FARM HAPPENINGS
With the spring grazing season just a few weeks away, we are stretching the last of our winter hay supplies to get there. We started the winter with over 1,000 large round and square bales stockpiled, weighing between 800 and 1,400 pounds each. We are now down to less than 100 bales and have been purchasing extra hay from our Wisconsin neighbors to get us through to grazing. Pictured above are the remnants of the round wrapped bales at our Elkhorn farm this morning.
We are fortunate to have a strong network of organic livestock farmers around the East Troy area that we can rely on not only for extra organic hay when needed, but also to share best practices or borrow a truck, trailer, or tractor when the need arises. And even to call up for emergency situations like when the entire beef herd gets out and is running down County Road D (yes that happened two years ago!).
This weekend we are busy getting the brooders ready for the arrival of our first batch of 1000 spring broiler chicks on Tuesday. These first few batches of chicks are always challenging to raise due to the large swings in temperature from day to night during the early spring, when we might have a sunny 70 degree day dropping down to 20 degrees at night. Will include some cute chick pictures in next week's newsletter.
We are excited to get our first delivery this week from “Down at the Farms” - a cooperative of central Illinois farmers that raise organic veggies and fruits but also hard-to-find local items like wild ramps and rabbit. As the spring growing season “ramps” up we look forward to supplementing our on-site produce with more products from these Illinois farms. The work of co-op founder Marty Travis has been featured in a book and documentary movie “Sustainable” - learn more about this great organization on their website.
“MEET THE MAKER” EVENTS SCHEDULED AT THE FARM STORE
Today we are welcoming back Fisherman Mark to the store today which is always lots of fun as he will be cooking up some samples of his catch to try. And we have an exciting lineup of other local food growers and artisans scheduled in the coming weeks:
Saturday, March 28th - Meet Fisherman Mark from Bering Bounty as he discusses fishing the ice-cold waters off Alaska, his favorite fish recipes, and samples of his catch. 10AM-2PM.
Saturday, April 4th - Meet Chef Ernesto, maker of El Molcajete organic tortilla chips and mole sauces. Sample a few of his chips and sauces and learn what it takes to make mole.10AM-1PM.
Saturday, April 11th - Meet Willie the beekeeper, of Willie's Honey. He will discuss beekeeping, different bee products, varieties and seasonal variations of honey, and answer any bee or honey-related questions. 10AM-1PM.
Saturday, April 18th - Meet Molly of Molly's Kitchen, our fantastic sourdough baker who managed our farm store for two years before children happened. She will be sampling many of her delicious baked treats and can answer all your sourdough starter and baking questions. 10AM-1PM.
FARM STORE UPDATE
As we prepare for Easter next Sunday we have a good supply of Nitrate-Free smoked hams available in the store this year. New items we sourced from Down at the Farms this week:
- Yellow Onions and Parsnips from Joyful harvest Organics - Johnsburg, IL
- Easter Egg Radishes From Grays Farms Organics - Campton Hills, IL
- Sweet Potatoes from Rising Moon Acres - Ohio
- Turnips from Sola Gratia Farms - Urbana, IL
- Cara Cara Oranges, Eureka Lemons, Avocados, Murcott Mandarins, and Pomelo from San Gabriel Ranches - California
- Whole Rabbits from Saratoga Homestead – Henery, IL
Other organic produce we have in the store this week includes Michigan Apples, IGL potatoes, Crystal Lake mushrooms, Kaleido Greens Microgreens, Garlic, Celery, Carrots and Cabbage. And a new item from our friends at Roots Potato Chips we have their new tallow-fried chips in the store.
As a reminder the Farm Store hours are 9 - 5 on weekends and 10-6 on weekdays. Anna will be helping out in the store today (Saturday) from 9 - 1 so feel free to stop in and say hello. And please remember to bring us your leftover shopping bags and egg cartons so we can re-use them.
Cheers,
Cliff, Anna, and the Farm Team
