Reviews for: Green Akeys Family Farm

Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of turkey. Just don't like it much. I've spent years buying and trying something different to make it more palatable. First it was the Capon. Capons are very good but not when you're feeding more than 6 people. They're bigger than chickens but about half the size of a "small" turkey. Next we tried a turkey fryer. Wow! Yummy but there's nothing fun about standing outside in the snow boiling a turkey in hot oil for a few hours. It's messy and needs constant attention. I'd do it every year if 1. I lived in a warmer climate and 2. I knew what to do with 5 gallons of leftover peanut oil... Next we tried Turducken. TurYUCKen was more like it. It was mailordered from Louisana. The butcher used too much salt and too much cajun seasoning. We did this before Turducken was popular which is why we had to mail order it. Now I'd like to try one again since pretty much every butcher will make one for you...for a price. Two years ago I drove 2 hours to Northwestern Illinois and spent $62 on a 12lb Organic Heritage Turkey. We watched it slaughtered and plucked and then put into a plastic garbage bag. We didn't like it. Way too much dark meat. Very gamey tasting. I wasn't happy about the money and time spent on this bird.

Mike and Annette Akey are long time family friends. We've been to their farm and worked it for two days. They work hard and they have amazing products. We've eaten their chickens, eggs, lamb and produce. I wasn't even remotely reluctant to try a turkey. Mike gave me a lot of info about turkey processing and cooking. First, freezing the turkey helps tenderize it. So after he processed it he froze it and that's how it was delivered to us. According to Mike's explicit directions I threw a handful of aromatics inside the bird (apple, carrot, celery, onion) and then tossed the rest in the bottom of the pan. I rubbed the bird with butter and olive oil salt and pepper. At 325 degreed I roasted breast side down for two hours. Then leg side up for 15 minutes and other leg up for 15 minutes. Finally breast up for the remaining 2.5 hours. Our 21 pound bird cooked in 5 hours. We let it rest for an hour actually because our sides weren't ready. It carved beautifully. The breast meat was darker than normal and very very moist. The dark meat was darker than normal and very very flavorful. The bird is so moist there aren't a lot of drippings so I had to add a cup of water halfway through cooking so we could make gravy from the butter/fat drippinsg plus the veg in the pan. From the carcass I've made a soup and from the leftovers our family favorite...turkey tetrazzini!!

I believe my quest for the perfect turkey has officially ended. We look forward to more GreenAkey Turkeys for many Thanksgivings to come...

I have belonged to the Green Akeys CSA for two years now, signed up for my third year as soon as Annette made sign-ups available. I have also been buying almost all my meat and eggs from them for the past year. Everything has been superior quality and ample amounts at reasonable prices. I would wholly recommend Green Akeys Farm to anyone.

Before I moved to Maryland, I lived in the Chicago area and bought shares in Angelic Organics CSA for many years. Angelic is a large, established farm, sort of the gold standard of the CSA movement. The Akeys compare very favorably with that standard. In fact, with their smaller size and more varied production (meats etc), they are able to add a personal touch and offer a wider range of foods, which has really enhanced the experience for me.

Give Michael and Annette a try. You'll be supporting a family that is trying to make a difference in the world, and you'll get some really good eating in the bargain.

A friend and I split a CSA share this past year -- and absolutely loved it. Going to get the food every Friday was the perfect way to unwind after a long week. The tension just fell away as I rode down the long lane and then picked out perfect zucchini, amazing heirloom tomatoes, and many other vegetables. I loved knowing where my food came from -- and tried many new recipes throughout the season. Volunteering was fun too, and a great way to learn more about organic farming.

The property is beautiful, the food was amazing, and Annette and Mike are the nicest people you could hope to meet. We got lots of fantastic produce throughout the season, traded recipes and ideas, and even got to help milk a goat. I've been making the most amazing soups out of the butternut squash and pumpkins we got, and we're still eating the last of the late-season radishes and cabbage!

One of the best parts was a flower cutting garden Annette planted. I'd pick a small bouquet of flowers every week and enjoy the beautiful blooms all week long! They also have a big herb garden, which kept us happily supplied with basil, cilantro and other herbs. The car smelled so good on the way home!

Definitely recommend joining the CSA!

We have been ordering chickens for about 18 months now from this farm, and we really enjoy the quality, the family, and their practices. Over that time, my group has purchased probably on the order of 100 chickens. I've recently purchased lamb, but we haven't tried that yet, and I also bought a heritage turkey this year from them. Michael and Annette Akeys work hard to understand the best way to farm sustainably and are doing a magnificent job. Their produce looks wonderful, though we are not members of the CSA.

I have written a lengthy review and look at this farm on the Blogger blog called Loca-Faces, which includes photos and a more detailed look at what they are trying to accomplish. Since the rules of these reviews don't allow the inclusion of urls, I won't add it here, but you can find it via a google query, "loca-faces Green Akeys"