Calling All Chefs

We have signed up to be a sponser for the San Miguel Chili Cook Off, an event in January which brings over 2500 visitors to town to participate in competition for the best margaritas, chilis and more.
All Donations go to charity and it is a wonderful fun event for everyone concerned, so plan to be there.
Mark your calenders for January 29, come early, and stop by our tent!
But in the mean time, we need help. We want to create a great Lavendar-Chili rub for meats and chicken! yummmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Call, write, phone your ideas. We are looking for all the help we can get.
We only have a month or so to get this together with all the holidays in the foreground.
so, call , write or email dar.burleson@gmail.com with your best idea....a free week-end at Lavendar Ranch is yours if we use it!

Rain, Wonderful Rain

It rained most of the night and continues to sprinkle this morning,cleaning the dry desert air. It is beginning to get cold at the ranch, the fireplaces are already on. We have been harvesting the english lavender this week. Javier and Antonio have been cutting daily and hanging the bunches to dry. We are trying to get as much cut before winter arrives and slows the growing cycle, something I am so looking forward to. Life on the farm has been much harder than I ever dreamed, especially being from a city of bright lights, and constant entertainment.
Here we talk about chickens, goats, burros, horses and of course LAVENDER, and what it takes to keep it all going. Most of the time I wonder, OMG, what have you done?
And then I look around at the ongoing beauty, the mountains, the soon to be 9000 lavender plants, The arroyos, the animals and the infinity views.
Maybe LavendarFarms was the right decision after all.
Come see for yourself!

Suspicious Characters

There must have been a red alert at Houston Intercontinental this morning. I have never seen so many nervous guards in all my years of traveling to, from or through there.
After traveling all night from Argentina, both Cynthia and I were a bit groggy upon arrival, but soon noticed something was different as we were hustled from one area to the next before going through customs yet one more time.
Soon we arrived to the very loud and firm sounds of "jackets off, shoes off , all jewels in the box, belts off, hurry up, computers out of your cases, speed along."
Such command and authority, I thought to myself as I hurried as fast as I could. Nobody was in line but a bunch of old geezers, myself included and they were patting down every other one. And one really old lady.

Then it was my turn to walk through. Ding, ding, ding!
after patting me Down, that wasn't good enough so I got to experience The big new machine, hands overhead, feet spread, the cylinder closes and right there in front of everyone I got a high tech strip search!
Pretty interesting I must say, but my advice for the day is Get your botox before going through IAH this week!

Olive Harvesting Yum!

Olive harvesting began this week with Cynthia deep into Brine School 101. As most things at the ranch at their essence are simple--like brown chickens lay brown eggs--now the mystery of green and black olives is about to be announced. Ready? Time's up. They come from the same tree, the only difference is in the ripeness. Now, in addition to the lavender field tours, we have the hands-on olive picking tour. Another simply amazing fact is that to test the salinity of your salt and water mixture for the brine, place an egg (still in its shell) into the water. If your egg floats, brine it! Voila. In a busy world, these basic pleasures are wonderful to explore and share.

Big Juan

Well today he came! The biggest, fanciest cock of the walk I have ever seen, completely attached with a plume of giant orange feathers. A sight to be seen on this Bicentennial day, September 16, 2010!
The girls ran as fast as they could, all ten of them, to see whom would soon be his favorite.
We have decided to call him Big Juan, the Cartel King.
Now, after a week with no eggs, maybe the girls will begin to produce again.

Brown Chickens

Who in the world would ever guess that brown chickens would lay brown eggs! It makes perfect sense but something I would never think of, until these ten chickens arrived at the ranch and can you believe they lay more eggs than we can eat, all brown of course, and perfect!

When I told the ranch hands I wanted a chicken coop, they thought I was crazy as most of their chickens are free-range and run wild, but fearing the worst with wild coyotes and such, I demanded a chicken coop.

We hired three men to build it out of stone, brick, morter and tiles and it took more than a month and more money than I would care to admit (even if it is Mexico). The coop, now fondly referred to as the Posada de Pollos, is now available to all guests to collect eggs in the morning for their Eco-Breakfast!

Now, the only problem is the yolks.....they are not very yellow. There must be a learning curve in Farm Life 101 and we have learned that the yolk color is based on the feed, according to our international poultry consultant, who also has a home here in Pozos.

Enough about the hens, come see for yourself and feel free to give us some good Chicken advice.

Oh, the rooster arrives tomorrow! Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!!!!!!!

Bicentennial 2010

Getting ready for the Bicentenario Independencia, which is the 200-year anniversary of independence from Spain and the 100-year anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, has been no easy task for the gringa owners of LavenDar Farms.

Flags are waving as bicentennial fever grips Mexico and of course at the farm, good thing we got most of the work done last month!
•Betty, the Labrador look-a-like gave birth to 8 puppies, and her husband, Daddy Dog, has joined the continuing growing family of livestock at LavenDar farms, not to mention 5 new brown laying hens who reside in a newly built house fondly known as the "Posada de Pollos."
•The paint pony has been broken and a new striped pregnant goat arrived! We have fondly named the striped goat Gazelda and Antonio has promised not to eat her!
•In other exciting news Sheila Sheehan and Nanci Yuronis, two other lavender growers, have just embarked on a round the world venture to celebrate Nanci's 70th birthday Sept. 22.
•The Mineral de Pozos House and Garden Tour August 14 was a smash-hit bringing a busload of eager visitors to the Farm.
•Another LavenDar Farms grower, Peggy Busby, celebrated her 70th at the Ranch surrounded by longtime friends.
•Cynthia planted the new organic vegetable gardens August 28, Yummm!

So, for those of you may who think things are boring in Pozos, come out for a visit to the LavenDar Farms! Oh, we added 2,500 more plants and 20 more olive trees, made a meditation garden, hiking trails, will have the community room finished by October and the LavenDar Tienda is open!

COME SEE US! Smell and photograph the lavender. We are now open for ranch stays as well.