Backyard Farmgals

Honey bee taking advantage of the sage blossoms in the garden. Time flies by and our darling baby girls are now teenagers with attitude (I'm not kidding)!  They are getting personalities as well as all of their "big girl" feathers.  They are still on chick grow feed.  At the farm store the other day, I learned that some people actually keep their girls on chick grow until they are about fourteen weeks, then they switch to mash.  After several batches of chickens, I am still learning! Along with growing feathers and such, their smell also grows!  I am having to change their house about twice each week and that still isn't enough.  Lucky for me, I am able to keep them in the garage.  If they were in the house, we would be in trouble.  For such small little fluffy things, they can sure be foul (haha). The building of the new coop, "Cluckingham Palace" (complete with pink chandelier), has been put on emergency status and we have been working on i...

Today was the first day of the Downtown Farmer's Market here in Salt Lake City.  I often have a misconception that the first few weeks of the market will be sparse, with few good things to find, but I am always wrong.  I always find much more than I imagine. Going to the farmer's market is not only a fun family activity, but it supports local businesses and farms.  I take my family every Saturday, rain or shine, because I want my children to understand where their food comes from and how important farms are.  Each stand has something different to offer, and it's refreshing to be able to ask questions directly to the grower.  They often have recipes and ideas for using the produce, and are filled with great information about growing and harvesting.  If you have questions about gardening or cooking, ask a farmer that grows and cooks what you are interested in, you'll be amazed at how much you will learn! What I found this morning at the market: (Clockwise...

My favorite lettuce, I love the red flecks! I harvested the first bundle of delicate salad greens from the garden.  I planted an heirloom mix and the leaves are absolutely beautiful!  They are green with red specks all over each leaf.  I made the most amazing salad with mangoes and oranges mixed in with other vegetables, it was so colorful.  Also, I made a whole citrus vinaigrette with fresh squeezed lemon and orange juices, oh, it was good!  I could eat salad like this every day.  The best part was that the lettuce was so tender and fresh; I felt truly spoiled! Tom Thumb lettuces...you can see where they get the name! The funny thing about this recipe is that the next day, I took a little bit of the same salad to work with me.  While I was eating it, a little friend crawled out of the bowl.  A potato bug hitched a ride to work in my salad.  I will admit, I was a little grossed out at first, but this is what you get when you pledge you...