Wonderful-it's fall!

The weather has finally cooled off a bit. We have spent lots of time out in the gardens-mowing cover crops and planting. There is just about every kind of greens started in our greenhouse. We have added a hoop house for herbs and are completing one for winter tomatoes and peppers. We are going to plant elephant garlic on Thursday-this is a first time for us-sure excited for the outcome. We also have many pounds of white garlic-the children planted 4 rows two weeks ago and the rest will go into the ground on Thursday. There are many vegetables already growing. We sampled some very spicy radishes-they were really hot! This week we will say goodbye to our vacationing bunny until hopefully next year. It has been quite an experience having her stay with us this summer.

Charlie (one of the pigs) was not feeling well but for some reason applesauce sure helped to cure him. A few of the pigs will get a visit later in the month to have their hooves and tusks trimmed. Poppy Girl, our smallest pig, has been growing a little and soon should have a birthday, so we will definitely need to have a pig party for her! The goats seem to be growing their winter coats. The children have been brushing them so that their mohair will remain somewhat clean.

The tomatoes are still growing!!!

We have been pulling at least 50 lbs of tomatoes each day-one day we pulled 116 lbs.-WOW! The yellow squash are still growing as well as the cucumbers, zucchini, onions, carrots, and basil.

This is our first year growing birdhouse gourds. We ordered the seed from Earl May Seed Company in Iowa which is where many of our farmer relatives have ordered their seed. They are really beautiful with large leaves, white blossoms, and curly vines. The vines are somewhat aggressive as they grow around and among other plants in the garden. It is recommended that the gourds be picked when the stems turn brown and then they must be dried for quite some time. It looks like there are going to be dozens of gourds so we will have many to dry, but where?

Visit to the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary

Today we visited the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary-it is such a wonderful place. Rhia just loves the pigs-it is almost like seeing lots of friends again. The pigs still could use some blankets and jars of peanut butter to help them swallow their medicine.

Making treat bags for the homeless

Each month, the children decorate paper bags, purchase needed items, make special treats, and assemble these bags to give to the homeless. Some of the items that have been included are granola bars, water, fresh fruit, peanuts, raisins, toothbrush, comb, Bible. It takes some thought and commitment to complete this every month but they enjoy doing it and are hopefully learning some good lessons as well.

Will it rain?

Wow, wouldn't it be great if it rained? Well yes and no. Our flowers, gardens, trees, and pasture would surely benefit from it but just not on Saturday because that is the day of the Queen Creek Farmer's Market. While our gardens and field are growing-we anticipate some great produce, we will be bringing some herbs, flowers, Monty's Aloe Vera, Sugar's Eggchicks, and Rhia will be selling her little pigs to benefit the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary. Jessica ran the farm booth at a market last weekend and did a wonderful job.

We have had some fun visitors to the farm for tours, pony rides, and vegetable starts. We love to have people meet and learn about our animal friends!

The pigs had a visit to have their feet trimmed and tusks shortened. Even Nibbles, our pigmy goat, received a trim. The angora goats; Buddy, Hershey, and Beauty, are trimmed by us as are almost all of the horses.

We've been experimenting with different types of goat cheese-made by us! Ricotta cheese is now a food of the past as we are making our own to include in lasagna, yum!

Pigs, plants, horses, and goats

Rhia is still collecting jars of peanut butter and selling her pigs to raise money for the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary. She really loves pigs-even the seven of her own! Farmer's markets will be coming up and she will be there with all her little pigs. We have still been planting. We put in 9 more citrus trees yesterday, mulched our 48 containers of potatoes, put in more tomato starts, weeded, and worked in the greenhouse. Wow! We are hoping to have a good spring-not too hot too fast. We have trimmed all of the horses except one. Only got to shear one goat but need to get the others done. One doe is starting to sluff off some of her winter coat. We may have to felt the mohair instead of spinning it this year.

Planting and Pony Rides

Look at the sparkler radishes that Sugar harvested. She did it all from start to finish-planting, weeding, watering, harvesting! We have put in another 9 rows-that's 900 more feet of garden. That field will have tomatoes, radishes, carrots, squash, and hopefully melon. We've covered the beds with wood chips, put up some stakes and are hoping to finish it by the weekend. The children donate time to a local farmer friend-pulling weeds in exchange for horticulture education. They have already learned alot. Today we go to help another farmer plant tomatoes-should be fun.
We've given many pony rides lately as Rhia is collecting peanut butter to donate to the pigs at the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary. So far she has collected 46 jars! During the month of March, kids that come to the farm get a free pony ride in exchange for a jar of peanut butter. Mark and Kid Horse went to birthday party last weekend and gave pony rides to lots of kids.
We sold vegetable starts, kid's crafts, Rhia's pigs, etc. at the Queen Creek Farmer's Market last weekend-beautiful weather. We will be looking forward to the market again next month and may even try the Bashas market.
Still haven't gotten the goats sheared-or the Sheepadoodle-hopefully soon as the temperature is increasing.

Lots of spring planting!!!

We have been very busy moving plants out of the greenhouse and into the gardens. Two of the gardens have rotating plants from winter and two more were replanted. We put in a new garden with just tomatoes and onions. We are going to have so many onions available! We now have one last field to plant-so much fun! The potatoes are doing well and we are waiting for another chance to mulch.

In the greenhouse-there is oregano, sweet basil, sage, peppers, marigolds, sunflowers (this is our first attempt with these), cantaloupe, bird house gourds, watermelon, hearts and flowers, lots of aloe vera and additional assorted flowers.

The hens have been busy and we are getting some good brown, white, and blue/green eggs. We have a few young hens that are laying small eggs as well.

It is almost warm enough for us to shear the goats. Then we will be busy washing, carding, and spinning yarn. These are usually winter activities in other places but since it gets so hot, we enjoy this in the summer!