"We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts."  William Hazlitt

Has Spring sprung?  it surely does feel like it.  I was talking to a friend this morning about the Robin spotting (other day's blog)  and she said her Snow Drops were blooming.  Come Spring come!  This year I am putting in a new raised bed garden over by our barn hill that will be specifically for Neil's sausages!  I am so excited about growing and drying all the herbs. Raised beds are such an easy way to go for anyone, especially if you don't have a large area.   If you want to have a no fuss, no muss garden try raised beds, they require very little maintenance and can grow almost everything! 

Raised Bed tips on how to make & grow!
*The lumber you use should be at least 10" high or higher if you want it. Although for proper root growth this is the minimum. 
*Do NOT use old rail road ties, no matter how many you get for free- they contain a poison called Creosote that will leach out into your soil, be taken up by the roots of your plants, nourish the plant and you get all the by-product in the fruit that it bears when YOU eat it! Yuck!  Stay away from treated lumber for the same reasons.  (this pertains only to those who want to grow organically!)
*Your raised beds can be as long as you want them to be, but the best width is 4' wide.  With this width you can easily 'reach' in from both sides.  You never want to 'step in' your RB, this compacts the soil, which makes proper root growth more difficult.  My farms RB's are either 4'x4' or 4'x8', these work best for me.
*Find a sunny location in your yard and decide how many you would like, or should I say how many would fit :-) !  I would not have a stitch of grass if I didn't have boys that need 'play space'!
*Fill your box with from the bottom up with a mixture of well rotted manure, compost, old grass clippings, hay or straw and top with a rich, loamy soil. 
*After you have your box filled with all the plants you want to grow, put a layer of newspaper (NOT colored print sections) about 3-4 sections thick between your plants, top with a layer of grass clippings or straw to act as a mulch. You will have virtually NO weeding!
*Water thoroughly and enjoy your hard work! 
For a very concise book on Raised Bed gardening I always recommend 'Lasagna Gardening' by Patricia Lanza.  I also recommend companion planting with all your growing ventures. I use Louise Riotte's, 'Carrots Love Tomatoes'.  Both these books will give you a great start to your gardening ventures.

Other nifty ideas for plant containers:
1.  Old galvanized chicken feeder or waterers, tin buckets, watering cans, old metal double burner caners (see picture) enamel ware anything... be sure to put drainage holes on the bottom- unless there it is well rusted and has time worn ones, even better!
2.  Wheel barrow's or old wagons can be found at any flea market or garage sale.  You can either put the plant pots directly in the containers or fill em' with dirt and direct plant.  Either way, totally adorable!
3.  Barrels or metal wash tubs are great as well.  I have a old half barrel at my back door with a bleeding heart in it.  When it is in full bloom it is simply stunning. 
4. Old drawers, crates or even an old wooden trough (yes I have had one).  These work great in your garden's to add depth and interest.  You can plant anything in them. 
The idea's are endless, if it has a hole to put dirt in you can plant it, just depends on your taste!  The key to successful container gardening is proper drainage.
*One more tip- to save on dirt when filling very large containers, recycle packing peanuts, old broken Terra cotta pots, small plastic pots, etc.  Put these in the bottom of your container until about half filled, then pour on the dirt!  They will also be much lighter if you need to move them!

Here's a yummy recipe using Taylor's Cornmeal Pancake Mix!
Taylor's Savory Garden Cornmeal Pancakes
1 Pkg. Taylor's Bake Shoppe Cornmeal Pancake Mix - follow instructions and add to batter:
1 cup niblet corn, drained                                                  

1/4 cup diced bell pepper (any color
1/2 cup diced red onion, from Garden Gate                        

  1 small carrot, peeled & sliced

1/2 tsp Taco Seasoning 

1/4 oil

1. Stir together all ingredients except oil. 
2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.  Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls into hot oil.  Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Garnish with fresh chopped Cilantro, sour cream and Salsa !
Happy Day,
Jean

A few weeks ago our friends Kevin & wife Hilda spotted twenty-one Robins in their front yard! Kevin is the music teacher at our childrens school and he told the children how he and his wife gazed out their living room window in awe counting.  Back in February when Neil & I were in Saugatuck we watched about seven fairly large flocks of Canadian Geese heading North.  Well, many an old timer would say, 'The birds know..."  I believe it.  
This weather sure puts me in the mood for gardening even more!  I have several herbs planted in the green house right now; Basil, Rosemary, Parsley, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram and several others.  A few years back my daughter Taylor was reading through one of my Country Garden mag's and came across an article on Kitchen Gardens.  That was all it took for her and then, 'Mom, could we make a kitchen garden?'  Well I never say no to creating another garden, so we went right for it and now we have a lovely garden right off the side of our garage that is easily accessible from the back door and adds beauty to our yard.  We incorporated a Tea bed and several perennials along with the veggies we plant each spring.  My favorite spot in it is the Herb Garden.  I used several old drawers and other containers to put the herb's 'in'.  There are all the perennial herbs that come back year after year and then we try a few new ones each year as well. We always incorporate the annual have to's - primarily Basil! Oh how we love our fresh Heirloom tomato Brushetta with fresh picked basil and garlic.
Here are are a few tips for making your own Kitchen Garden:
*First, make sure your new garden is near an entry door to the house where you can easily go out and gather the bounty for your meals.
*Make sure there is a water source nearby that a sprinkler can be used.
*Do a 'map' of the area and what you would like to incorporate before you start.  Get the proper info on each plant and know how much space you will need for it's growth habits.  I have made the mistake of not giving enough room too often in the past and end up climbing over and through a mass of plants.
*Use container's of all sorts to add an eclectic look. This will also help keep things where you want a bit easier.
*Use flowers to add beauty & charm- you can choose edible ones as well!
I like to take before & after pictures so I can see the progress and see growth over the years.  Have fun in the garden, it is a happy place to be.
Cute Herb Tag Idea:  Take small pieces of broken old slate, painting the name of the herb on it, and spraying it with an acrylic sealer.  Place the marker at the base of each herb.  Then the next year when cleaning up the garden spot there won't be any problem with identification. 
Here is a yummy Winter Thyme Potato Casserole
Of course you can get your potatoes, bacon and thyme all from The Garden Gate Farms booth at the market...
20 Redskin Potatoes                                        1 cup  Cheddar Cheese, shredded & divided
1 tsp Seasoning Salt                                          1 tsp. dried Thyme
1/2 lb. Garden Gate Bacon, crisply                  1/2 cup  Butter, melted
cooked, crumbled & divided
1. Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender; drain.  cool and slice about 1/4 inch thick.
2.  Arrange half the potatoes in a greased 9"x13" baking dish.  Season with Matt's Mix & Thyme.
3.  Top with half the bacon and half the cheese.  Layer on remaining potatoes; repeat with other half of bacon & cheese.  Drizzle butter over top.
4.  Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees until cheese melts and casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes.

Happy Day,
Jean

Spring is a time of love and rejuvenation! The awakening all around us stimulates a desire to give and share~ everything just seems happy!   The birds start returning, buds start popping, the first Snow Drops and Crocus's start peeking out giving us a foretaste of the Daffodils & Tulips not far behind.  This Spring has brought some things earlier than usual and with it that energy has sprung forth for me as well.  I love to be in the greenhouses and gardens working in the dirt... watching seeds sprout and develop into the plants we will take to market and plant in our gardens, beds and fields.  As mentioned in the previous blog post birding is one of our favorite things to do~ here is a really simple & cool bird bath along with some gifty ideas and of course a yummy recipe from Taylor, enjoy!

*Here is a super Simple Birdbath that even the most 'un-handy' minded person can make using just a few simple tools! First you will need:
~a really cool old banister or porch post, which if you don't have go to any antique or salvage yard and they will abound.  If you want newer than simply go and buy what you would like.  It should be at least 4 feet tall.
~an old granite dishpan for the bath.
~a bag of concrete, a Tap-con screw (for metal) and some clear acrylic caulk.
Dig a hole about a foot deep, place the post in and pour enough concrete to fill hole to just about ground level.
Cover with dirt and let set about an hour.
Take the dish pan and center on top of banister/post; screw to banister/post. Put a dab of caulk over screw to prevent leaking and rusting.
Plant flowers like Shasta Daisies, Black Eyed Susan's or Purple Cone Flowers around and enjoy the birdie frolic!

*I love to give gifts especially those that say I love you with flowers or plants... or really any type of garden type stuff.  Here is a gift that will keep on giving the recipient!  Many plants have meanings, even the color of roses have specific meanings to them.  Here are some herb's that you can give to express your admiration or love to them. 
Here are some ways to arrange the Herbs for gift giving:
~Plant them in a lovely window box or two.
~Pot each herb up in separate pots- choose Terra cotta, painted pottery or some old galvanized pails~ you will know what they will like best!
~Plant in one or two large patio pots if they have a patio or porch.
Here are the Herbs and their meanings:
Dill~ cheer and survival in the face of difficulties\
Sage~ wisdom
Marjoram~ joy
Bay~ achievement and success
Rosemary~ remembrance and friendship
Scented 'Attar of Rose' Geranium~ happiness
Choose one, some or all... you know what you want to say!

Recycled Clothe Shopper Bags have been a really big thing the last couple years and being a market vendor I notice more and more of our customers going to them. This in turn saves us from having to buy as many plastic bags!  So of course I thought we could make and in turn sell them at market. Taylor & I decided to go pattern shopping and find a practical pattern to make.   We decided to use old denim pants, scraps from our dress fabrics, old sheets, shirts and any other 'scraps' of fabric we could acquire.  This was a lot of fun and if you enjoy sewing this is a really simple project to make a few 'one of a kind' shopper bags for yourself and even for gifts!  We added buttons, pockets, ribbons and other little charms that we had.  Be as creative as you like and before you know it , you might have a little business in bag making!

Taylor's Ready To Go French Toast
French toast can be way more exciting that just some bread dipped in egg & fried.  We have eight hungry people to feed, six of them in the male category, so we need to keep things interesting around our house.  This is a great make ahead breakfast great for Sunday breakfast or Brunch, or for any day of the week.

1/2 Stick of Butter
2 Apples cored, peeled and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. apple pie spice
8 slices bread- your choice- thicker the better in my opinion
4 eggs from Garden Gate Farm, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp. Maple Syrup Extract*

1. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Reduce heat to med-low; add apples and cook until tender.
2. Stir in sugar and spice and cook until dissolved, about 2-3 minutes.  Pour apple mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. 
3. Lay the slices of bread on top of apple mixture.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients; pour over bread slices.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. Remove plastic and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggs are cooked & set, until firm and browned slightly. 
*Don't use regular maple syrup because the flavor with cook off!
Serve nice and warm and if you for brunch add some yummy vanilla ice cream with it!

Happy Day,
Jean
www.thegardengatefarm.com

March 26th, 2012

Nifty Bird Feeders, Homemade Hummingbird Nectar, A Lovely Garden Path & Taylor's Yummy Oatmeal Pancakes!

I was in the kitchen the other day leaning on the counter looking out one of the windows when a male & female Purple Finch landed on the feeder.  I quick called over baby Aaron and picked him up to watch them.  We were actually only about seven feet away so the view was quite charming.  Aaron got big eyed of course and started pointing and oohing over them.  The birds were quite relaxed due to the 'usual' noise coming out of the house- this was no big deal and continued to eat and enjoy the sunny day.  Soon another pair settled in and things were even more splendid. As I have mentioned in several of my entries, we are big bird watchers and we enjoy feeding them very much.   Although all the bird feed can get a bit expensive I do believe it is well worth the efforts and the rewards of being able to see one of Gods most intricate & beautiful creatures so closely. I have large climbing Sweet Autumn Clematis' growing on both my front arbor and my pergola and the birds just love them. They gather for shelter as well as nesting! Last week I put a bird house in the inside corner of my front arbor well in the vines and I am pleased to say I already have a pair of sparrows nesting in there! 

If you enjoy feeding the birds, here is a really easy bird feeder recipe that you and the children can make to stretch the seed out a 'little' bit longer .
*Nifty Bird Feeders~ General Recipe: Mix about a tablespoon of white corn syrup with approximately 1 cup of bird seed~  Make as much as you want and then using a rolling pin, roll out onto counter or table until about 1/2 inch think or so.  Using cookie cutters have the children cut out shapes; re-roll any remaining seed mix until you have used it all.  Using a thin dowel, no larger than a pencil make a hole about 3/4 of an inch below the top edge of the bird treat; using yarn, thin wire or twine make a loop about 12 inches or so long to hang it out with.  You can also form into suet size to put into your suet holders.
*To make suet cakes use smooth Peanut Butter mixed with a couple tablespoons flour and mix in bird seed of choice, form into cakes and fill your holders.  Keep these in shady areas because they will melt in the heat of August. You can store these in the freezer for up to 3 months, so have fun and make ahead when the peanut butter is on sale and you have time! 
*If you do purchase pre-made suet cakes, save a few of the plastic holders they come in so you have a form handy and they will be the right size.
*Hummingbird nectar is super easy to make without buying the expensive mixes.  Simply add to four cups hot water 1 cup of sugar; stir until sugar is completely dissolved then add  2 drops of red food coloring if you want to, but it is not necessary. Put in fridge to cool down and then fill your feeders- hang out and enjoy the flock that will come. 
*Be sure to plant a row of Mammoth or Giant Grey Striped Sunflowers in your veggie garden or some in your gardens, you will be entertained in the fall by many birds looking for food!
*If you don't have room for a large bird bath somewhere, you can use large Terra cotta or plastic plant saucers for them.  Put down on the ground next to a large shrub so they have somewhere to fly and be sure to keep clean water in it.

*A Pretty Cobblestone Walk ~ see attached photo
One of the first things I did when we purchased our home was plan all the 'future' gardens and then some. There was nothing here when we came except on overgrown apple tree, an ugly shrub next to the front porch steps, two lilac bushes, a hydrangea bush  and one big beautiful Maple in the back yard. Some might be saying, "Well that's not too bad."  Well maybe it's not to some and the ease of that would be just fine & dandy~ not so for me.  I want gardens that surround and abound, both veggie and flower.  In my opinion they go hand in hand~ you can't not have flowers in your veggie garden anymore than you can't have herbs and a few pretty chard or potato plants mixed in the flower beds.  So the planning started.  One thing I had to have was a cobble stone walk.  A good friend of mine, also a gardener, had a form, soooo I put Neil to work, of course I helped, after all someone had to tell him what to do :-) ! He is my muscles when I need certain hard scapeing done, so we got the neighbors cement mixer, bought several bags of  concrete and went to work.  First I dug up the sod from the planned walkway; next I put down black plastic ground cover to hold back the nasty grass that would surly want to rear it's ugly head up into my path; next we put down about four inches of sand. Now we have a gravel/sand pit right across the road from us, so this is free for the taking for township residents.  If you don't have access to free, then you need to buy enough to lay at least 4 to 6 inches of sand down for the stones to mold into. Now I needed my 'muscles' and as usual he came through beautifully. He mixed the concrete and filled the form on and on until the walk was complete.  I wanted it to be more special though so I had each of our children press their little patties (hands) gently into a stone, then I carefully printed their name and the date in another stone beside it.  I added marbles and made smiley faces with them in neighboring stones as well.  I also had Neil & I do the same and put our wedding date and a heart made with marbles in ours (see photo attached).  I wanted a bit more so I took some maple, fern and hosta leaves and pressed them into several of the other stones.  Now after several years they are all still perfectly visible and are a happy reminder of a hard days work. 

Pancakes can have so many variations, it's simply to the cooks imagination as what to add or not. Here is a yummy variation that goes over well at our house!
Taylor's Yummy Oatmeal Pancakes

1 Package of Taylor's Bake Shoppe 'Buttermilk Pancake Mix'~ follow package directions and then add to one batch recipe:
1/2 cup whole oats
1/4 cup more buttermilk
1 tbsp. Maple Syrup

Fry as you would and serve hot with Garden Gates Breakfast Sausage patties or links and a jug of Kapnick Orchards yummy Apple Cider! 

Happy Day,
Jean,
www.thegardengatefarm.com
gardengate@emypeople.net

Hello again :-)

What a beautiful day.  The sun is shining today and the warm breeze was so lovely today! 

We got the plastic on our hoop house over the raised beds today, and we were planting radishes and kale.  The green houses are full and running over, literally :-)  Oh the joy of Spring. 

We've been watching the Canadian Geese fly over head, listening to their ever welcome honking, cheering one another to keep going on....

Well I am totally excited to announce that we have secured our Chef for our Farm to Table Dinner Event at The Octagon Barn.  We are please to announce that Andy Fabien, Owner/Executive Chef of The Van Camp House in Port Sanilac has agreed to create the menu, and prepare the meal.  They were just listed in Michigan Travel Idea's on pg. 6 in the Top 10 Restaurants to check out. 

Keep watching for the list of producers and ticket sales to go on!

any questions, don't hesitate to give me a call,

Jean

Hello Again All :-)

It is pouring rain here today.  But with rain comes mud and with softer ground comes life from deep below.  I look so forward to the first signs of daffodil and tulip tips poking thier little noeses through the ground. 

The Canadian Geese are starting to fly in, showing us those 'v's we've all come to expect and look forward to.  Yes and then come all the little birds that say, "spring is coming".  Ahhhhhh, spring.  My favorite time of year.

We've secured the dates, locations and chefs for our Farm To Table Dinner Event's.  We are very happy to working with The Thumb Area Tourism Council on these events.  Here's the scoop;

Dinner #1:

We will have this Event at The Octogan Barn in Gagetown, Mi on Saturday, August 27th, 2011, Time still TBA.  We have secured the Cheff from the Hot Spot "The Van Camp House" in Port Sanilac.  See their listing in Michigan Travel Ideas put out by Midwest Living as one of the Top 10 Restaurnats in The Thumb of Michigan.  Andy Fabien is an awesome Chef.  Some of the producers that will be involved are Hampshire Farms, Bellwether Farm, Island Farms, Cheeky Monkey's Foods, and of course us at The Garden Gate CSA Farm :-)   This event will focus on Producers primarily in the Thumb of Michigan.   We are very excited.  We will keep you posted when tickets are available.

Dinner #2:

We have our second Event to be held at The Historic Govenor Warner's Mansion's Grounds in Downtown Farmington.  The date is set for Friday, September 16th, 2011 AT 6:30PM.   We have secured the Chef's from The Henry Ford Museum, yes you're seeing correct :-)  This event will focus on The Downtown Farmington Farmers & Artisans Farmers Market vendors.  We will keep everyone posted as soon as tickets become available.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us by phone or email. 

Have a wonderful day and talk soon,

Jean

Hello Again!

The snow fell on us, that's for sure.  We have drifts up to 7' tall next to our barn hill and up against some of our out buildings.  The snow is simply glistening and shows like diamonds lost all around.  There is truly something beautiful about the snow untouched.

We are extremely excited to announce our plans for a Farm to Table Dinner Event.  WE have secured Govenor Warners Beautiful Historic Grounds.  It is scheduled for Friday, September 16th, 2011 at 6:30 pm.  Check out our farms schedules of events.  We have also sesured some of Michigans finest Chefs, TBA with ticket price and other particulars.  OUr goal is to promote all the vendors from our Downtown Farmington Farmers  & Artisans Farmers market.  We will be accepting reservations and will keep you posted.  If you are not on our farms email list, please sign up at ourmail@thegardengatefarm.com . This will keep you posted on all our events, etc.

For those of you who havn't been to our new Winter Farmers Market, check out our web site at www.powerfarmersmarket.com  to see who, what, and where.  Also check out our farms web site at www.thegardengatefarm.com  to see the live broadcast of me on Fox TV2 about our Market. 

Hope to see you all at the market.

Jean

GOOD MORNING!

FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE TODAY.  WE ARE SNOWED IN.  12 INCHES OF SNOW & SNOW DRIFTS UP TO 5 FEET!  I JUST CANNOT MAKE MYSELF LIKE WINTER.  IT'S ONLY FOR MY CHILDREN I TRY TO BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.   THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO GO OUT & PLAY.  EVEN OUR 3 YEAR OLD EVAN LOVES IT.  HE'S JUST INTENT ON BEING ONE OF THE BOYS.  HE IS SO SWEET!  

WE HAD TO RESCHEDULE OUR THURSDAY BAY CITY BECAUSE OF ALL THIS SNOW TO FRIDAY.  YOU SHOULD OF ALL GOT THE EMAIL. 

THE SNOW IS PRETTY, ESPECIALLY ON THE EVERGREENS.  I AM TRULY TRYING TO BE POSITIVE HERE! LOL! 

WELL HOPE EVERYONE IS HAVEING A GREAT DAY,  TALK AGAIN SOON!

SINCERELY

JEAN

Greetings from the Farm!

Well December is here and cold she is!

Once again I long for December 20th so I can start my annual countdown to spring!  But in the mean time I'll just go out to the greenhouse to get happy. 

Another market season is done, but we are very excited to be able to start our NEW WINTER FARMERS MARKET.  We've got 17 vendors set up for each of the 8 market days, with a total of over 25 different ones that will switch out through the winter. 

We are now offering Firewood For Sale.  We will take orders for it at the market, via email or by the phone. 

We look forward to seeing all our market friends throught the winter. 

talk again soon!

Hello from the winter wonderland! 

We've had some beautiful, I say that loosely, weather here.  We had a hore frost that lasted 3 days.  There wasn't any direct sunshine to melt it all away.  It was simply stunning. The children have been enjoying going sledding and skating.  Our neighbors across the road have a pond that they go skating as well as one at our school.  The children enjoy winter much more than their mom!  But I guess we all need a break.

Check out the new Web site.  Mark has added all the meat information so it will be much easier for you to do your ordering.  You can still either call us directly or email Jan to place your orders.  Also please make a note of the new email address:  ourmail@thegardengatefarm.com.  Jan has always used her personal address and then sort out all the farm stuff.  She felt this would be a lot easier.  Also if possible, when you send an email, please include a phone number so I can call you back.  Thanks.

CSA & WORK SHARES

We are excited to say that all 40 CSA boxes have a home to go to for this season.  We have already started a waiting list for the 2011 season.  There are 3 people on this.  If you have questions regarding the farm, it is easier for us to answer your questions if call me (Jean) directly.  Jan simpley refers all emails to me, but is not able to answer many of the detail questions you might have. 

WINTER DROP OFFS

We've have been thrilled with the orders we are getting for our products during the winter.  Please remember that Bay City needs to have orders in by Thurs.  5pm and Farmington in by Fri. 5pm.  Any special orders/ cuts of meat need to in by Wed. evening.  We cut pork on Thur. and beef on Fri. 

FARM PICKUP MEAT & EGGS

Please be advised that you can order meat, eggs and honey to be picked up at the Farm.  Please call me for information.

Don't forget we have eggs, Certified Organic honey, and Rabbit available every drop day.  Occassionally we will have chicken.  Call for availability or email. 

GREENHOUSE

I'm so excited to be getting into the greenhouse again.  I'm looking to be in the first week of February to start all the herbs.  Last year I think I started a bit to late (March) and they weren't as large as I would of liked by market.  Small is OK, they definely won't go into transplant shock, but I'd like to see them a bit bigger.  We'll see!  All I know is I just can't wait to get my hands in some warm dirt! 

Well, I guess it's time to sign off till next month.  Hope everyone is enjoying the slower pace of winter.  We look forward to seeing everyone through the winter drop offs thru the winter.  Take care!

Jean

Greetings to all! I guess it's not really winter yet.  not till the 21st.

Yesterday, (Dec. 2) Taylor and her baby pig Losif and I were outside in flip flops, no jackets weeding some of the raised beds.  I pulled out the lettuce stalks that I left go to seed and scattered all the seeds in the beds.  Hopefully we'll have lots of baby lettuces next spring.  Ahhhh, spring,  that's what I look forward to. 

Anyway, yes Taylor has an orphan piglet.  Some friends of ours had a sow that only had two babies, and her's was the only survivor.  Mom died.  So my little Fern has her Wilbur.....   and so for the last week she has been faithfully bottle feeding her baby every 2-3 hours.  He is getting quite big-  nice hams (lol)  it's not funny to her though.  But she has to understand we do not need another boar.

We recently purchased several baby piggies, 2 sows and another boar (which is why we don't need Losif!  Call me mean-  such is life.

COW SHARE-  CERTIFIED ORGANIC GRASS FED SEASONAL RAW MILK

We have some really good Amish friends who are interested in starting a Cow Share program.  We would act like a middle man for them (distributor).  We are currantly working on the contract, pricing, etc.  We are trying to see what kind of inerest there would be out there with our customers.  They have 40 shares availale.  We would deliver it to all our CSA drop sites as well as have it available at the farm.  If you would be interested in finding out more about it please contact me at 810-672-9905 (Jean).  They are Certified Organic and have about 8 cows.  They do everything naturally for the animals, including having the cows bred at the appropriate times and drying them out for the winter which is natural way for the animal.  This is what is meant by a Seasonal Dairy.  There will be no mild in the winter months.  Exact dates will be explained later.  This is just a small amount of info.  more to come. 

WINTER MEAT, EGG, PRODUCE & STUFF WINTER DROP OFFS

Please check out our calender of events.  I just finished putting in all the dates in.  Also watch your email for reminders.  Mark your calenders and try to call the week before.

HOLLY DAYS IN FARMINGTON HILLS- SATURDAY DEC. 5TH & 12TH

Come & see us at the Market in Farmington for some lovely gifts.  We will have my cookbood, our handmade, recycled cloth grocery & book bags,  homemade recycled bookmarks & even Fresh Smoked Dog bones for Fifi & Fido.  We'll of course have a full line of our pork products, beef and eggs.  We will also have lots of our delicious Summer Sausage.  We look forward to seeing you all there.

Well it's getting late and I should sign off. 

Jean

greetings! 

just a short note this evening--- I realized I forgot to put our Ferndale drop off in our listing, so I thought I should do it while I have a couple of minutes.  Got all the raised beds for the garlic weeded and ready to plant tomorrow!  We'll probally have about 3000 cloves  to plant.  We'll do what we can.  I broke all the bulbs up today.  Next year we'll be able to put the Elephant Garlic in the boxes at least once.  It's so big!  It's calling for 72 degrees in Detroit tommorrow.  Hope it comes to us for planting.

We would like to start a drop off point somewhere in the Livonia or/and Dearborn areas.  We make regular deliveris to The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village Restaurants and would be willing to use this area as a drop off.  We would need each drop off point to have at least 6 boxes to be considered.  If anyone is interested and know of some people who want CSA in these areas please give us a call ASAP.

Our 2 tents that were over the produce stand tables got blown away and destroyed the other week.  We were able to get a used canopy from a friend.  The wind can be so distressing sometimes.  We're getting ready to close up the stand for the season-  just to cold and not that much left. 

CSA SHARE UPDATE:

As of 10-20-09 we have 8 shares still available.  If you havn't got your pledge forms in yet,  please do so quickly.  Several people waited last year and were out of luck.  We still have 5 of the Work shares available.

THANKSGIVING/ CHRISTMAS TURKEYS:

We still have 10 turkeys of 45 available.  Call for info 810-672-9905

CHICKENS;

We are taking orders for chickens for the 2010 season.  We will have about 40 chickens available every two weeks starting in Mid June.  We will bring them to market just like this year.  We had such a wonderful response to the chicken we will do more next year.  Please place your orders asap they sell out fast!

Well I guess it's time to sign off.. till next time... happy day

sincerely,  Jean

good morning!

well I just updated our local harvest listing- I can't beleive how long that takes.  At least it's only once or twice a year.  This is a brand new blog.  I enjoy writing so I'm taking advantage of this.  Just want to say we are very pleased with this years markets and are already looking forward to next years.  We only have a couple shares still available (10-13-09) but we still have 5 out of the 10 work shares still open. 

The weather is cold and rainy- we need to get the fields tilled and all the plastic pulled up.  See if I can't write again soon

see you at the market, jean