Farm News
The week of mid-summer heat and humidity has been eclipsed by some cooler temps and drier air-the summer is fleeting and the signs of change are all around the farm. The purple martins have abandoned their house; freeloading English sparrows have begun to move in, dragging their messy strands of grass and hay into the house. The barn swallows are just about to fledge their third clutch of the season; the fledglings are nearly too big to fit in the nest. They peer out of the rim of the well-made mud nest in the eave of our front porch, inspecting human and canine passersby and waiting for their parents to bring them food.
The monarch caterpillars are plump from the gorging’s on milkweed leaves. The tomatoes are starting to ripen, and the grape vines have completely engulfed the arbor. The goat pastures are still lush, thanks to frequent summer rains. Our thought will be turning to breeding season soon enough; the goats will probably have those thoughts well before we are ready.
Farm Open Hours—CHECK OUT OUR NEW “FARM BAR”--YOU GOTTA COME SEE ALL THE CHANGES!
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) and scones from Alchemy Coffee & Bakehouse (Wilmette IL) round out the menu. Grab a goat milk yogurt parfait, just because! Sunday brunch “Bloody Mary’s” will feature organic tomatoes from Blue Moon Farm (Urbana IL) and local Vodka from Down East Vodka. Not only that, we have some amazing wines that you can’t find anywhere else in Champaign-Urbana! Hours will be:
Fridays, 4-8 pm
Saturdays, 10-8 pm
Sundays, 10-5 pm
Farm Dinner Tickets are FINALLY AVAILABLE! We have a few dates and themes set, so check them out and book your reservations. These will go fast so don’t delay. More dates coming!
Urbana’s Market at the Square: Featured Items Going to Market This Saturday-7 am to 12 noon
SO MUCH CHEESE! So hard to choose (so get a few). The weather will be perfect, so no excuses. Bring a cooler or insulated bag to keep your cheese & gelato in good condition while you shop.
STILL NEWS FLASH: 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:
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. Enjoy with crusty baguette or some grilled summer squash.—we are making a fresh batch today, so this won’t be available at the market until at least 9 am!
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!
Mascarpone-style cream cheese-this is a one-off (a happy accident in the cheese vat in fact), but the texture and flavor of this fresh cow’s milk cheese is perfect for recipes calling for mascarpone or cream cheese.
Fresh chevre
Plain
Herbs de Provence
Cracked peppercorn
Angel Food-goat “crottin” style bloomy (nice ‘n ripe, brie-like)
Black goat-ash-ripened bloomy-rich “fudgy” texture that I love so much
Little Bloom on the Prairie-our goat milk camembert-perfectly ripe; try with spring honey
Pelota Roja-early spring milk! raw goat milk Manchego style cheese with a guajillo chile-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 just ahead 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.
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.