STRAWBERRIES .......JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!

Lots of calls inquiring about strawberry picking, Are you picking? When will you start picking? Will there be plenty of berries for picking? Will you have room for lots of pickers? Will the berries be big again this year? The answer to all of these questions is quite simply..... we haven't got the foggiest idea! This is a new one for us. We are usually well under way with the picking season, at this time of the year. Our last examination of the berry patch yielded lots of bitty berries on the developing plants, as the transition is being made from bloom to berry. As it usually takes 30 days from start to finish, our guestimation puts the berry harvest to begin the last week end of April. We will monitor the progress of the strawberries closely, and as we near the projected opening weekend, more information will be posted. Why, might you ask, is everything delayed this year? Taking into account the continuous sub freezing weather, the drought, the night stalkers, (rabbits, deer, coons,) not to mention the battering wind and hail, it is next to a miracle that there will be any berries at all this year. But alas, never say none. There may be only one weekend of berry picking, and if that is the case it will be a blow out!!!!. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!!!! FINALLY

Starts ready to plant in the fields, soap ready to be put in the market, Spring is finally here! We awake every morning behind before we ever get out of bed. The never ending winter put us far behind. Taking it all in stride, the Farmer and Son just plug along, checking projects off the to do list. It will be any ones guess when the first harvest of the crops will be. We are usually picking strawberries at this time, but they are just now setting blooms in the field. The potatoes, carrots and beets are just poking from the soil. The melon and tomato plants in the growing house are already blooming, not yet in the ground. Katy Bar the Door, they are going into the irrigated fields this week. There is still the niggling question if there will be one more freeze before Easter as the "oldtimers" predict. We are just going to kiss the dice and roll! All of the goat babies are here, waiting for a calf in the next month. The fruit blooms were spared, a good chance of a stellar peach crop this year. The asparagus patch has kicked it up a notch, should have a little in the market this weekend. Plenty of pantry items and baked goods in the market. Fresh batch of Cow Cream Caramel. DELICIOUS !!!! As we sold out last week, several fresh vials of Thieves Oil were made. Still cleaning out the freezers, so the jams and jellies will be restocked. Found several bags of sweet corn, so some corn relish will be on the shelves this week. The beef went to the processors this past week, so meat freezers will be restocked next week, if all goes according to schedule. Information on the U-Pick season will be posted as we get a little closer. Goat milk and cow milk supply are good, but call ahead for weekend availability, as the weekends are busy. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

MAGNIFICENT MEN AND THEIR WATERING MACHINES !!!!!

The carrots and beets are planted, preparing to germinate under the gentle pulsing of the sprinklers on the newly developed watering contraption. It was suggested that maybe a couple of propellers be attached to the top, and a remote control motor, to fly it across the fields from one spot to another, but not so sure that idea will catch hold! Most of our irrigation is under ground, but the Farmer thought he needed a "floater", one that could be moved from field to field.  The fruit trees continue to bloom, with close attention paid to the dusk to dawn temperatures and a nighttime ritual of an evening prayer that the frost will be held at bay. The strawberries are continuing to set blooms, as the count down to the u-pick season begins. It usually takes 30 days from bloom to berry. This week will be spent planting the transplants in the grow house. The Farmer is also preparing the soil for the corn, green beans, black eyed peas. It will still be a few days until we dare plant some of the seeds in the ground, as the Farmers Almanac predicts more cold weather. All of the CSA shares have been spoken for, thank your for the quick response. We are so excited for the new harvest season to start.  From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL!!!!!

In this case asparagus! It was thought that all was lost, and that the freeze took its toll on the newly planted asparagus patch. Shouts of jubilation were heard across the farm when this first stalk appeared. The Farmers son should have asparagus for Farmstead Market here, and the Denton Community Farmers Market coming in April. If this happens to be the only stalk that appears, we will relish it in a tasty dish, and be thankful for small blessings. The farm is bustling playing catch up on all of the Spring preparations. Feeding 21 baby goats on bottles takes a little time. The better part of them are little girls that we will use as replacement milkers in the future. The strawberries in the field are finally setting blooms, as warmer weather and sunshine give them what they need to emerge from hibernation. The u-pick season will be start later than usual, but there should be plenty of berries this year. The grow house is overflowing with transplants that will be put in the hoop house and in the fields. The tiny sprigs of grass are teasing the goats and cows with a little taste of what is to come when the rains come, hopefully in the next few weeks. The goat milk supply steadily increases, the cow milk supply has kept sufficient for the demand. Call ahead if a volume is needed. The Farmer has had his inventors cap on and has scrounged for bits of this and parts of that, and has come up with a watering contraption that can be seen in the beet, carrot, sweet pea field in the next few days . He must be a descendant of Da Vinci. MARKET HOURS: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM.  From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support !!!

WHO GIVES A RAT'S PATOOTIE?????

The Farmers Son made a special trip to the pasture last night to announce to the cows and the milking goats that daylight savings time is approaching and we are going to set the clocks forward an hour, so would everyone take note and please come to the barn an hour earlier than they had been used to, for milking, even though it will still be dark and cold and sleep will be cut short. Needless to say, they heeded his request with  sheer indifference and quiet disdain. Whoever came up with this bright idea, apparently was not a dairy farmer! When creatures of habit, that derive comfort and security from no change in their daily routine, live by the sun, moon and stars, cycles of the seasons, and signs regarding the weather, are asked to change their schedule just a tad,  you might as well be asking the world to stop spinning on its axis for a short time. NO CAN DO!!! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

FINALLY!!!!

And there are a few signs of Spring.......finally. More baby goats are arriving, the buds on the fruit trees are opening a bit and the strawberries in the field are starting to blossom, the prequel to the u-pick strawberry season, which should begin mid April. 'The Farmer and Son are on the fast track with preparations to get the potatoes and onions planted, set out the cole crop transplants and spruce up the blackberry rows. The fruit trees weathered the freeze, with the exception of a little pluot tree that was in full bloom when the icy blast hit. Hopefully the peach trees will be able to bloom and set fruit year, as they all are full of buds. The poop pile that sits regally in the back corner of the farm boasts lots of seasoned compost for the nourishment of this years crops. With the lack of  moisture this winter, the wells are going to be going full swing this Spring to keep the seedlings and transplants alive. At our new well, some vandals tore the electric meter off the pole and cut and stole all of the wire going to the well house. Thankfully we discovered the damage in between heavy freezes, or our well pump would have frozen and broke, and the damage would have been much more costly than it was.  Someone's Mother would be very ashamed. The milk supply is good. If a quantity is needed, call ahead a day or two, so it can be available when you come. As the goat milk supply increases, so will the assortment of goat milk goods. Lots of soap, cheese, yogurt, kefir, etc. We have added a few more shares to the CSA. Applications are still being taken for those. The MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM. Available now are, honey, ground beef, baked goods, home, bath and body products, preserves, and whatever else the Farmers Wife has dabbled at this week! With the beef that are going to the processor, some soup bones and tallow will be available soon. Since the homemade marshmallows and sourdough bread sold out, promises were made for their return. Honey marshmallows are what candy made in heaven must taste like. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

BUSY MARKET DAY MORNING!!!!

It has been a busy morning down on the farm....... some us us did a bit of baking for the market and some of us gave birth to triplets! Not even a contest as to which was the easiest! The goat milk supply will start to increase, in a few days, as the Spring does start to freshen. We also had a cow freshen this past week, so the cow milk supply will increase also. The weather has us going around in circles, do we plant, or don't we plant. We have decided that all of the little starts are compfy and cozy in the grow houses over heat mats and under warm lights, so we are not going to subject them to 16 degree weather next week. The potatoes and onions are just going to be a little late in the ground. The up and down weather has caused some of the early varieties of peach trees to start to bud, hopefully we will not loose the fruit crop. The chickens are doing a splendid job of catching up on their brief respite from laying. The egg supply has been sufficient for the demand. Questions have been asked as to the u-pick strawberry season. APRIL!  Getting ready to take the next  "fatted calf " to the processor, so there will be plenty of ground beef this Spring. There are still a few spots for the CSA, which will also start in April. Check the website for more information. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!!!