Farm News
Little by little, we’re checking off the long list of tasks lingering from the spring. The soil was dry enough for Wes to plant the pasture this week. The stars were aligned, and the John Deere hitched up to the no-till drill planter without fail. The planter dispensed her seed into the soil as prescribed. The perfect placement was undermined by the three inches of rain we received in last night’s thunderstorm, but we’re hoping the seed had not germinated yet.
The fencing has begun as well. Today, we connected the yearling milkers with their new pasture paddocks. It was a joy to watch them wade and disappear into the tall grass. Of course, there were several timid does who hung back along the fence line to graze on the goodies on the other side of the fence (so typical of goats, always stretching for that tasty morsel just out of reach). After a while, they too gave in to the lush greenness awaiting them to the east. Next in line are the doelings, this year’s crop of kids. They watched in envy as the big girls kicked up their heels in the pasture. Their turn will come, next week, rain or no rain.
Urbana’s Market at the Square-Come early to get the best selections!
It’s going to be a gorgeous early June day on Saturday.
As you know by now, 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).
This week, we’re featuring one of the unsung heroes of our chevre repertoire—our cracked peppercorn chevre. We use freshly ground black pepper and mix into the chevre with just a hint of spiciness. We’ve put together a fantastic (easy and delicious) recipe for you this week featuring the cracked pepper chevre “Fresh local strawberries with whipped pepper chevre & balsamic glaze.” If you buy a pepper chevre, we’ll give you a copy of the recipe!
Fresh Chevre $8/each
--plain
--herbs de Provence
--cracked peppercorn
Angel Food-our little “crottin” style bloomies—last chance for the ultimate gooey ripe Angel Food before the next batch hits the market $9/each
Little Bloom on the Prairie: our goat milk camembert style cheese-young but loaded with rich-buttery flavor $11/each
Black Goat: our ash-ripened bloomy; it’s ooey-gooey and deliciously funky $11/each
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
If you can’t make it to the market, no worries. You can order online by 10 AM Saturday for Farm Pick-Up between 1-4 pm. Gelato pints will be returning to the line up for farm pick up ONLY starting next weekend (June 13th).
Other Opportunities to Purchase Our Products
If you’re not able to buy our cheeses in person, you can order online for shipping. We ship on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week. There are also a growing number of retail establishments throughout central IL and the Chicagoland area. New to the list this week are Publican Quality Meats in Chicago and Carnival Foods in Oak Park. Café Cancale Marche just joined the list too. We’ve got some other exciting partnerships in development. Stay tuned for details soon.
As restaurants reopen in limited capacity, several are featuring our cheeses-shout outs to Vie Restaurant (Western Springs, IL) and Sunday Dinner Club (Chicago).
Reopening the farm
As the state slowly relaxes the restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, we will be working on plans to re-open the farm to visitors. We are hoping to open the farm by mid-June, and we hope to offer opportunities for visitors to experience the farm safely. We are still hoping to host a few “Dinners on the Farm,” but these probably won’t happen until later in the summer or early fall.