Little goat recovery and the power of caprine sisterhood, farm offerings and happenings, job opening
Farm News
Certain goats get under your skin. Some are born with bubbling personalities that persist well into adulthood. Others blend into the herd yet exhibit their superpowers under adversity. Almost a week ago, we lost our beloved Lapiz, the infamous escape goat with her own Instagram highlight and following; the goat who preferred the company of humans over her own kind (except for his sister Larimar). Her Houdini antics simultaneously exasperated us and made us laugh; she was truly a goat from another planet.
As with so many stories of grief, there are cases of joy that soften the sadness. Such is the story of Tiramisu and her sister Flan (yes, this year’s naming theme is food dishes). Tiramisu and Flan, daughters of Belle of Georgia, were living their idyllic post-weaning life in the orchard throughout most the spring and summer. A few weeks ago, we decided to move this large group of over 50 replacement does to the south farm pasture. The goat parade (with Erica as pied piper and several other folks keeping the kids moving along the pathway) went off without much fanfare. The doelings seemed excited about their lush new pasture.
When Wes went back to the orchard to retrieve their feeders and hutches, he found two doelings left behind—one was caught in the hay feeder-Tiramisu- and the other was lying by her side-her sister Flan. Both were in shock, but Tiramisu had clearly sustained serious injury to her front leg. We set them up in a separate pen and provided food and water. After a day or two, Flan was back to normal, but it was clear that Tiramisu couldn’t stand; her leg very swollen. We took her to the vet clinic where they determined that her leg was not broken but severely infected. After a week of antibiotics and rigorous physical therapy, she began to stand, not putting weight on her injured leg. We kept her wound clean and it slowly began to heal. All along, her sister Flan was by her side, keeping up her spirits.
Today, with the wound heeled, and the leg adorned a snazzy new vet wrap bandage, she and her sister rejoined the group of doelings. Despite the usual head butting rituals from her new barn mates, Tiramisu is holding her own and holding her head high, with her sister Flan keeping a watchful eye (even though she can’t resist a romp in the play house).
Farm Open Hours—CHECK OUT OUR “FARM BAR”—ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST LOCAL FOOD AROUND!
Guests can enjoy artfully crafted cheese and charcuterie boards, small bites highlighting what’s local and in season and weekly specials. Breads from Publican Quality Bread (Chicago, IL), goat-milk yogurt parfaits and scones from Alchemy Coffee & Bakehouse (Wilmette IL) round out the menu. Sunday brunch “Bloody Mary’s” will feature organic tomatoes from Blue Moon Farm (Urbana IL). Need more enticing? Come try some amazing wines that you can’t find anywhere else in Champaign-Urbana! This week’s featured menu items include:
· Cheese boards
· Charcuterie Boards featuring Piemonte Sausage Co. and Underground Meats salumi
· Publican Quality Bread crostini du jour (changes weekly)
· Watermelon and Cucumber wedges with honey-yogurt dipping sauce
· All PFFC caprese salad—our very own fresh mozzarella, farm tomatoes and basil with olive oil and balsamic drizzle
We’ve started a NEW tradition of wine flights! We’ll feature three wines from our Organic & Biodynamic Portfolio for a set price.
Hours are:
Fridays, 4-8 pm
Saturdays, 11-8 pm
Sundays, 11-5 pm
In the farm store, we now feature vegetables from new farmer “Open Hands Farm.” This weekend’s offerings include: tomatoes, okra, garlic, green beans, potatoes, beets and chard.
Farm Dinner Tickets are AVAILABLE! We have a few dates and themes set, so check them out and book your reservations. The dinner with Chef Paul Virant is now SOLD OUT! BUT…We still have tickets for the Sunday Dinner Club “Cucina Italiana” dinner on Thursday, September 23rd. Other dinners and events are in the works, so stay tuned for those.
Urbana’s Market at the Square: Featured Items Going to Market This Saturday-7 am to 12 noon
It’s peak summer bounty time at the farmers’ market this weekend. We’re right there with our fellow veggie and fruit farmers; all of our cheeses can be paired with so many of these produce gems—simple prep is the key to enjoy the amazing flavors! The weather is summer-like, but not unbearably hot. Bring a cooler to keep your cheese and gelato in peak condition.
NEW NEWS FLASH: We now have a third award winning cheese to add to our accolades—our ash-ripened “black goat” won a silver medal in the inaugural New York International Cheese Competition. We are so proud!
Don’t forget too: OUR RAW MILK “PELOTA ROJA” IS BACK IN THE CHEESE LINEUP! Come grab a wedge of this 2021 Good Food Award winning cheese, inspired by Spanish style raw goat milk cheeses. Early spring milk makes these early batches taste AMAZING!
Can’t make it to the market? No worries! Order from our online store for farm pick up either Saturday or Sunday during farm open hours.
Here’s the line-up of offerings for this weekend:
Fresh Mozzarella! Yes, you read that right! We are now making fresh mozzarella with the amazing cow milk from Rocky Road Dairy. Like all of our cheeses, we make this cheese as close to traditional methods as possible. Comes as a perfectly formed ball (approximately 5-6 oz)-perfect for your very own caprese salads as well as home made pizza!
Gidget’s Grilling Cheese-made with rich, grassfed cow’s milk from Rocky Road Farm. Grill or pan fry to get some nice caramelization on the outside. Drizzle with local honey and a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh herbs. Enjoy with crusty baguette or some grilled summer squash.
Artisan Cottage Cheese-summer milk from grazing cows makes an AMAZING cottage cheese. It is both gorgeous (lovely yellow in color-a testament to the grass the cows are eating) and delicious. If you think cottage cheese is boring, you really need to give this a try! It’s a game changer!
Fresh chevre
Plain
Herbs de Provence
Cracked peppercorn
Dried Tomato!! YES It’s BACK!!
Little Bloom on the Prairie our goat milk camembert-style; this batch is young but still worth enjoying, especially with sliced heirloom tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil!
Black goat-ash-ripened bloomy-rich “fudgy” texture that I love so much AWARD WINNING!
Fleur de la prairie-our goat milk bloomy with dried garden herbs and edible flowers-A 2021 Good Food Award Winner! Try with slices of early season apples.
Pelota Roja-FIRST OF THE SEASON! raw goat milk Manchego style cheese with a guajillo-olive oil rub—so good for shaving over a tomato and basil salad or grilled eggplant! 2021 GOOD FOOD AWARD WINNER!
Goat Milk Feta aged in Whey Brine-try with grilled peaches and a drizzle of honey (sweet and salty and sublime). Watermelon season is HERE for your feta-watermelon salads!
Goat Milk Yogurt—it makes a great smoothie or enjoy with your favorite granola and fresh berries-now available in both pints and quarts! We are featuring our yogurt in our farm kitchen’s parfaits this weekend.
Goat Milk Gelato by Pint (4-5 flavors at the market; many more at the farm)
If you’re interested in buying fresh raw goat milk, you can either order from our online store for farm pick up on the weekends, or just visit our farm store during open hours—now offering both quarts and half gallons in our refrigerated display case. NOTE: This weekend, we won’t have raw milk for sale until Sunday, August 22nd.
We’re HIRING!
We are seeking an experienced Part-Time Kitchen-Farm Store & Events Staff Member. The ideal candidate will have an interest in learning how to execute our new weekend “small bites” menu while also assisting with service from our “farm bar” and helping to execute our bi-monthly Farm to Table Dinners and private events. Experience in a commercial kitchen and proof of Illinois Food Handler’s License required. Additional qualifications include:
· Passion for food and cooking, especially using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients
· Cheese lover a big plus (we are a farmstead cheese producer after all, and our menu is very cheese-centric)!
· Excellent hygiene and attention to maintain safe food conditions in the kitchen
· Reliable, punctual, honest
· Ability to work in a seasonally hot kitchen
· Ability to multi-task (e.g., prepare simple foods, wash dishes, wait on customers, serve alcoholic beverages)
· Ability to work in a small team setting
Hours of availability needed are subject to change based on events, but candidate will primarily be scheduled Fridays-Sundays ( approx. 25 hours/week)
We value our employees and offer a competitive fair wage to all who work here. Ifyou or someone you know is interested in this position, please contact…
Lisa Wells, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery Event Planner at prairiefruitsevents@gmail.com Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in the position (and why you think you’re a good fit) along with a current resume.
Goats for Sale
Looking for a family milking goat or a 4-H project for your kids? Looking to build a small herd to make some goat milk soaps and skin care products? Looking to expand your commercial dairy goat herd? Want some goats to keep your invasive plants at bay? How about a few goats to take on hikes? We have what you’re looking for! Our goats are certified “Animal Welfare Approved,” registered through the American Dairy Goat Association AND super happy and healthy. Send us an email (prairiefruitsinfo@gmail.com) and we’ll let you know what we have available.