Sweet Local Farm » Friends & Family

Homegrown Food for Babies

Luke — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:19:05 +0000

This article originally appeared on theHipsterDad and was published on Sept 22, 2011.

Have you ever thought about making your own baby food?

Growing and preparing food for your baby is quick, easy and a great way to save some pennies while at the same time guaranteeing what you are putting into their body is healthy and natural. Below is a quick guide on how to whip up a tasty and nutritious meal for your child utilizing veggies from your garden or sourced directly from your local farmers market.

But first, a little background.

I love growing food. What started out as a hobby quickly became a full-blown obsession to see just how much food I could grow. In 2010 I launched the Home Grown Food Challenge, a month long attempt to eat only things grown, harvested and preserved from one’s garden. As I gear up for this year’s challenge, I can’t help but think about what a home grown meal would like like for my child, 11 month old baby Olive. Like all new parents, I’m obsessed with every little development my child makes and I’m willing to go the extra distance to help make each and every new experience for her as best as can be.

OK, now onto everybody’s favorite subject…Food!

To read the full article, visit theHipsterDad.com.

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A Fun Fall Weekend

Karen — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:54:15 +0000

We had so much fun this first weekend of Autumn. A bunch of friends came out for the weekend. The weather was gorgeous and the leaves are just starting to turn. We sat by a bonfire, played whiffle ball, ate delicious potato leek chowder, and visited the corn maze down at Randall’s Farm.

Here I am in the corn maze:

Luke wished our corn grew this well:

The gang in the maze:

Throughout the maze there were 10 trivia questions.

Luke playing with the corn silk:

Sarah lead us safely through the maze:

Can’t wait to bring the baby next year!

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Memorial Weekend in the Flower Garden

Karen — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:51:03 +0000

Memorial weekend was gorgeous and we were lucky to have friends come spend some time with us on the farm. It has been sunny with highs in the upper 80′s. As with everything this year, many of our perennial flowers are blooming early. I wanted to document these blooms so I can come back to this page next year and see how it compares.

Friends in the garden:

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Vegetable Garden

Karen — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:10:53 +0000

As I said yesterday, our vegetable garden is about half way planted out. The herb spiral is planted, as are the potatoes, garlic, onion sets, lettuce, strawberries, corn, tomatoes, pepper, swiss chard, kale, cabbage, radish, celery, brussel sprouts, jerusalem artichokes, and sugar snap peas. We still need to plant our beans and gourds.

This is an asparagus crown we planted a few weeks ago. We won’t be able to eat any for a few years.

The rhubarb is doing great. It made a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie and there is still more to pick. I just planted two more rhubarb plants so we will always have enough for many pies.

This is swiss chard that over wintered. Right next to it is more swiss chard that we started from seed this spring.

Luke prepping the squash beds:

Adam digging out big rocks:

In the flower garden the peonies and iris have started to bloom.

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The Snow Moon Blogger’s Retreat

Karen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:13:01 +0000

This past weekend was the first annual Snow Moon Blogger’s Retreat hosted by Sweetlocal Farm! Tiffany from Heist Jewelry, Sarah from Mystic Valley Musings and I took a break from bloggin and enjoyed life on the farm. We made homemade pizza, gluten free to boot, sampled home brewed beer, got cozy in front of the fire and hit up the Tractor Supply Store for some new country duds.

Sarah, Tiffany, and Karen

Feeding the animals:

Chillin in the barn:

Tiffany having a moment:

We bought rubber boots, gardening gloves, and cowgirl shirts here:

We had a very peaceful weekend!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

Karen — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:29:47 +0000

Every day is Valentine’s Day when you have a pink front door!

I found this wreath in the barn when we moved in.

My dear husband gave me a box of chocolates from Rose City Chocolates. They specialize in gourmet vegan chocolates. They are so tasty!

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Sweet Local Shout Out on Wicked Good Scene

Karen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:40:10 +0000

Check out the Wicked Good Scene zine for an interview with my husband about the return of his band, Piebald.

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Uncle Luke’s Farm

Karen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:15:42 +0000

We were so happy to have our niece and nephews stop by the farm after Christmas. They brought treats for the goats and chickens to eat.

Rosemary and Birch sure love visitors, especially if they bring food!

Bella Grace taking in the scene from a safe distance:

We hope they visit again soon!

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Choppin Trees with Piebald

Karen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:10:06 +0000

The men of Piebald, Luke’s band, are on the farm rehearsing for an upcoming show. They took some time off from practicing to chop down some trees we have been meaning to clear from our berry patch.

Ryan took the lead and got to work:

Luke and Travis oversaw the cutting:

Later they got out the chainsaw but I was too nervous to watch.

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A Magical Evening

Karen — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:39:51 +0000

After our first snowstorm the porch looked enchanting:

The world was quiet and still as I took these photos a few moments ago:

We decided on a small living Christmas tree this year. This tree was growing too close to the barn and needed to be moved. With the help of my friend and my sister, we carefully potted up the tree and brought it to the porch. I plan to decorate it with cranberries and popcorn for the birds.

Our lonely mailbox in the snow:

I can’t wait to see this winter wonderland in the sunlight.

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