Hello
One of my employees asked me a good question the other day. She inquired about the change of seasons and if it means anything on a farm. Well, it means everything, but where do I start to explain?
Harvest is obvious, and so is putting up hay and getting feeds preserved for the animals for the winter. But I wanted to give her a more specific example; and coincidentally, this weeks bag is a good demonstration.
Eggs. A hen has a finite period in which she lays eggs. Generally, she will start laying eggs at 20 weeks of age (in contrast to the meat chicken that is slaughtered by week 9) and she will lay for approximately 60 weeks at maximum production. She can then be put into a "molt" in which she lays no eggs for 6 weeks, then she'll again produce eggs for approximately 40 weeks.
In nature, the change of the seasons usually induces a molt. The molt is triggered by a series of events, mostly the hours of daylight in a day. A hen needs 17 hours of daylight to maintain production. As the days get shorter, she will naturally go into a molt. Most farmers provide supplemental light to help prevent an early molt, and then they induce the molt by turning off the lights and reducing the feed.
The biggest challenge for farmers is managing a flock of hens and having another flock ready to start laying when the first flock is done. You can't mix them or there is no way to tell who is laying the eggs (other than feeling the vent on each bird, which we have done out of necessity but isn't practical). At some point the ones who are eating but not laying eggs have to be culled out.
Earlier this year with the pandemic, demand spiked as our production was winding down on an old flock and a new flock about to come on. We plan it so new hens are started in early February and ready to lay in early summer. They then lay for a little over a year and go into a molt in late fall, and again start to lay thru the remainder of the second summer. That third fall, the birds are at the end of their second laying period and it is time to replace them.
Right now, we are at that point and as our hens are winding down, some of our neighbors are keeping hens for us that are just reaching peak production. The overlap is allowing us to have abundant supply right now and for once feature eggs in this week's bag!
Sincerely,
Trevor
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Sweet Potato Pie with Cinnamon Streusel Top |
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Ashley was excited to see sweet potatoes coming in last week. They scream fall - a beautiful orange flesh that pairs well with so many warm fall spices.
So this week she is preparing a sweet potato pie decked out to the 9s.
She starts first with her signature whole wheat, lard, and butter pie crust. Inside, a rich sweet potato filling is spiced with nutmeg, clove, ginger, and cinnamon.
To dress it up and add a nice textural contrast, a crispy oat and cinnamon streusel topping is added.
And the finishing touch - a sticky house made coffee caramel sauce drizzled on top.
I'll take two please.
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The Turkeys Are Eating My Driveway |
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If you follow the Wholesome Valley Farm Instagram or Facebook page, you've probably seen most post a lot about turkeys this fall. They are a lot of work, but their personalities also make them quite enjoyable.
They will peck at anything. If there is a whole in a piece of metal, they will all take turns pecking at it. A hole in the ground. Well, the only logical thing to do is take a turn sticking your head down into it. And gravel in your driveway. Surely it must taste good.
But the gravel is no joke. Actually none of that is a joke, but the gravel has significance. The turkeys are eating a lot of small stones. In fact, farmers often put "grit" with their turkeys. That's just a fancy word for a specific size of granite.
The turkeys need the stones to help them chew. They don't have teeth, so to break down tough fibrous plant matter, they have to crush it in their gizzard between stones. The gizzard is a muscle that massages the food between the stones before passing it into the intestines.
Currently, our turkeys are eating approximately 6,000 lbs of feed per week, and an additional 300 lbs of grit. Yeah, they love their stones!
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You should have received an email over the weekend regarding our Thanksgiving offerings. They are now available for preorder.
The centerpiece of our offerings is of course the pasture raised turkeys. They will be processed the weekend before Thanksgiving and available for pickup on Monday, Nov 23 thru Wed, Nov 25.
Turkey preorders are available online. We do offer a weight range request; however, it is important to note that these birds are still walking, eating, and growing, and we will not know how much they weigh until we pick them up from the processor on Monday, Nov 23. We will do our best to match a turkey to your weight request but cannot promise.
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This is the wrong time of the year usually to be talking about maple sugaring, but with this week's breakfast themed bag, maple syrup is on point.
Maple syrup is really the first sign of spring. It means the trees are coming out of dormancy and getting ready to send energy from the ground to the leaves. The trees' sap is what transfers that energy.
Maple is made by concentrating the sap by evaporating the water out, leaving the golden, sticky sugary substance we call maple syrup. It takes a lot of evaporation. It varies from year to year, but in general it takes approximately 50 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. That's a lot of collecting, moving around, cooking, etc, just to get a gallon of product.
But the end result tastes so good, who can argue with the effort expelled.
Above is a photo of an old fashioned tap which holds a bag or a bucket to collect the sap. Today, most growers use a vacuum system that pulls the sap through the woods to a central collection point.
Below is a photo of the sap (200 oz), which looks like water, and the equivalent 4 oz jar of syrup it yields.
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Brussels Sprouts/Celery - As mentioned last week, half of the members would get sprouts and the other half celery. This week we will make the switch. There is some overlap on days so if you can check your tote at the truck to make sure you get the correct item.
Cauliflower/Red Cabbage - same as above, not all is ripe at once, so last week we did half the bags with red cabbage and half with cauliflower. This week that will switch.
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Small Omnivore
Eggs
Cornmeal Pancake Mix
Celery/Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Red Russian Kale
Red Cabbage/Cauliflower
Honeycrisp Apples
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Small Vegetarian
Eggs
Cornmeal Pancake Mix
Celery/Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Red Russian Kale
Red Cabbage/Cauliflower
Honeycrisp Apples
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Mini
Bunching Onions
Celery/Brussel Sprouts
Red Russian Kale
Honeycrisp Apples
Broccoli
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Large Omnivore
Eggs
Cornmeal Pancake Mix
Celery/Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Red Russian Kale
Red Cabbage/Cauliflower
Honeycrisp Apples
Maple Breakfast Links
Yukon Gold Potatoes 3#
Maple Syrup 16 oz
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Large Vegetarian
Eggs
Cornmeal Pancake Mix
Celery/Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Red Russian Kale
Red Cabbage/Cauliflower
Honeycrisp Apples
Yukon Gold Potatoes 3#
Maple Syrup 16 oz
Bunching Onions
Butternut Squash
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Small Vegan
Cornmeal Pancake Mix
Celery/Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Red Russian Kale
Red Cabbage/Cauliflower
Honeycrisp Apples
Butternut Squash
Bunching Onions
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Reminder: Carnivore Share bags are every-other-week based on pick-up location. You will be randomly assigned to a group (A, B, C). Check for the assignment in your last name. By the end of the season, all groups will have received the same amount of all products.
Week 20 Carnivore Schedule
Avon, Brecksville, Lakewood, Middleburg Heights, North Olmsted, Ohio City Provisions, Strongsville, Tremont, Westlake
**Carnivore share bags are only available at the first "dropoff location" listed on the location tab of your account as of 6/1. Carnivore shares cannot be transferred. We pack for the exact number based on location.**
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SPECIAL ORDER
Location Details
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Your special order will only be delivered only to your primary location as selected in your profile (see below). Please review this BEFORE placing your order (adjust + save as needed). Please do not email or call to change the location of your special order. It sounds easier said than done. Our software prints a pick list per location for what products we must take along. If we attempt to move it manually there is a high probability that we'll mess it up and no one will be happy.
Please leave the "new" location set in your profile until after you pick up your special order. You will have to log back into your account to change it back to your usual stop BEFORE you place your next order the following week.
When you get to your check-in, please let the greeter know you also have a special order to pick-up. The order is packed separate from the regular share.
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