Stokesberry Sustainable Farm

Fall is here, and with that comes changes.  One of our WWOOFers (Jack) is moving on today.  He will be missed.  While he has been here, he shared his talents for repairing equipment, baking (especially appreciated his shortbread – thanks Mom!) and practical jokes.  We wish him well on his new adventure.

Turkeys are getting bigger and our list of people who want them is much longer than the number of turkeys we have.  We will take orders for next year AFTER Thanksgiving.  It’s too confusing to keep track of this year and next year at the same time.

Jerry just put in the order for new laying hens.  As always, we are not satisfied with staying with the norm.  Constantly looking to improve what we have; we are going to try a new breed.  I know that I’m suppose to now tell you what that new breed is.  Well, I would if I could, but I don’t remember what Jerry told me and he isn’t available right now.  Rest assured I will know the new breed by the time their eggs reach our markets (some time in June).

In January we will get our first batch of ducks.  It is especially exciting for us because we have NEVER raised ducks before.  Since the early ’70s when we first met and started raising our own food, we have raised many animals – especially foul.  We always thought ducks would be messy or too hard, but encouragement from fellow farmers and lots of reminders from chefs has persuaded us to dive into raising ducks as well.  You might be able to find them at the markets or at a restaurant by early April if all goes well.  We will keep you posted.

Have you found our chicken sausage at the markets yet?  Yes, it is finally happening and it is yummy!  Our Sage & Garlic is the same recipe that I started with years ago.  We eat that or the new Maple breakfast sausage every morning here on the farm.  I especially like the ease of cooking it.  I just drop a few patties directly from the freezer into the hot cast iron pan.  It’s the closest thing I’ve come to making convenience food.  The Hot Italian and Sweet Italian we use for quick meals like spaghetti or S.O.S.  – I have discovered I love the taste of fennel, so you can definitely taste it in the sausage.  It’s great to have people returning to buy more sausage.  We will do our best to keep a steady supply, I know what it’s like to run out and that’s no fun.  It doesn’t happen often, but there have been a few mornings of stumbling around trying to make the eggs look extra big or desperately pulling out a steak and frying it (grill is too complicated for mornings), and always being disappointed that it doesn’t taste like sausage!

Have a wonderful fall, and thanks again for caring about how you spend your food dollars.  Every time you spend money, you are making a statement about how you want our future to be.  A dollar spent on organic, local food is paving our path towards a healthier planet.  Thank you!

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