Plums - in the quart basket, approx 2#

One of our old farmers is out of retirement - Rich Eshleman. He provided us amazing fruit for many years until he sold his farm and retired. Now he's bought back a block of the old farm and has some goodies for us again!

BERRIES

Black Raspberries - certified organic from Healthy Harvest in Middlefield. $4.25 per half pint or 2 for $7.5.

Blueberries - $7 or 2 for $12.50

Red Raspberries - done for the season

Cherries

The cherry supply pretty much dried up this week fast. We have about 100 bags projected to come in. Then we are hoping maybe next week to get the tart cherries.

A summer classic of slightly sweetened blueberries in a lattice topped crust.

Made with our signature crust of local butter, pork lard, and whole wheat flour, and topped with a sweet crumb topping.

Zucchini Bread- $6 - Back Again.

Our signature zucchini bread was a big hit last week. We keep it moist and naturally sweetened with homemade applesauce. Our little trick of the trade here.

Right now farmers around Ohio are racing to harvest their wheat. Then by late August, oats will come off.

Most wheat goes to the elevators or coops and is marketed as a commodity crop. But we are very fortunate to have Stutzman Farms and the work they are doing with local farmers to raise organic grains and some heirloom/ancient grains.

Traditional vs Modern Techniques



Most wheat today is harvested using a combine. It's a large implement that drives thru the field and separates the seeds from shaft. The seed is collected and the shaft is chopped up and blown out the back. This is later raked up as straw and used for bedding livestock.

Some local farmers - particularly the older orders of Amish - still grow wheat and harvest it the old fashioned way. It's really a sight to see. This includes:

1) Cutting the wheat into shocks - a bundle of wheat cut off at the ground and tied together.

2) Arranging into shocks and caps in the field. This allows the grain to stay up off the ground and to dry further before being thrashed.

3) Thrashing. Taking the shocks to an old fashioned thrasher that separates the wheat from the shaft, much like a combine.

This is a lot of work. But some think it has benefits. See below about "sprouting."

Modern vs Traditional Genetics



Most wheat's today are modern strands that grow shorter. This is because one of the struggles with older varieties of wheat is that when they grow tall and a big storm comes thru, they fall down. The combine can't harvest them off of the ground and that crop is wasted.

Older - or ancient and heirloom grains - tend to be taller and less productive. Grains like spelt and einkorn are in that category. It takes a very specialty market to grow these grains.

Sprouting happens naturally in a shock and cap

When wheat is harvested in a shock and cap arrangement, it stays in the field for weeks. It will get rained on for sure. The grain begins to sprout, but without soil and more moisture, it quickly dries out and dies off. This "sprouting" of the grain changes the nutrient profile. Different enzymes start to break down carbohydrates and proteins, making certain vitamins and minerals more available.

The change in proteins and carbohydrates also helps with digestion. It is easier to digest for some people, helping to reduce bloating and discomfort some people have with flour.

Sprouted grains have become a health craze in recent years. Big mills are trying to imitate the sprouting by having systems setup similar to a malting operation for a brewery. The grain is soaked, sprouted, then put into a kiln to slowly dry it back out. A similar result is achieved.

Try some new grains & breads this week

Stutzman Farms Is quite the operation to see. Monroe has engineered a mill from a variety of parts - some nearly 100 years old - to process wheat and other grains into flours.

ANCIENT GRAINS

Einkorn Flour - available in regular or sprouted

Spelt Flour - available in regular or sprouted

Ancient Grain Pancake Mix

Egyptian Barley - whole barley berries, great for soups, home flour grinding, or even making veggie burgers.

OATS - another popular grain, now available in Steel Cut Oats.

Breads - don't forget a good bread for your BLT

Quince Bakery Pretzel Buns - a chewy soft pretzel formed into a bun and topped with sea salt. Perfect for a hearty sandwich.

WVF Whole Wheat Bread - a generous loaf of whole wheat bread, perfect for toasting and sandwiches. Freezes great.

Eggs are one of our best-selling items, and we need to have them every week of the year.

The hens don't always work that way though. A hen's egg production is dependent on everything from age and nutrition to hours of daylight.

To stabilize the supply, we have multiple neighbors keeping small flocks of hens. The goal is to have hens of different ages so that when one flock is low in production, the others can fill in.

Right now, Jay (one of our bigger growers) is between flocks of hens. By that, I mean his old hens aren't laying and his new hens are just beginning. This is when you get Pullet Eggs. 

The Pullet is a Young Hen

It takes almost 20 weeks until the first eggs are collected. Because of this, it is difficult to keep a new flock and your existing flock on the same farm. Generally, young hens (called pullets) are bought from specialized operations where the farmer specializes in starting a hen.

The Hen starts laying slowly and small eggs

At first, a hen will start to lay a few eggs per week. They are small at first. These first eggs are called pullet eggs and usually not marketed. There is nothing wrong with them, they are just small.

For about a month, the hen lays small eggs, and they gradually size up to about 2 oz (large egg) by 22 weeks.

Egg production is determined by many factors

In addition to age of the hen, the egg production is determined by the amount of energy and protein in the diet, the number of hours of daylight, and even temperature.

When it's too hot, they won't eat as much. When they don't eat as much, they don't lay as many eggs.

Further, their hormones are stimulated by hours of daylight. Less than 14 hours and production dips.

Oh, and lastly, hide and go seek. That's the game a pasture based farmer plays when he has to find eggs the hens hide on pasture. Not all eggs make it back to the nesting boxes for easy collection.

Celebrate the Pullet Egg for just $2.65

Usually, we try to utilize all the pullet eggs in the kitchen for everything from cookies to eggnog. But right now, Jay is getting a lot, and we need help moving them quickly.

Time updates for the remainder of the season, effective this week (July 10 & 11).

Westlake - new hours, 3 to 6pm

Middleburg Heights - new hours, 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

Hudson - new hours, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Shaker Heights - new hours, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Like the weather, subject to change.