from stasis to squirreling
Farm News
It is hard to argue with blue skies, dry air and temperatures in the low '80's. Yet, the soil is showing signs of thirst, and the herb garden plants look flaccid without the help of a sprinkler. Despite the lack of rain of late, our hay farmers have managed to pull off a beautiful cutting of alfalfa that was delivered this week. This is the time of year when we plan for the leaner times ahead. Soon, our barns and hayloft will be stacked to the ceilings with hay and straw to get us through until next spring. Wes has been busy planting sorghum-Sudan grass—a very fast growing and super nutritious cover crop-that we plan to cut for home grown hay too. The goats eat it like candy! Soon, he'll be overseeding a cover crop of cereal rye so that we don’t leave any fields bare this winter.
The signs of seasonal change are everywhere. The barn swallows fledged their second clutch of chicks from the beautiful mud nests they built in the ceiling of our porch. I tolerate the piles of bird droppings on the porch floor because these voracious insect eaters keep our environs mosquito free. The purple martins are still here, but the bountiful young martins are spending less time around the house, anticipating their great migration. The hummingbirds are frequenting the nectar feeder, stocking up on energy for their inevitable journey south. The dairy crew are getting the bucks ready for breeding season—making sure their hooves are trimmed, their horn scurs are clipped, and their body condition is in top form. In the final weeks of August, the tug of war of change plays out: the stasis of summer is gradually eclipsed by the stockpiling of fall.
Happenings this Weekend at the Farm and Beyond
Weekend Wine & Cheese Flights
We have some great old favorites and some new wines in our store, and we’re excited to share them with you alongside our cheeses. Currently, our staff will pick a white, a rose and a red to pair with three of our cheeses each weekend. We’ll serve the wine & cheese flight with a rustic baguette bread from Publican Quality Breads in Chicago. $25/person (must be 21 or older) gets you this amazing flight with some surprises every weekend. All of our wines come from wineries and vineyards using sustainable agriculture practices; most are organic and/or biodynamic and/or regenerative. Just ask our staff for the details if you’re curious.
No need to reserve; just ask for the flight when you come to the farm store.
Book your reservations now for a very special cheese tasting event on Labor Day Weekend. We are super excited to welcome author and cheese lover Erika Kubick to the farm on Sunday, Sept. 4th from 5:30-7 pm. Join us for a transcendent “Cheese Church” service with author and cheese preacher Erika Kubick, in celebration of her book “Cheese Sex Death: A Bible for the Cheese Obsessed!” She’ll start off the class with a “sermon” on the basics of cheese worship before leading us through a tasting featuring five of our cheeses, each paired with an artisan accompaniment. After the class, you'll have the chance to shop at our farm store or pick up a copy of Erika’s book.
Tickets are $40, plus $5 for charcuterie. Beverages and gelato are available for purchase on site. Feel free to arrive early and play with the goats before class! Ticket sales are brisk, so don't delay in reserving your spot!
Farm Open Hours
This weekend (and all weekends through the end of the year) we’re open 11-5 both Saturday and Sunday. Shop our farm store and sample some of our award-winning cheeses. The weather is looking decent-slight chance of rain, but not enough to deter you.
Enjoy a cheese and charcuterie board under our pavilion with a bottle of organic and/or biodynamic wine or local microbrew. Want something cool? Try our delicious goat milk gelato! Of course, there is lots of opportunity to engage with the goats—the mommas and the babies LOVE visitors. We recently moved the pen of the teenage goat girls, so come check them out and feed them some tree leaves or sorghum-Sudan grass (right next to their pen)!!
The secret ingredient to our amazing cheeses and gelato is our MILK! You too can experience our milk in its purest form! Our milk super fresh (usually less than one day old) and clean. We are permitted to sell raw milk from the farm (Illinois Dept. of Public Health). Curious what it tastes like? We will have samples for you to try-just ask.