Urban Chickens

We took the plunge and added Chickens(right now Chicks) to Our Urban Farm! So far we like them better than the ducks we had. They are easy to keep and fun to watch as they grow and become chickens . We chose Americanas because they are quiet and because they lay blue/green eggs. They are also very hardy and good for beginners to start with.

November 2011

Finally we have cool weather! We are currently cleaning out the garden and getting ready to spend the winter building raised beds. Boy! we have our work cut out for us! It will be worth it in the end! Next year hopefully we will have a bigger and better garden. I'm planning on adding more herbs and veggies. We will write,share recipes, and learn about Herbs/Vegetables in the up coming months. SO follow closely! You will learn a lot!!!

Subject: Driving Clinic Sand Creek Farm

Subject: Driving Clinic Sand Creek Farm

Hi:

I was not sure if any of your members would be interested in attending one of our farm events.  We are having a demonstration of horse drawn farming equipment this month that I thought might be of special interest to your group.

Please post these events anywhere you think families would like to know.

Blessings,
Alysha Godfrey
Sand Creek Farm
www.sandcreekfarm.net
254-697-2927

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SEPT 23, 2011 - Horse Drawn Equipment Demonstration:

HORSE DRAWN PRODUCE EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATION, Sept. 23, 2011   
10 a.m. - 2 p.m., bring a lunch, water, hat, closed toe shoes. $10 per person or $30 per family, whichever is less.  Registration and pre-payment can be done on our online store.  Register, Shop & Pay in the farm store, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  Please register by the 23rd of September.

The purpose of this event will be to demonstrate horse drawn equipment for the produce farm including the new HOMESTEADER by Pioneer Equipment.

The HOMESTEADER is the newest invention in horse drawn farming equipment.  It allows the farmer to utilize one team of horses to accomplish most of the farming tasks required.  The implements available are as follows: disk, precision planter, single row cultivator, field cultivator, potato plow, row hiller and the moldboard plow. There are many other implements being designed for the HOMESTEADER.  This will be the skid steer of the horse farming industry. This piece of equipment is one of the first released for Research & Development in the US and the only one in Texas.  Come be one of the first to see this unique and innovative horse drawn farming tool. The HOMESTEADER is scheduled for release in January 2012.

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OCT 1, 2011 - Soap Class & Farm Day:

1) SOAP CLASS 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., 2 options $50 instruction only or $150 for the class plus a bag of supplies so you can make soap at home, see description below.  Registration and pre-payment required.  Register, Shop & Pay in the farm store, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  Please register for the class by September the 15th.

Join us for a fun time of learning how to make cold pressed soap with soap making veteran, Joy Kohl.  Our goal is that you will enjoy a hands on, informative class where you leave feeling confident and with the right tools to make soap on your own.

The $150 class fee consists of a materials and instruction, all classes are non-refundable and required with your reservation.  Please direct class questions to Alysha Godfrey, alysha@texasbb.com.  Sign up, shop and pay online at http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  The $150 class registration must close 2 weeks prior to class so that materials and soap molds have time to arrive.

With the $150 class will provide the following:

1.   Safety goggles rated to protect against chemical splash. If you wear eye glasses, make sure your goggles that fit completely over them.  It is not recommended to wear contacts during soap making.

2.  A respirator rated to filter out lye fumes (such as a 3M P95 (#8577)

3.  Rubber gloves & apron rated for chemical spills

4.  Slicer Soap mold and slicing blade ($71.50 value)

5. Home soap making oil kit that will make 16 bars of soap, 4+ oz per bar ($89 value)

6. Written and verbal instruction ($50 value)

Please wear closed toe shoes to protect your feed from chemical spills.

Extra $25.00 pre-prepared soap kits available upon request with reservation.

Be sure to bring a sack lunch, water, snack.  Remember to bring a cooler with ice if you want to shop in the Farm Store while you are on the farm.

We will have a Farm Tour later on the same day, feel free to join us, $15.00 per family.


2) FARM DAY 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. $15.00 per family or $3.00 per person, whichever is less.  Register, Shop & Pay in the farm store, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.

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NOV 4, 2011 - Home Milk Cow Clinic and Farm Day:

1) HOME MILK COW CLINIC, 9 a.m. - 12:00, Friday Nov. 4, 2011 - reservation and pre-payment required.  $75 per family or $50 per person, whichever is less.  Register, Shop & Pay in the farm store, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  Please register for the class by Oct. 31, 2011

Learn what to look for in a home milk cow; what kind of tests to run prior to purchasing a home milk cow; how to halter train; different milking options and ask questions.  All close up and personal.  This is your opportunity to "pick our brains".  Ben and I went from the city to the farm and learned from a home milk cow all the way to the 1st Grade A Raw for retail diary in the State of TX.  If we can do it - So can you!!!

Bring a sack lunch, water, snack, hat, a lawn chair, and wear good walking shoes.  Stay for the Farm Tour after class if you like.


2) FARM DAY, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Friday Nov. 4, 2011 - reservation and pre-payment required. $15 per family or $3.00 per person, whichever is less.  Register & Pay in the farm store, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  Please register by Oct. 31, 2011.

Picnic under the trees or out in the pasture if you like.

We tailor each tour, here are some of the things we might share with you:

- Introduction and farm overview, meet at the store

- See the piglets up close and personal

- Climb aboard the horse drawn hay wagon ride with our teams of horses to tour the pasture. Let us share with you about grass fed milk and meats and explain our rotational grazing and pasture management system.

-  Collect eggs from the chickens.  See the ducks, geese and hogs.  Learn why our farm is soy free and GMO Free.

- Taste the fresh, clean-tasting, grass-fed raw milk, yogurt and cheese.

- Tour the Raw Milk Dairy, cheese processing room and cheese aging room and learn about the benefits of Grass Fed / Grain Free raw milk.

- Ask questions about what you have seen and let us share what we have learned through our experiences on our adventure in sustainable farming.

- Bring a cooler if you would like to take some products home with you. The farm store will be open all day! You can view a list of our products in our online store. click here.

*note: Bring water, wear a hat / closed toe shoes and some kind of sun protection - umbrellas work great to shade Mom and baby (spoken from experience!). Please pick up all garbage from the farm to help keep it looking beautiful and to keep the animals healthy as it can harm them if consumed.

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FARMER'S MARKET AT Home Sweet Farm in Brenham, TX - 3rd Sunday in November, Nov. 20, 2011.  Pre-ordering can be done through our online store, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  Please complete your pre-orders by Wed., November 16, 2011 at 8 a.m.  After that time orders will only be filled at the booth at the market.

This market is held ONLY 4 times per year

Potluck Lunch at 12:00 noon

(Bring enough for your family, including your own utensils & drinks)

Farmer's Market:  2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Beef, Pork, Hard Cow Cheeses, Soft Goat Cheeses, Honey, Eggs (Chicken and Duck), Pastured Chicken, Cereals, Soaps, Organic Produce, Pound Cakes and much more.

Check out their website: www.HomeSweetFarm.com for dates.

Pre-order via e-mail to each farmer.  Registere, Pre-Order & Pay for Sand Creek Farm items online, http://csa.farmigo.com/store/sandcreekfarm.  Please choose the BRENHAM FARMER's MARKET as your delivery site.  You may also shop at the market in our booth.

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We welcome you to stay on the farm in your RV (no hookups) or camp here on the farm (primitive - one outhouse). There are several fantastic B&B's in Calvert and like new hotels in Franklin, Hearne and Cameron.

DIRECTIONS:  Use www.randmcnally.com or map using google to "Sand Creek Farm, Cameron, TX" - do not use our physical address because most GPS systems will take you to a gas station about 30 min from the farm :)>

Mapping programs and GPS systems do NOT seem to consistently find us. You can try entering "Jones Prairie, TX" without a street number and see if it puts you on FM 979 about 1/2 way between Cameron & Calvert, TX.

Directions from Dallas: I35 South to Waco, Hwy 6 South to Calvert, FM 979 turn right, come 10 miles to CR 267, turn right, come 1.4 miles to 1552 CR 267. Our drive is on the right side. You will see a large red hay barn on the hill. Directions from

Austin: Hwy 79 East to FM 486, take a left (North) to Hwy 36, take a right (East) to Hwy 77, take a left (North), to FM 485, take a right (East) to FM 979, take a left to CR 267, take a left. Come 1.4 miles to our farm on the right. The red mailbox says "1552 CR 267"

Directions from College Station: Hwy 6 North to Calvert, pass the Dairy Queen on the left and then turn left at the next flashing light which is FM 979, come 10 miles to CR 267, turn right, come 1.4 miles to our farm on the right. Mailbox says "1552 CR 267".

Directions from Temple: Hwy 53 East to FM 485, take a right, cross over Hwy 77 and keep coming east ~6 miles to FM 979, take a left, go ~7 miles to CR 267, turn left. Come 1.4 miles down CR 267 to our drive on the right. Red mailbox says "1552 CR 267"

Family Remedies

In order to live a long and healthy life, natural home remedies are the only way to go.With home remedies you have no side effects, no expensive doctor visits and no expensive medications. All are natural herbs either bought at the store or grow in your yard. I do recommend if one is interested in home remedies to read articles and do research. Below are some home remedies to get you started.......

Chest Rubs For Chest Colds

Basil and Anise Chest Rubs

1/2 cup basil

1/4 cup anise or hyssop

2 cups oil

Mint and Thyme Chest Rub

1/2 cup mint

1/2 cup thyme

2 cups oil

Make a hot infusion using the herbs and oil. Massage into the chest area.

Warning: Do not use Basil and Anise Chest Rub during pregnancy. Potent applications of basil can have a stimulating effect on the uterus.

Garden 2011

We have harvested our potatoes, tomatoes and some onions. But the heat is really affecting out garden. We increased our watering time to 30mins in the morning and evening. posted are some pictures of the garden!

Garden 2011

Our Garden is doing wonderful this year! It has been all green and hardly any bugs(so far :)). We harvested some of our potatoes last week. I cannot wait to get them roasted with some carrots and onion! Yummy! The only sad thing was I got only 3 potatoes per plant. I will be digging in my gardening books and seeing what I can do to get more per plant next time.
 The tomatoes are starting to product. Which means I better have my jars for canning them ready and soon! They have about 10 tomatoes per plant at the moment(we planted 12 tomatoes plants) They will make good paste, pasta sauce and soups this winter.
My peas and green beans,water melon,pumpkin, horse reddish, rhubarb, spinach, lettuce, grapes and figs are all green and hanging in there. Hppefully they will product later this summer! Yummy Yummy!

Sticky Notes Dealing With Dementia

Well the Dementia as gotten worse.She still has some good days! We have had to cut back on her driving.We actually have hired a Home Health Service to come in and help with my In laws. They now get care 4 days a week, while we are at work.
So far we are happy with the service. It is better than the nursing home in my opinion! I hope we never have to go the nursing home route.