TAIL END OF TOMATOES!!!

I know that I should be ever so grateful for the beautiful ripe tomatoes that were mounded in boxes in the store room, with fresh red, ripe tomatoes in January, but I cannot fib and say that I am sorry that they are finally dwindling in numbers.  It was a good tomato year all in all. We will have a few weeks reprieve, then evenings will be spent pondering seed catalogs, deciding what varieties to plant for next year. The Farmer and Son are getting antsy, wanting to make preparations for the new year. The drenching rain we just had soaked well past the first layer of ground, making work a little soggy, but we needed it so no complaints here. The Stagecoach Water Well is now hooked up and running. In front of the market is an old hand dug well that has been there for decades. As the stories go, it was used by passers by, as the water was clean and the well was shallow enough to drop a bucket into. The old homestead that was here long before us, used the well for all of its household needs. The Farmer assessed its volume of water by putting a small pump into its contents and pumping it until it pumped no more. He measured about 650 gallons. Not bad, he thought, but the almost magical, mystical discovery was the next day......., it was full again!  We now have the well water piped to all of the greenhouses, the orchard, the animals, and the kitchen garden. A special thank you to whoever dug, and dug, and dug some more, and carefully arranged all of the layers of stone to secure the walls. The market will be opening again this weekend. It is our slightly off season, but we do have plenty of cow milk and cow milk products. We are stretching the honey supply, hoping it will last until first harvest, in the early summer. The baby chicks we hatched out have joined the others in the main chicken yard. I will be glad when the hens start laying full throttle. Taking some hogs to the processor this week, so we will have some breakfast sausage in a couple of weeks. The mama does are just being fat and lazy. The cows are reveling in their popularity at this time, proudly giving all they have got. The goat milk supply will resume in February. MARKET HOURS: Friday- Noon until 4:00 PM. Saturday 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Special appointments can be made throughout the week for dairy pickup, just contact us. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!  

WHAT ARE THE ODDS????

Last year, on Christmas eve, Zoey gave birth to a bouncing baby girl, to whom we gave the name Noel. This year on Christmas eve Zoey gave birth to a strapping baby boy, who will be known to all on the farm as Jingles. Momma and baby are doing well, despite being born on one of the coldest nights of the year. Our cow milk volume will increase considerably, as this is Zoey's second freshening, and she looks like she is toting around a milk banquet. The snow was a surprise on Christmas day. The below freezing temperatures mean lots of extra work on the farm, as extra food is needed for the animals to keep warm, the water needs to be thawed for them to get a drink, heat lamps need to be set up for little ones to keep warm. The ice and snow are a mixed blessing, as we need the moisture in the ground, and the fruit trees need the chill hours. The market will be closed until January 11, 2013. Special appointments can be made for the next couple of weeks for dairy pickup. Just give us a little notice as to when you will be coming. The goat milk season is over until February, but thanks to Zoeys addition to the bucket, there will be plenty of cow milk. Jingles agrees to share with us, if we don't get too greedy! Santa Claus found the farm, and left a new fangled T.V with a gizmo that records shows....... one without a big tube sticking out the back. The Farmer and Son hung it on the wall, just like you would a picture or a mirror. Now the boys on the Farm Kings can invade my living room, shirtless and sweaty, with brilliant color and life like clarity any time I want. We want to thank all of our farm supporters for a very good year. We appreciate you and the efforts that you make to come out and purchase what we produce on the farm. We are looking forward to a bustling new year, with the addition of another greenhouse, finishing the tree planting in the orchard, growing some new varieties of fruits and veggies we have discovered and whatever else the Farmer and Son decide to do. We hope all have a very Merry Christmas and wish to you a very happy New Year. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

CHRISTMAS TREATS FROM THE FARM KITCHEN!!!

This is the time of the year, when a good share of the kitchen gadgets get to shine! The chocolate and caramel dippers, the cake pop maker, the nut roaster, the dehydrator, not to mention the choppers, mixers, and whiskers. The kitchen floor stays crunchy and sticky, no matter how many times I mop, the counter tops are covered with completed and soon to be completed Christmas goodies. The Farmer claims he begins his annual month of bachelorhood, as I entrench myself in sugar, flour, nuts, chocolate.... early in the morning, until late in the evening. My granny Venna, was a top knotch baker and candy maker. People would consider themselves privileged if they received some of her Divinity or something she called Penoche. Until I completely trust my candy thermomoter, I will put those recipes aside.  I am really an average candy, cake, and cookie maker,  and I have probably  have overweight, diabetic chickens, as they get a good share of my goofs, of which there are quite a few, but it has become a tradition for me that heralds the holiday season. I anxiously stock up on all of the ingredients that may be needed for peanut brittle, peppermint bark, turtles, pralines, nut clusters, English toffee, jar breads,  and more. What I don't give away we sell in the market, so if you have a hankering for some pretty good Christmas sweets, stop by. It kind of warms the cockles of my heart when when someone asks " Did you make those caramel chocolate pretzel poles this year? they were sure enough yummy! " The hard freeze we had, nipped a lot of the winter crops back, we were able to save a few things. The greenhouse has produced lots of tomatoes, so there will be tomatoes for Christmas. The Farmers son is shelling pecans, so we also have Texas pecans for sale. Alas, the goat milk season has ended. We will begin again next February. The cows are diligently picking up the slack. Due to some crossovers from goat milk to cow milk it would be a good idea to call ahead for availability. MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Special appointments can be made for dairy pickup throughout the week.  From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

SPRING? NO, WINTER!!!!

The pastures are brown and dry, but the hoop house is bursting with green! We are harvesting the first of the winter tomatoes and peppers. The trays are full of starts to plant for winter. Middle sister was visiting from Boston for Thanksgiving, getting ready to return home to prepare for snow. Don't you just love Texas? The Farmers Son went through the strawberry fields and picked a bowl of strawberries. Apparently the plants are not saavy to the fact that it is December, about 3 months too soon to start producing. The menfolk have started on the second hoop house. Due to the draught, and the fact that the ground is hard as concrete, both of them peter out after trying to drive about two posts into the soil. At the rate they are going, with 44 plus posts to go, I will probably have a finished hoop house just in time for the millenium. Far be it from me to complain, as I am grateful for all of their efforts. The goat milk production is nearly over for the year. As we survey the pasture hosting the maternity ward, we can see the signs of impending motherhood. We will start the new milking season in February. The cow milk production is holding steady, taking up some of the slack of the goat milk.  The Christmas season is fast approaching. We are preparing some holiday treats for the market. Lots of seasonal cookies and candies. Nothing says a gift from the heart, like a handcrafted bar of goat milk soap, or a box of  homemade Texas pecan pralines. Market hours: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM and Saturday from10:00AM until 4:00 PM. Special appointments can be made throughout the week for dairy pickup. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

FINALLY, PECANS!!!!

It has been a dry spell for pecans for the past several years, and now a bumper crop. Good thing, as  requests for pecan pralines,  pecan patties,  pecan pies and tarts, not to mention mouthwatering Turtles are adding up. The Farmers Son and I are scouring the countryside for maverick pecan trees. Ours are loaded, the neighbors are sharing, and we are not above knocking on the doors of complete strangers, that have stately, heavy laden pecan trees in  their yards. Surprisingly we have gathered plenty on the shares. The holidays will be complete with plenty of pecan treats! Winter is creeping in, with hints of colder nights and shorter days. Everyone is hunkering down for the next few weeks, enjoying light duty. The chickens have all but completely halted production, the bees are preparing for hibernation, the goats and cows are growing their wooly, winter coats. The goat milk production is slowly waning..... soon to be over for the year. It will resume the middle of February. The cow milk production is taking up the slack, with the cows loving the cooler weather.  The winter vegetable harvest will begin the end of November, with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, greens. This week is Thanksgiving week, the market will be closed Thursday and Friday, but we will be open Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

PLANTING GARLIC WHILE SNOOZING!!!

Who said farming was hard!!! The Farmers Son has found a way to work and snooze at the same time. The only glitch is making  arms and feet work while asleep and not running into the fence at the end of a row. Next year we should have a whopping crop of garlic, the rows will probably be a little zig zaggy, but it is in the ground. The weather has been so cooperative, minus the need for rain, but it has not been much of a chore irrigating the fall crops, as it has cooled off considerably. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are finally starting to blush, so the market will have tomatoes before Thanksgiving. The strawberry plants have taken hold, and are starting to grow. We are expecting a superb crop next year, barring any unforseen catastrophes. We have picked most of the winter squash/pumpkins. We will have just what you need for your pumpkin pies and squash casseroles. Just a note to Ms. Hidalgo, who presented us with the precious portuguese pepper seeds to grow. THEY GREW!!! The goat milk supply is pitiful. The does are almost all bred for the Spring, we have turned many dry,  but those that are still giving some milk, are slowly shutting us off. All of their energy is going into the growth of their unborn kids. We are limiting purchases and trying to make sure the infants get what they need. The egg supply is more dismal than the goat milk supply. I think my hens are too fat. With some things more is not always better. The Farmer shakes is head as I keep taking food to them because they "look a little lank". He claims they are all so fat, they can't even wiggle.  By Christmas, all will be turned dry until the middle of February. Now the cow milk is another story. We have been able to provide what is needed with the new additions to the dairy herd. It is still a good idea to call ahead to check availability, as the demand for the milk has increased. As for Thanksgiving, just a heads up, we will be closed the Friday after, but will be open the following Saturday. MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Dairy pickups can be made throughout the week, call for an appointment. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

JERSEY COW MILK APLENTY!!!

The recent arrival of Molasses Molly and Siren Sadie, teamed with Poppy, Zoey, Godiva, and Lulu has increased our cow milk production potential over the moon! I do not forsee a shortage of the rich, creamy, liquid gold any time soon..... not to mention the up and comers, Praline and Mazy, who will be first time fresheners next year, I can see sour cream and butter on the cooler shelves in the market come winter. Another steer is going to the processor this week, so there will be plenty of lean ground beef available. The processing fee has gone up again, so the cost of the ground round will be $5.00 lb.OUCH!!! The goat milk supply is still dwindling each week, but we are trying to make sure the babies have what they need. Call ahead for availability. It would also  be a good idea to call ahead and reserve your milk, so that we can make sure your request can be filled, as even though the supply of Jersey milk has increased, so has the demand. The cover was put on the hoop house this week, to protect the bushels of green tomatoes that are hanging on the vines as they start to ripen. The MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Special appointments can be made throughout the week for dairy pickup. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!