Author: Liz

2020 – what are we up to.

by LizLeave a Comment on 2020 – what are we up to.

With the world learning how to live under the boundaries of a pandemic, we on the farm haven’t stopped, but are taking this time to create good foundations. We will not be doing any local events or too much sales, as we will be keeping our time busy with projects!!! So many projects!

We’ve invested in cover crops and pasture seeds from Nature Seeds Company to continue our pursuit of soil rejuvenation and suppress the weeds as much as we can. All the way from the front of the farm to the hard spots at the back.

The back of the farm… big project!

When we first moved here in 2018, it was revealed to us that the back portion of the property was over grazed and depleted of nutrients while filled with sooo many goat heads and other invasive weeds. We expect this journey (without pesticides) to probably take us a good 5 years. And how fun will it be to be able to run through fields of clover, native grasses and wildflowers.

Other projects this year include starting…

  • A Bee hive!
  • Planting a You-Pick garden for strawberries and herbs
  • Building up native perennials for enhancing our ecosystem
  • Finishing our workshop for our flower gardening needs and housing farm work shops.
  • Putting signs in the front, because we know you’ve got lost trying to find us.
  • And possibly even building a little garden cart to hold eggs and flowers so you can pick up your needs on your own time. 👍

We hope you enjoy following along on this journey! If there’s anything you think our tri town area could benefit from, please let us know.

The Compost Initiative.

by Liz1 Comment on The Compost Initiative.
The Compost Initiative.

When I moved to the United States in 2008, it shocked me how much food wastage there was. Where I grew up, left-overs went to those who needed food, and left over left-overs went to the animals and compost. Thus throwing out food was literally foreign, until I moved to the States.

So… Here I am, 11 years later and find myself in a unique position where I can help those who feel the same. I can help move your food waste to create vibrant living soil, to help rejuvenate the lands around us and to bring renewal.

Instead of your ‘garbage’ going to landfills, imagine a world where you single handedly bring what is known as ‘living’ soil to your area. Soil that is alive with real nutrients and not synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. Soil that has an active biome, from worms and bugs to the microscopic. A soil that has a higher Cation exchange capacity (CEC) count because of the organic matter, which yields to a denser, richer soil, able to hold more water and nutrients before run off, which thus allows anything to be grown in an environment that is cheerleading it to be its best.

How can we partner?
1. At Wozani’s front gate we have a wheel barrow that you are welcome to drop off food waste, anytime Tuesdays through Fridays. This is a free service.
2. Door to door pick up. Compost will be picked up Once a week, Twice a month or monthly, depending on your need. This is a feature we are currently in the process of working on, and will be starting soon, based on demand. If this is something you’d like to see, please reply to this blog or reach out to us on instagram or facebook.

What we accept.

YES. Compostable

As our need grows, so will the items we accept.  

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Pasta, bread, cereal
  • Cooked foods
  • Dairy products, egg shells
  • Coffee grounds, filters, & tea bags
  • Paper towels and paper towel rolls
  • Muffin wrappers
  • Candies, cookies and cake
  • Baking ingredients, herbs, spices
  • Household plants including soil

NOPE.

Not compostable, some items will be removed from this list in the future. 

  • PLASTIC (unless labeled compostable)
  • Styrofoam meat trays
  • Aluminum foil
  • Clams, oysters, mussels (basically rocks)
  • Candles, synthetic corks and gum
  • Artificial flowers and plants
  • Rugs, carpets
  • Cigarette butts, tobacco
  • Dental floss and Q-tips
  • Baby wipes
  • Disposable mop sheets
  • Dryer lint sheets
  • Vacuum cleaner bags
  • Hair, pet fur, pet waste
  • Dead animals
  • Fireplace or BBQ ashes
  • Recyclable materials
  • Paper fast food packaging*
  • Soiled paper food packaging*
  • Flour and sugar bags*
  • Pizza boxes*
  • Meat, bones, fish products*
  • Paper plates*

*These Items may move to the compostable list in the future. 

Saying fare-well

by Liz1 Comment on Saying fare-well
Saying fare-well

We were relieved when we found out our property was not incorporated by the city limits that surrounds it. Instead we are Weld county, unincorporated Frederick CO.

This means that we are zoned agricultural and have a little more wiggle room when it comes to doing things. One of those things are controlled burns 🔥

All we have to do is phone Weld county and let them know our plans. And they responded with an easy simple, “ok, Don’t forget you are responsible for your actions.” Yessir!

So on a windless warm Sunday we took all the debris from around the property and created a spectacular and momentous burn pile. We burned all the clippings from the trees we had pruned, and then anything else organic that could burn, cardboard, paper and broken (untreated) fences.

This was the kids first experience of fire, real big flaming fire! And Rainer learnt that I, his mighty South African wife, knows her stuff when it comes to building and maintaining a fire.

For our first warm sunny windless winter day, we had such a fun time As we cleaned up the farm!! 🔥❤️

What we know for sure.

by LizLeave a Comment on What we know for sure.
What we know for sure.

When I pick up an O Magazine, the very first section I turn to is ‘What I know for sure’ right in the back. It’s where Oprah spends time telling us her truths and what she’s learnt over the years. They always lead you to believe in the greater good, in yourself and each other. To breathe deeper and to take it slower.

What we know for sure when it comes to our wonderful Wozani Farm is all centered around the thought of community and sustainablility. Both of which Rainer and I strongly believe is needed and lacking in the US. So below we will be defining some of what we know for sure.

What we know for sure:

  • Let every avenue we explore be a teachable moment for ourselves and others.
    • Community classes
    • Community courses
    • Community Gatherings
  • Permaculture is a word that keeps coming back to me.
    •  Reuse.Reduce.Repair.Recycle +Sustainability
    • We are going to strive for low impact to the earth.
      • By Conserving water through zericscaping and drought tolerant plants, while maintaining an attractive aesthetic.
      • Use grey water from the household for garden/farm needs.
      • Creating Habitats which allow for symbiotic relationships.
  • Keep it green.
    • We are so saddened how Round Up, giant corporations and city build up are creating worlds that are destroying entire ecosystems, where the butterfly and bee are no longer thriving, thus by default or chain reaction farmers can’t produce (bee pollination) and insects species are endangered (monarch butterfly) So we will strive to create safe habitats for all Gods creatures, well, most of Gods creatures, be-gone all snakes and spiders! 😉
      • Bee Friendly – We will resolve to do all we can to make our 4 acres as bee happy as possible, by both hosting bees through bee hotels and hives, and by planting pollinator friendly crops, flowers, shrubs and trees.
      • The monarch butterfly is in a steady decline. Milkweed, the essential plant that sustains the butterfly’s life cycle is being eradicated as for its name sake – MilkWEED. We’d love to become a certified Monarch Waystation where we would aide in the conservation to assure the preservation of their species by creating an ideal habitat for them. In order to do this, we would have to verify that we provide enough milkweed to sustain the Monarch in all its life stages. More information at http://www.monarchwatch.org
      • Organic! Yup, all plants and animals on our little farm will be grown and fed with organic practices. We’d love to be verified as an organic farmer. (we got goats to help control the weed situation, because oh man… weeds are bad in the back.)
  • Healing! Both Rainer and I love to help and uplift. But, it goes beyond our education, Rainer as a Nurse Practitioner and I as a Holistic Nutritional Consultant, we yearn to strive for more.
    • We want to bring health back to families encompassing mind, spirit and body. We are not sure exactly what it will look like but here are some ideas.
      • A healing garden that soothes the soul with herbal smells, and soothing running water. Both bringing you closer to God, while filling your senses.
      • A wellness practice on the property that gives one the option to seek western medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic, nutritional, physical therapy, movement classes, to get you in your best health for a perspective that pain is telling us something is wrong, and we don’t want to dull the pain, but rather find the root cause and target that.
      • Finally, we are thinking of creating some kind of retreat. More of that to come.

These are some of our Founding Principles, and what we do with Wozani will always be based off of these.

Step 1 – Fencing

by LizLeave a Comment on Step 1 – Fencing

We got to walk the farm again today as a family. The sun was out and so were our dreams and… the goats. ❤️❤️ The reason we got goats in the first place was to control our abundance of weeds, but it became apparent very quickly that the goats need secure fencing, and we certainly don’t have that yet, the fencing may be as old as the house. So for the most part they are in their pen unless we are out with them herding them away from the neighbors delicious yards.

Step 1 for us is border security (not trying to be political or anything, but we really need a great big wall, just kidding, but that would be nice;)), this will allow the goats freedom to roam and enjoy and guzzle all the weeds – their intended purpose! Which will in turn give us the ability to start amending soil and prepping for veggies.

Securing the perimeter will also allow us to get our dream LGD (livestock guard dog) of sorts, to protect the goats and chickens and love on the kiddos (human).

The problem with fencing is both the cost and the time it takes. I’m herding my own little human entourage at all times, and when out back I have to be even more on my toes because the goat heads are outrageous and Margot is a crawler and a I-put-everything-in-my-mouth person at the moment.

Soooo, I think we are realizing slowly that this dream of Wozani Farm will take longer than anticipated but, because this is a forever home for us, we are ready to tackle the long slow journey of transformation. It might be a 10foot tackle at a time, and take us 25 years to accomplish all our dreams. But hold on tight to your slow horses, here we come. :):)