Spring In The Desert

Spring is Here!

 

 

Roses are blooming, bearded irises are in bud, wax geraniums are loving the warmer weather.

 

I missed taking pics of the pear trees in bloom, the lily of the valley, the gopher purge . . .

 

the palette keeps changing.

 

 Looking forward to eating al fresco as soon as the winds die down.   A favorite time of year

 

for this Desert Farm Girl.

Desert Farm Girls are Back!

The Desert Farm Girls Are Back!

 

 

We are back in the garden again!  What an undertaking.  The garden has been moved from Section 40 to the AG South Field.  The new garden is on virgin soil that has never been planted before, which is great.  Not so great is that the soil here is way different than Section 40.  As you can see from the pics, the soil has a high clay content in it - so we will all be on a slight learning curve to see what type of production we get out of these fields. Crossing our fingers!

 

 

Ila and Tina are on board as part of the Desert Farm Girls Team.  Yay, so glad to have them.   We hope that our feminine touch  helps  with  growing veggies in our new location.

 

Stay tuned!  More updates to follow.  

A Room With A View - Fall Slipping Into Winter

 

The other day, I was channel surfing on NetFlix and watched one of my favorite movies, A Room With A View.  I love "Period" movies - Mike makes fun of "Period" movies - emphasizing "Period". 

 

So, after watching the movie, it inspired me to take a few pictures of the views from the family room and also outside in the backyard. 

 

Christmas is less than a month away - our yard is transitioning from fall to winter - the leaves are beginning to turn yet our bouganvillea thinks it's still summer.   I think it's the best of both seasons . . . la dolce vita

 



November 18

Sunday, November 18, 2012

 

 

What an absolutely gorgeous day!   The sky is so clear and there's just a light breeze.  Enough that it kept us comfortable while walking.  We talked about visiting the Wetlands Park on the east side of Las Vegas in the spring, but decided to wait until cooler weather and schedules permitting.

 

The new visitor center just opened about 2 weeks ago and they are still unpacking boxes.  It is a gorgeous building.  We were told that a gift shop, coffee shop and theater will open soon. 

 

More pictures to be posted and more info to be shared . . . . just had to put these up  . .

 



Thankful

 

Thankful . . . . . .

 

 

for Mike, family, friends, cats, freedom, health,

 

What are you thankful for?



Cowboy Trail Farm - Harvest Open House and Potluck

Save the date for this event.  Cowboy Trail Farms will be having and open house, potluck and artisan fair on November 10th.  Tour the hoop houses, herb and vegetable growing beds and purchase fresh organic vegetables, shop for the holidays from local artisans and food  purveyors.

 

Bring a friend and enjoy the day.   go to www.organicedibles.org for more info.  Hope to see you there.

 

 

Sat, November 10, 9:30am – 3:00pm

Where

Cowboy Trail Farm - 6550 Cowboy Trail 215 frwy; exit Jones; North to Mello, Rt to Bradley, Rt to Ano to 6550 Cowboy Trl - Las Vegas, NV 89131map Saturday, November 10, 2012 9:30 AM to 3:00 Cowboy Trail Farm 6550 Cowboy Trail 215 frwy; exit Jones; North to Mello, Rt to Bradley, Rt to Ano to 6550 Cowboy Trl, Las Vegas, NV(edit map) Look for the Cowboy out front with address - Drive thru to the backyard gardens   Come join us for a full day of sharing food, fun, and entertainment at our Cowboy Trail Farm. This is a Meet and Greet affair where you can mingle with your fellow gardeners. We'll also have fellow crafters showing off their talents of jewelry, artwork, and much more. We'll have our Farm Stand open too! This is a FREE event and we would appreciate everyone bringing a dish to share and enjoy. Let us know what you would like to bring so we don't have too many duplicates. NOTE : If you would like to be a vendor and sell your wares, let us know. We are looking for at least 12 talented crafters and hobbyists

Squash & Carrot Fritters

Somehow, the summer slipped by and fall appeared.   The garden was very demanding and after spending hours in the hot sun, driving 100 miles every day, my blogging energy just disappeared. 

 

Well, the good and bad news is the garden is on the downturn and I have a little more time to play catch up on blogging, house cleaning, crafting, organizing,  .  . . the list goes on.

 

This weekend a dear friend  hosted a party for her newly married sister and her sister's new husband.  I made the squash and carrot patties or fritters to take.  I must admit, I liked they  much better than just plain squash fritters.  There are so many variations on the internet, this is my variation.  All the vegetable ingredients were from our farm with the exception of the round onion.

 Squash Carrot Zucchini Patties

 

3 medium zucchini, grated

2 large rainbow carrots, grated

1/2 round onion, diced

3 leeks, white parts only diced

3 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese - add some other cheese too if you like

1/2 cup flour

1/4 oat bran

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

 

Place grated zucchini in colander and lightly sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for about 15 minutes and squeeze moisture out.  Combine with remaining ingredients.  Heat griddle to 400 degrees, add olive oil.  Drop mixture by rounded teaspoons (appetizer size servings) on ti griddle.  Fry on one side for about 3 minutes or till brown, flip and finish cooking.

 

Serve warm with sour cream, applesauce or even hot sauce.

 

I eat these cold too.  Try your own variations - add herbs, curry, or even coat with panko and bake in oven.