Just stumbled across this clip from FOX-61 CT.  The chefs from "Hell's Kitchen" seem to really like our heirloom tomatoes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfUOoGiVle4

We'll be back at the Coventry Regional Farmer's (Winter) Market this Sunday with our grass-fed, pasture-raised young beef, nitrate-free heritage bacon, pork/beef kielbasa, and our "Woolzies." 

Thanksgiving is almost here!  We've been hard at work preparing our customers' turkeys and CSA pick-ups.  It's been quite busy here on an otherwise quiet rural backroad with all the folks coming and going.

Maybe you purchased a Hurricane Farm turkey, some veggies, eggs for baking, syrup for sweetening your pies, vinegar for your salad dressing, sausage for your stuffing, or beef for a Thanksgiving lasagna?

Whatever you are eating from our farm, we hope that you find it delicious!  Happy Thanksgiving!

We are happy to announce that our 2010 Harvest Party is happening next Saturday, October 23.  It begins at 2:00 pm and features farm fresh foods. 

All ages, and kids welcomed!  We will be roasting one of our turkeys on a spit, pressing apples to make cider, and hosting live bands throughout the day.  This event is BYOB.

2:30 King Cake (www.kingcakeband.com)
3:30 Zeno's Eros (www.myspace.com/zenoseros)
4:30 Banjo Jeff Perkins
5:00 The Screwdrivers (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6fuYLuwFI)
6:00 Synaptic Groove
7:00 Brothers Donovan (www.myspace.com/dreamswell)

A link to a nice article about our farm in the Hartford Courant from October 14, 2010.

Click on the "Discover Windham" link...

 http://www.courant.com/about/special_sections/

Chefs Kevin Cottle (from Season 6 of Hell's Kitchen) and Van Hurd have our sweet sausage, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, herbs and butternut squash. Watch FOX 61 (in Connecticut--or check it out online!) Wednesday morning at 11:00 and see what they make!

http://www.chefkevincottle.com/

We're winding down with our tomato crop, but there are still plenty left!  Watch for our heirloom varieties at the food booth of "Celebrating Agriculture" at the Woodstock Fairgrounds next Saturday, September 25th.

Check it out...it's a great family event focusing on agriculture in Eastern Connecticut:  http://www.celebratingagriculture.org/

There has been lots of news lately about the demand for locally grown meat and the growing suppply being raised on family farms.  Of more interest, however, is the lack of USDA inspected processing facilities.  In fact, we do not currently have one in the state of Connecticut.  There are many smaller, non-inspected facilities, but if a farmer uses one of these then the sales of meat products are restricted to "bulk" (usually a % of the animal).  In order to sell meat by the pound at local farmers' markets or at a farm stand located on the farm itself, the meat must be inspected, packaged, and labelled under the oversight of the USDA.

This effectively eliminates the local processing of farm raised meats in CT.  Luckily, we are able to bring our animals to Adam's Farm (www.adamsfarm.biz) in Athol, MA.  Despite the distance from our farm in Eastern Connecticut, we are happy to be able to bring our animals to a processor that not only works under the guidance of the USDA, but which uses a humane system of animal holding, transport, and slaughter designed and engineered by Dr. Temple Grandin (www.grandin.com).

No doubt you have heard of Temple Grandin due to the recent success and accolaids of the biographical film produced by HBO. (www.hbo.com/movies/templegrandin/index.html). 

If you have a chance to watch this film you will learn much about the way that your meat used to be processed (or still may be if you are not buying from a humane farm and processor) as well as about the humane practices currently being used throughout the country by most small scale producers that were innovated by Dr. Grandin.

It is not only important to know how your food is raised, but be sure to know how your food is processed during the many steps it takes to go from "farm to table."

We've finally started work on our newest pasture.  This particular pasture is about 2/3 of a mile down the road...not far at all.  We've finally "tamed" the pasture that we acquired laste year--meaning all of the invasive trees have been cut back and we're starting to get the grasses to fill in.  This first pasture had not been tended to in years and needed alot of work.

Our newest pasture, however, is in GREAT shape and is ready for the cattle as soon as the cattle are ready to range (and once the fencing is finished).

The landowner of the new field has allowed us use of his 29 HP New Holland tractor complete with brush-hog and post-hole digger attachments.  First we mowed down some of the field to make space to work.  Then we attached the post-hole digger, drilled some holes, and set the corner posts.  The next job was to mark out the location for the rest of the posts on each side.  Some rebar and surveying tape worked nicely.

The attachment worked better than we imagined!  It took only a couple of minutes to line-up and then drill each hole.  We hit very few rocks, maybe 4 all day.  Great soil!

We were able to get down about 4 feet for each hole!  Now I can do this with a shovel, but not THAT fast!  Check out all the "Danger" labels on this thing! 

Corner post one.  Barely had to use that shovel off to the left.  A little "tamping" with the 2 x 4 and it's all set.

Being used to a 1963 Farmall Cub, this "new" tractor was a completely different machine.  I think that I could turn a complete circle atop a postage stamp with this thing!  Amazing control, both forward and back as well as steering.

Drop the three-point hitch, bring up the throttle, and then a touch of down pressure...

Still lots more to do, but we're off to a good start.  It's been a full few weeks, with field clearing, harvesting chickens, and building chicken coops for customers, but we're on our way to some new farm land!

This past Saturday we took part in the Coventry Regional Farmer's Market "Graze Fest" which involved tours of some of the farms involved in the market. 

Erica did a great job showing a nice group of eager folks around our farm and many wonderful photos have been sent to us by the participants. 

Follow this link for a slide show courtesy of David Cope > http://www.flickr.com/photos/triodeandco/sets/72157624467019842/

That's right!  You can follow our exploits, experiments, failures, and success stories on FACEBOOK.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Scotland-CT/Hurricane-Farm/111791448862149?ref=ts&ajaxpipe=1&__a=9

WHOA!  That is one clunky URL.  Just go to http://www.facebook.com and join Hurricane Farm.

Or GOOGLE us.  It works!

Though neither "Up-To-the-Minute" nor "Late-Breaking," (sorry, we just found this article from last Winter) this blog commentary offers an interesting perspective on local, sustainable farming. 

http://nutmegnewssource.blogspot.com/2009/12/farming-is-hip-but-challenging.html

In the Fall of 2009--a year and a half after establishing our Scotland, Connecticut farm--a film crew shot the following documentary.

"The New Farmer's Voice"

http://vimeo.com/12220552

Enjoy!

More people are buying a piece of their local farm

Willimantic Chronicle, 27 May 2010

By MIKE SAVINO

ABOVE: Erica Andrews, right, the owner of Hurricane Farm in Scotland with her husband Christopher, allows Jasper Cote, 2, to hold a baby chick­en.

BELOW: Andrews gives a steer named ‘Mert’ a rub on the cheek. The farm is part of an effort to increase commu­nity supported agriculture by allowing people to purchase a share of the crops at the beginning of each year.

WILLIMANTIC CHRONICLE, 27 May 2010

By MIKE SAVINO

Chronicle Staff Writer

With a shaky economy, people are looking for other ways to invest their money, ways that can get them more immediate returns.

In some cases, those returns are not cash — but food grown on local farms.

Many farms around the country, including some locally, are reaching out to residents for investments or volunteers, a collaborative effort known as “ com­munity supported agriculture” — or CSA.

In a CSA, supporters typically provide funding to farmers in exchange for food. Some farms also welcome people to work on the farm a few hours a week instead of investing money.

“Every CSA is different, and it’s up to the farm,” said Erica Andrews, who owns Hurricane Farm in Scotland along with her husband, Christopher Andrews.

Andrews said she and her husband starting seeking investors last year and were able to purchase a grain bin for Hurricane Farm, which offers grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, maple syrup and other products to its customers.

She said the farm had 13 investors in the first year, but that number grew to 20 this year — including four who work two hours a month. She still has a waiting list.

“Lately, the curiosity has been growing, growing, growing,” Andrews said.

Steven Preli, owner of West Green Farm in Lebanon, said the idea is “just starting to catch on” in Connecticut, but other states have embraced the idea for years.

Preli, who also said he started selling shares last year, said he listed his on a web site www.localharvest.org pro­moting small local farms.

Local Harvest claims its data­base of CSAs — which also includes Hurricane Farm and Bird Song Farm in Hampton — has more than 2,500 farms across the country that engage in some form of a CSA. Investments typically are under $500.

Bruce Kittredge, owner of Bird Song Farm, said his farm is not a “classical CSA,” though, and he instead uses the site to help cul­tivate a list of customers who can purchase produce before he sells his produce elsewhere.

He said people can become “ overwhelmed” by farms send­ing the same item on a regular basis and he sends out newsletters notifying them when produce is available for purchase.

“This way here, they get what they want and pay for what they get,” he said.

Kittredge said he strives for diversity among the fruits and vegetables on his farm, which is no more than 3 acres.

He said a typical CSA would produce too much produce to focus on quantity and diversity.

Preli said a CSA is not a good approach for all farms, but he said he strives to avoid boring his investors by also planting a vari­ety of fruits and vegetables.

“That box will be filled with what’s in season,” he said about his deliveries to shareholders.

Andrews, meanwhile, said far­mers need to ensure they have enough products to meet promises to shareholders and other buyers, even if the farm experiences dif­ficulties.

“I want room for failure,” she said. “I want room for that fox that takes out half my turkeys.”

Investors do risk purchasing shares during a bad year, which means they might not get back the produce or meat they expected.

But Andrews and Preli said they limit the number of shareholders to ensure they can meet, and even exceed, those promises.

They also said those invest­ments, when collected in the win­ter, can provide money for sup­plies during the growing season.

Without CSAs, farmers need to focus more on budgeting their money throughout the year.

“It gets you income at a time when your not really getting any,” Preli said.

The town of Lebanon has even starting encouraging residents to invest by securing grants and dividing them up for residents to purchase shares at local farms.

Lebanon Town Planner Phil Chester said the conservation commission recently awarded two $500 grants and is in the process of looking for more grants.

“ I hope it’s the way of the future,” he said, adding a CSA helps farmers because it “takes away the middle man.”

He said investors benefit, mean­while, because they can know get to know their farmer and know how their food is produced.

Preli, Andrews and Bruce all agreed they have seen an increase in consumers interested in know­ing where their food comes from, whether it is at farmers markets, smaller grocery stores or through CSAs.

“I would say the number one selling factor is that they know the farmer,” Bruce said about his customers.

We brought some of our livestock to the annual Farm Day here in Scotland, CT this past weekend.  The photos below are from the Norwich Bulletin.

Here's two week old Moe sleeping after a morning's full of attention.

The piglets were also hard at work ripping up the grass looking for grubs, roots, and other yummy things.  But so much hard work made for some sleeply little piglets for sure!

We had a great time and met some wonderful new customers and friends.  It was also nice to see some of our CSA members and regular customers who came out as well.

Spring continues its forward progession. 

New calves have been introduced to the growing "herd" out in the pastures...

A new lamb, named Vera, is introduced to some of the other sheep in the flock...

A little girl holds one of her favorite hens...

A flower pops its head through the freshly tilled and fertilzed soil...

Fiddleheads pop up alongside the brook and stream...

Spring is here and in full force at Hurricane Farm!

Spring is alive at the farm and the surrounding woodlands and wetlands.  The frogs have been peeping for weeks, and now after their loud rituals we are finding egg sacks in the "frog pond" and along the banks of the brook and stream.

Soon, the eggs will be hatching and tiny tadpoles will swarm the waterways that surround Hurricane Farm.

Even though there were seemingly thousands of frogs at the start of the "peeping," they are hard to spot now that the mating is all over.  Here's one of the little guys.  Who would expect something so small to make a sound so large?

In addition to the creatures, the plants are also popping up all over the place.  Here is a Skunk Cabbage making its way up through the muddy bottoms of the stream.

And of course manure needs to be hauled.  We started moving some up from the back manure piles, but there is still much more to move.  We'll be tilling the gardens soon and we're also eagerly awaiting the next batch of "four-legged-tillers" (or piglets) who will be arriving in a couple of weeks.

There is still a lot to clean up from sugaring season, though.  And both Erica and Violet spent hours working on this task.  Gathering and hauling empty buckets from the woods, cleaning and scrubbing buckets, pails, spiles, and tubes, and getting it all packed away for next year takes more than an afternoon!

It was so sunny and warm that Violet felt compelled to break out not only her sun hat, but the sun-screen too!  The finished Sugaring Pavillion is there in the back, still awaiting its roofing job...soon to come...

We also disassembled the bee hive, cleaned it out, and got it all ready for its new inhabitants.  Hopefully we'll have better weather this coming summer and the bees will be able to prosper.

And, let's not forget, the arrival of the new farm animals.  Just hours ago we welcomed our first lamb of the year!  As always, it's busy busy busy here at the farm!

The maple sugarin' season was very short this year with a low yield.  We made about 25% of what we made last year.  Lucky for us we have a very diversified farm and we don't rely on one product/season.  My advice is that if you are looking to get fresh CT maple syrup this year, snap to it!  Many of the larger producers will be buying their syrup in bulk  from Canada and re-bottling it in their own containers.  If you want REAL CT syrup.  Go buy it before the end of April.

In other news, we have a busy day on the farm:

Erica and the the kids are going to the sugar bush to gather all the buckets.  Then we will need to clean and store all the maple syrup making equipment.

I'm working on the first batch of chicken coops.  We've already sold a few and have customers waiting.

We've also just acquired some new calves and the turkeys and chickens are arriving later this week.

The eggs in the incubator in the house should be hatching any day, as well as the various clutches of turkey and chicken eggs "hidden" under hens throughout the barnyard and barn.

Another batch of bees should be ready for pickup any day.

Manure needs to be loaded, moved, spread, and tilled. 

Spring veggies need to be planted.  Seeds need to be started.

WOW!  Let's get busy...!  New photos of SPRING to follow.

Not sure what it is...but most everything around here has a bit of rust to it. 

Sort of makes it better, I think.

We had the evaporator firing late into the night over this past weekend and our results yielded our first batch of 2010 Maple Syrup! 

The full moon was out, the steam was rising from the pan, and Hurricane Farm's Official "Taste Tester" was on the job!

It's the moment of truth.  Violet grabs her tasting glass and takes a "sniff":  "Mmm.  Sugary," was her first verdict.

She takes the first taste of the year...and...

It's good!  Her smile tells it all...

We ended up with a very nice "light amber" for our first batch.  The pan is still full, the holding tanks are at maximum capacity, and the sugar bush is still pouring forth the sap.  It looks to be a good season so far...

Erica worked late into the night boiling down to the finished product, filtering the syrup, and then bottling it up.

Our first bottle of 2010.  Yummy.