Wordless Wednesday: Colorado Farm

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Wordless Wednesday: First Strawberry

5 Days of Outdoor Play: A Day at the Farm

A few weeks ago we had some amazing winter weather and headed out to the farm to walk around. Because of the way the crops are planted it's been awhile since we've been able to walk in the fields so we took advantage of the day to walk through the fields down to the pond. Sweet P really wanted to get closer, but there's a fence around the pond so we got at close as we could.

After we walked out in the fields, we handed her a shovel and she got to digging in the dirt. We found some of Grandpa's old horseshoes so she threw a few of those, too.

It was Baby Brother's first trip to the farm, but he wasn't really interested (he slept most of the time).

We checked out the gardens and showed Sweet P the compost piles. I think she's going to be a huge help at the farm this summer and warm weather can't get here fast enough.

Our First Farmer's Market

Our goal this summer was to sell our produce at a Farmer's Market and I'm excited to say we finally did on Saturday at the Indianola Farmer's Market! It's a small market (perfect for the amount we had) and very low frills. We knew the Des Moines Farmer's Market was WAY out of our league and since the farm is in Indianola it made the most sense to do it there.
The Farmer got up bright and early and woke this tired mama to draw on our chalkboard sign. Sadly the sign had some sort of oil in the wood and the words disappeared before he got there! Sad, but true. He tried to fix it, but it just wasn't happening. He set out early to get some supplies from the farm while I waited for Sweet P to wake up.
It was SO much fun and while I worried about Sweet P, she had a great time. The booth next to us sold shabby chic stuff and some children's books so we bought a few from her (and she let Sweet P bring over a child's rocking chair to sit in) and she read, snacked and played most of the time. The Farmer and I took turns taking her for walks to see the other booths. Anyway, here's what we sold!
Yellow watermelon, red watermelon, 2 different varieties of pumpkins (none of these sold, but most people said it's too early for pumpkins), poblano peppers, jalapenos, fish peppers, acorn squash, butternut squash, buttercup squash, fingerling potatoes, garlic and chocolate bell peppers.
Our best sellers were the garlic and winter squashes, and we're hoping to head back up in 2 weeks (the Farmer is busy next weekend). We can't wait to do it again and if you're in Indianola on a Saturday morning, come see us!

My Girl and Me

I love this girl. She lights up my life and makes me smile without even having to try. I love her voice and her little hands, her kisses and sweet hugs.

Her vocabulary is really starting to explode these days. We taught her to say Happy Birthday today (it was the Farmer's grandpa's bday, but of course, she didn't say Happy Birthday to him on cue) and while reading a book, she pointed to a man with a white beard and said, Jesus! (Everyone with a beard is Jesus). I told her it was Noah and could she say it and she did! I know pretty soon she'll be talking non-stop, but new words and phrases make my day. Her first sentence was "I don't know!" And it's my absolute fav!

Her 2nd cousin Ella visited this weekend and when she got here, Sweet P ran around after her saying "Eya! Eya! Eya!" Love! She, of course, also took Ella's blankie and Elmo book, but sweet Ella was kind enough to share. Thanks, Ella!

I love to watch her little brain soak up information every day. My sweet little girl and me.

Jala-Jalapenos

We have jalapenos out the wazoo in our garden and if you've ever had a fresh jalapeno you know they aren't a snack food. So with all those jalapenos, I knew I needed to learn how to pickle them. And can them. So I did. And it's not hard. So here we go:

Pickled Jalapenos

What you need:

mason jar or other container

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

4-5 medium jalapenos (sliced)

Wash your mason jar(s) thoroughly with hot water and soap. Allow to dry. Pack the mason jar with jalapenos (I used about 5 jalapenos). Place the vinegars, water, salt and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Allow to cool. Pour mixture on top of jalapenos.

Screw lid onto jar. Use a canner or large sauce pan to complete the canning process (I used a sauce pan and let it boil for 5 minutes).

Remove the jar with tongs and allow to cool completely.

We let ours sit for 4 days and when we opened them I was shocked at how soft they were. I later realized that I didn't let the mixture cool, I just poured it while it was hot and I'm pretty sure I boiled those jalapenos. So next time, I'll definitely be waiting. Don't get me wrong, they're still yummy, just not what I'm used to!

You can experiment by adding bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, onions, carrots or other items to your jalapenos. We stuck with just simple jalapenos for our first batch, but we'll definitely be making these again judging by how many jalapenos we still have.

Have you made pickled jalapenos? If so, please feel free to share your tips.

Daddy Time

Yesterday, as I scrapbooked at my friend's house, the Farmer and Sweet P had a date out at the farm. He was so excited to show me the pictures when I got home and the evidence of their fun was all over Sweet P's shirt. Here is their day, in pictures:

The positioning of her hat still has me laughing.

Fix-a-Foto Friday

Not exactly farm attire, but here's Sweet P walking on the dirt road in front of the farm. Trying to give Teenie the flower of a wild carrot. I'm not even going to pretend I know what I did to this photo. I just tweaked it by selecting several different options (including Pioneer Woman's Lovely and Ethreal action) until I liked the look of it.

Farm Day

Yesterday was a farm day! Time to see the bloomed peonies and lilies! And time to harvest some of our veggies.

Here's what we've got so far:

A variety of lettuces

Bok choy

Spinach

Swiss chard

Radishes

Kale

Arugula

Last night we had a fabulous salad full of our new lettuces and spicy arugula (it even smells hot!). It was the first time I got to pick vegetables and I was really excited. Sadly, I left the farm sunburned. Ouch, but don't worry. Sweet P was fully covered with SPF 60! Here are the greens we picked!

Swiss chard up top, spinach on the left, bokchoy on the right with arugula underneath

The Reason I Love Summer Saturdays

High above the crowds on Auntie K's shoulders

I love the Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market. We don't even buy any produce anymore because we grow our own, but I love the atmosphere and the people watching. And now that Sweet P is 1, I love it even more because she LOVES dogs. And everyone knows there are plenty of dogs at the DTFM.

My first time this year was with my family last weekend. I have to admit the raspberry whole wheat cinnamon roll wasn't as fabulous as I remembered so it might be time to find a new favorite.

Gammie tried a pupusa (can't go wrong there) and I thought maybe I should start getting one of those. But then I remembered that was the Farmer's poison (and he's funny about ordering the same thing).

Auntie Rosita had french toast and I only contemplated that for a second before I remembered how much I dislike soggy bread.

Sweet P can't wait to try kettle corn, can you tell? We bought two large bags and one was gone before the day was over.

So I'm on a mission to find a new breakfast favorite at the Farmer's Market. In 2008 it was breakfast burritos, last year it was raspberry whole wheat cinnamon rolls. What will this year bring? I guess I'll just have to go again next weekend to find out! And while we won't be participating at the DTFM, we will hopefully be making our first farmer's market debut this year...I'll keep you posted.

Feeding Kids

Let's talk for a minute about feeding kids. We'll start with the very first time you put a spoon in their mouth. Before that moment all they have ever tasted is breastmilk or formula. They don't know that oatmeal tastes better with sugar or that avocado tastes better with salt. And if they aren't exposed to it, they'll stay in the dark for a long time. Here's where the problem comes in.

Somewhere around 15 months, they start to realize that if you aren't feeding them what you are eating...they are eating something different. And they start to wonder why. And to want what you have. Or what anyone else around them has. (This personally has not yet happened to me, she just turned 1 remember?). So yesterday, the Farmer and I decided that as she begins to realize we are eating something different we are going to have problems. Especially if we tell her she can't have what we have. How do you solve that problem? You may not like this answer.

But if you want your kids to eat healthy or healthier than you do, you have to eat healthy, too. Sorry. That's just the way it is. And while the Farmer and I eat pretty darn healthy, we both have a heckuva sweet tooth (I used to joke that I was a health nut with a sweet tooth problem). So in the coming months, the Farmer family will be saying goodbye to any sugary, processed food this Farmer's wife sometimes brings home from the store (I'm only human! that time of the month really does a number on me). Don't get me wrong, if you went to our pantry, you wouldn't see boxes of crap every where. Sometimes we buy candy or ice cream, but I'd like those things to be a rarity for my children. So that means, OUT they go!

Join us on our challenge to start eating more raw, fresh foods and less sugary foods. This is a great time to start because it's Farmer's Market season and farm season (for our own veggies!). And remember, healthy eating starts with you. (Geez, do I sound like an after school special or what?). I look forward to sharing our canning experiences with you!