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Follow our story as we continue to build our farm
Posted 9/2/2010 10:58pm by Karen Wortman .
Hello to Everyone!
Summer is starting to wind down....at least that is what they tell us. But it is still a bit HOT and Dry here. We are really looking forward to some cooler weather, the leaves changing colors, and the entrance of fall.
There is a lot of news from the farm to give you. First, Emma, our Anatolian Shepherd gave birth to her first puppies and they are adorable. Emma has 8 little ones to care for and she is being a great mother. We will keep you posted on how Emma and family are doing and also let you know when the little ones are ready for new homes.
We are also excited to report that our farm will be in two magazines this fall! First, there will be an article in "Hobby Farm" magazine for their Nov/Dec issue. And, there will be another article in the "Out There" magazine that is published for Tractor Supply for their Winter addition. We'll let you know when the magazines hit the stores.
We are starting to take reservations for our Thanksgiving Turkey's. Our turkey's are heritage breeds not like the Butterballs that you get in your local grocery store. If you are interested in reserving a turkey, you can stop by the Robertson County Farmer's Market or send us an email. (Sorry, we do not ship at this time) The turkeys will be processed on November 5th and be ready for pick-up/delivery on November 6th. The birds will weigh between 8 and 18 lbs and sell for $5.50 lb. We require a $25.00 deposit. Contact us if you have questions.
We will be updating our online store this month and are pleased to announce that you will be able to purchase our goat's milk soaps and lotions and herbal salves online line the beginning of October. Our Goat's Milk soap won the BLUE RIBBON at the Robertson County Fair this year.
Now that the weather is cooling off, we will be offering several classes this month. For those of you interested in raising chickens, we are offering our "Cluck, Cluck, Cluck..Chicken Workshop on September 18th from 1 - 5 pm. And, if you are interested in learning more about goat's, join us on September 25th for our "Raising Goat's" workshop. Both of these classes are hands-on and loads of fun. Contact us to reserve your spot. The cost is only $35.00 per person.
We wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
Summer is starting to wind down....at least that is what they tell us. But it is still a bit HOT and Dry here. We are really looking forward to some cooler weather, the leaves changing colors, and the entrance of fall.
There is a lot of news from the farm to give you. First, Emma, our Anatolian Shepherd gave birth to her first puppies and they are adorable. Emma has 8 little ones to care for and she is being a great mother. We will keep you posted on how Emma and family are doing and also let you know when the little ones are ready for new homes.
We are also excited to report that our farm will be in two magazines this fall! First, there will be an article in "Hobby Farm" magazine for their Nov/Dec issue. And, there will be another article in the "Out There" magazine that is published for Tractor Supply for their Winter addition. We'll let you know when the magazines hit the stores.
We are starting to take reservations for our Thanksgiving Turkey's. Our turkey's are heritage breeds not like the Butterballs that you get in your local grocery store. If you are interested in reserving a turkey, you can stop by the Robertson County Farmer's Market or send us an email. (Sorry, we do not ship at this time) The turkeys will be processed on November 5th and be ready for pick-up/delivery on November 6th. The birds will weigh between 8 and 18 lbs and sell for $5.50 lb. We require a $25.00 deposit. Contact us if you have questions.
We will be updating our online store this month and are pleased to announce that you will be able to purchase our goat's milk soaps and lotions and herbal salves online line the beginning of October. Our Goat's Milk soap won the BLUE RIBBON at the Robertson County Fair this year.
Now that the weather is cooling off, we will be offering several classes this month. For those of you interested in raising chickens, we are offering our "Cluck, Cluck, Cluck..Chicken Workshop on September 18th from 1 - 5 pm. And, if you are interested in learning more about goat's, join us on September 25th for our "Raising Goat's" workshop. Both of these classes are hands-on and loads of fun. Contact us to reserve your spot. The cost is only $35.00 per person.
We wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 8/4/2010 9:43pm by Karen Wortman .
A HOT and Happy Greetings From Hidden Springs Farms,
We hope you are all having a wonderful summer! It was been quite hot in our area and with little rainfall, the pastures are drying up and the garden is struggling to produce. The animals are doing well but they spend the days laying around and then head out at night to eat what they can find. I am glad I am not an angora though...I would hate to be wearing a sweater in this heat. Curly and his buddies are doing just fine though. It is amazing! They
will be getting sheared in October and will be very happy once that is done.
We've added a few new Nubians goats to the farm this summer. We have enjoyed having Gwendolyn so much that we added two additional does, Isabell and Olivia, and a handsome buck named Roo. (short for Kangaroo since he can jump very high to avoid being caught!) We will breed in the fall and have Nubian babies in the Spring and LOTS of fresh milk to drink, make cheese, and to make our fabulous goat's milk soap!
We are currently doggie sitting our "grand-doggie"Daisy while our oldest son is working out of town. Daisy is a Blue Tick Coon Hound puppy and simply adorable. She is learning the rules and trying to figure out what a chicken is and why she can't chase them.
Our turkeys are growing very well and have relaxed a bit. We have a few that will actually eat out of our hands now. It is much better then having to chase them all over the pasture to get them in the barn at night. We will start taking reservations for Thanksgiving turkeys the middle of September and the turkey's will be processed on November 5th. We will keep a few breeding pairs so we can hatch our own next spring. The Blue Slates are beautiful and my personal favorite. The Red Bourbons are also very colorful and easy to get along with. The Eastern Wild's are nuts! Not friendly at all and crazy! They will ALL be on someone's Thanksgiving table.
We will be hosting another Raising Goats Workshop and a Raising Chickens Workshop in September. If you are interested in attending, please visit our website for dates and times. We ask that you pre-register (a simple email to us is fine to register) so that we have an accurate count and have enough supplies for everyone. These are "hands-on" workshops and lots of fun! We are also planning on adding several new workshops next year. We are looking at adding soap making, canning, and even some survival classes. Is there something you'd like to learn about? Let us know and we'll see what we can do about adding it to our ever-growing list of classes and workshops. We are in the process of building a classroom in one of our barns with a kitchen so we will have lots of space and a nice environment for classes even if the weather is bad.
If you haven't attended the Robertson County Farmer's Market, we would encourage you to come by. It is amazing what wonderful produce, meats, milk, and fruits are available. We are selling our fresh eggs, herbs, goat's milk soap, and veggies. We have met some wonderful people and really enjoy seeing everyone. The market is held every Saturday from 9:00 til 1:00 at the Robertson County Fair Grounds.
Congratulations to Randy from Columbia and Wayne from Springfield for purchasing several of our boer goats. We are sold out right now. If you are interested in boer goats, watch for us in the Spring when new babies start arriving!
Thanks for all of your support! We look forward to seeing everyone! Stay cool!
The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms
We hope you are all having a wonderful summer! It was been quite hot in our area and with little rainfall, the pastures are drying up and the garden is struggling to produce. The animals are doing well but they spend the days laying around and then head out at night to eat what they can find. I am glad I am not an angora though...I would hate to be wearing a sweater in this heat. Curly and his buddies are doing just fine though. It is amazing! They
will be getting sheared in October and will be very happy once that is done.
We've added a few new Nubians goats to the farm this summer. We have enjoyed having Gwendolyn so much that we added two additional does, Isabell and Olivia, and a handsome buck named Roo. (short for Kangaroo since he can jump very high to avoid being caught!) We will breed in the fall and have Nubian babies in the Spring and LOTS of fresh milk to drink, make cheese, and to make our fabulous goat's milk soap!
We are currently doggie sitting our "grand-doggie"Daisy while our oldest son is working out of town. Daisy is a Blue Tick Coon Hound puppy and simply adorable. She is learning the rules and trying to figure out what a chicken is and why she can't chase them.
Our turkeys are growing very well and have relaxed a bit. We have a few that will actually eat out of our hands now. It is much better then having to chase them all over the pasture to get them in the barn at night. We will start taking reservations for Thanksgiving turkeys the middle of September and the turkey's will be processed on November 5th. We will keep a few breeding pairs so we can hatch our own next spring. The Blue Slates are beautiful and my personal favorite. The Red Bourbons are also very colorful and easy to get along with. The Eastern Wild's are nuts! Not friendly at all and crazy! They will ALL be on someone's Thanksgiving table.
We will be hosting another Raising Goats Workshop and a Raising Chickens Workshop in September. If you are interested in attending, please visit our website for dates and times. We ask that you pre-register (a simple email to us is fine to register) so that we have an accurate count and have enough supplies for everyone. These are "hands-on" workshops and lots of fun! We are also planning on adding several new workshops next year. We are looking at adding soap making, canning, and even some survival classes. Is there something you'd like to learn about? Let us know and we'll see what we can do about adding it to our ever-growing list of classes and workshops. We are in the process of building a classroom in one of our barns with a kitchen so we will have lots of space and a nice environment for classes even if the weather is bad.
If you haven't attended the Robertson County Farmer's Market, we would encourage you to come by. It is amazing what wonderful produce, meats, milk, and fruits are available. We are selling our fresh eggs, herbs, goat's milk soap, and veggies. We have met some wonderful people and really enjoy seeing everyone. The market is held every Saturday from 9:00 til 1:00 at the Robertson County Fair Grounds.
Congratulations to Randy from Columbia and Wayne from Springfield for purchasing several of our boer goats. We are sold out right now. If you are interested in boer goats, watch for us in the Spring when new babies start arriving!
Thanks for all of your support! We look forward to seeing everyone! Stay cool!
The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 8/4/2010 9:36pm by Karen Wortman .
A HOT and Happy Greetings From Hidden Springs Farms,
We hope you are all having a wonderful summer! It was been quite hot in our area and with little rainfall, the pastures are drying up and the garden is struggling to produce. The animals are doing well but they spend the days laying around and then head out at night to eat what they can find. I am glad I am not an angora though...I would hate to be wearing a sweater in this heat. Curly and his buddies are doing just fine though. It is amazing! They
will be getting sheared in October and will be very happy once that is done.
We've added a few new Nubians goats to the farm this summer. We have enjoyed having Gwendolyn so much that we added two additional does, Isabell and Olivia, and a handsome buck named Roo. (short for Kangaroo since he can jump very high to avoid being caught!) We will breed in the fall and have Nubian babies in the Spring and LOTS of fresh milk to drink, make cheese, and to make our fabulous goat's milk soap!
We are currently doggie sitting our "grand-doggie"Daisy while our oldest son is working out of town. Daisy is a Blue Tick Coon Hound puppy and simply adorable. She is learning the rules and trying to figure out what a chicken is and why she can't chase them.
Our turkeys are growing very well and have relaxed a bit. We have a few that will actually eat out of our hands now. It is much better then having to chase them all over the pasture to get them in the barn at night. We will start taking reservations for Thanksgiving turkeys the middle of September and the turkey's will be processed on November 5th. We will keep a few breeding pairs so we can hatch our own next spring. The Blue Slates are beautiful and my personal favorite. The Red Bourbons are also very colorful and easy to get along with. The Eastern Wild's are nuts! Not friendly at all and crazy! They will ALL be on someone's Thanksgiving table.
We will be hosting another Raising Goats Workshop and a Raising Chickens Workshop in September. If you are interested in attending, please visit our website for dates and times. We ask that you pre-register (a simple email to us is fine to register) so that we have an accurate count and have enough supplies for everyone. These are "hands-on" workshops and lots of fun! We are also planning on adding several new workshops next year. We are looking at adding soap making, canning, and even some survival classes. Is there something you'd like to learn about? Let us know and we'll see what we can do about adding it to our ever-growing list of classes and workshops. We are in the process of building a classroom in one of our barns with a kitchen so we will have lots of space and a nice environment for classes even if the weather is bad.
If you haven't attended the Robertson County Farmer's Market, we would encourage you to come by. It is amazing what wonderful produce, meats, milk, and fruits are available. We are selling our fresh eggs, herbs, goat's milk soap, and veggies. We have met some wonderful people and really enjoy seeing everyone. The market is held every Saturday from 9:00 til 1:00 at the Robertson County Fair Grounds.
Congratulations to Randy from Columbia and Wayne from Springfield for purchasing several of our boer goats. We are sold out right now. If you are interested in boer goats, watch for us in the Spring when new babies start arriving!
Thanks for all of your support! We look forward to seeing everyone! Stay cool!
The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms
We hope you are all having a wonderful summer! It was been quite hot in our area and with little rainfall, the pastures are drying up and the garden is struggling to produce. The animals are doing well but they spend the days laying around and then head out at night to eat what they can find. I am glad I am not an angora though...I would hate to be wearing a sweater in this heat. Curly and his buddies are doing just fine though. It is amazing! They
will be getting sheared in October and will be very happy once that is done.
We've added a few new Nubians goats to the farm this summer. We have enjoyed having Gwendolyn so much that we added two additional does, Isabell and Olivia, and a handsome buck named Roo. (short for Kangaroo since he can jump very high to avoid being caught!) We will breed in the fall and have Nubian babies in the Spring and LOTS of fresh milk to drink, make cheese, and to make our fabulous goat's milk soap!
We are currently doggie sitting our "grand-doggie"Daisy while our oldest son is working out of town. Daisy is a Blue Tick Coon Hound puppy and simply adorable. She is learning the rules and trying to figure out what a chicken is and why she can't chase them.
Our turkeys are growing very well and have relaxed a bit. We have a few that will actually eat out of our hands now. It is much better then having to chase them all over the pasture to get them in the barn at night. We will start taking reservations for Thanksgiving turkeys the middle of September and the turkey's will be processed on November 5th. We will keep a few breeding pairs so we can hatch our own next spring. The Blue Slates are beautiful and my personal favorite. The Red Bourbons are also very colorful and easy to get along with. The Eastern Wild's are nuts! Not friendly at all and crazy! They will ALL be on someone's Thanksgiving table.
We will be hosting another Raising Goats Workshop and a Raising Chickens Workshop in September. If you are interested in attending, please visit our website for dates and times. We ask that you pre-register (a simple email to us is fine to register) so that we have an accurate count and have enough supplies for everyone. These are "hands-on" workshops and lots of fun! We are also planning on adding several new workshops next year. We are looking at adding soap making, canning, and even some survival classes. Is there something you'd like to learn about? Let us know and we'll see what we can do about adding it to our ever-growing list of classes and workshops. We are in the process of building a classroom in one of our barns with a kitchen so we will have lots of space and a nice environment for classes even if the weather is bad.
If you haven't attended the Robertson County Farmer's Market, we would encourage you to come by. It is amazing what wonderful produce, meats, milk, and fruits are available. We are selling our fresh eggs, herbs, goat's milk soap, and veggies. We have met some wonderful people and really enjoy seeing everyone. The market is held every Saturday from 9:00 til 1:00 at the Robertson County Fair Grounds.
Congratulations to Randy from Columbia and Wayne from Springfield for purchasing several of our boer goats. We are sold out right now. If you are interested in boer goats, watch for us in the Spring when new babies start arriving!
Thanks for all of your support! We look forward to seeing everyone! Stay cool!
The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 6/30/2010 12:02pm by Karen Wortman .
Happy Summer to Everyone!
Summer arrived early this year and it has been very HOT and Humid at the farm. We've been about 10+ degrees higher then normal for this time of year BUT at least it isn't raining everyday. We'll take the sun over the rain anytime.
It is very busy at the farm right now. The garden is growing well (as are the weeds) and there is always something going on or needing our attention. We've had some mature timber harvested from our woods and that means lots of clean-up now. The woods however will be better and healthier own everything is cleaned up.
Gwendolyn, our Nubian, gave birth to two does a couple of weeks ago. Annie and Katie are crosses between Nubians and Angoras (Sammie is the daddy); we call them "Nu-goras". Gwen is being a wonderful mom and Annie and Katie are doing very well.
The girls look like their momma, but have curly hair. No telling what they will look like when they grow up! We are excited that we will have goat milk again soon and it will give us the opportunity to make more cheese!
We have a nice starter herd of Angora goats for sale. We are selling our buck, Sampson, plus two does, Black Betty & Megan. If you know anyone interested in starting an Angora herd, please let them know. We are asking $550.00 for the grouping. Sampson is a handsome boy that is easy to handle and probably my favorite. The girls take a while longer to warm up to new people, but they are nice as well and loves treats.
Our grandson, Tyler, loves his goats. He has so much fun with the babies. We have lots of boer goats that are friendly and enjoy playing with him as well. We've updated our "Sale" page on the website and have several boers for sale at this time too.
Our classes and workshops are over for the summer but we will be starting again strong in September. Look for classes on Raising Goats, Raising Chickens, and more starting again in September.
Finally, our turkeys are growing like crazy. We have Red Bourbon's, Blue Slate, and Eastern Wild. And, they are a "WILD" bunch. We like to take them out on the pasture during the day and they love it. BUT, when it is time to go back into the barn at night, they go nuts. The best workout in the world is trying to chase turkeys with a net to put them in the barn. I guess they just don't know me well enought to follow me. Last year, Tom, Dick, and Harry came running when they saw me and followed me anywhere I need to take them. The crazy turkeys I have this year are "independent thinkers" and won't follow me anywhere. I will be happy when November gets here and we will have FRESH Thanksgiving Turkeys!
We want to wish everyone a HAPPY and SAFE 4th of July! Heat up the BBQ, enjoy the fireworks, and spending time with family!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
Summer arrived early this year and it has been very HOT and Humid at the farm. We've been about 10+ degrees higher then normal for this time of year BUT at least it isn't raining everyday. We'll take the sun over the rain anytime.
It is very busy at the farm right now. The garden is growing well (as are the weeds) and there is always something going on or needing our attention. We've had some mature timber harvested from our woods and that means lots of clean-up now. The woods however will be better and healthier own everything is cleaned up.
Gwendolyn, our Nubian, gave birth to two does a couple of weeks ago. Annie and Katie are crosses between Nubians and Angoras (Sammie is the daddy); we call them "Nu-goras". Gwen is being a wonderful mom and Annie and Katie are doing very well.
The girls look like their momma, but have curly hair. No telling what they will look like when they grow up! We are excited that we will have goat milk again soon and it will give us the opportunity to make more cheese!
We have a nice starter herd of Angora goats for sale. We are selling our buck, Sampson, plus two does, Black Betty & Megan. If you know anyone interested in starting an Angora herd, please let them know. We are asking $550.00 for the grouping. Sampson is a handsome boy that is easy to handle and probably my favorite. The girls take a while longer to warm up to new people, but they are nice as well and loves treats.
Our grandson, Tyler, loves his goats. He has so much fun with the babies. We have lots of boer goats that are friendly and enjoy playing with him as well. We've updated our "Sale" page on the website and have several boers for sale at this time too.
Our classes and workshops are over for the summer but we will be starting again strong in September. Look for classes on Raising Goats, Raising Chickens, and more starting again in September.
Finally, our turkeys are growing like crazy. We have Red Bourbon's, Blue Slate, and Eastern Wild. And, they are a "WILD" bunch. We like to take them out on the pasture during the day and they love it. BUT, when it is time to go back into the barn at night, they go nuts. The best workout in the world is trying to chase turkeys with a net to put them in the barn. I guess they just don't know me well enought to follow me. Last year, Tom, Dick, and Harry came running when they saw me and followed me anywhere I need to take them. The crazy turkeys I have this year are "independent thinkers" and won't follow me anywhere. I will be happy when November gets here and we will have FRESH Thanksgiving Turkeys!
We want to wish everyone a HAPPY and SAFE 4th of July! Heat up the BBQ, enjoy the fireworks, and spending time with family!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 4/30/2010 8:53am by Karen Wortman .
Hi Friends,
Happy Spring Time from Hidden Springs Farms! I think that Spring is really here. Other then a few cold snaps and some nasty rain, everything is looking great. Flower blooming, veggies growing, and more new babies. Our first BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Bonnie, our Tennessee Walking Horse Mare, had her first foal. A little boy, yet to be named, arrived this past Sunday.
Dr. Woodall came out on Monday and checked him out and after a blood test we discovered that he didn't get everything he needed from Momma so on Tuesday, we loaded momma and baby onto the trailer and made the 30 minute drive to Russellville so baby would get plamas, an IV, and a few shots to make sure he didn't get sick. He is doing wonderful. He and Momma have been spending time out in the pasture and it is fun to watch him run on those very long legs!
It will be fun to watch him grow. Bonnie is a very good mother and is doing very well.
I think most of you will remember that I made some homemade cheddar cheese from goat's milk from Gwendolyn. I made it and covered it with red wax and placed it in a cool dark place to age. Well, since it is just about time to eat it, I went to look at it and found that is was GONE. Everything was GONE except the red wax. 2 lbs of cheese missing! I knew there was no way a mouse could eat that much cheese even if he brought his mouse buddies along for a party. So we set a trap and the same night caught this:
Apparently she wasn't happy with only 2 lbs of cheese. She came back for more. So, now it is back to the cheese-making process. And this time, I will have to age the cheese in a secure container.
For those of you that are in the Springfield area, remember the Robertson Country Farmer's Market starts this Saturday, May 1st, from 9:00 - 1:00 at the Fairgrounds. We have a lot of producers that will have a wide variety of farm-fresh items including milk, eggs, meats, veggies, fruits, and herbs. Come by and support your local farmers. We'll be there with farm-fresh eggs and herbs this Saturday and will continue to expand our available produce as veggies come into season.
Thanks to everyone that participated in our free goat's milk soap program. Your feedback has been wonderful. And, starting the beginning of June, we will be offering our goat's milk soap for sale through our website. I am busy making soap but it has to cure for a month before using..that is our only delay.
We have a very small number of CSA shares left, so if you are interested, don't delay in signing up. And, CSA members, your newsletter will be arriving this evening. I'll include some photos of the garden so you can see what's growing now. We are very excited! And, it is not much longer before we get started.
Enjoy this wonderful weather. Get outside! Come visit us. The goat kids are very cute and love when children come and play.
Happy Spring!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farm
Happy Spring Time from Hidden Springs Farms! I think that Spring is really here. Other then a few cold snaps and some nasty rain, everything is looking great. Flower blooming, veggies growing, and more new babies. Our first BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Bonnie, our Tennessee Walking Horse Mare, had her first foal. A little boy, yet to be named, arrived this past Sunday.
Dr. Woodall came out on Monday and checked him out and after a blood test we discovered that he didn't get everything he needed from Momma so on Tuesday, we loaded momma and baby onto the trailer and made the 30 minute drive to Russellville so baby would get plamas, an IV, and a few shots to make sure he didn't get sick. He is doing wonderful. He and Momma have been spending time out in the pasture and it is fun to watch him run on those very long legs!
It will be fun to watch him grow. Bonnie is a very good mother and is doing very well.
I think most of you will remember that I made some homemade cheddar cheese from goat's milk from Gwendolyn. I made it and covered it with red wax and placed it in a cool dark place to age. Well, since it is just about time to eat it, I went to look at it and found that is was GONE. Everything was GONE except the red wax. 2 lbs of cheese missing! I knew there was no way a mouse could eat that much cheese even if he brought his mouse buddies along for a party. So we set a trap and the same night caught this:
Apparently she wasn't happy with only 2 lbs of cheese. She came back for more. So, now it is back to the cheese-making process. And this time, I will have to age the cheese in a secure container.
For those of you that are in the Springfield area, remember the Robertson Country Farmer's Market starts this Saturday, May 1st, from 9:00 - 1:00 at the Fairgrounds. We have a lot of producers that will have a wide variety of farm-fresh items including milk, eggs, meats, veggies, fruits, and herbs. Come by and support your local farmers. We'll be there with farm-fresh eggs and herbs this Saturday and will continue to expand our available produce as veggies come into season.
Thanks to everyone that participated in our free goat's milk soap program. Your feedback has been wonderful. And, starting the beginning of June, we will be offering our goat's milk soap for sale through our website. I am busy making soap but it has to cure for a month before using..that is our only delay.
We have a very small number of CSA shares left, so if you are interested, don't delay in signing up. And, CSA members, your newsletter will be arriving this evening. I'll include some photos of the garden so you can see what's growing now. We are very excited! And, it is not much longer before we get started.
Enjoy this wonderful weather. Get outside! Come visit us. The goat kids are very cute and love when children come and play.
Happy Spring!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farm
Posted 3/28/2010 9:34pm by Karen Wortman .
Hi to everyone!
We can certainly tell that Spring is here. We have one beautiful day with lots of sunshine followed by what seems like days of rain. The spring flowers are starting to bloom. There are babies everywhere, and the horses are happy to see their pastures getting greener! The broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach are doing beautifully in the cold frames and the greenhouse is filled with young tomato, eggplant, pepper, and herb plants. On the few sunny days we've had, we are in the garden cleaning up and preparing to plant.
We are up to 10 baby boer goats now with more nannies due to deliver. It is so much fun to watch the babies running, jumping, and playing in the pasture. And Trooper, our guardian dog, is an excellent babysitter
We still have a few spaces in our CSA for those interested. We have also had a lot of questions like "what exactly is a CSA" so let me explain a bit better:
We can certainly tell that Spring is here. We have one beautiful day with lots of sunshine followed by what seems like days of rain. The spring flowers are starting to bloom. There are babies everywhere, and the horses are happy to see their pastures getting greener! The broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach are doing beautifully in the cold frames and the greenhouse is filled with young tomato, eggplant, pepper, and herb plants. On the few sunny days we've had, we are in the garden cleaning up and preparing to plant.
We are up to 10 baby boer goats now with more nannies due to deliver. It is so much fun to watch the babies running, jumping, and playing in the pasture. And Trooper, our guardian dog, is an excellent babysitter
We still have a few spaces in our CSA for those interested. We have also had a lot of questions like "what exactly is a CSA" so let me explain a bit better:
Community-Supported or Community-Shared Agriculture (CSA) is also known as "subscription farming." You buy a subscription from a local farmer just like you buy a subscription to Time or Newsweek. But instead of receiving a magazine each week, you receive a "share" of fresh, locally grown or raised fruit and/or vegetables.
Community Supported Agriculture brings us back to an earlier time when people knew where their food came from, ate what was in seasons, and enjoyed a delicious, healthy diet of pure, fresh foods.
"In season" is what CSAs are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. Local grocery stores are disconnected from nature. You can buy tomatoes in January-but that tomato was picked green 2000 miles away and weeks ago, then blasted with ethylene gas to make it turn red just before it landed in the produce section of your store. What we have gained in convenience, we have lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and human connection.
A CSA subscription reconnects you and your family to the flavor, freshness, and farm connection that is missing.
You'll never get tomatoes in May in a CSA. In May, your vegetable CSA share will be full of lettuce, spinach, and other spring delights. Then in August you will experience an explosion of true tomato flavor with your first bite of a juicy, just-picked, sun-ripened tomato!
CSA subscribers don't so much "buy" food from particular farms. They become members of those farms. CSAs provide more than just food, they offer ways for families to become involved in and supports local farms. You share the excitement, the food, and yes, even some of the risk. We hope that gives everyone a bit more information on our CSA program. If you have any questions, please call or email us.
There are many, many classes and workshops coming in April. We'd love to have you join us. Bring a friend or neighbor along. You'll find all of the details under our Events page but here is a quick listing of our most popluar classes:
Homeschool Program: Our homeschool program begins April 20th.
Planning Your Vegetable Garden: April 10th 10-noon
Cluck, Cluck, Chicken Workshop: April 17th 1-5 pm
Growing Culinary Herbs Workshop: April 24th 1-4 pm
We will also begin shearing the Angora goats the beginning of April. We'll include some photos in next month's newsletter.
Until then, stay dry and think "sunny" thoughts
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 3/2/2010 8:59pm by Karen Wortman .
Greeting from Hidden Springs Farms,
We are another month closer to SPRING! Or should I say, "hopefully" we are closer to spring. It has been a long winter this year in Middle Tennessee and we even had some light snow showers today. We are pretty confident that Spring is coming. We've seen some spring flowers starting to work their way through the soil. We've been busy in the garden area on those rare pleasant days. This past weekend, the greenhouse got a new cover and we set up 3 cold frames. Now there is cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower seeds planted in the cold frames. The greenhouse is filled with a wide variety of tiny little pots filled with seeds waiting to sprout. We keep everything covered up and warm during the cold nights.
We tend to stay in the house a bit more when the weather is especially cold. But we aren't just sitting around. This week, we tried our hand at making GOAT'S MILK Soap and home-made Cheddar Cheese. The Cheese (pictured above) was also made with some our Gwendolyn's goat's milk. The cheese had to age for 4-12 weeks so we'll have to let you know how it taste.
I have a special deal for the first 10 people that reply to this newsletter. I will send you a bar of our Goat's Milk Soap FREE!! All I ask is that you try it and then complete a short survey for us that I will include. We really want your feedback and input before we add our soap to our product line-up. So, the first 10 people that send me an email that includes their mailing address, will get a bar of our soap once it has finished curing. (It will be ready in about 2 weeks)
Our CSA sign-ups are still underway. If you are interested, click here to sign-up. And, feel free to pass the information on to your friends and family. We are giving a discount through the end of March for those that sign-up and pay in full. We will be starting our CSA Member Newsletter very soon.
And, finally, we have several weekend classes this month. All of the details are on our website. Children attend for FREE.
March 6th Planning Your Vegetable Garden 10:00 - Noon ($15.00)
March 13th Tool School 101 9:00 - 11:00 (Free class for the ladies!)
March 20th Cluck, Cluck, Cluck Chicken Workshop 1:00 - 5:00 pm ($35.00)
March 27th Raising Goats Workshop 1:00 - 5:00 pm ($35.00)
We will have pictures of baby goats in our next newsletter. The girls are getting very close to delivery time. Spring is a wonderful time at Hidden Springs Farms!
Until next time.....stay warm!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
We are another month closer to SPRING! Or should I say, "hopefully" we are closer to spring. It has been a long winter this year in Middle Tennessee and we even had some light snow showers today. We are pretty confident that Spring is coming. We've seen some spring flowers starting to work their way through the soil. We've been busy in the garden area on those rare pleasant days. This past weekend, the greenhouse got a new cover and we set up 3 cold frames. Now there is cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower seeds planted in the cold frames. The greenhouse is filled with a wide variety of tiny little pots filled with seeds waiting to sprout. We keep everything covered up and warm during the cold nights.
We tend to stay in the house a bit more when the weather is especially cold. But we aren't just sitting around. This week, we tried our hand at making GOAT'S MILK Soap and home-made Cheddar Cheese. The Cheese (pictured above) was also made with some our Gwendolyn's goat's milk. The cheese had to age for 4-12 weeks so we'll have to let you know how it taste.
I have a special deal for the first 10 people that reply to this newsletter. I will send you a bar of our Goat's Milk Soap FREE!! All I ask is that you try it and then complete a short survey for us that I will include. We really want your feedback and input before we add our soap to our product line-up. So, the first 10 people that send me an email that includes their mailing address, will get a bar of our soap once it has finished curing. (It will be ready in about 2 weeks)
Our CSA sign-ups are still underway. If you are interested, click here to sign-up. And, feel free to pass the information on to your friends and family. We are giving a discount through the end of March for those that sign-up and pay in full. We will be starting our CSA Member Newsletter very soon.
And, finally, we have several weekend classes this month. All of the details are on our website. Children attend for FREE.
March 6th Planning Your Vegetable Garden 10:00 - Noon ($15.00)
March 13th Tool School 101 9:00 - 11:00 (Free class for the ladies!)
March 20th Cluck, Cluck, Cluck Chicken Workshop 1:00 - 5:00 pm ($35.00)
March 27th Raising Goats Workshop 1:00 - 5:00 pm ($35.00)
We will have pictures of baby goats in our next newsletter. The girls are getting very close to delivery time. Spring is a wonderful time at Hidden Springs Farms!
Until next time.....stay warm!
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 2/3/2010 11:34am by Karen Wortman .
A Bright and Cheery Hello from Hidden Springs Farms,
We are happy to announce that sign-ups for our 2010 CSA have started. You can sign-up through our website by clicking here. This year we will be offering a Veggie Share, Egg Share, & Herb Share. Our neighbor, Gourmet Pasture Beef will also be offering their Beef and Pet Food shares. You can get details and sign up for Beef and Pet Food by clicking here. If you sign up for all shares (veggie, eggs, herbs, beef and pet food), you will receive a $50.00 discount. When signing up on our site, use the Coupon code: ALLIN and your $25.00 discount will be applied. Gourmet Pasture Beef will take $25.00 off of your Beef & Pet Food share as well. Also, sign-up for any of our shares and pay in full by March 31st and you will recieve a 10% discount. (use coupon code: earlycsa)
For those of you that would like to make payments, we require a 25% deposit and then will inovice you for 2 additional payments: June 1st & August 1st. Our CSA will begin in June and go through the end of October. If you have any questions, please feel free to either email us at info@hiddenspringsfarms.com or call (615) 210-7525. We are limiting our CSA to 20 members this year, so sign up early. We sold out very quickly last year!
We are offering 4 Work shares at Hidden Springs Farms for those that would like to work for their veggies, eggs, and herbs rather then make a cash payment. Work Shares require a commitment of 2 hours each week working on the farm. Don't worry, we won't ask you to drive heavy equipment or clean out horse stalls....you will be helping with the harvest, weeding, and general garden work. We do ask that you contact us to discuss this option before signing-up for it.
We hope everyone enjoyed the recent winter storms. We love the snow. It is so beautiful.
It is too bad that the snow doesn't last. Snow + Sun = MUD! The chickens were the only ones not happy about the snow. The first day of the snow, they came out of their coop, put their feet in the snow, and turned around and went right back into the coop.
We are counting the days until Spring. It really is right around the corner. It won't be long before we are working in the garden and the sun is shinning.
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!
The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms
We are happy to announce that sign-ups for our 2010 CSA have started. You can sign-up through our website by clicking here. This year we will be offering a Veggie Share, Egg Share, & Herb Share. Our neighbor, Gourmet Pasture Beef will also be offering their Beef and Pet Food shares. You can get details and sign up for Beef and Pet Food by clicking here. If you sign up for all shares (veggie, eggs, herbs, beef and pet food), you will receive a $50.00 discount. When signing up on our site, use the Coupon code: ALLIN and your $25.00 discount will be applied. Gourmet Pasture Beef will take $25.00 off of your Beef & Pet Food share as well. Also, sign-up for any of our shares and pay in full by March 31st and you will recieve a 10% discount. (use coupon code: earlycsa)
For those of you that would like to make payments, we require a 25% deposit and then will inovice you for 2 additional payments: June 1st & August 1st. Our CSA will begin in June and go through the end of October. If you have any questions, please feel free to either email us at info@hiddenspringsfarms.com or call (615) 210-7525. We are limiting our CSA to 20 members this year, so sign up early. We sold out very quickly last year!
We are offering 4 Work shares at Hidden Springs Farms for those that would like to work for their veggies, eggs, and herbs rather then make a cash payment. Work Shares require a commitment of 2 hours each week working on the farm. Don't worry, we won't ask you to drive heavy equipment or clean out horse stalls....you will be helping with the harvest, weeding, and general garden work. We do ask that you contact us to discuss this option before signing-up for it.
We hope everyone enjoyed the recent winter storms. We love the snow. It is so beautiful.
It is too bad that the snow doesn't last. Snow + Sun = MUD! The chickens were the only ones not happy about the snow. The first day of the snow, they came out of their coop, put their feet in the snow, and turned around and went right back into the coop.
We are counting the days until Spring. It really is right around the corner. It won't be long before we are working in the garden and the sun is shinning.
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!
The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 1/14/2010 8:25pm by Karen Wortman .
Greetings from Hidden Springs Farms,
We hope that everyone had a fabulous Christmas and that your New Year is off to a wonderful start. The wintery weather has been rough on the farm. With temperatures rarely exceeding 20 degrees for almost 2 weeks, it has been a challenge to keep ice out of the animals water and to stay warm while caring for everyone. Using a sledgehammer and rack, we take about 2-3 inches of ice off each water trough every morning.
We've added a few new animals to the farm since we last sent out our newsletter. First, there is Gwendolyn, a Nubian Dairy goat. (I'll get a photo on the site soon) Gwen is a sweetie and milking her twice a day isn't near as much work as we expected. She eagerly goes to the barn and jumps up on the milking stand. As long as she as some grain to munch on, she doesn't mind being milked at all. We've tried our hand at making cheese and have been very happy with our results. Next, we will try our hands at Goat's Milk Soap. We'll let you know how that goes.
Our 2nd addition is "Chic", a now 12 week old Border Collie. She is a doll and so much fun. She introduced herself to all of the animals and really loves the goats. She loves the chicken a bit too much so we are working on understanding that chickens are NOT to be chased. In this photo, Chic had just arrived at our home and had her first bath. She wasn't too happy with that, but enjoyed the attention she received.
We have so much happening in 2010! First, we are pleased to announce our workshop/seminar/class schedule. There are things for adults and children. We are especially excited about our Home-school program. You can download a copy of our brochure by clicking here You can register for classes by calling us at 615 210-7525 or simply sending us an email at info@hiddenspringsfarms.com Of course, you can always call or email for more information. Feel free to share the brochure with family and friends as well.
Our next exciting news is that we are working with a group of Farmers, City Officials, and UT extension staff on starting a Farmer's Market in Robertson County. We will keep you posted as everything develops but we are very happy to see a Farmer's Market coming to Springfield.
We will be announcing our CSA sign-ups the beginning of Feb. This year you will be able to sign-up through our website. (We do love the people that work on our site for us. They continually add wonderful features and are a pleasure to work with. www.smallfarmcentral.com) Based on feedback from our 2009 customers, we made some changes to the CSA. We are adding even more variety, a much larger garden, and more choices. We are adding Pasture-Raised Chicken and Heritage Turkeys to our CSA this year as well. We are finishing up our brochure and CSA handbook and will send that to you in our next newsletter. A special note to consider, this year we will be offer several Work Shares through our CSA. A Work Share is where you committ to a certain amount of hours working on the farm in exchange for a full share. If you are interested or want more information about the Workshare, give us a call or send an email.
Farms really are great places for Children. Our grandson, Tyler, loves to play with the animals, climb on the hay, and in general, play, play, play. Trooper always keeps an eye on Tyler and ensures he doesn't get in to any trouble. As the weather starts to warm up, plan to come and visit us. Spring is a wonderful time to visit. We will have new baby goats arriving, baby turkeys & chicks, and this year, a new Foal. Bonnie, our TN Walking Horse is expecting her first foal the end of April. We are so excited and will post lots of pictures when the baby arrives.
We hope everyone stays warm......the countdown to Spring is beginning!
Best Wishes,
The Staff Of Hidden Springs Farms
We hope that everyone had a fabulous Christmas and that your New Year is off to a wonderful start. The wintery weather has been rough on the farm. With temperatures rarely exceeding 20 degrees for almost 2 weeks, it has been a challenge to keep ice out of the animals water and to stay warm while caring for everyone. Using a sledgehammer and rack, we take about 2-3 inches of ice off each water trough every morning.
We've added a few new animals to the farm since we last sent out our newsletter. First, there is Gwendolyn, a Nubian Dairy goat. (I'll get a photo on the site soon) Gwen is a sweetie and milking her twice a day isn't near as much work as we expected. She eagerly goes to the barn and jumps up on the milking stand. As long as she as some grain to munch on, she doesn't mind being milked at all. We've tried our hand at making cheese and have been very happy with our results. Next, we will try our hands at Goat's Milk Soap. We'll let you know how that goes.
Our 2nd addition is "Chic", a now 12 week old Border Collie. She is a doll and so much fun. She introduced herself to all of the animals and really loves the goats. She loves the chicken a bit too much so we are working on understanding that chickens are NOT to be chased. In this photo, Chic had just arrived at our home and had her first bath. She wasn't too happy with that, but enjoyed the attention she received.
We have so much happening in 2010! First, we are pleased to announce our workshop/seminar/class schedule. There are things for adults and children. We are especially excited about our Home-school program. You can download a copy of our brochure by clicking here You can register for classes by calling us at 615 210-7525 or simply sending us an email at info@hiddenspringsfarms.com Of course, you can always call or email for more information. Feel free to share the brochure with family and friends as well.
Our next exciting news is that we are working with a group of Farmers, City Officials, and UT extension staff on starting a Farmer's Market in Robertson County. We will keep you posted as everything develops but we are very happy to see a Farmer's Market coming to Springfield.
We will be announcing our CSA sign-ups the beginning of Feb. This year you will be able to sign-up through our website. (We do love the people that work on our site for us. They continually add wonderful features and are a pleasure to work with. www.smallfarmcentral.com) Based on feedback from our 2009 customers, we made some changes to the CSA. We are adding even more variety, a much larger garden, and more choices. We are adding Pasture-Raised Chicken and Heritage Turkeys to our CSA this year as well. We are finishing up our brochure and CSA handbook and will send that to you in our next newsletter. A special note to consider, this year we will be offer several Work Shares through our CSA. A Work Share is where you committ to a certain amount of hours working on the farm in exchange for a full share. If you are interested or want more information about the Workshare, give us a call or send an email.
Farms really are great places for Children. Our grandson, Tyler, loves to play with the animals, climb on the hay, and in general, play, play, play. Trooper always keeps an eye on Tyler and ensures he doesn't get in to any trouble. As the weather starts to warm up, plan to come and visit us. Spring is a wonderful time to visit. We will have new baby goats arriving, baby turkeys & chicks, and this year, a new Foal. Bonnie, our TN Walking Horse is expecting her first foal the end of April. We are so excited and will post lots of pictures when the baby arrives.
We hope everyone stays warm......the countdown to Spring is beginning!
Best Wishes,
The Staff Of Hidden Springs Farms
Posted 12/20/2009 10:36am by Karen Wortman .
Greetings,
We wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for your support and friendship this past year. While we have many exciting things planned for 2010 (more details after the 1st of the year), we wanted to send a short note to wish everyone a
We wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for your support and friendship this past year. While we have many exciting things planned for 2010 (more details after the 1st of the year), we wanted to send a short note to wish everyone a
VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
&
A HEALTHY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
&
A HEALTHY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Happy Holidays,
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms