Ranch Newsletter | August 2025

Originally sent to subscribers on August 31st, 2025

Farm Update

August. What can I say about the month of August? It was a beautiful blur. So much happened this month that it's hard to believe it was all crammed into a month that sped by so quickly.

We opened the month with Daisy giving birth to two perfect babies. A boy and a girl. Both will be available to purchase once they are weaned. (Around Thanksgiving). We've given them their temporary barn names, Huckleberry and Magnolia. And I've just realized that I told someone yesterday that they were born two and a half weeks ago, but actually, they're already past their three week birthday! I tell ya, August just flew.

I had a soap class mid August, which went well. I'm hoping next year to have one every month, instead of two every other month.

The garden took off and what doesn't get taken by the CSA members or sold in the farm stand is being canned and preserved in the kitchen. I'm trying to go easy on myself and do small batches each week which seems to be working out well. I love this time of year when my canning pantry goes from empty jars to full, colorful ones.

Yesterday was the last market at the Monastery. I had to do quite a bit of restocking for lotions and lip balms in August, which isn't a bad thing. And now I'm running low on soaps. It's a good thing I can start milking Daisy this week because my supply of goat milk is very low. I have 2 markets in Millcreek in September and I'm hoping to be part of their Utah's Own Holiday Shoppes again this year, which means I need to be on top of making soaps for the next couple of weeks to ensure I have enough if I'm accepted.

We celebrated my birthday with a kayak/paddle boarding outing, which didn't last very long because it rained! We wouldn't have minded the rain if the lightning and thunder hadn't been there as well, but it was a glorious morning, even if it was a short time on the lake. We ended up at Eden Coffee for an hour chatting over tea and fresh picked raspberries from a friend's garden. It was a perfect day to celebrate turning 40. And my mom was in town to experience it with me, which was a huge blessing.

September doesn't show any signs of giving us a slow down around here. Craig and I are determined to get our sidewalk project done before the snow flies and we realized we're starting to run out of time, so this weekend our goal is to get the road base leveled and the forms put in and ready to pour concrete.

I also need to do our yearly blood tests for the goats. The babies will have to get their ear tattoos at the end of September, which should be fun. I haven't had to do this part yet since Honey's babies aren't registerable.

Hopefully my cucumber plants will do a little more than produce an abundance of flowers so I can make pickles. So far, I have flowers and not much fruit, which is kind of strange. I've been half tempted to go out there with a small paint brush and pollinate them myself.

In natural skincare news: I already mentioned the markets, and the status of restocking things. This fall/winter I am planning on working on two new products that will hopefully be released in 2026 so stay tuned for updates on that as I'll probably be looking for some product testers.

My next soap making classes are:

• Saturday, October 11th, 2-4pm

• Wednesday, October 15th, 6-8pm

Learn how to create your own small batch of Bastille bar soap using entirely natural ingredients, resulting in a soap perfect for sensitive skin.

You will discover the science of soap-making, explore the ingredients suitable for homemade soap, and create a 1-pound batch of soap to take home, cut, cure, and enjoy.

Please note, you will be required to wear safety gear for this class - gloves, glasses, and an apron. We will be working with lye. Also note, the soap you take home you won't be able to use right away. I cover this in the class, but you'll need to be prepared to cut your soap the following day.

Classes are $55 each, are limited to 10 people, and have an age limit of 13 and older. If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here: https://www.julbudranch.com/events-1

Want to receive our newsletters real time? Sign up here