Richert/Phillips Farms

   Well after over eighteen years of wholesale, farmers markets, and auction we finally done it--we started a juice bar. It is at the South Bend Farmers Market booth 4, open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

   For several years we have delivered to a few juice bars, juiced at home, and talked big but now we are in the juicing business, who new. It is very nerve racking in an exciting way, completely out of our realm. And the most amazing thing is is how people love ginger and our own cayenne pepper powder in the drinks.

   We have two recipes: apple, celery, carrots, kale and beet, apple, carrots...hum, maybe add some more recipes next week--think that will be best

   This is a good time of the year--seed catalogs are coming in, planning for the coming season, cleaning up and just general preparing. We are happy that nearly all our CSAs have returned their applications to us for 2019. That is a vital part of our farms income for the fallowing year. We do not get loans we treat CSA payments as our farm loan to purchase seeds, plastic, repairs, and such.

   Thank all of you for returning and a few had moved--we wish you the best at your new homes and jobs.

Have you ever been interested in milk fed pork? There is a good set of hogs heading to the butch that was raised on raw milk, non GMO grain and organic veggies, in the next week. Still some half and whole hogs available for sale. 

   It amazes me how good the pork taste when raised this way and unfortunately a little sad because I really enjoy watching pigs play--so, entertaining. All summer they been eating produce that didn't get sold at market. But, it was the milk they always wanted. Grain was the least desirable, not always eating it all, veggies gone very quickly and what playful eaters to, but when the milk came what a bunch of pigs--looked and sounded like our dinner table on Thanksgiving! They wasted no time getting every little drop and always wanting more.

   this week Tuesday Nov 27, Thursday Nov 29, and Sat December 1 come by the South Bend Farmers Market booth 4,6, and 8 and learn about our farms CSA program and Millers Goats and Gardens farm raised milk fed pork.

   Still cleaning up the fields and getting ready to plan for next year. Had a late growing season this year--that is everything came on about a month later then normal, but that was all right, because we harvested quit abit. 

   As for the CSAs, we thank all our share holders for being a part of our farm this season. And thanks to everyone who signed up for 2019 season. 

  Well time to get going 

   Just finished sugaring season, great run and the tastiest maple syrup to date. Greenhouse is moving forward, have many new varieties of plants this year--can't wait to get them to market in the summer. 

   Putting up another greenhouse for early tomatoes and greens. 

   Well,will right soon again 

Hey, how's it going? We are starting to get our seeds in for this year and next week we are going to open up our greenhouse and start planting. We are making a strong push in the South Bend Indiana area(near our farm) for CSA sign up--looking forward to this move. Our farm will be increasing in acreage by another six or seven acres, we are planing on using that for pumpkins and winter squash. Maple syrup season will start soon, can't wait, always a lot of hard work but so worth it! o.k. time to go, good bye 

   Most all our seeds and supplies have arrived for the coming season. Just picked up the plastic for our greenhouse(used for propagation), the first calm day we'll re skin it. Hence forth our work load will steadily increase here on the farm, though enjoyable no more long coffee breaks until this coming December.

   We have taken a high field on the other end of the property to plant more produce encase another flood comes. Soon the greenhouse will be full of a lot of greens for the early markets.

  Well, God Bless! Have to clean and sharpen the chain saws for tomorrow  

   It has been a tough winter, but we managed to get the seeds ordered along with other supplies so to start the season. A lot of time has been spent cleaning up the ditch and stream from the damage flood caused. It is quite amazing how many trees can be up rooted and swept down stream, but none the less we been cutting and pulling the log jams out.

   Next month we are re-skinning the greenhouses and cleaning them up to start propagating. Our CSA program is still on track with many of our old clients returning--thankful for that.

   Well just a short message to let loyal friends and pals we are still out there. God Bless! 

   After the last blog we got a rain storm that ended our season. In one night we got over 13 inches of rain which is unheard of for this area. An interesting fact that I heard is that Indiana went from the driest August to the wettest August in one night. There is pictures on our facebook. 

    We are cleaning up and can get a cover crop down on all the fields this year.

We are well into our season and doing alright. After a brief survey all most all our members will be signing up again for next season for the CSAs. This year was a trying season--still in a drought and high temps makes days go long, but our young helpers have rely shown fortitude with twelve to fourteen hour days and no complaints while returning for another day of work--shows their true selves. Sundays are truly a day of rest! 

Our CSA sign-up will start next week for 2017 season with a eighth anniversary discount(to show our appreciation for members) if signed and payed before October for Palatine and the South Bend farmers markets. Our goal will be 115 member/partners...God Bless!

   Our certified organic seed potatoes just arrived and now we must cut and cure'um for a few days before planting out. This first batch of potatoes is just under two tons--later in the season we will pick up another batch of them. Reds, whites, and yellows(know if their was a blue one and dropped the yellow we would have a flag) 

   The onions are ready to put out--they are mainly sweet yellow and red types but also we plant a few whites--we like grow several varieties--life would be drab if everything was alike. 

God bless! 

   The sugar season just started and now it is over in our neck of the woods. With the warm weather(days and nights being above freezing) it has brought an end to the 2016 tapping season here. 

   Surprising enough the number of gallons of sap was equal to last years run, even with two and a half weeks less of collecting. But, the brix was down--taking more gallons of sap to make syrup, that's o.k. we are thankful for what was given to us. Know to focus on the next step of the season--continue to clean up and prepare. With the warm weather we are going to do some early season planting.

   In the past we always had some stuff in the ground around this time, but stopped years ago for lack of places to sell. This year there are a few places to market--so we will show off our skills of how good of farmers we are. Our neighbor challenged us to a farming duel--he is armed with ten years of gentle farming learned from books, videos, and such backed with plenty of wealth from his former job--and we are armed with trial and error, a life time of country living and living off the land(real hillbilly stuff), our wealth is based off of the sale of what we can sell.

   Round one--early marketable produce judged on quality, quantity, cost of production, and profit made.

God bless and may the best farm win

P.S. we are friends most of the time with the neighbor 

Tomorrow we will be at the Palatine indoor farmers market at the train station 7 a.m.. till noon.

   Unfortunately we only have seven CSAs left for the Palatine farmers market, this morning we had ten. 

   We have been surprised this year on how our CSAs have sold for this coming season, this will be the first year we sold out.

   God bless! 

   After the snow storm we had Thursday I was surprised we could get out today, but the snow has already started to melt--giving us the chance to tap a new woods. Still not sure what the sugar season will bring, but it is early for our area so it should do well.

   The CSAs are doing well, a lot of good response from our customers. Not sure how many will be left after next week, we are hopeful that all the spots will be filled by then so to concentrate on the up coming growing season.

God Bless 

   Our CSAs have replaced the farm loan we used to get every year and we are very appreciative for these clients. But, our most cherished clients are the ones that come every week or almost every week to the market year after year, thwy are our bread and butter--Daniel and I have literally watched these folks grow in many ways through the years, grow from a child to a young adult, get married, retire, illness and happiness, on and on. 

   We may get a bit cranky on some days do to other events a bad customer, a rough day before so on, but we rely like seeing many of the same people week after week, we have found our old spark again that was with us when we first started years ago--that is, the excitement of farming and selling is anew again.

   Over the years markets have been taken over by purchasers and the farmers have been coming less and less--we kept our ethics and love of the land(when I hold a hand full of soil I am holding life itself, it needs to be cared for and nurtured to share herself with us--produce properly). I would say our loyal customers is in the top two reasons we kept going--thank all of you for that!

If we are rude from time to time don't take offense, come on back and when their is not a lot of customers around lets talk a while. 

God bless!