5 Feb
Beautiful colored eggs
What can I say. The variety of colors makes these eggs the most beautiful eggs I have ever seen.
These are from our new egg lady. If you haven’t tried farm fresh eggs, please do. Find a neighbor, farmer, anyone with chickens and buy some eggs. Then compare store bought eggs to the farm eggs. Crack each into a small bowl and note the color. The farm eggs usually have larger and darker yolks, which to me, are richer tasting and better for you.
Love these colors
4 Feb
What snow does to tomatoes.
This is what 6″ snow does to tomato plants. It freezes the leaves and vines and makes them crunchy. Not the correct sort of farming term, but more like how the plants feel and look.
We are in the process of clearing these now, adding them as compost ingredients. Then we’ll add more compost to the bed, to get it ready for the next planting.
We rotate crops as best we can, so something other than tomatoes will go into this row come Spring.
Frozen Brandywine Tomatoes
Here’s another pic of what the snow did to the tomato plants. Yeah, it was December and who would have thought we’d have tomatoes at that time, but check it out, in the middle of the pic is a red tomato. It wouldn’t be as good as a summer tomato, but maybe it would have been OK enough to eat.
31 Jan
Sunflower at Zoey Farms
I patiently wait for Summer.
Last year we planted more flowers than we had in years past, and this year we’ll plant even more. It was so fun to view the tall sunflowers from the kitchen window and even better, to have them growing among the veggies; the cucumbers using them as a trellis.
29 Jan
Snowy tomatoes
We hope you are weathering all the storms, where ever you are. In October, during the zillion miles an hour winds, we had a huge oak hit the barn, smashing the roof. Horses were scared but OK. I was freaked out, I have a thing about trees falling on me. Long story for another time. Due to my anxiousness over falling wood, we had the oak trees nearest the house cut down. I felt and still do, feel like a tree murderer. I was sad about having them taken out, but I needed to do something; my anxiousness was getting bad.
That was 3 days before the snow. We had 6″ by Monday morning; trees and branches were falling all around us. Boy was I glad we had those trees removed. I really think the house would have been hit with some of them.
After the storm this week, more branches fell, I think the ones that were broken by the snow. On the bright side, we have enough wood for many years.
Garden under snow
FARM: We are moving forward and will have shares available in the Spring. Watch out for emails notifying the when and where’s. I am so looking forward to warm, sunny days in the garden. Plus harvesting and eating good, organic veggies.
We did plant some winter veggies and what we were able to pick was great tasting. Some of the cauliflower was small and full of aphids. I had to throw away a couple of heads, but we did manage to eat about five. Broccoli was good too, and believe it or not, many flowered before we could pick them. The red kale didn’t do very well; small and tough. Broccoli rabe and collard greens grew well. Brussel sprouts are still growing, same with celery. The snow killed all the potato plants; we’re hoping the potatoes under the ground will put out more leaves soon. Spring onions and garlic are doing well.
Snow Angus
SHARES: As previously mentioned, we will advertise shares in the Spring in this email newsletter. More info on that later.
Many times we have been asked if a shareholder has to work on the farm for their veggies. In the past, we have not had this option, but this year, we are thinking about offering the opportunity. We don’t have the particulars sorted out just yet, but if you are interested, let us know. We can sure use the help, as we want to expand the farm.
We are also looking at offering egg shares. We have a new egg person lined up, who loves her hens and feeds them organic food. We are also looking at having honey, flowers, and other items for sale. Also, if you grow veggies organically and have more than you can use, we are interested in purchasing or trading with you. Contact us and we can discuss.
Garden in early summer
PLANTING YOUR GARDEN: If you are thinking about having your own garden this year and don’t know where to start, may we suggest Square Foot Gardening. Last year was our first year that we used the method for 99% of our little farm and we were very happy with our results. It’s very hard to imagine most veggies growing in just 6″ of soil. But we took the leap of faith and rebuilt the top garden with raised beds, filled with soil and planted. Everything we normally grow grew great and we had abundant harvests. Plants grew better with this method compared to the typical method of growing in the ground. We will continue to rebuild and grow with this method as it was very successful. If you are interested, we still have some books for sale at $20 and/or you can check it out on the internet. Hopefully, this Spring, we will have some intro classes on the method in the garden. If you are interested, please let us know.
Now’s the time to purchase your seeds, if you haven’t already done so. Many nurseries now have bareroot trees, asparagus and berries. Seed potatoes should be coming in soon too. If you’d rather shop in the comfort of your home on the computer, you can find all of these items at many seed companies. Just make sure they have the safe seed pledge which basically says they do not sell any GMO (genetically modified organism) type seeds.
Birdfeeder under
CLASSES: Speaking about classes, we are considering offering some garden art classes at the farm. Some ideas are mosaic stepping stones, dragonfly wire art, gourd art, bird baths, bird feeders, etc. If you have ideas or just want to create something fun to place in your garden, let us know. We are open and excited to share new ideas with everyone. More info on that in the coming months.
SHAMELESS PLUG: Now that I have your attention …. many of you know that the company I worked for, as a graphic artist, for the past 18 years sold and all of the employees were laid off. As much as I look for a job every day, I have yet to find a permanent position, so I am in the process of creating my own job(s).
Yes, the farm is one, but the income pretty much covers the expenses. And yes, I hear you say, “Why bother?”. A short answer is, we love to grow veggies, eat veggies and meet interesting people.
I have started to pet sit for Priceless Petsitting in Shingle Springs (ask for me). This is a part time job where I come to your house and/or I will board your dog in our house, as a member of our family. During the Christmas holidays we had two female great danes. They were fun and enjoyed running around our 5 acres with our dog, Angus.
Discoverbowen.com
Along with the pet sitting, I have started my own business providing graphic services and web site design. Recently I completed a logo design and business cards for a local florist and will work on their site soon. I am working on a simple site DiscoverBowen, which is a friend of mine who has the magic touch. Read my testimony on her page. This site is not complete yet, but you’ll get the idea. Another project I am working on is Equine Directory Online. This is El Dorado County’s answer to a horse phone book. I’ve been writing blogs and maintaining the site, soon to have a design revamp, plus design ads and publish the magazine in the coming months.
So, you can see I am keeping busy, making jobs for myself. If you are in need of any of these services, I’d appreciate a shout out. Thanks for indulging my shameless plug.
E-you in the coming months for more farm news.
20 Dec
Now, more than any other time of the year, is the season of giving and receiving.
We love to share and receive knowledge, about everything, and mostly about growing, preparing and all things veggies. We have big goals for the farm this year, we may achieve them, we may not, but we have decided to think big and move forward, whatever our speed. We welcome all of your ideas, thoughts, concerns; anything you want to share is most welcomed, it’s how we grow and expand as well.
For now, we would like to give you some cool tips, share some interesting web sites, plus provide some last minute gift ideas for you and those on your list that enjoy creating, gardening, and food.
Last minute gifts:
We have copies of the All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew on SALE for $15; normally $20. This book is easy to read, has lots of photos that show you how you can have a successful garden and grow your own food.
One of our subscribers, Elida, makes olive oil. This years oil is exceptional according to the miller. It is peppery – a more traditional Tuscan type of oil. It got rave revues from some of their first tasters – the chef’s at Chez Panisse. The price is $18.00 per bottle (limited quantities). If you are interested, please contact Elida at olive.farm@live.com.
Mother Earth News is a great publication and for $10 a year, it’s a bargain. PLUS, you can get on their website and access tons of articles and how-to’s. Check them out. Right now they are offering a Wiser Living Guide; complete 2009 set of 4; Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Guide to Country Skills, Guide to Living on Less and Loving It, and Guide to Home Energy Savings. Offer expires Dec. 31, 2009.
Tips:
And speaking of olive oil and Mother Earth News; check out how to make an olive oil lamp. This would have been super helpful during the storms a couple of weeks ago, when many of us in the hills did not have electricity.
Ok, so here’s the best tip of the year. Unbelievable? Read on. If you have ever hard-boiled fresh eggs, you know what a pain it is to peel them. This process seems long and I had my doubts, I’ve tried everything and resigned myself to buying an extra dozen and keeping them in the fridge for 2 weeks before I boiled them. (Eggs have a shelf live of 30-60 days and are about 7 days old to 14 days old when they arrive at the supermarket.) This method works, give it a try. It just may be the answer to the bad peeled hard-boiled egg. Let me know what you think. Hint: Next time I will cook them for longer than 10 minutes, they were good, but the yolk could have been cooked a little more for us. Plus, I had large, fresh eggs. Maybe 10 minutes is good for medium sized eggs.
Thanks to Seppo Ed Farrey’s comments in his book “3 Bowls Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery Cookbook.”
Place enough water in a saucepan so the eggs will have 1 inch of water above them. Bring the water to a boil without the eggs. Use a spoon to gently lower the eggs into the boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes.
Immediately remove the eggs (save the water!) and place them in a bowl of very cold water, under a running faucet for 2 minutes.
Gently lower the eggs back into the boiling water for 10 seconds.
Return the eggs to the cold bath for 2 minutes and gently crack them. Peel the eggs.
The first cold water bath makes the whites shrink from the shells while the second boiling water bath expands the shell. The expanding shell pulls away from the egg.
Websites:
Mother Earth News – the original guide to living wisely.
Organic Consumers Association – an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability.
Dr Earth - Yes, they sell everything organic; soil, fertilizers; and we do purchase their Organic 5™ Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer 5-7-3 and the Fish Bone Meal – 3 – 18 – 0; but the site has a wealth of information and articles. Be sure to sign up for their FREE Gardening Guide magazine, lots of info.
Kidsorganics.org – Natural alternatives to pesticides, toxins and cleaners. Many homemade recipes too.
Terra Firma Farm – CSA with a good page on how to store produce. “Tomatoes: should never be stored in the fridge, unless you plan to make sauce with them. It will make them mealy. Keep your ‘maiders in a cool, well-ventilated spot and eat them as they ripen.”
Harvest Eating – Seasonal cooking made easy; recipes and videos created by Chef Keith Snow. The approach is simple: buy foods that are fresh and in-season; then prepare them using whole, natural ingredients produced by farmers not chemists.
Simply Recipes – Food and cooking with hundreds of recipes.
A Veggie Venture – award-winning home of 675+ vegetable recipes, all organized to find just what you’re looking for.
Have a wonderful holiday season full of joy, love and of course great food!
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
Man in the Mirror, sung by Michael Jackson
Written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett
29 Jul
Pure goodness
Yippee! The tomatoes are here. Actually, we were able to give tomatoes 2 weeks earlier than we have in the past. The plants are tall and producing well. Mel’s Mix, SFG? Looks to be working pretty good. Our peppers have never been bigger and many of the tomatoes are over a pound each. Needless to say, we’re pretty happy with the results. Everything isn’t a bed of roses though, we still have to get the watering down. Some beds get too much and some not enough. It really depends on the plants needs, and if we would think ahead, we could probably plan and plant for that, but we don’t so we end up hand watering a little. Which is really Ok, because it gives us the opportunity to listen and look at the plants; see how they are doing. If everything was automated, we probably wouldn’t spend the time that we should. Plus, it’s so nice to be in amongst the plants. It’s kinda like a jungle now and I love it when the garden grows tall and wide and I have to duck and step over everything. It makes it a little harder for picking, but it’s an accomplishment.
10 Jul
Number 3 in our SFG garden sharing: Julie and Edna’s garden. They helped make soil at our volunteer day, and gained confidence and know-how on how to mix Mel’s Mix. They went right home, made the soil, filled the beds and planted. Now they are enjoying the bounty. Callie-dog likes it too.
21 Jun
Our second in a series on sharing friend’s Square Foot Garden’s is my friend Bonnie. She lives in a town house, and doesn’t have much room, but she managed to create a “stand-up” garden on her patio.
Bonnie's SFG Garden
These boxes are each 2 foot by 5 foot. I took pics of them when they were just planted, and Bonnie says the plants have taken off and the garden is much bigger. I’ll have to get follow up pics soon, so you can see how well things are growing.
This is one advantage I like about SFG, you can build any size you like and anywhere, as long as you have 6-7 hours of sunlight. Last year Bonnie was involved with a community garden and grew veggies successfully. This year she decided to try SFG because she wanted the convenience of having a garden outside her door and one that was easier to manage. (Garden tip: If your garden is close by the house, you are more likely to tend it.)
Hats off to Bonnie, and all the rest of you for trying your hand at successful gardening this year.
If you have pics of your SFG, please send them to zoeyfarms@yahoo.com. We love to see what everyone else is doing in their gardens.
21 Jun
Tonight I made Grandmother’s Radish Leaf Soup. We have an overabundance of radish leaves, so I found some recipes to use them. Did you know radish leaves contain almost six times the vitamin C content of their root and are also a good source of calcium? I used red potatoes instead of russets, which I think made the soup creamier. I didn’t have milk either, but my substitute of soy milk seemed to work well. I made the “flower” garnish with the radish and the swirl is olive oil. This is sort of a healthier potato soup.
One of our subscribers made this soup today and even her picky eaters enjoyed it. Try it, it’s good.
Grandma's Radish Leaf Soup
