As a reminder the farm store will be closing early on Easter Sunday, hours are 9 AM - 2 PM.
FARM HAPPENINGS
The first batch of meat chicks arrived this week, so our busy season has officially started, although it will be another month or so before it really gets into full swing. These chicks will be in the heated brooder area for about three weeks until they are feathered out and we can move them out to the pasture shelters. This group of over 1,000 chicks will include one batch of No Corn/No Soy chickens that are scheduled for processing on June 10th.
Next week we plan on moving the hens out of their over-wintering area around the hoophouse and back to the front pastures near Route 31. While the grass is still too short for grazing cows the chickens will enjoy nibbling on the fresh green clover leaves and chasing any early spring bugs.
Typically we start grazing the cows the last week of April or first week of May but it always depends on weather and how quickly the pastures are growing. Some years with strong early spring growth we can get the cows back on grass by mid-April. With all this rain the last few days, we could see a growth spurt if we get some warmer days in the coming week.
“MEET THE MAKER” EVENTS SCHEDULED AT THE FARM STORE
Tomorrow (Saturday April 4th) we are excited to welcome Chef Ernesto from El Molcajete Sauces to the farm store where he will be sampling some of his hand-made mole sauces and organic tortilla chips from 10 AM - 1 PM.
And in the coming weeks we have a fantastic lineup of other local food growers and artisans scheduled to visit our farm store:
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.
Saturday, April 25th - Meet Barb of Crystal Lake Mushrooms, and learn all about growing a variety of fungi on a small scale. 10AM-1PM.
Sunday, April 26th - Meet Douglas of Nourish Foods, another extraordinary baker and chef that also used to work for All Grass Farms. Douglas will be sampling many of his delicious sourdough breads and treats as well. 10AM-1PM.
Stay tuned for more Makers coming in May!
FARM STORE UPDATE
We are excited to have another order of fresh produce from the central Illinois farmer coop “Down at the Farms” that we profiled last week. New local items we sourced from their farms this week include turnips, Parsnips, Carrots, Green & Red Cabbage, Sweet Potatoes, and Yellow onions. And from our other local growers we have IGL Potatoes, Michigan Organic Apples, Microgreens, and Crystal Lake Mushrooms.
Other organic produce we have in the store includes Cara Cara Oranges, Mandarins, Eureka Lemons, Avocados, Bartlett Pears, Celery, Cauliflower, Garlic, Ginger, Lemongrass, Radish, Turmeric, Red Peppers, Kiwi, Ataulfo Mango, and Red Beets.
New Products
We have some exciting new products including fermented Jalapeno Chutney and Simply Kraut from Fizzeology out of Viroqua, Wisconsin. Plus Hydrogen Tablets from H2Tab, both the bath tablets and the drinking tablets. Hydrogen is one of the most prevalent elements in the universe! Some key benefits that Hydrogen water can give are Gut Health, Oxidative Stress, Increase Absorption, Weight Management, Athletic Recovery, Cognitive Function, Energy + Vitality and Metabolic Health.
And we now carry Jacob Protein Bars, “The world’s cleanest protein bar” with 20 grams of protein, no seed oils, nothing artificial and sweetened with organic honey it’s a no brainer snack! We carry the Chocolate, Vanilla, and Berry flavors.
All available in our farm store while supplies last. Unfortunately we don't offer these products on our website at this time.
As a reminder the Farm Store hours are 9 - 5 on weekends and 10-6 on weekdays. Please remember to bring us your leftover shopping bags and egg cartons so we can re-use them.
Cheers,
Cliff, Anna & The Farm Team
