Farm News
The sun is shining, the air is warming, and the goats are lounging. The pasture grasses are stunted mottled green and brown, yet the trees are mostly bare. The ambiguity of November weather is upon us. This week, the milking goats did a barn swap: those who are already bred moved over to the barn next door and those yet to be bred moved into the barn with the breeding pens. Elvis, now sporting a yellow marking crayon, got right down to business mounting his does, leaving them drenched in yellow, looking like someone spilled ballpark mustard on their behinds. Our newest breeding buck, Mojito, bedecked with a fire-engine red marking crayon, is serving as “clean up” buck for any supposedly pregnant does who might come back into heat.
The surely-pregnant does have the look—a cross between serenity and boredom-they seem content in their bodies’ “knowledge” that they are “settled” (livestock parlance for pregnant). Their pace is slower, their udders more deflated. They sunbath in the diffuse light of shorter afternoons. They meander over to their favorite scratching log. They half-heartedly head butt, just to let the challenging does know who’s still on top. They acquiesce to the now once daily milking routine, but their ambivalence is obvious. Baby making is underway.
Farm Happenings
Wine and Cheese on the Farm? Yes please!
We are one of the few places in Champaign-Urbana where you can get a curated wine and cheese flight. We carry some great organic and/or biodynamic wines. We try to change up the wines and the cheeses almost every weekend so you can come often to try a variety. We serve the wine & cheese flight with a rustic baguette bread from Publican Quality Breads in Chicago or with Potters Crackers. $25/person (must be 21 or older) gets you this amazing flight of three wine pours and three cheeses with some surprise accompaniments every weekend. All of our wines come from small family-owned wineries and vineyards using sustainable agriculture practices. Just ask our staff for the details if you’re curious.
Introducing our newest creation: cheese & charcuterie cones!! Basically, it’s a cheese plate for one served inside a stylish paper cone-includes cheese, salami, pickles, bread and a few little treats. I am super excited about this concept, and we’ve received great feedback from our patrons. You can enjoy a cone ($15) while you visit with the goats!! Or sit under the pavilion by the chimenea with your cone and a glass of wine or beer!
Our sweet OR savory Halloween chevre boats were so popular last weekend, we’re extending their offering through this weekend. The “sweet:” plain chevre, local apple chips and house-made caramel sauce; the “savory:” pepper chevre, house-made sweet red pepper sauce and Publican baguette bread. $10 gets you either one! Wash it down with hot spiced apple cider (from Shady Crest Orchard in Arthur) with our without local bourbon.
Farm Open Hours: See for yourself what makes our cheeses so exceptional
We’re open 11-5 both Saturday and Sunday through the end of December. The weather will be warm but fall-like, with a slight chance of rain on Saturday. You can sit outside and enjoy a cheese & wine flight, a cheese in a cone or a “build your own” cheese board. Shop our farm store and sample some of our award-winning cheeses.
We also have some great beers and hard ciders in the cooler. Want something sweet and creamy? Try our delicious goat milk gelato! Of course, there are lots of opportunities to engage with the goats—the mommas and the teenagers LOVE visitors. You can get some lovin’ from the pregnant mommas along the east fence line behind the red barns. The interactive goat "play pen" is right next to our Sorghum-Sudan Grass Cover Crop Forest. We can NO LONGER feed the Sorghum-Sudan grass to the goats after a frost (even a light frost produces cyanide in the plant!!). This is the last weekend for the teenage goat play pen-they will be leaving the farm to become members of another milking herd in southern Indiana.
Sunday Goat “Amble” returns this Sunday!
The warm weather continues into the weekend, so we’ve decided to offer a goat hike this Sunday at 1:30 pm. Take a leisurely stroll with the teenage goats along the eastern edge of the farm. It’s absolutely gorgeous back there! Indeed, it’s a part of the farm that visitors rarely get to experience. The walk lasts for about 40 minutes and concludes with guests enjoying a scoop of gelato. Cost per person is $20 (includes gelato). Limited to 10 guests, so show up early to buy your tickets in the farm store. No reservations required.
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.
If you don’t have time to peruse our farm store in person, but you need some milk or cheese or accompaniments, you can always order from our online store for pick up at the farm during weekend open hours. Just let us know if you’re picking up on Saturday or Sunday in the “NOTES” section (before checking out).
We’ve also got some great local products, including artisan jams, local honey, hot sauces, preserves and salamis. Don’t forget to check out the gorgeous locally made pottery, PFFC t-shirts, onesies and tea towels.
The farm is open on weekends RAIN OR SHINE! We have ample seating inside our farm store if you want to stay and enjoy a cheese & charcuterie board or linger over a cup of gelato or a glass of wine. If the weather is cool, we’ll have a warming fire going in the chimenea under the pavilion.
Order a Cheese Gift Box
With the cooler fall weather, now is a great time to send a cheesy gift box to a friend or family member OR just order one for yourself if you don’t live close by. We have some unique and delicious gift box options OR you can order a variety of different cheeses a la carte. Check out the selections and order away. We ship on Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week.
Please make sure you select either Retail 1-2 ground (for shipments in the Midwest) OR Retail 2nd Day Air (for shipments to the coasts) when you’re ready to check out of the online store.
Order Your Holiday Cheese & Charcuterie Platters for Thanksgiving Entertaining!! Online pre-orders are open NOW. We make these platters to order, so don’t delay in placing your order. Your guests will be very happy!
Starting this Saturday, we’re moving inside the Lincoln Square Mall. The indoor CU Winter Market (run by The Land Connection) is held every Saturday from 8-12. PLEASE continue to support your farmers through the holiday season. We still have so much great cheese!
Here's the lineup of cheeses and dairy products you can expect to find in our farm store and at the farmers’ market this weekend:
Moonglo!! Our raw goat’s milk "tomme-style” cheese!! Sharp, nutty, slice it! Melt it!
Fresh Chevre: plain, herbs de Provence, cracked pepper 2022 American Cheese Society 1st Place Medal!
Little Bloom on the Prairie (mixed milk): camembert style—YOUNG THIS WEEK
Angel Food (mixed milk): crottin (mini-brie) style-perfectly ripe this weekend; pair with our farmstead honey-sold as a small round, wedge or whole wheel (these large format wheels are closer to the true size of a brie style cheese). We have some beautifully ripe & gooey whole wheels that weigh about one pound.
Feta in Whey Brine: mixed milk is back, and boy is it delicious-creamy, luscious with the perfect tang-- or warmed in the oven with roasted tomatoes and fresh thyme.
Not sure what to do with feta now that salad weather is on the wane? Here are some suggestions:
--crumble over a hearty stew or chili
--bake in the oven with good extra-virgin olive oil, kalamata olives, fresh thyme sprigs and sundried tomatoes
--put on top of your house-made pizza
--crumble over tacos or refried beans (in place of Mexican grating cheese)
Goat Milk Yogurt (pints and quarts)-ALL GOAT MILK YOGURT is back for a limited engagement-nice thick body from high-solids fall milk; slight yogurt tang
House-made pumpkin butter, house-made pickles, roasted “Blue Moon Farm” shishito pepper jam—all great accompaniments for our cheeses
Raw goat milk (half gallons or quarts)-farm store only
Not local? No problem. We ship nationwide. You can order our cheeses and gift boxes from our online store.