OUR GUARANTEE

                     IF  YOU JOIN OUR CSA AND EAT OUR YUMMY FRUITS AND VEGES

                                you will notice a transformation within days, maybe even minutes

my own children were used in this research,
 no innocent neighborhood children were
forced to eat Brussels sprouts

                                                         
                                            you may no longer need your Clark Kent glasses

 

 

you will become efficient at Math, Algebra, Physics, Spelinng, Calculus,

Science...............

my straight A,  4.0 Senior
but because he eats his fruits and veges,
 the girls think he's a 10.0



disclaimer:   you may not have the same results
 

 no more broccoli for you son

 

 

 

O.K. maybe we can't quite guarantee these results, but I will guarantee.........

 

  But wait.......I have to start at the beginning.

 

It all began when I had an appointment to get a broken tooth fixed.  My dentist lives in Price and in order to get to Price you have to go over the notorious Indian Canyon Pass.  (remember the broken down Burbanator).  Well, we had had the most beautiful spring weather for the past two week and then Monday night the blizzard blew in.  My appointment was at 10:00 a.m.  Tuesday morning.  In order to make it on time I would have to leave the house by 8:00 on a good day.  I waited till just a little after 8:00 hoping the weather would warm up so we (me and good ole Wilma, the car) might not have snow and ice covered roads to travel.  Well by the time I hit Duchesne, there was a good 10 inches of snow.  I thought about turning around and heading back home right then and there, I am either really, really brave or really, really, stupid and

I decided to pursue onward.  I stopped to fill up with gas because if I was going to slide off the cliff as I went over the pass I wanted to be able to at least keep warm until someone found me.  Handing the clerk $25.00 for gas I asked her if she knew how the road conditions were going over Indian Canyon.  She asked what gas pump I was on and glanced out the window when I answered #3.

"Are you in that car?' she asked giving me a look of disbelief.  "I wouldn't go over that pass unless I had a good 4 wheel drive, actually I wouldn't go over that pass at all today."

She also said all the roads are iced up and snowy.

Walked back out to where Wilma was waiting, filled her up with gas and asked her if she was up for the challenge.

Her dented door screeched as I opened it, and unhesitatingly, she said "YOU BETCHA-YA!" 

 

So off we went, Wilma and I,  slip slidin through snow and slush.   I drive in the snow a lot and thought the roads weren't that bad, but when I came upon the flashing lights that said to chain-up I got a little apprehensive.  Do I turn around now, I've been on the road over an hour.  No, I'm half way there we'll keep going.  You see, I had to go to Walmart and pick up some thing for my boys' Prom Dates.  They had tracked down a couple of second-hand, black tail-tuxs' to wear and scored some nice slacks at the thrift store.  They wanted a stripe of glossy ribbon sewn down the outside pant-leg that would match the color of the dress their date was wearing and the purchased vest and bow-tie they had ordered to match the dress.  Blue and Pink.  I also needed to pick up some co2 tanks and paint for the paint ball guns for their day dates before the Prom.  I really needed to forge onto Price because I needed the items by Saturday, and if I didn't go today, I would have to take another day and travel to Vernal in an entirely different direction to pick up the items.  So Wilma and I pressed on.  Not very much traffic on the roads, everyone had sense enough to stay home........

 

We finally made it to the top and started the descent down.  This is where it gets kinda tricky.  I shifted into low gear and would apply the brakes to try not to go down the steep grade too fast, but with those anti lock brakes, they wouldn't let me slow down much and I would just keep sliding closer and closer to the edge and long drop-off. At this point I know that I'm not brave, just plain don't have a lick of sense in my head.  We crawled down the mountain and finally made it to Price.  Dr. Olsen, giving me a look of disbelief said, "Why did you go over the canyon, you should of called and rescheduled." 

Well, I needed fancy blue and pink ribbon, co2 cartridges, and paint balls, just didn't seemed like a good enough answer to risk my life for so I just smiled, or tried too with one half of my face numb. 

Got the tooth fixed.......

Hit the thrift store and then on to Walmart to get the fancy blue and pink ribbon and the co2 cartridges for the paint ball guns.

Found just the right colors to match their vests, bought 3 yard of each color so I would have enough and not have to run to town to buy more.  Bought supplies needed to feed 2 teenage boys, loaded the sacks in my cart, unloaded the cart into the car and headed home.  The roads were clear and I made it home without a hitch.  Unloaded the car and began to put things away.  After the sacks were empty, there wasn't a pretty blue or pink ribbon and co2cartdgriges to be found anywhere!!!!!  I went back out to the car, nope, NO sack filled with ribbon or cartridges.

Called Walmart and asked if my bag of ribbon was still at the store.  YEP, it sure was.  I said,  " I live 2 hours away (3 if it's snowing) and need the ribbon by Saturday, " can you load a credit on a card for the tanks (they are very costly), stick the glossy blue and pink ribbon and card  in an envelope and send it to me?  It is too far away to travel back to get them".  " NO," they replied,"  we will hold the bag for you and if you will bring your receipt back you can pick it up, BUT NOT without the receipt  even if you just called and we found the bag, you have to have your receipt in order to pick up the items.".......Hum  I think I have it somewhere.  But it got me to thinking about how I want to treat my customers.

 

So here is OUR GUARANTEE

If you purchase anything from us and are dissatisfied we will kindly replace it.  If you feel the Arugula is too spicy we can trade it for an item of equal value, but lesser flavor.  If the cucumber is bitter, throw it in the compost heap and let me know, I'll gladly replace it with another one.

 

If you leave your purchase with us to put in the cooler while you visit other booths and you forget to pick it up when you leave, we will not make you drive all the way out to the farm to pick it up.  Just get a new bag of produce from us the next week and you don't need a receipt,

 but you do need to remember what you bought,

 cause I never will.

 

Happy customers eating delicious veges is our goal.

 

 

 

 

 

DILL

 

 

Hang a bunch of dill over your door and you will be protected from witches, is an old folk belief.  Dill has been cultivated and used since the time of the Egyptians.  The old Norse word dilla, from which dill is derived means to "lull".  Dill seed oil has been used to make gripe water which calms a colicky child and sooths stomach problems. 

 

 

 

Plant seeds of dill in the early spring, but not to deep, it needs a little sunlight to germinate.  I plant a large block of dill and harvest the dill weed when it is about 6 inches tall.  As the plant matures they can grow up to 5 feet tall so plant them where they will not be damaged by the wind.  I have found that planting in large blocks also helps the plant to support it's self.

 

To harvest the dill plant, cut off  at the base when the seeds are fully developed and still green.  Tye in bundles and hang to dry.  Use a rubber band around the stems so when they dry, the band will tighten and the dill will not fall out of the bundle. 

 Use the dill as flavoring for pickles, other pickled vegetables, and herbed dill vinegars.

 

To harvest dill seed I simply wait until the dill seeds have turned brown.  Cut off plants at the base and fill a large paper grocery sacks full of the dill with the heads at the bottom.  Set the sacks in a warm, dry place such as the back of a closet.  When the stalks are completely dry, remove the seeds from the stems, letting them  fall to the bottom of the bag.   On a slightly windy day pour the seed out of the bag into a large bowl.  This will get rid of all the smaller stems.

 Store the seed in an air tight jar. 

 

TRY THIS:  when you have eaten all the pickles from a jar, don't pour out the vinegar; add fresh, cleaned, vegetables from the garden into the jar. (try a mixture of baby carrots, thin string beans, broccoli florets, etc.) Put on the lid and place in the refrigerator for a week or two.  These fresh vege pickles need to be eaten within a reasonable amount of time and not stored without refrigeration.

 

The kids like to sip a small amount of home canned pickle juice during the summer.  It is very refreshing and replenishes essentials fluids you loose while working in the sun all day.

 

DILLED TOMATO BREAD

make bread in the usual manner, but substitute tomato juice for the liquid

add dill seeds just before you mold into loaves

I like to use the small, shaped, cylinder loaf pans

 

 

 

 

serve the thick, sliced tomatoe bread with cream cheese,

 topped with diced black olives and fresh dill sprigs

these make wonderful sandwiches for tea 

 

2013 CSA Season

picked and delivered within hours

It's that time of year again!  When the Rhubarb begins to break through the ground I know summer is on it's way.  The green house is planted and Shelly's garden in Leeds is coming along nicely. 

sugar snap peas

  I will be planting various Cole crops over the next few weeks and my 5 acre garden will be in by June.  There have been some changes this year for delivery days and sites.


                              DELIVERIES FOR THE SPRING GREEN SHARE
                                                    BEGIN MAY 15th


ST. GEORGE------  WEDNESDAYS EVENINGS  5:00 - 7:00p.m.

                                 the good folks' at   REAL FOOD
                     on 700 South are letting  us deliver to their parking lot.

MESQUITE---------WEDNESDAY EVENINGS


CEDAR CITY------- THURSDAY MORNINGS  10:00 a.m.


FARM PICK UP ---- THURSDAY EVENINGS  7:00 p.m.


WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS FOR THE SEASON.  PRICING IS POSTED IN THE RIGHT COLUMN.  IF YOU ARE A RETURNING CUSTOMER, WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER GREAT YEAR AND REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. 

PLEASE CONTACT US TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.  WE OPERATE ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED

let our family grow your families food

Why join  our CSA?   Knowing how your food is grown is one of the best rewards for joining a CSA.  You receive produce picked and delivered within hours thus maximizing the optimum nutritional benefits.  We do not use fertilizers, pesticides or other harmful chemicals.  Our soil has been nurtured for years with compost and beneficial natural ingredients from our beautiful spoiled chickens and goats.  All this creates a superior product that is healthier and tastier than anything mass produced by larger producers.  I am a painter and compare my veges to that of a work of art. We provide you with original, hand-grown, hand-cultivated vegetables and fruits , that are beautiful and delicious compared to the mass produced, chemical ridden, hybrid that is bred to withstand miles of shipping and has lost all it's flavor and nutrition in the process.
We look forward to growing your families' food.  Please let us now if you have some suggestions of produce you would like us to grow.  Thanks, and WELCOME TO THE FARM!

cabbage

Chicken Run made from Cattle Panels

I adore chickens

A painting of one of our  past roosters who ended up in the freezer because he was so mean and kept
 attacking my 3 year old daughter.  She requested that we put him in the "stew pot".
He was gorgeous, a game bird/aracauna cross.

they make me smile

and they give us the perfect food

 all wrapped up in colorful packaging

extra high in omega 3

Over the past (well dare I say 30 years) I have had chickens

usually they run free range, but as soon as the gardens go in, at the first of June

I confine them to the hen house hotel with the walk out terrace.

We have had many coops and runs--er hotels and walk out terraces-- over the years

we move often and have rebuilt a place for the girls every time.

This is my favorite run thus far.

It is simply 16 foot galvanized cattle panels, arched and staked,

 and covered with chicken wire

our fancy "RED NECK" door latch

We used the tall 6 foot posts as stakes because we rotate grazing animals and wanted to be able to attach fencing along the sides of the run.

This is another example of using the cattle panels for a run.  The roof panels are supported through the middle using 2x4's.  I do not like this as well.  It is more difficult to maneuver in the run because you cannot stand up.  However square footage is more for the same amount of panels used as compared with the arched run.  This method does not require any additional fencing when we are grazing animals next to it.

If you have a problem with predators line the outside of the run with large flat stones.

More of my thoughts or experiences about raising chickens:

the $2,600 stew hen

MOLTING

We have also used the panels for mini green houses and have bent the panels in half the long way for low tunnels to extend the season for vegetable crops

A self- portrait

 

 

well-----what can I say without getting myself in trouble-------

 

 

 

Do you remember those plywood cutouts of the grandpa (in his overalls)

 and grandma (with her polka-dot dress and bloomers)

 bent over in the garden

that everyone used to have in their yards?

I have always felt like one of those ridiculous "granny fanny" cutouts

while toiling away in my gardens. 

 That was one reason I was so happy when we bought the farm

 so I could garden out in the middle of nowhere, where no one could see me. 

Now I can hear someone coming down the road (rarely happens) in enough time

 I can stand up and save myself some embarrassment :-)

 

 

 I wanted to paint a self portrait and this is my interpretation of myself.

 

 

 

After completing my self portrait my handsome man's comment was

"You are not that fat" 

"Gee thanks honey, that was certainly the right thing to say"

 

  I sent along a phone picture to all my kids and they all agree

 

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE ME!

 

 

 

 

Denim was made for Flowers

take a casual, thrift store, Denim Jacket from plain and ordinary

 to

fancy and fabulous

 work out a design and then transfer it to your project

an iron on transfer tracing pencil can be used,

 but remember the design will be ironed on in reverse

or

lay a piece of transfer paper under the design and over top of your fabric

 go over the design with a ball point pen to transfer the pattern

or just draw the design on free-hand with a pen

use an embroidery hoop and floss

I used all six strands of floss  

Adding button hole stitches along the seams and

 around the edges of pockets looks nice

Remember back in the day when we appliqued our bell-bottomed denim jeans. 

 I think I am old and quirky enough now that I can wear old jeans --boot-cut--

all decked out.

  I'll post pictures when they are finished.

plants or seeds?

 GROWING SQUASH IN A VERY VERY VERY SHORT SEASON

if you are one of the lucky ones who has a longer growing season

just skip this, or read it and laugh with me for being idiotic enough to try

Every spring the nursery's and big box stores are full of 3 inch pots filled with squash plants.  I have even seen gallon sized pots with little mini zucchini's already growing on them.

Over the years I have discovered a few things about growing squash.

Not saying my way is the right or better way, just what has worked best for me in my short, unpredictable growing season.  A squash is a heat loving plant.  Every year I used to baby along plants that I had planted in a cold frame, opening and closing it when the weather dictates.  Getting up in the middle of the night and running out in my p.j.'s to throw a blanket over the frames because I forgot before bedtime. 

  Then one year I planted a section of summer squash way late (june 13th)--our usual last frost date is june 25th, but I generally plant all squash around june 6th. The plants germinate, but stay close enough to the ground that the heat coming from the ground keeps them warm enough they don't freeze.  If it is really cold I cover each plant with a small piece of cloth to prevent them from freezing.  Well the year I planted some of the squash late was a real eye-opener for me.  The early plants I had worked so hard (started indoors early) and planted out in cold frames trying to get an earlier harvest only produced 3 days sooner than the late planted ones........lesson learned , just direct seed when the soil is warm.  The squash just won't grow much until it's warm. 

I have however had good success  planting in a long, narrow rectangle  boxes made of straw bales laid end to end, and covered the middle growing area with double pane sliding glass door  windows.   The  direct seeded squash produced a couple of weeks earlier than the ones sown at the (my) proper outdoor seeding time.  The maintenance was simple I actually just left one end slightly opened,  this  allowed for watering and excess heat to escape.  If the nights were extremely cold I'd scoot the end bale closed and throw heavy blankets over-top of the glass.

This straw bale method works well for any crops you would like to extend the season of. 

There are only a few winter squash I can grow because of my unpredictable season

journal entry 2010
in the upper corner it says:  Frost until June 25th  didn't get the usual July 4th frost it was 36 degrees
but it got me on August 10th


this is typical every summer
 (we wear coats every morning)

 

 Sometimes I only have 31-33 days without a frost.  The straw bale method allows me to grow a few of the long day winter squash varieties.

My experience with winter squash that can grow in a shorter season are:

spaghetti

hubbards

turks turban

buttercup

acorn

sometimes sweet meat do well

These varieties seem to do better and are not as affected by frost

Oh, did I mention my first frost day in the fall is August 28th.  So, if I get a frost on July 4th (happens quite often) and then my first fall frost in August.....That means I get frost every month of the year!!!!  Will somebody please remind me why I live here.....

 Oh , I remember, I have the most beautiful sunsets EVERY night,

peace and quiet,

solitude,

serenity...........

last summer our renters purchased some 3 inch spaghetti squash plants from a nursery store and planted
 (small plant in the foreground)  before we direct seeded the next row (center) about 2 weeks later

Lesson 2:  You can purchase those plants from the store if you want to pay the money, however seeds planted directly into the ground always outgrow the store bought ones.  Here again are the results I have experienced.  Maybe you have had great success buying plants and transplanting them. 

 I start my own vegetables to transplant, but over the years I quit starting all squash and pumpkins simply because they did so much better directly seeded after the soil was warm.

The picture above is an example of purchased spaghetti squash plants (the little ones in the left corner)  were set out early and covered nightly to prevent freezing.  About 2 weeks later,  seeds were planted  ( the center row).  The Spaghetti Squash, directly seeded when the soil was warm, easily out grew the store bought plants, and my harvest yielded a greater number of squash per plant, with the weight and size almost double.

One of the many winter squash patches at the farm

I plant banana squash (cause I looooove it) every year,

 but only get a harvest about once every 5 or 6 years

I totally gave up growing butternut

the zucchini patch

  

A comfy chair placed in the shade to day dream or read in

 while I am waiting to change the water.........well, you know me

I can't sit and wait for water so I'm off doing a kazillion other things

Sometimes I get a good variety and harvest, sometimes the chipmunks dig out all my seed after it germinates ruining my whole season because I don't have a long enough season to replant, sometime the frost wipes everything out and sometimes I just shake my head and wonder why I try,

but any way you look at it growing squash is worth the trouble.

Ate spaghetti squash just the other day and had roasted Hubbard squash with potatoes, carrots, and onions all winter. Roasted Squash Bisque Soup.  Made lots of squash pies for breakfast,

 empanadas, tarts,

 etc. etc.

OH YEAH, GROWING SQUASH IS DEFINITELY WORTH THE TROUBLE

Recycling Old Cement Sidewalks

The front steps to the little red house are old pieces of cement we found on the farm when we first purchased it.    They measure about 3 feet by 4 feet and 6 inches thick.  Good ole (Handsome Man)  loaded them from the west 40 acre section into the back of the truck and then hauled them into place at the front door using a car dolly.


 

front steps to the little red house with the bright yellow door



butterfly watering rocks are stragtically placed by the front door for easy access
 to fill up the cavities with water
lizards, toads and dragonflys' also use the rocks

 

 

 

 

a walk way to the east gardens using broken pieces of old sidewalks

plant low creeping herbs inbetween the broken pieces

the herbs will hold up well to foot traffic and smell wonderful as you tread upon them

try using mints or thyme

 

 

 

use them to make a large patio or driveway

 

 

a large patio at the side of the sun room of my little red house

the large 6 inch thick pieces in the fore-ground are placed a step above the patio,

 this allow for extra seating and the path leads

 to the gate into the backyard 

 

 

 

                                         make retaining walls, benches, and flower planters

I don't recomend them for vegetable raised beds, not worth

 the risk of chemicals leaching into the soil

ruined the car dolly trying to move these extra large pieces

 

What have you used old side-walk cement for?

 

 

 

 

Gardening in Utah

Utah has many growing zones
that's Beryl, the purple circle in the southwest corner
says we are zone 5 but everything I plant suitable for zone 5 winter kills
we can't even get lilacs to bloom here.  Fruit trees, people don't even bother to plant because they never blossom enabling them to bear fruit
No we are defiantly a zone 3 here at the farm

 

Well, supposedly it's spring.  Glen and I zipped down to the farm yesterday, we traveled several hours in a snow blizzard, I'm at the farm right now it's 9:00 a.m. about 10 degrees with a cold 25-30 mile hour wind from the north.  I was hoping to get a little gardening prep done before heading to sunny St. George for Glen's school meetings tomorrow thru Wednesday.

 

 

supposedly we are zone 5

 

Here's the list of thing I hope to get done today

 

goats hooves trimmed

sheep sheared

green house tilled and planted

tumbleweeds removed from the front yard

kidding pens built

fire-wood cut and hauled

new battery installed in the expedition so we can take the attached trailer

 full of old antique doors and wood siding we removed from an old house headed for demolition

 a couple of months ago and unload it around back

 

 

 

But it's too cold and windy so I changed my plans---

get done today:

 

go back to the house and have lunch

 in the sun room where it's nice and warm

 

 

 then, sit by the cozy warm fire and read a gardening magazine

or card and spin some wool 

maybe I'll get ambitious and do some spring cleaning

in the house----maybe not

or work on some unfinished remodeling projects

 

that's one thing about gardening in Utah

the spring weather is always unpredictable

 

 

 

 

PROGRESS REPORT:   Just wanted to say we did get the vehicle running so we could get the trailer unloaded, the goats' hooves trimmed, a remodel project done---an antique door fitted and hung, and hauled some wood.  So much for sitting by the cozy warm fire reading a magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY SPRING

 a photo taken years ago of tulips from my yard in Nevada

                      Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Spring!!!!!

 

 

POCKETS

 

The last time I was down at the farm

it was snowing.  I threw on my old, heavy work coat and 

 stuck my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. 

 

This is what I found in my pocket:

 

metal buttons of various sizes,

an "ugly" rock....hum, I usually pick up the ones that have a variety of colors and

 interesting shapes so I can put them in the thick glass,  rock collection jar.

A real glass, vintage crystal from one of my chandeliers.

Nails, screws, and one ear plug,

and something I have in about every pocket I own,

bits and pieces of seed packets.

I carried around a hand- pieced quilt square for the longest time,

never could figure out why it was in my coat pocket.

 I don't know what happened to it,

now I will need to make one more to have enough for the quilt.

 

 

Made me think about the "good ole days"

I reminisced of the many things I have carried around in my pockets over the years.

 

 

Tucked into my shirt pocket you would often find

 

 snakes

the small water snakes from McGregor's pond wouldn't climb out

 like the blow snakes would

 

 

 

 

 

horned toads

 

 

lizards

 

 

In my bib-overall pockets would be:

bits of rope,

bent, twisted, pieces of wood to whittle on

a small, single bladed, bright yellow pocket knife to do the whittlin' with.

Always had a piece or two of balin' wire

you could fix anything if you had a piece of balin' wire,

and also used it to unplug the nozzles of the hand sprinkler lines when they filled with dirt.

Broken pieces of thick, colored glass -purple, blue and green- to look at the sun through.

(probably not a wise idea)

 A big chunk of clear, salt rock I'd busted off the large chunk of salt rock out in the cow pasture to munch on.

(probably not very sanitary)

A sling that was made from the tongue of an old leather shoe and it's long leather laces.

(oh, the stories I could tell)

 

Aren't pockets a wonderful invention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Garden Journal

 

 

Every year I keep track of my gardens in a journal of some-sorts.  Papers ripped from a notebook and held together with zip-tyes,  a photo album, or art sketch books from the store.  This is my journal for 2013.  An old linen dress I cut up and embellished with odd bits and pieces of lace, and satin from a vintage wedding dress.  Tassels to tye it closed.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slipped cardboard into the front and back covers then sewed around the edges

 

 tea stained heavy art paper to use as the pages

 

bound the pages to the finished cover with dental floss and a strong tapestry needle

 

 

 

 

  water colored flowers, favorite words and quotes on the pages

 

 

Now paste empty seed packets, draw plans for crops, the weather, add your thoughts, success and failures of plants.  Animal births and sales, goals, have friends who visit your garden write their observations or thoughts and bits of wisdom.

 

insert from 2010 journal



Share your ideas about a Garden Journal with us.  Have you used anything unusual, beautiful, or unique?