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Uncertain Times
Greetings and welcome to the new subscribers!
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Last week, I was talking to Will Jarermko-Wright, our County Extension agent. We noticed people started to seriously think about their gardens in the very last days of January. We were both getting a lot of requests for info while cementing our own schedules. It was like a snap of the fingers when a sleepy January turned into a garden-planning January!
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I usually start working mid-month, but this year I wasn't motivated. I couldn't focus. I never throw politics into my business, but after talking to a lot of people, I realized we were all waiting to see what would happen after January 20. We were in limbo.
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Now we're two weeks into a new administration, and I gotta say, grow some of your own food! There's too much uncertainty right now for us to not try and be more self-sufficient. Grow what you can and support your neighbors by buying or trading with them for what you can't produce. We should always be doing that, but it's more important than ever right now. We have no idea what's going to happen with food supply chains in the future.
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On that grim note, let's see what's going on otherwise! So much good!!! This is really long...
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THE BOOK!
The big news is the 2nd edition of The Book is ready for pre-ordering from UNM Press! They will ship directly to you in early March.
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Distribution will be different with this edition. I won't be pre-ordering in bulk for signed copies like last time. If you want The Book as soon as possible, order from UNM Press. This all transpired quite by surprise in a Friday afternoon Zoom meeting. I received an advance copy (another surprise!) on Saturday, so I was busy over the weekend updating the website, taking pictures, and getting the word out on Facebook. I haven't thought about getting copies here to sell, so again, pre-order from UNM Press. That will be the main channel for sales for now. The Book will also be in bookstores and garden centers, but I don't know when or where.
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You can also order from Bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, and that other major online bookseller whose name I won't mention. You'll see the publication date as February 18, but that's been pushed back to March 4.
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The best way to support me is to buy from UNM Press. Third-party sales amount to a very tiny commission for the one who did all the work. And with the first edition, it took four months to get paid! What an eye-opener that was. So the fewer middlemen, the better. Thank you!
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The Book is really pretty! Check it out:
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The Book is beautiful! Colorful and fun, it's all color coordinated. Each chapter has its own color, right down to the lines on the journaling pages.
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CSA Shares
New flowers this year are Cosmos, Bachelor Buttons, Amaranth, and Coleus.
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Our seedy friend, Chuck Havlick, sent me some Zapallo de Tronco seed, aka avocado squash, which he grew and saved. It's a round meaty squash, similar to that used for calabacitas. Harvest when they are between 2-4" across. When cooked, they don't put out as much water as zucchini does. The texture is creamy (like an avocado - get it?!) and the flavor is rich. I've added it to zucchini and yellow squash this year.
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I'm growing fewer peppers, too. I'm cutting out Anaheim (Hatch) and some of the hot peppers, but there'll be room for more Shishitos and Jalapeños!
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Merch
Ranchitos Keychains were made by my older daughter and inspired by the turquoise truck full of sunflowers on Lower Ranchitos. $16
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E-gift cards for $25-100, mailed to the recipient on a day of your choosing.
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I'm still thinking on doing t-shirts. Miquela and I got way off schedule last year, and I apologize. Personal lives sometimes take hold and become the priority. Stay tuned for my final decision on this. T's are great and I'd love for everyone to have one, but like I already said, I'm trying to simplify....
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I also have bumper stickers that aren't on the website. $5 from me or at Moxie, across from Kit Carson Park.
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The Write Shit Down Garden Journal and Ranchitos keychains
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Andrea D'Amato's late summer harvest from my starts!
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Events
There will be plant sales, but I haven't made solid plans yet. I'll know more next month. Stay tuned to this newsletter or the Facebook page to be in the know.
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Red Willow Center 885 Star Rd Taos, NM 87571
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Taos Land Trust 410 La Posta Road Taos, NM 87571
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Re-Threads 302 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM 87571
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Not Forgotten Outreach 610 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM 87571
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Taos Library 402 Camino De La Placita, Taos, NM 87571
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Habitat Restore 16 NM-522, El Prado, NM 87529
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Rael’s Store & Coffee Shop 2430 NM-522, Questa, NM 87556
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Questa Library 6 1/2 Municipal Park Rd, Questa, NM 87556
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Carson Cafe & Grocery 509 NM-567, Carson, NM 87517
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Talpa Community Center 3 Archuleta Rd, Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557
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The SPOT 14156 State Road 75 Penasco, NM 87553
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Taos County Cooperative Extension Service
Updates & Upcoming Events
I get these updates from Will Jaremko-Wright. His contact info is at the end if you want to get on his email list. Highly recommended! Watch for the Master Gardeners course next year. It starts in January.
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Tuesday February 4th 5:30pm-7:00pm at the Taos County Agricultural Center - A Conversation about Ecological Stress
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This is a presentation and discussion on dealing with mental health and stressors arising from our changing environment and ecological stresses. We'll discuss strategies for coping and looking after our neighbors in agricultural and rural communities. We're co-hosting along with Grace Powell from Taos SWCD and the Guest presenter is Maud Powell, Oregon State University Extension Small Farms Specialists, who has over 20 years of experience in extension and put this program together for farmers and ranchers in the west. We're lucky to have Mrs. Powell visiting us to present. Dinner is included, free event, you can RSVP to me at this email or by calling the office at 575-758-3982.
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2025 Fruit Tree Integrated Pest Management Program
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I'm very excited to say we're extending our fruit tree IPM program into 2025. This involves free supplies on pheromone trapping the most common fruit pests, access to organic insecticide sprays (Spinosad), Kaolinite clay, and an expanded equipment loan program (orchard ladders, pole saw pruners, etc.), and we have some small batches of orchard-mix seed for participants to trial in their orchards. For those of you who participated in the program in 2024, you'll be contacted in the next week about dates for getting traps out, and for anyone interested in participating in the program for 2025, we have space for you. I've attached a summary report from last year's program to get an idea of how that went if you are interested.
2025 Animal Science Programs
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- We'll be doing a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program in March with CEUs available. Topics will include parasite control, toxic range plants, and low-stress handling. This is not the initial BQA certification training that some of you have participated in in the past but will expand on those topics and offer CEUs to retain certification. Certifications are good for 5 years, 5 CEUs are required to maintain. This is an excellent program for cattle producers but with relevance to anyone with ruminant livestock, including folks like myself with goats and sheep.
- Electric fence 2.0 workshop and field trip in late March, dates TBD.
- We will also be continuing the Taos County Sheep Shearing Event and Sheep/Goat Herd Health Program in April with some changes, information, and dates forthcoming.
- The Taos Bull Test will take place in April, dates TBD.
- I've been working with a team consisting of State Veterinarian Offices from Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico on getting some better educational information out to backyard poultry and pet owners concerning H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (aka Bird Flu) and how we can defend our flocks. In the meantime, please see a post I wrote on Facebook at the beginning of the month on how you can protect your birds and yourself. Find that by clicking here.
2025 Plant Science Programs
Still ironing out details on this, but we'll have some gardening and specialty crop plant workshops in the summer and fall, will get more information out as we finalize events. Stay tuned.
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Agricultural/4H Extension Agent
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Taos County Cooperative Extension Service
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