April 18th Farm and Green City Market Sales
Spring is finally here. The goats went out to the pasture for the first time since last fall. Being creatures of habit, loathsome to change yet in serious need of a barn break out, they immediately barged out of the barn and headed for the outdoors. As soon as the first few does’ feet touched mud, they did a complete about face and headed back for the barn. We turned them around, coaxed them with a little grain and eventually, they discovered the lush green grass of the pasture awaiting them. In a few days, if the weather stays as beautiful as it is today, it will be hard to get them to come back into the barn. Such is the mindset of the goats at Prairie Fruits Farm.
This week, Snickerdoodle, one of the first three does we purchased back in 2004, kidded with quadruplets. She had three bucks and a one gorgeous black beauty doe. All are doing fine. Our does continue to kid through the end of April and probably into early May. Kidding season is both wonderous and anxiety provoking. I will be happy when they have all kidded, and we know that all mothers and kids are healthy.
This Saturday (April 18th), we will be hosting another open house, on-farm sale and farm breakfast. For those of you who live in Chicago and can’t make it down to the farm, we will be sampling and selling our cheese at Chicago’s Green City Market at the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum. This is the last Saturday at the Nature Museum for us. Our next foray to Chicago will be Saturday May 9th for the first Saturday outdoor Green City Market in Lincoln Square Park. Stay tuned for a notice about the cheeses we will be bringing to the outdoor market.
The weather guys on public radio promise ideal warm spring weather for an outing to the farm this Saturday. As usual, we will open from 9AM to 12 noon. We will have the following cheeses for you to taste and purchase:
- Fresh Chevre-plain, herbs de Provence and cracked black peppercorn
- Ewe Bloom (soft ripened sheep milk cheese)
- Moonglo (our raw goat milk, washed rind tomme—the last batch until June)
- Huckleberry’s Blue (our raw goat milk blue cheese-sweet and mild blue flavor)
The other farmers will be here as well including Blue Moon Farm, Tomahnous Farm, Seven Sisters Farm hand spun wool and Stewart’s Artisan Breads and Pastries. We will also have ramps for sale from Spence Farm.
Blue Moon Farm will have spinach, lettuce, some Swiss Chard and green onions.
Tomahnous Farm will have eggs, shitake mushrooms, herbs, flour and hand crafted goat milk soap.
Stewart’s Artisan Breads and Pastries will be bringing his usual assortment of breads, bagels, bagel bites, granola and granola bars along with his delicious potato dinner rolls.
Farm Fresh Breakfast will be served from 9AM to 12 noon as well. This week’s menu includes:
- Triple S Farm Bacon and Prairie Fruits Farm Cheese and Herb Strada
- Spence Farm Ramp, Blue Moon Farm Spinach and Prairie Fruits Farm Cheese Strada
- Prairie Fruits Farm Peach and Cheese Streusel Coffee Cake
- Jarrell Family Farm Plum Streusel Coffee Cake
- Peach and Yogurt Lassi
- Fair Trade Coffee
- Goat Milk spiced Hot Chocolate
Traffic flow went very smoothly last week with our new system of multiple checkout stations and a single spot for ordering your breakfasts. We look forward to seeing you here this Saturday. This is the second to last Saturday that we will be hosting farm open house, farm breakfasts and on farm sales. Once the farmers’ market season starts on May 2nd, we will be putting our efforts into selling at the farmers’ markets here in Urbana and Chicago. So, if you've been putting off a visit to the farm, now is the time!
As always, thank you for your support and patronage.
