Adventuring :: Erickson Ranch

Mama & Baby Goat posing for the camera!

Last week, in between severe hail storms and power outages, I had the privilege to visit the Erickson Ranch property of my good friend, Anna Erickson.  

Anna owns Hands Full Farm and I've written a bit about her here and here.  She is a gal that can do just about anything and being around her can-do attitude is infectious.  She is also the assistant cheesemaker at Barinaga Ranch and their Txiki (pronounced cheeky) cheese was just featured in Sunset Magazine last month.

Anna is a 5th generation farmer and the 350-acre Erickson Ranch property has been in her family since 1897.

On today's visit, we had homemade lemon cookies and lemon-mint tea.  About 15 minutes before these pictures were taken, a huge wave of hail came down on the farm and blanketed the fields with thousands of tiny, frozen raindrops.

The goats were busy eating and didn't mind us tromping through their pasture on our way to see the cutest little "kids" in the world.

Anna built this greenhouse with her own two hands last year, along with the help of her good friend, Dan.  It is made entirely from recycled glass windows that they repurposed from Recycle Town at the Petaluma Dump.  Like I said, she can do anything.

Hundreds of seedlings were safe and warm in the greenhouse awaiting the last frost to come and go.  Her cover crops were still busy growing and fixing the nitrogen in the soil just outside the greenhouse.

This gorgeous head of purple cauliflower was just asking for its picture to be taken.  Several varieties of garlic, chard & artichokes were thriving in the winter garden.

The baby goats were the highlight of the visit.  Here they are just jumping and those ears just look too sweet, right?

I do believe this white little number wanted to be front and center in every picture.  A goat supermodel in the making.

This little goat was receiving all kinds of attention from Anna.

Beef cows and sheep graze a portion of the 350 surrounding acres.  The land is also used for haymaking and the views are gorgeous and far-reaching.  I pass by this ranch every day on the way to Grady's school and can even spot it from my kitchen window.

Mr. Rabbit - quite appropriate for this Chinese New Year

Anna graduated from Montana State University where she majored in Photography and Fine Art.  She returned to her family's ranch in 2007 and has been working hard cultivating the land and growing her business.  She can be found every Friday night in the summer months at the Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market.

Everything she does is creative.  It just oozes out of her.  Check out what she did (with the help of a friend) to display all of her sewing thread.  I think it's absolutely beautiful and a very clever impromptu art installation.

Anna in front of the house that she helped renovate

Thank you for the afternoon Anna.  You are a true inspiration and definitely a one-of-a-kind spirit.  Your fearless nature and off the charts creativity is a true breath of fresh air.  You walk-the-walk as a true steward of the land and have helped me to see the food on my plate differently than I did before.

I look forward to our next sessions of beermaking, berry-picking, Salvation Army thrifting, potholder sewing and whatever else strikes our fancy!