Farmers Market

Guess what Quartz Creek Farm has been up to lately. Yup, we've been having fun attending a local farmers market! It's been exciting, meeting other vendors, learning the ropes of selling at the market, and having an opportunity to tell more people about our farm, the yaks, and the health benefits of eating yak meat.

 

All set up and ready for business.

 

And the weather was perfect.

Busy writing up a sale.  :)

The farmers markets are winding down for the year. We do hope to attend one more this Fall. Stay in touch through our blog and we'll let you know where to find us next Spring.

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Bumble Bees in the Garden

It has been so hot and wet here lately. Thunder storms in the early evening have made it difficult to spend time in the garden after dinner.  The humidity is very high and things start heating up pretty early in the day but this morning I thought I might spend some time weeding and tending to the garden, even with the high humidity. There were quite a few "busy bees" in the garden to keep me company. Couldn't resist getting my camera and trying to record their activities.

The squash blossoms are plentiful right now.
Look at all the pollen on this little guy.

It was really enjoyable to spend some time
with these intriguing insects.

And aren't these squash blossoms beautiful?

How do such tiny wings keep this guy in the air?

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Blueberry Time

Spring has become summer all of a sudden... it just happened. The calendar still says it's spring, but the thermometer is definitely saying it's summer. And good things come with summer weather, like beautiful, delicious blueberries!!

 Just a few weeks ago our blueberry plants were loaded with pretty delicate blossoms.

 Isn't this a great shot of an ant in the blossom? Credit goes to Rachel for this one.

 Lovely little fruit clusters made their appearance after the blossoms.

 

And now the clusters have begun to turn a vibrant shade of blue.

It's blueberry time!!

 Besides just being delectable, check out this site for nutritional benefits of blueberries.

 Oh, I can tell already, blueberry season is going to be way too short.

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Cicada Music

The past couple of weeks have brought the 17 year cicadas above ground here in central Virginia. It's been interesting to see just how many exit tunnels we can find.

 After tunneling themselves out from their underground home, the nymphs must find a suitable location for their final molt to the adult cicada.

 Below you can see an adult cicada and a casing.

They started to "sing", small in number, but as more emerged the music volume increased. Hopefully you can get an idea of the sound  from this video.

 

 

It's been very fascinating to watch and hear.  Some people find the sounds eery, alien, unsettling, and are looking forward to the "noise" ending. I think I'll be sorry to hear it end.

Click here for some great information on cicadas.

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Dining With Deer

Every once in awhile the yaks have some company in the fields with them. Turkeys with their babies are a common sight in the spring. Occasionally a fox makes an appearance. From time to time a deer or two will cross the fence line and graze with the yaks, but not usually in the middle of the day.Today several deer decided to dine with the yaks around noon.

Destiny didn't seem to notice her company.

Looks like they've been spotted. How many can you see?Pin It Now!

Going For a Ride

It's March already and winter is saying its good-byes, but Spring hasn't fully sprung here yet. Last week we had temperatures in the upper sixties, but now it's back in the forties for the high. Two weeks ago we had seven inches of snow on the ground. That's a pretty good snowfall for this part of Virginia. Taking care of the daily chores is definitely easier in mild weather. As the snow started to fall, hopefully for the last time this season, Peridot decided she would find a good place to perch and keep warm.

Rosey didn't object.

What, never seen a cat on a pony before?


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Momo- A Tibetan Dish

We really wanted to try some Tibetan foods using yak meat. I found this recipe for yak dumplings, or Momo, last week and decided this was the thing to try.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/neighborhood_eats&id=7687491

Here's how ours turned out. I think we'll be having this again soon. :)

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