FARM HAPPENINGS
It was a crazy busy week at the farm! We actually had two chicken processing dates this week - one that we mistakenly scheduled last week on our farm calendar. So those 500 or so chickens we collected and crated last Wednesday had a joy ride to our processor in Clinton, Wisconsin then had to come back to the farm to get even bigger over the next five days and we took them in again on Monday. So if you picked up one of those huge 6 lb. fresh chickens in the farm store this week that is the reason. But we are happy to report after a few weeks of chicken processing challenges we are back on track and will have fresh chickens in the store through Sunday afternoon. And the first batch of No Soy/No Corn chickens is going in for processing next Wednesday 23rd, and will be back in the store next Thursday (July 24th) by noon.
We also picked up our first group of summer piglets yesterday. They are starting out in a paddock way out in the far end of the pig pasture which has not been grazed yet this year, then work their way back to the front of the pasture closer to the store over the next month or two. We move them once a week so it will be a slow journey. Hopefully we will get some videos of them while still in their cute stage on our Instagram account over the next few days. If you want to see them up close and personal sign up for on one of the Saturday Farm tours.
FARM STORE UPDATE
As noted above, we will have fresh (not frozen) whole chickens available in the store through Sunday at 5:00 PM this weekend, these chickens were processed on Wednesday. And we will have fresh No Soy/No Corn chickens in the store Thursday through Sunday next week. We also have a broad selection of chicken parts in the store now - boneless/skinless breasts, bone in thighs, drumsticks, wings, hearts/livers, necks, feet, and chicken bone broth. These are slow-growing Freedom Ranger birds, raised on our farm, fed Organic & Non-GMO feed from day one, moved to fresh chemical-free pasture every day, and processed at a local/family owned facility. Chicken doesn't get any better than that!
Our laying hens are still producing at a high rate, so our pasture-raised egg supply is strong and we continue to offer discounts on the egg bundles - pickup 4, 6, or 10 dozen and save up to $1.50 per dozen. These bundle discounts are available in-store or pre-purchase online for store pickup. We haven't worked out the packaging system to ship eggs yet but Anna is researching some options.
Local, organically-grown produce in the store this week from our on-site gardens: Carrots, Beets, Red Scallions, Green Zucchini, Goldy Zucchini, Yellow Summer Squash, Patty Pan Squash, Ronde De Nice Squash, Red Spring Onions, Parsley, Slicing cucumbers, Pickling cucumbers, Lettuce, Various Kales. We also have local Yellow and Red Onions, Turnips, and Garlic Scapes. Non-local organic Carrots, Celery, Pears, Limes, and Cucumbers. And we have FRESH MICHIGAN BLUEBERRIES from Joe's Blues - these are not sprayed with any chemicals.
And finally, I picked up a load of pasture-raised pork this week, so we have all your favorite brats, kielbasa, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, pork chops, etc. back in stock. We are waiting for the bellies to be cured but should have bacon back in the store by next weekend as well.
FARMLAND AVAILABLE NEAR EAST TROY, WISCONSIN
As a final note, for our aspiring farmer friends that follow our newsletter, there is a farm available for long-term lease, just down the road from our Wisconsin farm. This farm is approximately 50 acres, and includes lots of infrastructure including a small house, two greenhouses (one heated), and two large sheds for equipment or hay storage. This farm has formerly been used as an organic vegetable farm. The land is owned by the non-profit Living Lands Trust…a great organization to work with. We lease our Wisconsin farm from LLT and they are very supportive of local organic/regenerative farmers and our farm business in many ways. Follow this link to learn more about this farm.
That's it for this week, stay healthy our there!
Cliff, Anna, and the Farm Team