Farm News
Dateline christmas eve: sunny and warm, goats grazing in the pasture as if it was september. Fast forward a few days, incessant rain has turned to large flakes of snow, and the ruts in the driveway are lined with mud, leaves and rotting black walnuts. The back of the barns is squishy; the goats hesitate to move from one barn to the next, lest they get their hooves caked in mud. Untouched hay awaits those brave enough to venture out. The ground should be frozen or on its way to frozen by now, yet it is springy underfoot and the grass is pushing up green shoots. The end of calendar year is muddled by the confused weather.
The goats, now dry, are transitioning to all grass hay, vocalizing their displeasure with their austere winter diet. The creamery is quiet, save for packing orders and taking temperatures. We are gradually allowing ourselves to take a breath, to sleep in late, to defy the darkness with cooking large pots of soup.
Farm Happenings
Despite the calming vibe on the farm, we are still putting together some beautiful cheese platters for those of you hosting gatherings in celebration of the New Year. You can even order one of these just for you and your family and graze through it over several days. We have two sizes on offer, depending on your crowd and your appetites. Place your orders by noon tomorrow (Friday), and we will have it ready for you to pick up at the farm on Saturday, Dec. 30th, from 11 am to 1 pm.
The farm store will be open during those hours as well, in case you want to purchase cheese and all the perfect accompaniments a la carte. We even have some sparkling wine from Illinois Sparkling Co. to toast in the New Year. We're feeling generous, so the 15% store-wide discount applies to purchases made in the store this Saturday.
If you can't make it to the farm this Saturday, we are planning to attend the Champaign Urbana Indoor Winter Market on Saturday, January 6th, 8 am to 12 noon. Details of what we're bringing to follow next week.
We wish you all a healthy and happy new year, filled with delicious cheese!