Nevadans?

[americanvalkyrie]

I could offer the soaps. We'd love to have more garden space, and with an extra garden this year we might just have enough food for our family, but we plan on preserving every bit of extra food we get. Anything we can't preserve will be great for trading or thanking people for awesome favors. But soaps can be cranked out in quantity, as long as I have a 6-week curing time available.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Missy visiting your house made me feel like spring is really finally here!

I think it finally is! I'm letting my seedlings stay outside tonight... well, not the basil or eggplants. I think they'll be fine, and that's something I would NEVER have said prior to May 1st of last year.

The peas are up!

Well, plantings #1 and #2 are, at least. Planting #1 is an inch high, and #2 is just peeking up. Gardens #3 and #4 should start peeking within a few days, at this rate. Tomorrow I'm way too busy doing my paid work, and shuffling a kid to his hard labor punishments, to do anything other than care for animals. Sahara is home on spring break, though, and she can do all that while I'm working.

Lettuce is an inch high and looking beautiful. Some onions are 3 inches, others just peeking through. The kale and chard are about 2 inches in the containers. Planted spinach last week. Planted 5 grow-bags of potatoes yesterday. Planting carrots in Gardens #1, #2, and #3 this week, and Garden #3 also gets spinach, lettuce, beets, and onions. I MUST get that temp-greenhouse done this week, maybe Thursday. And potatoes should be shipped this week or next week!

It's a little premature, but does anyone have any good eggplant recipes that would freeze well? I'm thinking, maybe an eggplant lasagne, some Indian curries, maybe a moussaka. It doesn't look like eggplant is something I can just preserve by sticking in the freezer, so I think I'll make mass quantities of food that I can just thaw out and heat up. That is, if everything works out as planned.

Oh yeah, and the new chicks arrive this week. I guess I'd better throw in some chicken news. Sahara got a book "Raising Ducks" in her Easter Basket today. Instead of asking why I was giving her the book, she decided to read it so she could convince me to get ducks. I told her that, if she learned how to keep them, I'd ask Sheryl if she could try to hatch some for us.

That's not lying, is it? Because I'm pretty sure Sheryl would try to hatch some for us.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

(Edit... the website double-posted or something. Weird.)

 

[SunnyDawn]

Mandy I have tons of things I do that could be sold. Including produce, eggs, baked goods (I'm told we can get away with this for awhile if no one that's part of the Farmers market complains!), art, crocheted things, might even feature a couple of my scenery quilts but they are not cheap! Even if they did not sell though they would draw interest to our venture... feathered Jewelry, I'd love to set up half of my booth for food and drink (no, no liquor license required). Just flavored ice teas and juice drinks and stuff. Maybe even feature my famous almond lace cookies! If I can get help making them that is.

Been talking about getting a nice ice cream maker but that might be hard to set up without electricity and stuff. I want to feature natural ingredients in the baked goods and ice cream but I would need help to set up ice cream sales. IDK, so many great ideas but sooo sleepy right now. Talk more on Wednesday. Super busy til then. Also have a lot of garage sell items that need to be sold here, there, I don't care where. g'night all.

No not a lie Missy>

 

[VCfeathers]

That would be great you guys.

Missy I think soaps should do well. People love the nice clean scents of homemade soap, and it doesn't dry your skin out like the store bought stuff. I'm plating quite a large herb garden and I have rose bushes and things. So if you need extra ingredients for your soaps then your welcome to some.

Sunny I think all of those things would do well. I wouldn't worry about the cost of your quilts. There are some very affluent families in the highlands especially, and I'm going to talk to the county tomorrow about what it would take to be able to sell food and drinks. I know I can get my food handlers card online in Nevada, and there's already a kitchen set up down here. I just need to take a trip to Resco or somewhere and pick up the ovens and things.

I myself should have some extra produce. I can make any kind of baked goods. I also make dream catchers, Jewelry, candles, etc...

Edited to add chicken news....
We spent most of the last two days outside since the weather was so nice, and I decided to let my little ones run free while I worked. They had a great time foraging and teasing the big girls. My parents came to visit for the weekend and Peregrine came over and fell asleep in my dad's lap while he taught my son about electronics. My mom had a great time feeding the chickens bits of fruit and veggies, and I got to learn something new about her childhood. She sat there petting our little turkin chick and told us how they always had at least 100 chickens! She thinks the turkin is so ugly its cute. LOL I thought she was going to take her home.

 

[sherylreno]

I think it finally is! I'm letting my seedlings stay outside tonight... well, not the basil or eggplants. I think they'll be fine, and that's something I would NEVER have said prior to May 1st of last year.

The peas are up!

Well, plantings #1 and #2 are, at least. Planting #1 is an inch high, and #2 is just peeking up. Gardens #3 and #4 should start peeking within a few days, at this rate. Tomorrow I'm way too busy doing my paid work, and shuffling a kid to his hard labor punishments, to do anything other than care for animals. Sahara is home on spring break, though, and she can do all that while I'm working.

Lettuce is an inch high and looking beautiful. Some onions are 3 inches, others just peeking through. The kale and chard are about 2 inches in the containers. Planted spinach last week. Planted 5 grow-bags of potatoes yesterday. Planting carrots in Gardens #1, #2, and #3 this week, and Garden #3 also gets spinach, lettuce, beets, and onions. I MUST get that temp-greenhouse done this week, maybe Thursday. And potatoes should be shipped this week or next week!

It's a little premature, but does anyone have any good eggplant recipes that would freeze well? I'm thinking, maybe an eggplant lasagne, some Indian curries, maybe a moussaka. It doesn't look like eggplant is something I can just preserve by sticking in the freezer, so I think I'll make mass quantities of food that I can just thaw out and heat up. That is, if everything works out as planned.

Oh yeah, and the new chicks arrive this week. I guess I'd better throw in some chicken news. Sahara got a book "Raising Ducks" in her Easter Basket today. Instead of asking why I was giving her the book, she decided to read it so she could convince me to get ducks. I told her that, if she learned how to keep them, I'd ask Sheryl if she could try to hatch some for us.

That's not lying, is it? Because I'm pretty sure Sheryl would try to hatch some for us.

It's not lying Missy even though I'm incubating your eggs right now. I have April 26th marked and ready for them. Let's keep hoping we get a good hatch this time.

Sorry about your little one. It sounds just like what happened to me last month when my duck pipped and I didn't see because it pipped on the opposite side of the egg.

Yesterday, we went to my MIL house for brunch and dinner. I'm still stuffed and I don't think I can eat anything today.

 

[chicharomirinda]

So my question for today is...

If I open a farmers market here at my home. How many people would be interested in having space to sell things? I would love it if we could get some other gardners, and crafts people. I think a well rounded market should have fruit, veggies, soaps, candles, plants, flowers, maybe some wood carvings, bird houses, etc...

Between the tourists, the locals and the highlanders I think it would do pretty well as long as we can keep them interested in what we have available. Thanks to the county I salready have to pay commercial taxes on this place. So I intend to use it. Besides it would be great to meet all of you and make new friends.

Also if anybody is intersted in being a part of the market but may not have land of their own I am more than happy to discuss a co-op garden here as well. I'm used to having a very large family, and it gets kind of lonely and boring doing all this farm stuff alone. LOL

sounds like a really cool idea!
Quote:

I think it finally is! I'm letting my seedlings stay outside tonight... well, not the basil or eggplants. I think they'll be fine, and that's something I would NEVER have said prior to May 1st of last year.

The peas are up!

Well, plantings #1 and #2 are, at least. Planting #1 is an inch high, and #2 is just peeking up. Gardens #3 and #4 should start peeking within a few days, at this rate. Tomorrow I'm way too busy doing my paid work, and shuffling a kid to his hard labor punishments, to do anything other than care for animals. Sahara is home on spring break, though, and she can do all that while I'm working.

Lettuce is an inch high and looking beautiful. Some onions are 3 inches, others just peeking through. The kale and chard are about 2 inches in the containers. Planted spinach last week. Planted 5 grow-bags of potatoes yesterday. Planting carrots in Gardens #1, #2, and #3 this week, and Garden #3 also gets spinach, lettuce, beets, and onions. I MUST get that temp-greenhouse done this week, maybe Thursday. And potatoes should be shipped this week or next week!

It's a little premature, but does anyone have any good eggplant recipes that would freeze well? I'm thinking, maybe an eggplant lasagne, some Indian curries, maybe a moussaka. It doesn't look like eggplant is something I can just preserve by sticking in the freezer, so I think I'll make mass quantities of food that I can just thaw out and heat up. That is, if everything works out as planned.

Oh yeah, and the new chicks arrive this week. I guess I'd better throw in some chicken news. Sahara got a book "Raising Ducks" in her Easter Basket today. Instead of asking why I was giving her the book, she decided to read it so she could convince me to get ducks. I told her that, if she learned how to keep them, I'd ask Sheryl if she could try to hatch some for us.

That's not lying, is it? Because I'm pretty sure Sheryl would try to hatch some for us.

Sahara will be so surprised when she gets her ducklings! Your garden sounds great!

Mandy I have tons of things I do that could be sold. Including produce, eggs, baked goods (I'm told we can get away with this for awhile if no one that's part of the Farmers market complains!), art, crocheted things, might even feature a couple of my scenery quilts but they are not cheap! Even if they did not sell though they would draw interest to our venture... feathered Jewelry, I'd love to set up half of my booth for food and drink (no, no liquor license required). Just flavored ice teas and juice drinks and stuff. Maybe even feature my famous almond lace cookies! If I can get help making them that is.

Been talking about getting a nice ice cream maker but that might be hard to set up without electricity and stuff. I want to feature natural ingredients in the baked goods and ice cream but I would need help to set up ice cream sales. IDK, so many great ideas but sooo sleepy right now. Talk more on Wednesday. Super busy til then. Also have a lot of garage sell items that need to be sold here, there, I don't care where. g'night all.

No not a lie Missy>

Hope those chicks are doing good!

It's not lying Missy even though I'm incubating your eggs right now. I have April 26th marked and ready for them. Let's keep hoping we get a good hatch this time.

Sorry about your little one. It sounds just like what happened to me last month when my duck pipped and I didn't see because it pipped on the opposite side of the egg.

Yesterday, we went to my MIL house for brunch and dinner. I'm still stuffed and I don't think I can eat anything today.

have a good hatch.

 

[SunnyDawn]

That would be great you guys.

Sunny I think all of those things would do well. I wouldn't worry about the cost of your quilts. There are some very affluent families in the highlands especially, and I'm going to talk to the county tomorrow about what it would take to be able to sell food and drinks. I know I can get my food handlers card online in Nevada, and there's already a kitchen set up down here. I just need to take a trip to Resco or somewhere and pick up the ovens and things...

A commercially certified kitchen?!! You are the answer to my dreams! I have been looking for a place I could bake stuff that would be legal to sell for about 4 years now! I wanted to do that Great American Bake Sale but to sell baked goods in Nevada you have to have a commercially certified kitchen. I think our baked goods would sell really well. We could just agree ahead of time on what we will sell and be sure to sell different items.

Love the Mom story! So cool to hear about family history from our parents and grandparents!

How often do you want to do this? Once a week, once every two weeks? I don't think we could make it every week but we could make it most weekends or Fridays are good for us. That probably wouldn't work for most folks though since few folks are on the 4/10 schedule. Maybe between all of us we could get enough eggs to sell. I know fresh eggs go really fast and that was our concern before. Having enough eggs to even bother selling eggs. However a friend of mine was saying that VC was really strict about selling eggs? IDK this person said a lot of things that were just here-say though.

My plants are doing well so far. The only thing that hasn't come up all the way is my Rosa Bianca eggplants. That may be one of the things that needs the warmer temps to germinate. The Fairy Tale eggplants that Missy gave me have all come up but only 3 of the others have. I haven't put in the fast growers like lettuce, spinach or corn yet.

All 3 chickies are doing really well!!! I am so tickled that all of my pullet eggs hatched! They are eating and drinking well. Making a mess with the mash, of course. They are such lively little chicks!!!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Sunny, last night I browsed around and read reviews on eggplants. Fairytale got 5 stars from all reviewers on Burpee. Everyone said, if you're growing eggplant, to grow that one. I'm excited. Especially since it's mature at 55 days from setting out.

I think this farmer's market idea could really work. Especially if we can talk a reporter into writing an article... or one of us could write freelance and submit it.

I finally got the greenhouse done. My seedlings aren't happy with me for letting them stay out last night. They all recovered under the sun today, but they were looking pretty sad this morning. So I set this up in my driveway. The top peels back, and all sides fasten to the frame with velcro. Then, in the heat of summer, I can put sensitive plants under there and cover with shade cloth.

 

[SunnyDawn]

That looks awesome Missy!!! I love it! OK another to do item on the list.

Great to hear that the Fairy Tale eggplant got such great reviews since they are all doing so well! They are such a tiny eggplant. No wonder they mature so fast.