Greetings from Hidden Springs Farms!

   Rain, rain, rain, and more rain.....It seems like we've had rain everyday for 3 weeks.  We are up to our knees in mud and the only animals on the farm that are happy about all of the rain are the ducks!  We really shouldn't complain because we do not want a drought like we had the last two years, but we'd prefer to meet somewhere in the middle.

    The Angora goats, with the exception of Sampson, are all sheared.  The boys, Betty, and Megan spent about a week inside the barn so they could stay dry even to shear.  They were not happy about that BUT love being sheared.  Here is Fuzzy's before and after photo:

It is hard to tell from the photo, but Fuzzy is beautifully WHITE right now.  Of course, that won't last long.  But, isn't he a cutie?

  The boer goat kids are doing very well.  This is our best group of kids ever.  They are all doing so well.  In fact, Jack, was a star on News Channel 5. Amy Rao, reporter, came to the farm with her cameraman, Mike, and spent about 2 hours with us doing a report on our "goat rental" program.  Jack just loved the attention and spent a lot of time chewing on Amy's notes, pulling on her jacket, and ensuring he got a close-up.  All in all, we had a great time with News Channel 5.

    We will be posting pictures of our boer goats that will be for sale in June.  The kids have about another 2-4 weeks with mom before weaning.  We'll send out a newsletter once the photos are up, but here are a few to give you an idea of what we have:

Zebbo has the most unique markings.  He looks like he fell in a paint bucket.

Our garden shed/Chicken Coop is just about complete.  We've spent many hours in the rain putting up roofing, getting the fencing up, and in general, working hard.  I'm sure the chickens will enjoy their new home and the horses will be happy to get their stalls back. 

The garden is looking so wonderful.  I suppose the rain is good for something.  We continue to deliver fresh herbs to the Lowes Vanderbilt and invite you to stop by and have a meal created by Chef Elaine.  The food is fabulous!

Since the cooler weather veggies are doing so well, here is an easy recipe you can try at home:

Easy Spinach (yes, Spinach is good for you!)

1 TB Olive Oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Bag of fresh Spinach

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Add garlic and onion and cook until onion softens.  Add Spinach (you may have to add 1/2 of the bag and let it cook down a bit before adding the rest of the bag)  The Spinach will wilt, but that's OK.  Continue cooking until all spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.  Yummy! For a variation, add a pinch of hot red pepper flakes with the garlic.  That will give your spinach a KICK!

Plan a trip to come and visit us.  There is so much to see this time of year.

Best Wishes

The Staff at Hidden Springs Farms