Farm fresh lifestyle rooted at this Hanover ranch

(EL PASO COUNTY) — Muddy Little Cowboy Ranch located east of Colorado Springs shares a passion for farming with those of all ages. For those who make the visit to the property, owner Linda Childers is there to teach the southern Colorado farming way of life.

“City children have no clue where their food comes from,” Childers explained. “They think it all comes from the grocery store. They think chickens only lay white and brown eggs. They’ve never seen a blue or like a green egg.”

Around thirty children and their parents visited Muddy Little Cowboy Ranch on Wednesday morning, some knew each other, while others were meeting for the first time. The idea behind the visit came from the Facebook play group which they all were a part of.

“I started the Colorado Springs play group on Facebook last year,” Isabella Otero, said. “Just for other parents to meet each other, meet up for play dates, get information, things like that.”

The experience out east on this property is one unlike others, thanks to a hands-on learning experience provided by Childers, the little ones were able to understand the importance of growing vegetables along with caring for livestock.

“It’s very important to teach the kids from the ground up, like where it comes from, what we eat, how it’s processed, and then just in general nutrition,” said April Clark.

Different animals make their presence known throughout the property with their sounds echoing for the children to hear. However, the ones not making the noise, the koi fish play a crucial role on the farm.

“We have a koi pond in which we use that water to fertilize everything and everyone who comes out here is amazed at how green, it’s the fishpond, that’s our gold,” said Childers.

The farm opened on Memorial Day marking its fourth season of sharing the country spirit with southern Colorado. Clark visited the farm with her son and said, “Just the experience, the ambiance, it’s small and quaint, but it’s also kid-oriented, so, it’s very kid-friendly.”

Before leaving, visitors receive a reminder of life on the farm that can be both tasted and smelt in a basket of farm fresh produce.

“We give them a basket, at the end of their tour of what they collected,” Childers explained. “We give them goat’s milk, eggs, and fruits and vegetables and they are so happy to find out the food actually grows in the dirt, not the grocery store.”

While life on the farm is different than in downtown Colorado Springs, Childers’ determination to educate and continue the country’s way of life is clear to those who step foot on the land.

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