Happy FriYAY East Mountains neighbors and all of our friends far and near. We wish you a fabulous day filled with laughter. I'm SOW loving these tiny baby Rudbeckias. I affectionately call them Rude Beckies 🤣.

This is my first year growing Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia hirta - also known as Black Eyed Susans) flowers and of course I decided to grow THREE different varieties. I mean, why on earth would I stop at just one variety?!? I selected: Prairie Sun, Cherry Brandy, and Sahara. I spent some time yesterday pricking out the Cherry Brandy (sprouts pictured) placing them in their plug tray cells. Later this afternoon I will prick out Sahara and Prairie Sun.

"Pricking out" is simply a method to very carefully lift tiny sprouted seedlings and place them into their own individual cells or pots. I do this to save space and potting soil as I only want to plant (dedicate space and soil to) seeds that actually sprout.

Have you grown any of these varieties of Rudbeckia? What was your experience with them?

We are "ON" for popping up in Edgewood tomorrow, 2/17/2024.  If you love fresh, locally grown, synthetic chemical free lettuce and microgreens, be sure to come see us tomorrow, Saturday 2/17/2024, in Edgewood and say hello! Time and location details in flyer image attached.

***WEATHER NOTE: If we have a terrible freak storm (snow or otherwise) and the roads are dangerous, please know it will be cancelled automatically. We love our community and we want everyone to be safe.***

Blue Disc African Daisies are my favorite daisies to grow. They are not perennial here in Edgewood, New Mexico, USA, but they often drop seeds and self sow for me. I also collect their seeds to pot up each year. I love their joyful, bright energy and electric blue-purple centers.

These heat-loving daisies are easy to grow and thrive for a long season. Plants and stems grow up to 24+ inches tall and they make a lovely cut flower. Blue Disc African Daisies are quite striking and bloom beautifully all summer long. Regular dead heading promotes new growth and more blooms.

Oh it's January and like many growers, I'm starting to feel the itch to plant. It's a bit too early to do that so I thought I'd start a new series of posts and share a bit more about some of the things we grow on our micro-farm.

I absolutely love growing flowers. They attract pollinators and make everything so pretty. These pictures are of cactus-flowered dahlias I grew from seed a couple years ago. Their bright twisty petals are so unusual and remind me of beautiful neon colored sea anemones. There were single and double blooms and many exceeded 5" in diameter. We will definitely be growing them again this year -- and selling potted starts in the spring, of course.

Dahlias are generally NOT perennial in New Mexico. That said, I have heard that some growers have been able to create protected micro-climates that allow dahlias to grow perennially. I'm doing some experimenting with this right now and I'm excited to see if it will work. Yet another reason I'm super excited for the 2024 summer growing season.

All that said, dahlias started from seed absolutely do produce tubers that may be lifted from the ground after the first frost in fall and stored for planting the following spring--if you want to ensure the cold and frost doesn't kill off your plants and/or you wish to grow bigger plants and blooms the following year. Alternatively, you may wish to simply treat dahlias as annuals and either purchase starts or start them from seed yourself each year.

If you like tuna salad and you like wasabi (or horseradish flavors), you will LOVE this super easy to make Open Face Tuna Sandwich with Wasabi Mustard Microgreens. I toasted a slice of homemade sourdough bread, spread some homemade fresh mayo (made using our farm fresh eggs), placed dehydrated tomato slices (made from our summer tomato harvest), spread a thick layer of tuna salad and topped it with wasabi mustard microgreens piled high on top.  Fresh. Delicious. FLAVOR BOMBASTIC.

If you need some wasabi mustard microgreens, be sure to come see us on Saturday when we pop up in the parking lot at 95 NM-344 (the old Independent Newspaper Building, where From The Ashes Comes Amore and Desert Edge Barbershop are located). As long as the weather cooperates--and right now it's looking great--we'll be there from 11am - 1pm or when we sell out, whichever comes first.

Make sure you also make time to check out From The Ashes Comes Amore. They usually have delicious pastries & coffee to enjoy on Saturday and an incredible selection of used books, herbs, and boutique items.

See all the details in the event flyer image below. Be sure to stop by the From The Ashes Comes Amore boutique shop while you're visiting with us. Lots of neat stuff to see there. Plus, I heard they're going to have freshly made danishes and croissants. We had one last week that was simply Aaaaamazing.

It's currently the OFF season (sort of) for us. Right now, we're growing Microgreens & Lettuce. We are planning to have pop-ups through the winter and spring and we will increase our offerings as more produce becomes available during the cold season.

Reflecting on the 2023 growing season, I can sum it up with just one word: CRAZY!
It started out great and we had our earliest set of tomatoes ever in the high tunnel. We even had ripe tomatoes before the end of June; but right after that temperatures skyrocketed for weeks without rain. All of our plants suffered due to the heat even though we have shade cloth and drip irrigation and we mulch. Most plants just don't do great with consecutive WEEKS of 100+ degree temperatures.  We lost more tomato plants than we ever have.

It's not all complaints and bad news, though. After the heat died back (and after Farmer's Market Season was over) we had the hugest harvests of tomatoes that we've ever had. I learned how to make some really incredible recipes with the glut of green tomatoes at the end of the season. And we had a ton of ripe tomatoes for our freezer & also dehydrated lots for the pantry. OH my...if you've never had dehydrated tomatoes on your sandwich in the middle of winter, you are missing out. They plump right up once in contact with mustard or mayo (or moisture from lettuce, etc.) .  Blew my mind, they are SOOOO good.

The crazy weather also served as a teacher to help me select what I believe will be more hardy varieties for this coming year. While we won't be growing 75 different varieties of tomatoes for plant starts this year, there will still be A LOT of amazing varieties to choose from--the best of last year and some new ones we want to trial this year. There will also be new several fabulous, exciting new additions to our plant start offerings for: cucumbers, squash, peppers, herbs, and flowers.

As for the summer growing season, stay tuned for our adventures in 2024. We are really excited about the possibilities. We hope you'll have fun growing with us. 🌼

 The holidays are over and I definitely need to cut back on the bread & potatoes.

So, how do you make a fast & easy, delicious, nutrition-packed, healthy breakfast without either bread or potatoes?  My answer is this No-Bread Bird's Nest Skillet. For size reference, the skillet in the pic is 6 inches.

Simply saute lightly in olive oil: finely sliced onion, sliced/chopped fresh cabbage, and green chile for a couple minutes. You can also add other sliced/chopped greens such as: spinach, kale, chard or bok choy, etc. Chopped zucchini also works really well.

Once your cabbage and/or other greens are slightly warmed and brightly colored, add as much microgreens as you like and toss around for 30 seconds to 1 minute on medium heat; then, make a well (hole) in the center and crack an egg into it; cover the egg with a small, clear glass lid so you can watch the egg cooking, trying not to take the lid off too often. Once the egg is cooked to your liking, you can add fresh pico (or salsa). Other delicious optional add-ons: a smidge of finely grated cheddar or crumbles of goat cheese or queso fresco. Enjoy. It is YUMMMMMOlicious.

DATES: Saturday, 1/13/2024 *and* Sunday, 1/14/24
TIME: Each day from 11am - 1pm or we sell out, whichever comes first.
LOCATION:  In the parking lot at 95 NM-344, Edgewood, NM.
That's the old "Independent Newspaper" building; it's where From The Ashes Comes Amore and the Desert Edge Barbershop are. YES--we have spoken with and received written permission from the property owner.

WHAT will we have available:
Limited amounts each day-->Farm Fresh Lettuce and Microgreens. Microgreen varieties will include: Sunflower, Pea, Broccoli, Rambo Radish, Wasabi Mustard, Sandia Spicy Mix, and East Mountains Mix.
I will also have a limited number of Gaillardia seed packets available for sale. Gaillardia (pictured above growing on our farm in 2023) is also known as Blanket Flower and it is a wonderful, beautiful perennial flower.

Is it ORGANIC?
SowThankful Farm is not certified organic. There are very strict USDA RULES about labeling products as organic and that comes with lots of hoops and a hefty price tag for the certification process. Additionally, there's a lot of ummm "uncertainty" about the integrity of the "organic" labeling system -- reference: https://www.newyorker.com/.../the-great-organic-food-fraud 
There are other articles out there if one spends some time researching, including this one: https://reason.com/2023/02/04/the-usda-cant-stop-organic-food-fraud/ 
And this one: https://modernfarmer.com/2023/10/can-you-trust-organic-label/
And there are others.
For the amount we produce (we grow crops on less than 3/4 acre at this time) it's not worth the hassle and expense for the certification. I can tell you this: We do NOT use any synthetic chemical fertilizers. We do NOT use any synthetic chemical pesticides. I started growing food because I don't want to consume pesticides and other nasty synthetic chemicals. We eat the same lettuce, veggies & produce that we sell.

Lion's Tail is also known as Wild Dagga or Leonotis leonurus  is such a fun, unique and beautiful plant to grow. And an incredible pollinator and hummingbird attractor. Reported to have herbal and medicinal uses (we make no claims but internet searches will give you information).

While Lion's Tail is  not a perennial in the East Mountains climate, it self-seeds readily. Every location we had a plant last year has hundreds of seedlings this year. And the good thing about it being an annual is that it's very easy to remove those seedlings (or transplant them to a new location) if you ever don't want it in a particular area. Not so easy to do that with other perennial bushes, shrubs and trees.

Come see us on the Patio at Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest from 10am - 1pm all the Saturdays in June 2023!  Polks Folly Market is located at: 12128 Highway 14N, Cedar Crest, New Mexico. We'll have a unique selection of fantastic heirloom and specialty tomatoes, veggies, herbs and flowers you won't find anywhere else.

SowThankful Farm is a small, East Mountains local regenerative farm and tiny NM licensed nursery, we specialize in starting heirloom & specialty plants without synthetic chemical pesticides and without synthetic chemical fertilizers, synthetic stimulants, or synthetic hormones. We don't want that stuff in our soil. Period. We believe nature has held the best answers all along and working with her produces the best results. We believe in building healthy soil without synthetics. When you have healthy soil, you will have healthy plants that produce the most nutritious food. We care deeply about the health of our friends, neighbors & community.

Weather permitting, you can also find us at the Cedar Crest Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 3pm - 6pm in the lot north of the Triangle Grocery.

Wooo hooo! Summer is coming and we're holding our inaugural spring plant sale pop up event the first two Saturdays in May from 10am - 2pm at Polks Folly Farm Market in Cedar Crest. See details in the flyer image.

We hear this question a lot at Farmers Market and through social media and it's a great question--whether we're talking plant sales or produce sales.
But. This question actually brings forth more questions than answers.

A quick internet search for the definition of "organic" as it applies to farming and food turns up many variations of this one (found at merriam-webster.com):
Adjective - "of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides". This seems easy to understand, fair and accurate.

BUT. In the USA--the USDA determines the legal definition of "organic" and who may use that word for selling plants, produce, food, etc.

From the New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association page: Organic Rules https://www.newmexicofma.org/food_processing_permits.php
Q: Who can use the word "Organic" to sell their products?
A: Only farmers and gardeners who are certified by a USDA-accredited certifier may legally use the term "certified organic" to describe their product. Producers who gross less than $5,000/year are exempt from certification and may use the term "organic" as long as they follow organic growing practices.

To be clear, we make no accusation against any person, group of persons, agency or agencies. We simply offer food for thought. We encourage our friends, families, neighbors and communities to become informed. And we're not being dramatic when we say it really is a matter of life and death.

Let's just use our common sense. We can even set aside the multitude of opportunities for payoffs, corruption, mishandling, mislabeling, negligence, fraud, etc. I mean, here's one article, here's another, and here's another...of the many that can be found very easily. You can read and decide about all that for yourself.

So, setting all that aside, let's think seriously about this for a moment. There is NO absolute way to 100% verify if any crop has been grown "organically" no matter what any label says.  The label may be accurate, or it may not. How do we really know? We don't. What we do know is that the process to become certified organic is fairly invasive, time consuming and costly (every year).  Depending on the farmer's "free time" and excess cash (I don't know many small operation, non-subsidized farms with excess cash, do you?), this virtually eliminates new farmers and smaller operations from participating in the organic certification process. That's convenient for often subsidized "corporate" farms who can afford to pay (thanks to being subsidized) as it eliminates much of their potential competition.

Lest you think it's all the small farmers getting subsidies, please do an internet search for "Who Benefits Most From Farm Subsidies." The reality is that farm subsidies help high-income corporations, not poor rural farmers. Most of the money is directed toward large agribusinesses. Think about the implications of that. It seems the "organic" label is in and of itself nothing more than an illusion.

Further, we are also left wondering about the producers that sell less than $5K gross per year who are exempt from the certification process and may use the term as long as they follow organic growing practices. There is no indication that anyone (or any agency) checks or regulates that. So. Are they really organic? Maybe. Maybe not. How do we really know? We don't.

What's the answer?
We believe getting to know your local farmers and establishing relationships directly with them IS the answer. Ask questions. Find out why they are farming and ask about their practices. Most local farmers care about their communities. Most local, small scale farmers *ARE* actually invested in the health and well being of their families, friends, neighbors and communities. Are there occasionally bad apples to be found? Of course there are in any group. BUT when we're talking life & death health matters (food safety), WHO would you rather risk trusting? The USDA (federal government agency) and federally subsidized corporate farms? Or local farmers you can actually meet face to face, develop a relationship, support and enjoy mutual benefit in your own community? Food for thought, to be sure. Pun intended.

SOW...what about SowThankful Farm?

• Our farm is not certified organic and we have no interest in paying to be part of a system that is clearly so broken, unconcerned with transparency and seemingly fraught with apparent corruption.
  
• Our growing practices are way beyond "organic". We are a no till/no dig, regenerative farm. We believe building natural, healthy soil is the way to grow healthy vegetables, flowers & fruit. Ohhhh I wish you could see the red wigglers in our soil!
• We DO NOT use any synthetic chemical pesticides.
• We DO NOT use any synthetic chemical fertilizers.
• We DO NOT use or knowingly grow GMOs.
• We DO NOT use synthetic or artificial stimulants, hormones, antibiotics, etc.
• For liability reasons (because we must keep costs down) as well as bio security and zoning reasons, we do not offer any "on farm sales" at this time.
• We do vend at the Cedar Crest Farmers Market seasonally.
• We are looking forward to offering a couple pop-up events this year (2023) and a selection of our produce is also available at Polk's Folly Market in Cedar Crest and Lantern Ridge Farm Market in Sandia Park.

We sincerely hope you will come out to the Market this year and meet us and other local farmers face to face. Ask questions. It's important. We'd love to get to know you and tell you why we do what we do.

We are thrilled to announce we delivered freshly harvested Microgreens and a few NEW ITEMS to Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest. Polks Folly Market is located at 12128 Highway 14N Cedar Crest, NM 87008. They are open Wednesday - Sunday from 10am - 5pm.  Scroll down for pictures & descriptions of the new items.

New items included: Freshly harvested lettuce (green heads in clamshells), a Purple Heart Houseplant in ceramic pot (would make a beautiful gift), a lovely Aloe Vera Chinensis in ceramic pot (also a sweet gift idea), and a few Rose Scented Geranium plants (Pelargonium graveolens).
NOTE: We have NO Living Lettuce Garden Bowls this week. We need the space for starting more veggie & flower plants for the upcoming growing season. We should have more Living Lettuce Garden Bowls in a month or so

Lettuce is growing so nicely in our high tunnel.

This week we harvested several of the green heads of lettuce. Red lettuce should become available in the next week or two.

Living Lettuce Garden Bowls are the way to go if you love lettuce & fresh greens, you enjoy growing your own food & especially if you have very little to no outdoor growing space. Or it happens to be the middle of Winter. OR it happens to be the super hot heat of the summer and you have a nice, bright but cool sunroom.

Beginning the 2nd week in March 2023, limited quantities of Living Lettuce Garden Bowls will be delivered to Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest, NM each Wednesday morning. Polks Folly Market is located at 12128 NM-14 in Cedar Crest, NM. They are open Wed-Sunday 10am-5pm.

The Garden Bowls (limited quantities) will also be available directly from our SowThankful Farm booth at the Cedar Crest Farmers Market when it opens in Mid-May 2023.  The Cedar Crest Farmers' Market operates on Wednesdays from 3pm-6pm in Mid-May to Mid-October. The Farmers' Market is located in the open lot just north of the Triangle Grocery at 12183 NM-14, Cedar Crest, NM

What could be fresher than eating lettuce immediately after you harvest & wash it?!
What's even better is that with proper care, the lettuce will grow back, giving you up to 3 months or more of fresh harvests. Re-growth time after cutting varies depending upon many factors such as how deeply the leaf was cut, bowl location, temperature & humidity, and soil moisture & fertilization; but new growth is usually seen within 3 days or so with leaves ready to harvest in 2 - 4 weeks or so after that.  Once it's done, you can empty, clean and clean the garden bowl then refill & seed again with either lettuce, small herbs or small greens of your choice.

TEMPERATURE: Most lettuces and many greens can take some cold and even light frost conditions, but we recommend keeping your Living Lettuce Garden Bowl in a temperature range of 50 degrees – 70 degrees for best production.
LOCATION: Please, NOT in the refrigerator.
An ideal winter location would be a cool sun room that is bright; but do not place the bowl very close to a window that receives direct sunlight. You want bright light but not close proximity to glass receiving direct sunlight as this may burn your lettuce or cause it to bolt (go to seed). Indirect light is fine. Grow lights are fine. Another great winter location could be a bright, unheated porch. With enough light (we recommend a minimum of 6 hours) and proper care, you can continue to harvest for at least a few months and possibly much longer.
In warmer spring and summer months, choose an area with bright morning sun that offers some shade in the heat of the day. This helps prevent some of the greens from bolting (going to seed).
WATER: It’s important to NOT let the soil completely dry out. Keep the soil slightly moist but not soggy/wet. It is not necessary to water every day, but we recommend checking the moisture level each day with your finger. If the top inch or so of the soil is dry–It’s time to water.
FERTILIZER: Salad/Lettuce/Greens require food that is rich in nitrogen. We recommend feeding an appropriate compost tea, the (discarded) water you used to boil vegetables, or a weak dilution of organic fish emulsion approximately every 7-14 day.
HARVEST: Twist off--or cut--the largest individual leaves from the outer sides of the plant(s) as well as any leaves that begin to overlap each other but be careful not to over-pick so plants maintain enough leaf surface for adequate photosynthesis required for regrowth and new leaves. When harvesting, don’t cut leaves too short, you want to leave approximately 1 -2 inches of growth above the soil line. 
NOTE: Always wash/rinse produce thoroughly before serving.
After you’re finished growing lettuce, you can empty & clean the garden bowl, refill with fresh potting mix and replant with your choice of lettuce, herbs or other small greens.

It's not much longer until the first day of Spring and we are SO looking forward to a fantastic 2023 growing season. But. I would be lying if I said I'm not thankful for winter and the season of rest. We accomplished a lot last year and that's something to celebrate!

We also have accomplished some big goals already for 2023! Jeff started the Microgreens project in January and by the end of January we had our Microgreens in the cooler case at Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest, NM.  Polks Folly Market is located at 12128 NM-14 in Cedar Crest, NM. They are open Wed-Sunday 10am-5pm. We make freshly harvested deliveries to them every Wednesday morning.  Our offerings included: Sunflower, Pea, Broccoli, Rambo Radish and the very popular East Mountain Mix.

In early March, we added NEW Microgreens products to our offerings: Wasabi Mustard, Arugula, a beautiful purple Kohlrabi, and the extremely popular Sandia Spicy Mix.

Microgreens are nutritional powerhouse veggies with early research indicating, "...that microgreens contain up to 40% more phytochemicals (beneficial nutrients and components) than their full-grown counterparts." Source: WebMD article, "What to Know about Microgreens" (click here to view article a new window).

The same article referenced above--and several other articles easily found via internet search--states that Microgreens MAY also:

• help fight cancer
• help lower cholesterol
• help support gut health
• help lower blood pressure

How to use Microgreens: Add them to soups, salads, sandwiches or snack on them plain. Since they are small, it's not necessary or recommended to cook Microgreens but you should be sure to wash them (and any produce or veggie) before serving them.

If you've never tried Microgreens before, you really should! They are so delicious and so extra good for you. If you love spicy things, be sure to grab some Sandia Spicy Mix (and an extra container of Wasabi Mustard, it's my favorite!).

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup granulated white sugar (for rolling dough balls)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  
• Cream together butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg in a large mixing bowl.
• In 3 separate additions to the creamed mixture, sift flour, baking soda salt ginger and cinnamon. Make certain to mix dough completely.
  
• Form dough into 1″ – 1 1/2″ balls.
  
• Roll dough balls in granulated sugar until evenly coated.
  
• Place sugar-coated dough balls on un-greased cookie sheet. Make certain to space 2″ – 3″ between balls of dough.
  
• Bake approximately 10 minutes. Centers should still be soft looking.
  
• Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. YUMMMY…enjoy at least 1 warm cookie sample.
  

Hint: Gingersnaps have a tendency to get crunchy after they cool and begin to age.
I like them crunchy to dunk in coffee. But if you prefer to keep gingersnaps somewhat soft,
it is helpful to store them in a sealed plastic container with a slice of bread.
The slice of bread will become hard/stiff…but it will help the cookies remain soft.
Click here for a printable PDF — this file requires a RECENT version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Here's a GREAT COOKIE GIFTING IDEA.  Bake a batch of cookies, put a bunch in a baggie and pop them into a FabMagic Reusable Fabric Giftwrapper that you make with materials you probably already have! Tracy designed this downloadable PDF sewing pattern to be super fast & fun to make and so pretty to give. They were specifically designed to hold a variety of food storage bag sizes but they also work great for socks, t-shirts, sweatshirts and many other items. The wrappers are pretty and they're re-usable AND you can stop wasting money on paper wrap that just gets thrown away.

None of us knows how much time we will have in this life. Each day is truly a priceless gift.
I wonder. How will you choose to use yours? Me? Well...today I will "pot up" some celery and chives that need more room to grow under the lights in our indoor grow room. I'll inspect the Red Russian & Dinosaur Kale & the Leeks that are growing in the high tunnel. Hopefully, I will get a small harvest of kale. This time of year things grow very slowly, but these cool weather crops are still growing and they taste absolutely amazing. I've never had such sweet tasting kale from grocery store purchases.