IT'S BEEN AGES AND AGES!!!

We go to sleep night after night after a full day of milking, feeding, plowing, planting, mowing, picking, to look at the calendar and realize weeks have gone by and it is OCTOBER!!! We are busy getting the farm ready for the winter, assessing the hay and feed situation, gathering the heaters, checking the water lines for cracks or leaks and planting strawberries. The Farmers Son was booted from the nest and sent to the far end of the pasture in his own little cozy RV. His loft apartment is now vacant and will soon be a work place for the Farmers Wife to expand her projects and multiply her junk. After fall cleaning and decluttering, and countless trips to the Good Will, there is lots of room for some new junk! The market has been bustling with new patrons as well as our reliable regulars, keeping the girls busy producing milk. The pumpkin patch was reduced to several plants that were salvaged in the kitchen garden that were planted late, due to the grasshopper infestation, so we will probably have pumpkins for Christmas. The canner is still full of pickles, jams, juices. The fall produce is trickling in, some squash, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, peppers, soon to be followed by tomatoes and greens. The honey harvest was abundant. This year we filtered through a more course filter, so there may be bits of pollen, propolus, probably a bit of wax, and an occasional bee knee. So much the better! The market hours are the same FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM. Call throughout the week for dairy pickup if needed. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

CATCHING UP!!!

We have not dropped off of the face of the Earth, just enjoying preserving the glorious gifts of the Earth. The canner, juicer, dehydrator, have been going nonstop since the end of the summer harvest. Lots of work, but it has its rewards in the winter hours as we are enjoying a bowl of hot chili with home canned tomatoes or a peach cobbler with peaches from the back yard. Because of the abundant harvest, despite the hoards of grasshoppers that set up camp in our fields, there will be plenty to share in the market. Lots of activity on the farm as we are preparing for the Fall/Winter. The milk supply has held steady, with some late births of goat and cow babies. Diamond B Cattle Company let us buy one of their bull calves to raise as our future herd sire. Top notch Jersey cows come from their farm. The Farmer and Son are preparing the greenhouses for the fall planting of the strawberries, as we are still fighting the endless influx of grasshoppers, the pumpkin crop will be minimal this year, again, darn. They wiped out a field of corn in three days. The serve yourself produce table has been a great success this year. For those that supported our lazy ways, and weighed and calculated your own purchases, and filled our money box, thanks a bunch! Because of the heat and the lull in produce production, we are just filling the table on the weekends, Friday and Saturday. The market is hosting a few crops at this time. MARKET HOURS: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM. Some last minute tomatoes, some okra, squash, onions, potatoes, peaches, garlic, eggplant, peppers, are available. Not a good idea to wait until the end of the day to come get goodies for supper, as the table is usually bare at that time. The freezers are stocked with ground beef and ground goat meat. The honey is plentiful, as the bees just booted the grasshoppers over as they enjoyed the nectar from all of the produce blossoms. It will soon be time to consider if there will be enough vegetables for the CSA to continue through the Fall/Winter. Updates will be posted. It is good to be back! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT!!!

Three guesses what is in the jar, and no it does not have anything to do with inards or outards. The liquid at the bottom is honey, seeping from the stack of honeycomb. The Farmer and Son retrieved an established hive underneath the floor of a barn that was going to be torn down. The bees were saved, as was the treasure trove of honeycomb and honey. The watermelon season is well under way. Lots and lots of red, ripe watermelon, as well as cantaloupe and Isreal melon. The grasshoppers have wreaked havoc on the corn and the peaches, so there will not be much of those in the market. There are a few fresh vegetables on the self serve table, but the Spring/Summer harvest is nearing the end. We are already anticipating for the Fall. The cow and goat milk supply are holding steady, as the girls adjust to the heat. Market Hours: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00. Special appointments can be made for dairy pickup throughout the week. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

JUST ANOTHER DAY!!!

We will be open on the 4th of July, as the goats, cows, and chickens, do not care that it is a National Holiday, or that the Post office and Banks are closed, or that the nighttime skies will sparkle with unusual bursts of colored lights! We will have plenty of milk, meat, produce, honey, and if the Farmers wife gets on the ball, some blackberry, strawberry, and peach preserves. The corn is iffy due to swarm after swarm of grasshoppers, the melons are wonderful. The supply of homegrown tomatoes has been sufficient for all who stop to be able to go home and make the best BLT ever. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:PM. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO

And we have potatoes, lots and lots of potatoes, and onions, and garlic, and carrots, and beets, not to mention cucumbers, black eyed peas, squash, and whatever else that the grasshoppers have not annihilated. The summer harvest is in full swing. The corn, melons, and tomatoes should be in the market baskets this next week. There will be u pick on the black eyed peas, for anyone interested. Also, there should be pickling cukes available.  The blackberry season is winding down. There are a few being picked for the market and some jammers have been gleaning what is available, but the season was short and just So So. As mentioned the grasshoppers are the worst we have seen in a while, due to the lack of spring rains. Hopefully we will be able to harvest some corn and melons before they completely take over.  Settling in for the summer heat, preparations are being made for larger water tanks, fans, tweaking the irrigation lines, and finally turning on the air conditioners. The Farmers panting, and sweaty clothes were a sure sign that it was time. The milk production is holding steady, plenty of cow and goat milk. The canner has been drug out of seasonal retirement, and the first batch of chow chow was made this week. As the summer solstice approaches, one thing comes to mind, the days will start getting shorter, Yippee!!! MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday, from noon 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!!

JUNE BUG!!!

In Texas the words June Bug have their own distinct connotation. The bugs all decide that this is the perfect time to find a warm, dry climate, an area overflowing with an abundance of delectable fresh in the field fruits and vegetables grown without chemicals or pesticides, to set up housekeeping and invite all of their friends and relatives for a never ending buffet of all you can eat, at any time. This is when the battle of wills, farmer against insect gets competitive. Each year it seems that there are new rivals, will it be grasshoppers, Japanese Beetles, Colorado potato bugs, squash bores, aphids, spider mites, cucumber beetles..... the list is endless. Staring down a tomato horn worm and picking it off a tomato vine is a true test of stamina. We have always tried to be diplomatic with our enemies from the insect world, planting some for them and some for us, but when they get a little piggish and want it all, we draw the line. Using biologicals are our last resort, even though considered natural and organic, we hesitate. All it takes is the almost instantanious death of a beautiful zucchini plant that boasted of stately foliage and abundant blossoms, drained of life by voracious bugs, and all of the guns are drawn. Another hurdle in the continuous relay run by farmers every day. We may sail over it, we my stumble into it, we may just run around it, but we will make it to the finish line, none the worse for wear, most likely with a harvest proudly displaying a few irregularities, like beetle bites or grasshopper poo, or even rabbit nibbles, nothing a good rinse won't fix....... but it will still taste good and we will offer it proudly. And for the record June bugs should be called April bugs, as they always start gunking up our driveway and water tubs in April! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

SPRINGTIME UPDATE!!!

We have hit the ground running, as the early summer crops are starting to produce. The blackberry pickers are finding some nice ripe berries to fill their boxes. The Farmer is spending time in the hay fields, making sure the girls are all set for the winter, when the green grass is no more. The CSA will be going into its second month after this next week. We will be adding a couple of shares as the harvest looks to be good. Contact us if you are interested in participating. The milk supply has been plentiful as the girls are enjoying the green grass and mild temperatures. As the summer heat approaches, we will enjoy the abundance knowing it will change. This weekend the Self Serve Produce tables will be set up in front of the market for those that are not able to visit during market hours. As of yet, we have not been disappointed in the basic honesty and goodness of mankind. The money box is always full at the end of the day and sometimes it seems that there is more than there should be. As for our policy, if anyone is not able to afford what they need to feed themselves and their family, we do not expect payment. No one should go hungry when we have been so blessed. The Farmers Son is keeping the corn and watermelons watered. The corn is almost as high as an elephants eye, albeit an elephant with stubby legs. The melons plants are loaded with baby melons. The first of the cherry tomatoes are ripening, soon the market will have fresh, home grown tomatoes. The eggplant is just blooming, so it will be a couple of weeks. The next daunting task will be picking green beans. UGH!!! If only they grew on trees! The U-Pick blackberry season is under way. The berries are coming on gradually. The early varieties are in production, with the later varieties waiting in the wings. Appointments are requested, as we want there to be berries for those that want to come pick. Due to the heat, picking is done in the mornings. Blackberry picking information is posted in the previous blog. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM. Special appointments can be made for dairy pick up throughout the week. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!