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FARM-TO-YOU event!

4/18/2018

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We're so excited about our new program!

Next Tuesday will be our first Farm-To-You event!  We will be bringing products from the farm to a neighborhood in Fate.  If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello.  We would love to meet you!
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Wild Edible -Oxalis- Turn a Weed Into Tea

4/3/2018

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Oxalis can be found growing in most any yard or garden.  Many people try to kill this "ugly" weed.  I like to think of it as a food I didn't need to plant.  As we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  This beauty is good to eat.  Backpackers use it as a refreshing drink along the trail.  The flowers, leaves, stems, seed buds and tuber roots can all be eaten. 

How do you identify Oxalis?  It can have yellow, white or pink flowers.  There are 850 different species of Oxalises.  All have flowers with five petals.  The "clover like" leaf has three heart-shaped leaflets. Even though it looks like a clover, it's not related at all!  So how do they differ?  They both have three leaves.  Both have pink, yellow or white flowers.  The three leaves differ in that the true clover leaves are more rounded.  The clover leaf has a tiny toothed edge.  A full or partial white chevron design can be found on the green leaflets of the clover as well.    The easiest way to tell them apart is to wait until they bloom.  Oxalis will always have a five petal flower.  The clover bloom will be round in shape and some can be sort of spiky.

Tuber roots are eaten in New Zealand as a vegetable.  So dig up those pesky weeds from your yard, cut off the greens and flowers, wash off the roots and toss them in a roasting pan coated with our favorite cooking oil and bake for about 20 minutes until tender.  Then Wah Lah!  The weeding is done and you have a new root vegetable to serve with dinner!
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More Recipes

Now that's what I call hiding the evidence.  While enjoying a nice soup and salad on the patio with guest, just keep smiling as you pull up another spoonful of soup to your mouth when you hear them complement you on a weed-free garden! 

(Read the consumption warnings below.)
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Oxalis Cooler

1 quart water
1/2 cut Oxalis leaf/stem/flowers/seed pods
1 TBSP agave nectar or honey
Dash of salt

Mix in a blender, let sit in the fridge overnight,
Drink up and enjoy in the morning.

Roasted Oxalis Tubers

Oxalis Tea

Serve hot or cold.

1 Heaping TBSP Oxalis leaves and stems
1 Cup boiling water

Pour boiling water over the Oxalis and let it steep.
Drink hot, or add ice and cool.
Sweeten to taste.


Soup, Salad, & Stuffing

Dig up the oxalis roots.
Wash them well to remove the dirt.
Cover with your favorite cooling oil.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender.
You can toss the leaflets and stems in a soup or salad of your choice.  I've been told it's also good added to a fish or chicken stuffing. 
Oxalis has been said to reduce fever and increase appetite.  When applied as a topical, it can reduce inflammation.
Consumption Warnings:  As with many things, eating in excess is not a good thing.  Oxalis contains oxalic acid.  This acid can bind dietary calcium, resulting in a loss of calcium in your bones.  When eaten in excess, it can also cause kidney disease.  One can find this warning in most articles on eating Oxalis.  However, these same warnings are not found on other items such as black tea, parsley, rhubarb, spinach, chard, beets, cocoa, nuts, berries, black pepper and beans which also contain oxalic acid.
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Farm-To-You Program

3/23/2018

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Check out our new Farm-To-You program!  We are excited to be starting this new program where we bring fresh produce and other items directly to you!  Well, almost directly.  We can scheduling stops to your place of business or neighborhood clubhouse is the interest is high enough. 

Let us know if you are interested in setting up a stop near you home or place of business.  We are building our 2018 Spring/Summer schedule now.   We plan to start deliveries the week of April 16th.

For more information and details on the products offered and the program, click the link!
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Farm-To-You
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Seed Library - Dallas Public Library

2/28/2018

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Got some seeds with a story?  Dallas Public Library would love to hear your story and share some of your seeds!  I'm proud to share my story and seeds with the Seed Library in Dallas.  Not only the seeds, but also the story behind the seeds will continue to live on.  The seeds I shared have been passed down for at least 150 years.  Click the link below to read the whole story.
Seed Library @ Dallas Public Library
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Sustainable Living:  Urban Backyard Animals

2/26/2018

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If you live in an urban area and are interested in raising your own meat or animal products. there are more options than what you might think.  Before investing in the animals, housing and other supplies, be sure to check with your city ordinances!  Doing so could save you a lot of trouble and money down the road.  If you are wanting to be a breeder, you will also need to check regulations before raising and selling.  The intent here is to provide information on small animals suitable for raising in backyards.  Our focus will be on meat and other animal products.    WARNING: Keep your distance and don't become too attached!

Chickens

Chickens are becoming a popular backyard farm animal.  One of my favorites.  Eggs are an obvious product.  Eggs can also be hatched producing more hens or roosters for the dinner table. 

As hens age, they will slow or stop laying.  At this point you will need to decide if you want to then eat the hen or keep feeding her as a pet.  Rehoming is also an option.
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Another awesome product from chickens is all that poop!  When aged, it's great for your gardens.

Ducks & Geese

One's first thought would be to raise ducks and geese for their meat.  Another product would be their eggs.  Duck and goose eggs are great for eating.  Some people prefer to use duck eggs over chicken eggs for baking.  Another use of the eggs would be to blow out the insides and decorate the shells.
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Rabbits

So they say rabbits are fast breeders.  Given all the rabbits in my yard, I believe that. 

However, I was not as lucky with breeding above ground caged rabbits.  I believe the results would be different in a larger, on-ground rabbit pin. 

There is a need to reiterate my earlier warning here.... Due to cuteness, don't get attached if you are wanting meat! Otherwise, you will find yourself
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raising rabbits to produce lots of beneficial fertilizer.  Again, let it age to prevent burning the plants in your garden.
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Bees

There are so many products one can get from a beehive other than just honey!  The bee colony and all the hive products will require study and patience.  One can't just buy a hive, put it in the backyard and wait until time to harvest the honey.  Beekeeping requires a lot of hands on observations and work to protect the bees and keep them healthy.

Turkey

Turkeys are mainly used for meat.  Can you eat their eggs?   If you are not focused on raising meat birds, yes, go ahead and enjoy eating the eggs.  If you are wanting meat the eggs are too valuable to eat as a turkey only lays one or two eggs a week.  If you choose to eat the eggs, you might want to blow out the insides and keep the shell to sell or decorate.
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Before starting with goats, know they are herd animals and do not like living without one or two other goats around.  I had to give away my last solo goat as she was always jumping the fence looking for a companion. 

In addition to meat, some raise goats for the milk and cheese making.

Goats

A good backyard goat breed would be the Pygmy goat as it is small.  I hated breeding Pygmy goats as mine had lots of problems birthing naturally due to their small size.  That problem could be avoided by not keeping a billy goat.  As a backyard urban farmer, one should not keep a billy goat due to their strong odor and destructive behavior.  Definitely check the city ordinances on billy goats.  If you only want meat, buy a young goat from a farmer or auction to raise.

My favorite breeds are the larger Boer and Spanish goats!  Not the best choice for a small yard though. Remember, don't get attached.
Now for a couple animals I have never been around or raised...  Quail and cattle.  I will share what I do know.

Quail

Quail are much smaller than chickens.  Meat production would be greatly reduced.  However, if your city ordinances do not allow for chickens in the backyard, quail would be a great alternative.  Their eggs are considered a delicacy.  There eggs are about the size of a quarter or slightly larger.  Despite the small size, these eggs are great boiled, deviled, or pickled, making a great finger food or appetizer.  Some countries serve them raw. 

The beautiful speckled shells are great for use in decorations.
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Minature Cattle

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Aren't these faces cute?  Above is a Scottish Highland cow.  To the right is a Dexter cow.  These, as well as other miniature breeds, do not get large.  Miniature cows are good for both meat and dairy production.
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Exercise caution before breeding!  Due to their small size I would be concerned about breeding and the ability to give birth naturally.  To avoid the stress and expenses associated with problem deliveries, do you research first.
I hope the information above has been helpful and inspired you to raise a few backyard animals.  But watch out, before you know it you will be moving to the country in search of larger pasture!
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Foods to Uplift Your Mood This Winter

2/16/2018

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Get Your Free FARMacy Guide
Have you requested your FREE Backyard FARMacy Guide yet?  If not, this would be a great time to do so with the crazy ups and downs of winter.  One day it's sunny and warm.  The next day it's cold, windy and dreary.  There are foods that help lift your mood during the overcast times of winter. You can see a list of them in the brochure.

An added bonus is that most of these foods are on the winter superfood list.  Makes sense, right?  You can find a list of these superfoods in a quick list format on the back cover of the brochure.  Very handy for taking to the grocery store or farmers market.  I use my list all the time to help me plan dinner and my shopping list.  You will also find recipes for cooking these foods.

There is also an article giving insight on deciding if you should spend the extra money on organic foods or not.
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Fire and Ice

2/7/2018

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What a bitterly cold start to our week here in Texas!  We had to light a fire in the fireplace to chase away the winter chill last night.  Today, the sun managed to come out.  It was a beautiful site to see all the ice on the trees glistening in the sunlight.  I almost missed it! 

When I left the house for the short walk out to my office this morning, I narrowly escaped slipping on ice.  A couple of hours later, while heading out to the post office, the sun was beginning to show it's face.  You could see the drip-drops falling to the ground as the ice began to melt.  It was so beautiful.  One of those sights missed all to often. 

It amazes me how bone-chilling cold and depressing winter can be when the sun hides behind the clouds and overcast sky.  Then just as soon as the sun peeks out, all is bright and cheerful again, as instantly as flipping on a light switch in the house. 

Walking out to feed the chickens, I had another reminder winter would soon be over.  The daffodils have began popping up out of the ground.  Yes, spring is on the way.  But for now we will continue to bundle up in our winter clothes.  Cheers and stay warm everyone!

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A Bee in My Coffee!

2/1/2018

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This is a beautiful morning to sit on the patio and enjoy the sunshine and warm 55 degrees.  After taking only a short break, I head back inside before going out to my office, thinking it was time to go to work for the day.  I chuckled to myself.  I was already working.  I had just fed the chickens, and my time on the patio was spent doing a little research on a farm topic.  What a beautiful life!  Love it on days like today when work feels more like a hobby or enjoyable pastime.  As I was walking in the house I look down in my coffee cup.  To my surprise I see a bee.  In case you're wondering, I scoop out the bee before she drowns and kept on drinking my coffee because we now bees are very sterile creatures.  Looks like I have successfully found another way to procrastinate before heading out to work on our taxes!  I need to feed the bees.  After all, this is the time a year in which many hives are lost due to starvation.  So I mix up some syrup, grabbed a bag of natural pollen, and head to the bee feeder.  THEN I'll go start on the taxes.  That is if I don't get distracted with something else again.  (Like writing this post.)  Happy Gardening and God Bless!
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Asparagus Tips

1/11/2018

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Yes, pun intended.

1. Size Matters - The thicker stalks are good for roasting and grilling.  The thin stalks can be eaten raw, blanched or in a stir-fry

2.  Did you know asparagus is in the lily family?  That's why it's best to store it standing in a jar of water in the refrigerator. 

3.  Cut off the woody bottom part of the stalks and toss in the compost pile.  Chop, eat raw or cook the upper  part of the stalk.

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Backyard FARMacy Guide

1/10/2018

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It's finally here!  Get your free copy and check it out.  Lots of good information inside!
Get It Now
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  • Home
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    • Garden
    • Worms
    • Chickens
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    • Recipes
    • Education
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