Farm Life Today

Yesterdays market at our farm went quite well. Batavian and other gourmet lettuces (from seeds purchased from Italy) went like hot cakes. So did our Detroit red beets, cherry belle and French breakfast radishes, spinach, arugula (rocket), bright lights chard, mustard greens and of course our herbs ~ lavender, French tarragon, mint, parsley, oregano and English thyme. Oh - all but two dozen of our farm house (fresh) eggs went home with someone. That's good.

Today is a new day and it's Goat Dairy Day this morning at our farm.  I mentioned {here} that Lavender is due to kid in four weeks and she needs special beauty treatments to hopefully ensure healthy kids and the healthy delivery of those kids.  Actually all the does and the bucklings require different vaccinations, vitamin boosters, milk checks, hooves trimmed at different times and it just so happens that today is a day for much of that.  So, we're off and running.  Hope your day goes better than anticipated. Attitude and gratitude makes or breaks a day!  Tell someone thank you!

Goat Kidding Preparations . . .

. . . are underway at our farm. Michael and I have been watching videos and reading the different accounts of kiddings from more experienced goat lovers like those of Kathryn and David of Black Mesa Ranch as we get ready to get ready for The Simple Farm's first season of birthing goat babies.

Lavender starts out our kidding season in about four weeks. We have several of vaccinations to complete, the rest of our birthing kit to gather, Lavender's spa treatment to do (final hoof trim, a clip around her udder, tail, back end and down the legs), and the kidding stall to finish and filled with a ton of fresh hay.

The next four weeks are critical for us Lavender. We're watching her diet (balance between calcium and phosphorus), making sure she gets exercise and is given lots of love.

Todays Beauty

Just gathered today - these will be for sale Tuesday at our market at our farm on Cactus Rd.

Spring at Our Farm

The other day Sook and her husband stopped by our farm to bring us several bags of wonderful aloe vera plants.  As we took a little walk around to admire the spring beauty, Sook commented how we should charge people just to see our farm.  Michael and I took that as a complement to the hard work we've done.

Yesterday, we held a yard sale here at our farm and one person after another commented about the beauty. Others expressed their comments in silence while wide eyes peeked around at the color.  Some people said they didn't know such a place of beauty and particularly this farm existed.  I like to say that our farm is Scottsdale's best kept secret.  

Everyday we are so thankful that we get to experience what others often do not or who are to busy to notice.  We are so thankful that God has given us the strength and joy to take a piece of land that was barren and rugged and create sanctuary in this place we call our farm and our home. 

When is our farm open to the public?  

Because we're a very busy working farm - and are only open to the public on Tuesdays - the day we hold our farmers' market.  

We do make time (occasionally) for special tours so please see the Visiting Our Farm page {here}

Rose's Perfect Lemonade

Picture compliments of Simply Recipes

Tomorrow we're selling glasses of Rose's Perfect Lemonade - you can choose mint or lavender.

Which Ones Do You Want?

Farm house eggs - get yours at The Simple Farm Tuesday.

Do you notice that big one in the back and in the middle? I wonder who wants that one.

Getting Ready for Tuesday's Market Day at Our Farm

Mondays are always busy {what day isn't} as we get ready to get ready for Tuesday's Farmers' Market at our farm.

In the early morning we'll begin to harvest:

beautiful chard: gold, bright lights and green

kale:

radishes: an assortment

spinach

bunching onions

beets: an assortment

gourmet lettuces - 

they should taste sweeter now that they've had time to grow out from the freeze

arugula

some mustard greens

AND EGGS!

Hope to see you on Tuesday!