Farm News
Beneath the tall very green grasses, the soil is soggy under foot. So goes another spring of too much rain and little time for drying before the next front blows in. Last week’s freeze may have dashed hopes of a peach crop; another year with no peaches is a hard pill to swallow. While the apple trees were dense with blossoms, the poor pollinators could scarce generate enough heat to beat their little wings.
As we wait for prolonged days of sunshine, the list of urgent projects grows. The barns await their clean out, and the compost needs to be spread. The seed for our new pastures sits in bags in storage, while the fencing needed to extend our grazing/browsing area lies in coils behind the barns. There’s little optimism in the forecast for the next few days. It’s time to accept what can be done. Hoof trimming is always popular.
Urbana’s Market at the Square-Shop While Social Distancing!
The forecast for Saturday is looking quite lovely (if it doesn’t change to rain!!). Why not make an outing to the Urbana Farmers’ Market in the morning, then cook up a storm with all the great local foods you'll find. The market is open with some restrictions to ensure the safety of farmers and patrons alike. If you haven’t already reviewed the markets rules for operation under “COVID 19 restrictions, please check them out on the “Market at the Square” website. We will be taking your orders at one section of our stand and fulfilling them in another. We will have a Square card reader set up for you to swipe your card for payment. If you bring cash, we will give you change (and sanitize our hands between transactions).
Remember, May is “American Cheese Month.” Help us keep the community of American Artisan and Farmstead Cheese Makers vibrant and thriving.
Here’s the line-up for this week:
Fresh Chevre $8/each
--plain
--herbs de Provence
--cracked peppercorn
--SEASONAL flavor—Fresh Chive & Lemon Zest $9—LAST CHANCE for this flavor-we’ll be changing up the seasonal flavor next week.
Angel Food-our little “crottin” style bloomies—young with dense fudgy paste and notes of lemon and mushroom $9/each
Black Goat—ash-rinded bloomy, slightly gooey in peak ripeness $10/each-VERY LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Fleur du Prairie-bloomy rind cheese adorned with dried herbs and edible flowers $11/each
Goat Milk Feta—aged in whey brine, tangy with a creamy-crumbly texture $7 each
Pelota Roja—raw milk, Manchego-style aged goat cheese with guajillo chile-olive oil rub on the rind—special cheese we make for Rick Bayless’ restaurants $7/wedge (limited availability)
If you don’t want to come to the market, no worries. You can order online by 10 AM Saturday for Farm Pick-Up between 1-4 pm.
Other Opportunities to Purchase Our Products
If you can’t make it to the Urbana Farmers’ Market or our Saturday Farm Pick Ups, you can order online for shipping. We ship on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week. There are also a number of retail establishments throughout central IL and the Chicagoland area.