Farm trip...

Hannah and I went to a local farm over the weekend and it was rejuvenating to be there. There are a lot of projects that we want to do on our little suburban homestead and it's hard not to get caught up with what is not done yet. So going to the farm was a nice breath of fresh air for me.

We went to Suzie's Farm in South San Diego, what a great place! I had been with the kids for a picking tour about 5-6 years ago but since then the farm has changed quite a bit, they've developed it a little bit at a time, added fields form planting and it is wonderful.

We went with a small group of Girl Scouts, the field trip title was "Imagine You Are a Backyard Farmer". We got to tour the greenhouses and see their setup for their seed trays and sprouts. We saw the warehouse building where they have aquaponics set up and we were not allowed inside so we looked from afar (they didn't want their secrets revealed!). We took samples of some sunflower sprouts (delicious!) and then emptied the tray into the compost piles. They test for listeria and other bacterias pretty regularly so we didn't want to put our sample tray (about a 1/4 tray full) back into the greenhouse. This was a "no photo zone" so I only have pictures in my mind. After the tour we went to the picnic tables and the girls made strawberry bruschetta and strawberry salsa.

Then we walked the fields. Wow what an experience. There were lots of chickens in a fenced off space for eggs for them to sell, I think maybe 150 hens with another 150 chicks in a separate space. The rows of veggies are long and beautiful. Lots of weeds within the rows, it makes me believe that they are needed for attracting good bugs and bees (this is an organic farm) and for adding nutrients to the soil. We walked and picked beets, carrots, herbs and a few greens (kale and a few others) and strawberries. The berries are enormous and delicious and organic. Lots of berries.

This is a wild radish. I found a seed pod on the plant and am going to try to plant them here on my homestead.

Hannah and her friend walking across the field to see the chickens.

The chicken coop, there were 4 of these.

After picking carrots, they went a little wild with carrot picking.

A little swing fun.

So you should go to Suzie's Farm if you live in the San Diego area. It's a great place, we had a blast. Right now they are busy with strawberry pickings on Tuesdays and Saturdays and in May they host an event called Strawberry Jam. Oh and they host a CSA box. You should check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!