest, but now I am a witness!The tiny fish, the Farmer, an avid fisherman, says  are shad......native to Lake Texoma and Ray Roberts. That is a long way to travel through the air. Brings a whole new perspective to Flying Fish! On a more sensible note, we are making headway in our preparations for Spring planting. The propogation houses are filling up with seed trays for planting. The ground is ready for the hoop house, that will soon be here. The Farmer's Son has jumped the gun a little and planted a round of onions. The market had its first week end opening, it was good to see our friends after a brief lull during the Christmas season. Our MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 pm. We only have cow milk and cow milk products at this time. The goat milk will resume the first of March.The CSA is almost full-up. Thank you to all those who sent in their applications so quickly.  More information will be posted here as we get closer to the season, around the first week in April. Valentines Day is just around the corner, we will have some special treats in the market for that special someone. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!