Community Supported Agriculture,  or CSA, is typically defined as subscribing to a farm to receive weekly shares of produce--mostly vegetables and fruits.  We are pleased to offer our Bloomington-Normal and Peoria customers a Bread, Cheese and Gelato CSA in 2012.  What does this mean?  If you become our CSA member, you will get biweekly shares of either bread, cheese or goat milk gelato. You can sign up for one, two or all three of the shares and within each share type there are options for quantities of each. For more details about dates, pricing, pickup location, etc. Go to the CSA signup page.

The spring like temperatures have made us antsy to sell cheese so, we've decided to attend the Green City Market this coming Saturday, February 4th at the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum (8AM to 1PM). Nat, one of our cheesemakers, will be there with little bells on selling some winter cheese gems. So, if you're a Chicago resident, Saturday is your lucky day. We will have some plain chevre on hand (previously frozen but this does not alter the flavor or texture of the cheese one bit), our raw milk tomme "Moonglo, " our grating style raw sheep milk cheese "Kaskaskia" and the debut of our late lactation raw milk "Huckleberry Blue."  All of these cheeses would be a great addition to any Super bowl soiree you might be planning, or just buy them and enjoy them in the privacy of your own kitchen. 

Champaign Urbana residents who pre-ordered their cheeses through Blue Moon Farm can pick up your orders on Saturday, February 4th from 9-11AM. 

NEW CSA FOR BLOOMINGTON NORMAL-PEORIA CUSTOMERS

On other fronts, while winter is supposed to be our "down time," we are very busy planning for the 2012 cheese making and farm dinner season.  For patrons in the Bloomington-Normal and Peoria regions, we will be offering a "Cheese and Bread CSA." The cheese comes from us, and the bread comes from Katic Breads, artisan breadmakers who have been selling their old world style breads at the Bloomington Farmers' Market last season.  We will send out another email in the next few days with the details of this CSA and how to sign up.

FARM DINNER SCHEDULE AND RESERVATION RELEASES

We have received MANY inquiries about the farm dinner dates for 2012, so I thought it timely to let you all know some of our plans. We will be offering 14 dinner dates starting in late May and running every two weeks through December 1st.  As in years past, we have our wonderful and talented farm chef, Alisa DeMarco, doing most of the dinners, in addition to several guest chefs. To ensure that all of our mailing list members receive ample notice about posting of the dates/reservations on the website, we will send out an email about one week prior to the release date. We are also going to stagger the release dates of the dinners in groups of about five dinners. So, the first release will occur in late February for the first five dinners of the season. The second release date will occur sometime in early June for the next four dinner dates, and the third release date will occur in early September for the final five dinner dates. This should ensure that more people have an opportunity to sign up for at least one dinner.  I hope this alleviates some of your concerns. Stay tuned in late February for more details. 

We are looking forward to another stellar weather week and hoping for fast regrowth, as we cut everything pretty hard for the last pickup.

We'll be closing orders on Tuesday night at 10pm.  Our time and location remain the same: Lincoln Square Village from 9-11 behind the Common Ground Food Co-op

Some items may sell out more quickly this week, such as beets (goodbye until spring) and arugula. We have two new items this week: claytonia (please read the description in the order list) and Huckleberry Blue from Prairie Fruits Farm. Cilantro and braising mix are on break until regrowth occurs.

About the pickup process: it was smoother last week until 10:55 when the "feeding frenzy" began. I hope everyone who ordered produce got it. Next week we will not open up sales of non-extras until a little past 11, to avoid the panic. Sorry again to the folks who didn't get their eggs.  This week, I typed in the correct quantity.

To reiterate the unit quantities: spinach and salad mix are sold in units, or increments of .5#, or half pounds.Turnips, beets,and carrots are sold in units, or increments of 1#, or full pounds. If you order 2 units of salad mix, that is a pound of salad. If you order 2 units of beets, that is 2 pounds of beets.

To go straight to ordering, click on the link: www.bluemoonfarm.biz/products-page/

For first time users, go to our info section: www.bluemoonfarm.biz/about/winter-market-how-it-works/

We still welcome all feedback, please email us at bluemoonfarmurbana@gmail.com

Thanks and enjoy your week.

FOR CHAMPAIGN-URBANA AND OTHER CENTRAL ILLINOIS PATRONS: On the local food front, Blue Moon Farm's pre-order system for veggies, cheese and some eggs (very limited quantity) is now live on their website. Below is their message about what's available and how to order. Please note that their cut-off date for ordering is this TUESDAY, JANUARY 17TH.  They need sufficient time to harvest everything so it's ready for you to pick up on Saturday January 21st from 9-11AM (inside Lincoln Square Mall, Behind Common Ground Food Coop).  Here's the full message:

Greetings all. Thanks to everyone for a relatively smooth, if a little crowded, pick up last Saturday.

 Ordering is open and  will close Tuesday at 10pm for Saturday's Pickup at Lincoln Square Village. The hours for the pickup are 9-11am.

That's right, we close at 11am on Saturday. 

The weather is too unpredictable to keep the ordering open until Thursday. We need to have the week for harvesting.

We have limited amounts of arugula available this week. Tatsoi is on hiatus  We are offering a braising mix this week which consists of small leaves of tatsoi, mizuna, red mustard and kale. We will also have salad mix, spinach, kale, chard, parsley, cilantro, mache, beets, turnips, carrots, and a variety of cheeses and eggs from Prairie Fruits Farm. 

We changed the increments on the order sheet to reduce confusion. Spinach and salad mix are in .5# units, or increments. Turnips, beets, and carrots are in 1# units, or increments. Thanks for everyone's patience last week with the confusing variety of unit sizes. Another note about the order form: if you do not see a product listed, then it is either sold out or on hiatus. 

Please don't write out a check beforehand with the amount written in. The prices are going to vary slightly at the pickup. It's hard to get exact weights on things, so you may end up paying slightly more or less than the total given to you on the website. Also, no products are completely guaranteed, given the weather. 

Here is the link to the order form http://www.bluemoonfarm.biz/products-page/.

If you are new to this whole process, visit this page: http://www.bluemoonfarm.biz/about/winter-market-how-it-works/

 We welcome all feedback. Please email us at bluemoonfarmurbana@gmail.com

Have a great week and see you on Saturday. 

Clearly, Chippewa (aka Chippy) is enjoying her evergreen treat--notice her eyes are closed to fully savor the douglas fir flavor.   Roxanne, below, framed in green garland deliciousness, glows with the joy of the season:

In keeping with the spirit of green, Wes and I attempted to crown Jemimah, the donkey with a wreath of fir boughs, but she, who is NOT a goat, would have nothing of it. Here's Wes trying to convince her that evergreens are good but she wasn't buying it:

Little Ritchie, our once fertile La Mancha buck (now a docile wether with a full rabbinic beard), was much more cooperative:

He did want to eat his head wreath, but he cooperated for the sake of a photo opp. Yes, sometimes we just have too much fun! 

This Saturday, December 17th, we attend our last farmers' markets of the season: Urbana's Holiday Market inside Lincoln Square Mall and Chicago's Green City Market inside the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum.  Both run from 8AM to 1PM.  It feels like only yesterday we were setting up outside for the first markets of the season.  The last one is always bittersweet.  While we pine for our winter break from milking and cheesemaking, we'll miss all of the great customers we've come to know this year and from years' past.  To ring out the 2011 season with full regalia, we're bringing LOTS of cheese for you to enjoy with friends and family over the holidays:

• Fresh chevre (of course): plain, herbs de Provence, cracked black peppercorn
• Little Bloom on the Prairie--the last batch of the season, made with our wonderfully rich milk, is sure to be a crowd pleaser at any holiday gathering
• Black goat-the delicate little discs of slightly aged goat cheese dusted in vegetable ash--perfect for the holiday cheese plate or even with a salad of fresh winter greens
• Moonglo--take a wedge of our raw goat milk tomme to your friend's party and watch the guests sink their teeth into a slice along with a hearty glass of red wine!!
• Kaskaskia--this hard raw sheep milk cheese made in the early summer is the perfect garnish for a hearty winter stew or some roasted brussel sprouts

Lastly, we will be selling our silky sweet goat milk cajeta (Mexican style caramel sauce): $12 for an 8 ounce jar. It goes wonderfully with ice cream (sorry we don't have gelato to sell you, but you can buy another premium frozen dessert and not hurt our feelings), but it is also sublime with sliced fresh apples (still widely available at the farmers' markets). 

At this time of holiday celebrations, we take stock of all the wonderful things that have happened to us this year: our top notch employees, our prolific and loving goats, the arrival of our new guard donkey, a fantastic season of farm dinners and other on-farm events and YOU our patrons.   We thank you!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND AN EASY WINTER TO YOU ALL!!

This Saturday, I'll be at the Urbana's Holiday Market inside Lincoln Square Mall from 8AM to 1PM.  I've got a great line up of cheeses to offer our market patrons this week:

• Fresh chevre, of course--plain, herbs de Provence and cracked black peppercorn
• Angel Food--this is the last of the season of our goat milk brie, so get it while it lasts
• Little Bloom on the Prairie-super luscious goat milk camembert--perfect for holiday parties
• Moonglo--our early fall batches are coming ripe now, so we should have plenty for your holiday needs
• Kaskaskia-our hard, raw sheep milk cheese that has been aging for about six months, slightly salty and somewhat nutty, it's perfect for grating over those winter stews and roasted veggies

We are a seasonal dairy which means that our does are bred in the fall (October-November) and have their kids in the spring (March-April). Goats lactate (produce milk) for about nine months, so our milking season begins in March and ends in December of each year. This gives the girls (and us) a two month break to rest up before the next round of kids arrives. As soon as they freshen (have their kids and start producing milk), we start producing cheese a new.We milk the does twice a day—5AM and 5PM, just like a cow dairy. They come in to the milking parlor either from their spacious Coverall Barn or from the pastures and line up on our 14-doe milk stand. They are usually lining up at the door to come in as they know they’re getting grain during milking. We follow sanitary practices to keep the milk and the girls’ teats and udders clean. We first sanitize their teats using a moisturizing iodine teat dip, strip out the milk in the teat, then dry off the teats before connecting the inflations of the milking machine. Hygiene goes a long way toward keeping the does healthy. After milking, their teats are sanitized again, and they then get sent on their way back to the barn for more hay or out to the pastures to graze.As the girls are being milked, the milk is pumped directly into our refrigerated bulk tank, which is located in a separate room called the “milk house.” The milk is kept cold in the bulk tank until it is time to make cheese. We make cheese every other day, so the milk is very fresh. On the days that cheese is made, the milk is transferred from the bulk tank through stainless steel pipes to the pasteurizer in the cheese make room or “cheeserie.”

We used to milk our herd using a small bucket milking machine that could milk two does at a time. We would bring up seven does on the milk stand, clean and sanitize their teats, and then put on the inflations for milking. After milking, we would hand carry the full bucket and pour it into the refrigerated bulk tank. This system worked well for use for our first two years of production.

 In the spring of 2008, we installed a new 14-doe pipeline milking system. This means that we can have 14 does come into the parlor at once, and milk 7 at a time.  The milk is pumped automatically into our refrigerated bulk tanks in the next room over.  The pipeline system is cleaned automatically after milking using a "clean in place" or CIP system. Warm water flushes the milk out of the lines, followed by a hot water detergent rinse and then a mild acid rinse. We can now milk 70 does in about one hour! It used to take us close to 2 hours to milk 30 does.

Sanitizing the teats using an iodine teat dip.

Milk flowing into inflations will be pumped to our refrigerated bulk tank in the next room over from the milking parlor. Photos courtesy of Kate Arding

The long line of heads focused in Jemimah's direction, all ears pointed towards her, was classic goat intrigue (sadly, we didn't get that image on film). They ran back and forth from each end of the barn every time Jemimah took a step towards them. Within a few minutes, they had calmed down some, and a few of the goats--Ritchie and Larissa in particular (both La Mancha, mind you) cautiously approached their adjoining fence.  Jemimah got distracted by her first carrot and some delicious alfalfa hay, and soon the goats were going about their usual business--eating their own hay, ruminating, taking a little nap.  As Jemimah settles into her new home, we'll gradually give her supervised contact visits with the goats so she bonds with them. I am very optimistic that she will win the goats over with her calming, sweet and mellow personality. Her real job begins in the spring when we will have her on night patrol to protect our newborn goat kids from unwanted predators.

Last Farm Dinner of the Season

In our now traditional fashion, we'll close out the farm dinner season with a beer & cheese dinner in partnership with our friends at the Blind Pig Microbrewery.  This dinner is sold out, but I will post the menu on our website: www.prairiefruits.com (under the "Dinners on the Farm"heading, followed by "Dinner Descriptions and Make Reservations" and then under the heading of the December 3rd Beer and Cheese Fete).  We'll be serving some beers especially made for the meal along with others that our chef Alisa and Brew Meister, Bill Morgan have selected to accompany each course. It should be lots of fun--a great way to close out a wonderful dinner season--Thank You to all of our dinner guests. Stay tuned for notices about the 2012 dinner season in the early new year. 

Farmers Markets and Cheese

We're attending TWO farmers' markets this Saturday, December 3rd: Urbana's Holiday Market and Chicago's Green City Market. Both run from 8AM to 1PM and both are indoors--warm and civilized.  Our repertoire is limited, but the cheeses are rich and creamy.

• Fresh chevre--plentiful--plain, herbs de Provence, cracked peppercorn
• Angel Food--goat milk brie
• Little Bloom on the Prairie-goat milk camembert (limited quanities)

All of these cheeses would be wonderful additions to all those holiday parties you'll be attending. Don't forget to stock up on chevre for the winter.  We will have more cheeses available as the holidays approach, so stay posted. As always, thank you for your patronage.

Tomorrow, both Urbana and Champaign business associations are encouraging holiday shoppers to patronize local businesses. In the spirit of "buy local," I'm encouraging you to come to the Urbana farmers' market inside Lincoln Square Mall tomorrow. The farmers will be back in their usual location on the south entrance of the mall (near Art Mart).  I know food is probably the last thing on your minds after thanksgiving feasts, but why not consider food as gifts for family or friends and your out of town guests?  You can show off the bounty of central Illinois' food producers. We will be there to serve you with plenty of:

• chevre--plain,herbs de Provence, cracked black peppercorn
  
• Angel Food (it's on sale this weekend-another nod to post thankgiving shopping deals)
• Little Bloom on the Prairie
• and a few Black Goat rounds.

I may also have a few jars of pickled green tomatoes (goes GREAT with all that leftover turkey) and our ever so chic organic cotton CSG t-shirts.  I hope to see you there!!