LOTS OF HASH BROWNS IN OUR FUTURE!!!

                                                                                                                                                                     

Can't begin to imagine how many little potato eyes are in 600 pounds of potatoes, but it will probably be more than a days work cutting them up, letting them crust over a bit and plopping the pieces in the ground. In years past we have run out of potatoes smack dab in the middle of the summer crop harvest, just when it is time to throw a steak on the grill, with some summer squash and tomato halves, and there has not been a freshly dug baking potato to be found. With the" new to us" walk in cooler, we will be able to plant more and store more. The Farmer and Son have been putting the finishing touches on the 2nd hoop house. They  are going to plant the first of the tomato plants this week. The seedling trays are flourishing, lots of varieties of greens coming up. The dairy does are languishing in limbo, waiting for the kidding season to begin. They all seem bored to tears! When you see a goat bopping her head against the trim on the shed for hours at a time, just to hear the noise, her life is at a standstill.Our calculations were a little off, in determining when the buck started his Honeymoon Holiday. We know the date we ended his celebacy, but apparently the girls had other ideas! They have all become divas, and insist on all the preliminaries, a little good food to share, a little moonlight, a tickle here, a nuzzle there, and that  slobbery, blubbering noise that he makes in their ears, who can fault them for that? We anticipate the goat milk should start in early March. MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM and Saturday 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!!!

WHO GARDENS IN FEBRUARY?.....WE DO!!!!

As the sisters that live in New England are blanketed with three feet of snow, and we are teased with a few shirt sleeve days here and there, we are reminded why we chose an out of the way little farm plot on the north end of the great state of Texas. Year around farming!!! The Farmer and Son have been "making hay" while the sun shines, and  even when it doesn't, preparing for Spring planting. The biggest decision of the day is "Do I put my coveralls and toboggen on, or is it just a jacket and cap day". The slower pace of winter on the farm is coming to an abrupt end as so many preparations are being made for the coming year. The strawberries are being weeded, the fruit trees have been pruned, the old beds in the hoop house have been replaced by slick, shiny new ones, the asparagus patch has been mowed, the fields have been plowed, the onions have been planted, as well as the first of the seed trays. It will soon be time to plant the potatoes, carrots, beets. The does are in the last stages of preparing for the coming kidding season. Busy days and sleepless nights are in the not so distant future. We can hardly wait! Decisions are being made as to what direction we will go this year with our dairy and produce. What will we experiment with this year? The Farmers son wants to expand with aquaponics and fish. We just might have some farm fresh Tilapia. Our mushroom experiment last year was a bust. Upon further research he has come up with a new plan. Something about logs, spores, climate control. Hopefully some time this year, our steaks will be smothered with our own sauteed shitake mushrooms. The olive trees survived the mild winter, although it is a little early to buy an olive press. We shared in the raising of pigs this past year, furnishing spent squash, watermelons, pumpkins, etc., with the number two Brother. The Farmer took five to the market this past month. As we are feasting on fresh cured ham, lean bacon, and gently seasoned breakfast sausage, it was decided we would go ahead and bring the pig operation home to the farm. We have plenty of out of the way corners, a ways away from the homeplace to built a pig pen. If the odor becomes a little offensive, a fresh slab of bacon will be thrown in the skillet to remind us why we are raising pigs..... here....on the farm....within throwing distance......right under our noses...... Our CSA program will resume. We will post information in March regarding applications, at which time we will be able to have a guestimation of how many shares we will be able to provide each week. MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 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!!

A DIFFERENT HAT!!!

Often times in the hustle bustle of everyday farm life, the outside world goes unnoticed, as each day is filled with the immediate needs of each animal, the fields, the machinery.... . The other simple pleasures of life often breeze by. The Farmers son and  I were called to duty by the number 1 granddaughter, to participate in the annual school Father/ Daughter Valentine dance. Her Father was working his 24 hour shift at the Grand Prairie Fire Dept., so with a fierce determination not to miss the dance, and a very ascertive phone call from a hopeful little girl, the mantle was passed to Uncle Chris. Yes, the onions could wait another day, the tractor could be serviced tomorrow, there is all of next week to weed the strawberries.  Now, a girl cannot expect to go to a dance without some special flowers on her wrist and in her hair, so Ganny (my grandmother moniker) pilfered through the attic, drug out the tubs from the bygone flower shop days, put on the Florist hat and apron, and whipped up a little number suitable for a little girls first dance.  Now as one of his other hats, the Farmers Son taught dance at one of the Arthur Murray dance studios, so he was anxious to see if he could still cut a rug! A great time was had by all, they closed the joint down, it was said that they finally had to turn out the lights, as no one wanted to stop and go home. The granddaughter shed a few tears when her magical night came to an end..... but was assured by Uncle Chris, the Farmers Son, that he would most definately be available as an escort again next year!  From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!! (By the way, anyone need a corsage, give a shout!!!)

VIVA LA REVOLUTION !!!!

In the past years of our growing a garden, not a whole lot of thought was given to the types of seeds that were planted. We planted what we liked to eat. A trip taken to a local garden center, browsing the seed racks, choosing a variety of what could be planted for the area, waiting until the planting season started, plopping them in the ground. Out of necessity, we have started researching farming practices in our locale, as well as what is produced elsewhere. As we have strived to learn more about organic, as well as all natural farming, more questions than answers have been found. As our knowledge of farming and gardening has broadened, so has our interest in the origins of what we are planting in our soil. The word Heirloom appeared constantly. The only Heirlooms that were familiar to us were Granny Venna's crocheted pillow cases and doilies. Heirloom seeds were as foreign as Russian Vodka! With increased knowledge comes the inclination for change. The more that we read about Genetically Modified Organisms, ( the words themselves are creepy) or GMO seeds, the greater the aversion to the freaky, petri dish bits, sold as super duper, better than ever, new and improved seeds. The question is: How can you improve on perfection? Seeds have exhisted since the beginning of time. Hundreds and hundreds of generations have planted and harvested seeds to survive. Man begatting man, seeds begatting seeds. Somewhere along the way laziness crept in. Right along side was greed. Somebodies decided that acres upon acres of all kinds of crops should be planted on the prairies and grasslands( don't get me started on the cause of the dust bowl), because families decided to watch TV instead of work a garden....., and they need to eat, so now a weekly trip to the supermarket, paying outlandish prices, buying whatever big agribusiness wants to raise for them to eat. Furthermore, it takes way to much time and physical labor to till the weeds from all of these crops, so the next plausable step was to create edibles that can be sprayed with killer spray and not die! How bizarre is that? We are spearheading a revolt against tainted seeds.  This planting year closer attention will be paid to the fruits and vegetables that will fill our market baskets. A good share of the plants that we will be growing will be the cherished Heirloom varieties. We have dabbled a little, now are going to dive in head first. As an added bonus, we are going to establish a seed cache for next year, as one of the benefits of Heirlooms are the ability to propogate themselves.Upon delving into the beginnings of many of our seeds, sure enough the majority are Heirlooms undercover. Marglobe tomatoes, Hales Best melons, Snowball Cabbage, California Wonder bell peppers, to name just a few! It is not a complete conversion yet, as there are a few hybrid that we have grown fond of, but surely we will find comparable Heirlooms as we continue to search and discover old/new varieties . As a defense, it is said  that even the bees and wind create hybrids, so they can't be all bad. (Note: Carol's definition of a hybrid is a cross of two perfect species, to create a more or less perfect species ). A challenge is put forth  to all gardeners...... novice and expert alike and all of those in between. Join the revolt, if you haven't already.Turn up your nose to funky, ill bred seeds.  Find some Heirloom seeds and start some traditions in your gardens. Let a couple of plants of each variety seed out. Harvest the seeds and save them for next year. Who would not think that this was an excellent idea? Yummy food and free seeds! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

LETTUCE EAT SALAD...LOTS AND LOTS OF SALAD!!!

I am supposing that in the planning stages of the Garden of Eden, there was not much thought given to what would grow in Arctic temperatures, so in the aftermath there was not a huge selection of edibles in comparison to what would grow in the balmy, temperate climate that was indicated in the Good Book. But all was not forgotten and a pretty good assortment of palatable veggies seem to have made themselves known as the hearty crops that are impervious to the winter cold. As we are preparing the earth for the early Spring crops, signs of growth and new vegetation were apparent on last falls broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. The greens in the greenhouse have survived the below freezing temperatures, getting bit back a smidge, but rallying with a little sunshine and water.  Soup and salads are the main fare at our dinner table this time of the year. Nothing like a broccoli cheese chowder and a leafy green salad, with crusty bread. The potting greenhouse is ready for the seed trays. We are sorting seeds, getting ready to plant the trays for this years crops. I am seeing glimpses of the bottom of the nut and fruit freezer as the final batches of preserves are filling the market shelves. Hopefully I will be filling the freezer bins back up with pecans, as we are still gathering and cracking the nuts. MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00 PM. 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!!!