Shearing The Sheep

We were so happy to see a good turnout today for our Sheep Shearing Day! Even with the clouds dropping their rain on us, we still had a fun time meeting with you, and sharing what we do here on the Farm.  (We're equally happy that no one complained when forced to step in our very own Farm Poop!)  

Here are some very patient folks lined up watching the first sheep to be sheared...

And here is one not-so-patient onlooker... ;-)

After the first sheep was done, the rain began. This meant that we all trooped into the barn to insure we stayed dry. We each stayed dry, and got a very up-close look at the entire shearing process. (We also had a great view of a curious cow, and the Llama latrine.)

Some of the sheep didn't particularly want to be sheared though....

Thanks, again, to everyone who came to learn more about the Farm.  Those of you who did were the first to hear about our upcoming classes. Although we don't have a calendar yet, we will be having classes this summer and into the fall. Just keep an eye out for info here, on our Facebook Page, or in the Farm Shop!

God Bless,
~Pine Grove Farm

Grand Opening!

After much preparation,  planning, and perspiration Pine Grove Farm is more than happy to announce the opening of our very own General Mercantile down in the Farm Shop!  This has been one of our long range plans for the Shop for quite some time.

In the Mercantile we offer things such as Farm-Yard dirt,  yarn, and wool roving. You will now ,also, find pieces of hand fashioned craftsmanship. Each of these pieces are traditional, American, handicraft produced locally by Friends of Pine Grove Farm.

Our goal is to eventually bring to market all, or most, of the Time-Honored Goods which you would have found in Great-Grandma's Pantry. Things such as Hand-Made Soaps,  Hand-Woven Rugs, Knitted Items,  Pottery, and Wooden furniture. We are not there yet, and may never be without your help in some very important areas.

In order to insure the safety and integrity of the Farm Shop, it's goods, and of you dear Farm Friends, it is necessary for each of us to respect and care for these consignment items. On your trips to the Farm Shop, you will see ever-increasing amounts of  items upon the shelves. Some of these are on consignment (you'll see the tags marked clearly) and some of these are display antiques owned by the Farmer and the Farmer's Wife.  While in the Shop, please be aware that some of these items can be easily broken, and require "kid gloves". Therefore, please take a few moments to make certain that all young hands are being held in larger hands while visiting the Shop. This will help to keep the integrity of our relationship with all of our Farm Friends who have invested so much of themselves into their products.

 There is one, final way, in which all of you can help us here at the Farm. Tell all of  your friends about us and what we have to offer here. Call the Farmer's Wife and set up a time for you to bring some friends to meet her. Realize that each and every one of you plays such an important part in our lives, and we love to offer these services (and more to come!!) to all of you.

Thanks so much for growing with us!

~Heidi

From Real Milk.com....

The Health Benefits Of Raw Milk
From Grass-Fed Animals

By Ron Schmid, ND
In 1970, I went to live on the island of Martha's Vineyard. I was quite ill with gastrointestinal problems. I began living mostly on seafood, fresh vegetables and salads, and raw milk and eggs purchased from a local farmer, with a little meat and whole grain bread. My health problems, which had been intractable for years, disappeared.
Raw milk remained a mainstay of my diet. Since 1981 I have strongly recommended raw milk to thousands of people who have seen me in my practice as a naturopathic physician. I practice in Connecticut, where we enjoy the right to purchase certified raw milk throughout the state (with the exception of the town of Fairfield, where a fascist local health board has instituted an unchallenged-for-lack-of-funds town ordinance prohibiting the sale of raw milk.)
The raw milk available in the part of Connecticut where I live is from Debra Tyler's farm in Cornwall Bridge, called "Local Farm." Debra has nine cows on fourteen acres. Eight health food stores in central and northern Connecticut pick up milk regularly at Local Farm. There are about a dozen other certified raw milk dairies among Connecticut's 210 dairy farms.
Debra has Jersey cows. Most farms have Holsteins, which provide large quantities of milk, but milk that is lower in protein, fat and calcium. Jerseys were originally bred by the French to produce milk for cheese making. The fat content of Debra's milk during the warm months is about 4.8 percent, well above the normal 3.5 percent for whole milk. Debra's cows eat mostly grass in the spring, summer and fall, and mostly hay in the winter (each cow consumes a forty pound bale a day!), with a few pounds a day of ground corn and roasted soybeans (five to one corn to soybeans ratio).
Local Farm milk is certified organic. Certification costs several hundred dollars a year in fees and considerable paperwork. It also means that Debra must sometimes pay more for certified feed from faraway places than for locally produced feed she knows to be organic but which is not certified. This raises the question-if you know and trust the local farmers who produce your food, does it really have to be certified?



*You can read more of this article at     http://www.realmilk.com/healthbenefits.html 

Buttermilk Answers

We have received a few questions about buttermilk lately.

Although we make farm-fresh butter available to  our cow-share holders, learning to create a traditional food is always empowering. To that end, we want to share some very informative links to help you educate your self and your family on butter, cultured  buttermilk (what is found in the stores) , and  old-fashioned buttermilk.

It was my intention to write this article by myself. However, as I researched the web for more information, I was astounded to find all you need with just a few, quick, clicks.

 This first link is copyrighted by  David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D.,Professor of Biology and Chemistry  at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College. I found this  to be the easiest for me to read and the most informative. 

The second link is written in a very easy-to-read format and, in my opinion, is great for those of us with an adventurous 'can-do' spirit.

I hope that these links help you to  become more informed  as you  begin your own journey into the world of buttermilk making. Good luck!

*Don't forget!! This Wednesday (April 28) is Pine Grove Farm's sheep shearing day! We hope to see you and some friends join us for an afternoon (2-4) of fun and learning. You'll get to take home a pinch of raw fleece and the Farmer's Wife will be on hand to answer any questions about farm life and our cow-share program.*

(Suggested  donation of $3/person 9 & under are free!) 

The Wonders of Wool

This past weekend we were able to sheer sheep. The Shepherd's Ewe was there and she sheered 17 sheep in a day! Each fleece was anywhere from 8-15 pounds. The sheep are either Jacob, Romney, or Jacob/Romney Crosses. ,

.

( I simply adore lambs!!)


 So now the fleece will be sent off and return to us as skeins of yarn (just the stuff to use in our upcoming classes!), roving (for all of you spinners), and sheets of batting for felting projects. The Shepherd's Ewe is also making some raw fleece available upon request. You can contact the Farm for pricing, etc.

We have yarn available in the Farm Shop right now. It is un-dyed  2-ply worsted weight. The average skein is 9 1/2 oz. per skein, but we also have some that are only around 3oz/skein for your smaller projects.

And this brings me right into my next bit of news: Our beginner knitter class!  For everyone who wants to learn, or those of you who want an easy refresher, we are hosting a beginner knitting class. We'll be learning to knit a cotton washcloth. This course will teach you how to cast on, some basic knit stitches and the "lingo", and to cast off.  The class will be on  Saturday May 15 from 10-12 and run for 3 weeks. We'll be offering a farm fresh lunch afterward.  Please sign up for the class HERE and to get your list of supplies. It's going to be great fun, so don't forget to tell your friends to come along. Space is limited, tho, so sign up early

Keep an eye out on here and on our facebook page for information on our sock knitting class....coming soon

A Little Oops, and Making Butter

On the last post we forgot to show you a picture of our almost completed green house! Oops! So here she is, frame and all...

 Isn't the door wonderful? We promise to show you the inside as soon as it's done so keep an eye out.

 Today was a wonderful day for baking here. The barometer was just right for bread dough, and since the bread tastes so much better when made with fresh buttermilk, I needed to start with my cream. 

 

I'm not sure the reason why, but cream will whip better and just 'work' better when left for 3 days. So after I seperated my cream earlier this week, I let it stay in the fridge for a few days to rest. To begin working it today I poured it into a gallon sized jar because it's gonna need  the room. After that I sat down next to my husband and talked while I shook the jar from side to side.

 


It took about 15 minutes until I had my butter sloshing around in my jar, but there it was! So easy and so very good for you!

 

I poured the contents through a strainer in order to remove the butter from the buttermilk. After the buttermilk had been set back inthe fridge, I placed my butter onto a chilled plate. (I use enamel ware plates here and they freeze up great!) I then took my small wooden spatula and bagan working out all of the buttermilk under cold water. Flatten and mound, flatten and mound, flatten and mound, rinse, rinse.

When all of the buttermilk was washed away, I added a few pinches of salt and workd it into my butter. Next, it was formed into a ball and that was it! So easy!

Warning: this is so yummy that you may just get too spoiled to use store bought butter on your bread again. =)

Have a great week!
~Heidi

Easter Weekend & Some Growing News

This weekend saw some family time for Easter. I love having the kids home and family near. Even with holidays, though, there's always work to do on the farm.

One of the projects we want to share with you is our vegetable and flower garden. Last year we planted some flowers and are really looking forward to expanding that section of the garden. I plan on having flowers to offer you to as soon as they begin blooming. Keep an eye out for them in the Farm Shop.  If you look to the side bar here on the blog, you should see a poll we are conducting. Our goal is to provide you with more of want you want. So here's the question: What fresh, garden veggies do you want for your family? If you don't see you favorite listed, don't worry! Just see our complete listing over at Local Harvest. Please leave a comment here so we can be sure to add it to our garden for you.

Have you seen the big hoops in the ground next to the garden? That is the beginning of our greenhouse! Our goal is to be able to provide you with your fresh, garden vegetables for and extended period of time. I'm really happy about this project.

Have you become a friend of our Facebook page yet? Don't forget to share us with your friends as well. We always love expanding our friends! I also want to remind you that you can come visit us here on the farm to ask questions or have a tour. We just ask that you don't come during chore time, so please give us a call or shoot me an email so that I can be sure to set up a good time for us both.

And I've saved the best news for last. Do you ever wonder what became of all those skills that your Grandmother could do out of hand? Make butter, knit a sock, spin yarn, can fruits & veggies, make bread? All of those wonderful things she did that now have become a Lost Tradition? Well, here at Pine Grove Farm, we are going to start teaching you and your friends those Lost Traditions. We want to start very soon, this spring in fact, so keep an eye out here on the blog, on our FB page, and down at the Farm Shop. Don't forget to help us spread the word about it. We want to make these available to anyone, not just our Cow Share holoders.

Take care, have a great day, and thanks for supporting our Family Farm,

~ Pine Grove Farm