Upcoming events and activities:
Touch a Truck event: Sunday April 14, 2024 noon - 4:00 pm at the Friday Conference Center
We are proud supporters of UNC’s Touch a Truck event this year! This is a fundraiser for UNC Children’s Hospital and we will be participating in their event. Come see us with our animals and our tractor, and enjoy all the other vehicles, exhibits and activities that day!
Story time with Animals: Wednesday March 13, 2024 10:30-11:30 am FREE Promotional event!
We will read a story about a bunny have real live bunnies to pet and feed, and do a bunny related craft! Best for kids ages 5 and under. Free farm visit with this event (usual price $8 per person ages 2 and up). Our open farm hours are 10:00 am - 12:30 pm.
Farm Visits and Horse and Pony Rides every Saturday! Looking for a family fun day, or a relaxed day with your friends? Come visit on a Saturday during our Open Farm hours. Snuggle with our bunnies, feed the chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and guinea fowl. Walk around in the garden or in our woods or meet and socialize with our horses and ponies (they love people). We also offer pony and horse rides for all ages (adults and toddlers can ride as well) and more! Bring a picnic if you like – we have plenty of tables and seating for you.
Minicamps for Intersession and Spring Break! Â
Year round spring intersession camp goes from March 18 - April 5. Spring Break camp (CHCCS calendar) runs from April 1-April 5. Come join us for farm fun during your school break. You can sign up for individual days, or an entire week at a time! Our Farm Camps are for grades K-8 and include animal care and handling, creative arts, gardening, playing and exploring in the woods, horse care and riding. We also have Horse Immersion camps for the horse enthusiast and experienced rider (ages 8 and up, or approved by the instructor). Extended care hours go from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.Â
Summer Camp registration is up and running!Â
Summer camp runs from June 17-August 23, 2024. Our camps go right up to the start of the Chapel Hill Carrboro Schools fall semester, so reserve now to hold your spot! Our early and extended care allows you to drop off as early as 7:30 am and pick up as late as 6:00 pm.
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Haaaayyyyy!!!! News from the Horse Barn:
We got a new member to our horse family! Meet Ginger, a 17 year old chestnut Quarter Horse mare who joins our lesson program as a specialist in beginner and novice riders. She is super sweet and mellow and sees people as her friends. We are very excited to have her as a part of our farm family!
News from the Wood Barn: We've got babies! Baby Bunnies and a Baby goose!
We have 5 baby bunnies up for adoption! They were born January 2, 2024 and are now ready for their forever homes. Did you know that rabbits make excellent house pets? They can be litter trained and may free-roam around the house. Our bunnies are carefully handled from the time they are very young, which makes them very social and easy to hold and pet. Bunnies (and other pets) have a calming effect on children (and adults) which provides health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, decreasing anxiety, and improving mood. Many people now keep them as emotional support animals. Come visit and meet them for yourselves!
We also have Otis, our baby goose (gosling)! We aren't sure if Otis is a male or female yet, because it is hard to tell which is which when they are young. Otis was hatched in our incubator, and he was the only goose egg that hatched from that clutch, so instead of having other geese to imprint on, he imprinted on people! Imprinting is the learning process that birds use to know who they are and who their parent is. Otis thinks people are his/her parents! Otis follows people, so you can see them tagging after our staff, students, or visitors during the day!
Garden Gossip: Spring Plantings!
We have planted radishes, broccoli, snap peas, mustard greens, cilantro, dill and other early spring vegetables. We will be putting in carrots, beets, turnips and various greens in the coming month. We are also starting many more seeds inside to be transplanted into the garden when the weather warms up a bit more. The kids in our programs help us in all aspects of gardening, from seeding and planting, mulching and weeding to harvesting! Vegetables and fruits taste so much better when you grow them yourself. We use organic techniques in our garden so you can sample the food on the spot! They love our Farm to Table classes in Summer Camp!
Farm to Table Recipe of the Month: Roasted Winter Vegetables
Roasting really brings out the sweetness and flavors of many of our winter veggies. It's a really easy way to prepare a large amount of vegetables that can be used in various ways throughout the week in different dishes (a bonus for busy families!) They can be eaten straight out of the oven when they are at their best -- crunchy, toasty, salty (if you like that) and sweet. You can also add them to salads, soups and stews, or scramble them up with eggs for a veggie boost to your breakfast!
Some good vegetables to roast include: carrots, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, beets, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, onions and mushrooms. Mix them up for a colorful and nutritious display! This is a great way to use up "a little of this and a little of that" from the refrigerator.
How to roast vegetables:
Preheat the oven or airfryer to 375 F. If your oven has a convection setting use it.
Wash and peel (if needed) the veggies, and cut into bite sized pieces (1-2 inches)
Toss with about 1 TBSP oil per 4 cups of veggies (I like to use extra virgin olive oil, but you can use what you prefer)
Sprinkle with sea salt or Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
place on a rimmed baking sheet or other shallow pan in a single layer (or use your air fryer basket)
Roast for 25-30 minutes until slightly caramelized on the edges, slightly dry on the outside and fork-tender in the center. The caramelization brings out lovely sweet, toasty and nutty flavors that make these root vegetables about as good, if not better, than french fries!
Eat and enjoy!
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