WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?????

One night we go to sleep and Thanksgiving is approaching, one morning we wake up and it is almost Valentines day! The concept of hibernation makes so much sense, now. The Christmas holidays came and went here on the farm with lots of fun with family and friends. The Farmer and Farmer's Son have kept the animals fat and happy, making sure everyone has an abundance of food and shelter during the occasional cold spells. Two new calves were born, giving us the prospect of  plenty of Spring dairy products. The acquisition of a new herd sire for the cows and a buck for the milking does sets our minds at ease and relieves the pressure of trying to determine the breeding cycles of the girls for artificial insemination. A guy is gonna do what a guy does..... and he usually knows just when to do it! Preparations are being made for Spring planting. The Farmers Son is planting seed trays in the grow house, the fields are plowed, the addition of another hoop house is being planned. Strawberries are being harvested in the berry hoop house, as well as some rhubarb.  Chocolate dipped strawberries will be featured in the market for Valentines Day. Plans for the CSA are under way. Applications will be available at the end of the month of February. More information will be posted. There will be two pickup days this year, Tuesday and Thursday. The market has been busy this winter, thanks to all of our loyal, dedicated, die hard customers. Products available have been cow milk, goat milk, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, honey, ground beef, preserves, bath and body items, home made baked goods, and our newest obsession, food storage for the preppers. Our motto " Plant it, Pick it, Preserve it... one way or another". Our market hours are Friday and Saturday from noon until 4 PM. Call ahead for availability if larger quantity needed, as we sell out every weekend. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

PRALINES AND PRETZELS!!!!!

The Christmas holidays are fast approaching. The lingering cold snap was just enough for that little nudge of inspiration to gear the goodie making towards the fast track. The market will be closed the Friday following Thanksgiving day, but will be open on Saturday at our normal hours from noon until 4:00 PM. This year we will have a wide assortment of sweets and treats, as well as unique food gifts fresh from the farm. Who would not like a basket overflowing with homemade preserves, honey, freshly baked bread, fruits and nuts, cookies and candies? We have a fruit cake that is actually edible, and will have the recipient standing guard over it, making sure no one else sneaks a bite. Starting the first weekend in December the market will be overflowing with plenty of choices for those special folks that warrant a personal gift from the heart. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

I SCREAM...YOU SCREAM...WE ALL SCREAM....

Finally, enough sweet cream to make slow churned ice cream. Nothing so luscious will ever pass your lips, unless it is the gooey caramels or fudge made from the same cream. The girls have really come through for us. Buttermilk for the pecan pralines, yogurt for the fruit smoothies, cream for the butterballs and ice cream, even a little cottage and feta cheese. The Farmers Son takes some high tech music box called a turtle, or frog, or lizard, or something and plays his ipod music for all the ladies on the milk line to hear. While the guitars are strummin' the milk is a flowin'. As a matter of fact, you may hear the dairymans rendition of the Frozen theme song "Let it Go, Let it Flow" ..... as he serenades his charges, but you would have to be up at 5:00 in the morning for that little treat to your ears! The market has been bustling on Friday and Saturday, even with the waning of the produce selection. The added dairy items as well as other staples, ground beef, honey, jams and jellies, goat milk soap, bee wax candles, essential oil products, to name a few, take up the slack.  The tomato house is full of green tomatoes, but the sub freezing temperatures may take its toll, will know soon enough, like in the morning. As usual for this time of year, the bustle of farm life shifts to a lower gear. Most of the time is spent feeding and watering, as the pastures are dormant, and the troughs freeze over. The holidays are just around the corner, the Farmers Wife has drug out all of the Christmas goody recipes and is gathering up supplies to start making the contents of the treat boxes and the gift baskets available in the market for the discriminate shopper. As in years past at this time, the goat milk supply will be on the decline.The Spring Kidders will slowly decrease their supply as all of their energy will be used to make baby goats instead of producing goat milk. The few Fall Kidders will be left with the daunting task of producing milk for all. The goat milk will be limited, but we will try to make sure that all that will need milk will be able to get some. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4 PM. It would be a good idea to call ahead for availability. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

IT'S BEEN AGES AND AGES!!!

We go to sleep night after night after a full day of milking, feeding, plowing, planting, mowing, picking, to look at the calendar and realize weeks have gone by and it is OCTOBER!!! We are busy getting the farm ready for the winter, assessing the hay and feed situation, gathering the heaters, checking the water lines for cracks or leaks and planting strawberries. The Farmers Son was booted from the nest and sent to the far end of the pasture in his own little cozy RV. His loft apartment is now vacant and will soon be a work place for the Farmers Wife to expand her projects and multiply her junk. After fall cleaning and decluttering, and countless trips to the Good Will, there is lots of room for some new junk! The market has been bustling with new patrons as well as our reliable regulars, keeping the girls busy producing milk. The pumpkin patch was reduced to several plants that were salvaged in the kitchen garden that were planted late, due to the grasshopper infestation, so we will probably have pumpkins for Christmas. The canner is still full of pickles, jams, juices. The fall produce is trickling in, some squash, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, peppers, soon to be followed by tomatoes and greens. The honey harvest was abundant. This year we filtered through a more course filter, so there may be bits of pollen, propolus, probably a bit of wax, and an occasional bee knee. So much the better! The market hours are the same FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM. Call throughout the week for dairy pickup if needed. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

CATCHING UP!!!

We have not dropped off of the face of the Earth, just enjoying preserving the glorious gifts of the Earth. The canner, juicer, dehydrator, have been going nonstop since the end of the summer harvest. Lots of work, but it has its rewards in the winter hours as we are enjoying a bowl of hot chili with home canned tomatoes or a peach cobbler with peaches from the back yard. Because of the abundant harvest, despite the hoards of grasshoppers that set up camp in our fields, there will be plenty to share in the market. Lots of activity on the farm as we are preparing for the Fall/Winter. The milk supply has held steady, with some late births of goat and cow babies. Diamond B Cattle Company let us buy one of their bull calves to raise as our future herd sire. Top notch Jersey cows come from their farm. The Farmer and Son are preparing the greenhouses for the fall planting of the strawberries, as we are still fighting the endless influx of grasshoppers, the pumpkin crop will be minimal this year, again, darn. They wiped out a field of corn in three days. The serve yourself produce table has been a great success this year. For those that supported our lazy ways, and weighed and calculated your own purchases, and filled our money box, thanks a bunch! Because of the heat and the lull in produce production, we are just filling the table on the weekends, Friday and Saturday. The market is hosting a few crops at this time. MARKET HOURS: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM. Some last minute tomatoes, some okra, squash, onions, potatoes, peaches, garlic, eggplant, peppers, are available. Not a good idea to wait until the end of the day to come get goodies for supper, as the table is usually bare at that time. The freezers are stocked with ground beef and ground goat meat. The honey is plentiful, as the bees just booted the grasshoppers over as they enjoyed the nectar from all of the produce blossoms. It will soon be time to consider if there will be enough vegetables for the CSA to continue through the Fall/Winter. Updates will be posted. It is good to be back! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT!!!

Three guesses what is in the jar, and no it does not have anything to do with inards or outards. The liquid at the bottom is honey, seeping from the stack of honeycomb. The Farmer and Son retrieved an established hive underneath the floor of a barn that was going to be torn down. The bees were saved, as was the treasure trove of honeycomb and honey. The watermelon season is well under way. Lots and lots of red, ripe watermelon, as well as cantaloupe and Isreal melon. The grasshoppers have wreaked havoc on the corn and the peaches, so there will not be much of those in the market. There are a few fresh vegetables on the self serve table, but the Spring/Summer harvest is nearing the end. We are already anticipating for the Fall. The cow and goat milk supply are holding steady, as the girls adjust to the heat. Market Hours: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00. Special appointments can be made for dairy pickup throughout the week. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

JUST ANOTHER DAY!!!

We will be open on the 4th of July, as the goats, cows, and chickens, do not care that it is a National Holiday, or that the Post office and Banks are closed, or that the nighttime skies will sparkle with unusual bursts of colored lights! We will have plenty of milk, meat, produce, honey, and if the Farmers wife gets on the ball, some blackberry, strawberry, and peach preserves. The corn is iffy due to swarm after swarm of grasshoppers, the melons are wonderful. The supply of homegrown tomatoes has been sufficient for all who stop to be able to go home and make the best BLT ever. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:PM. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!