Christmas Capons

On the farm we have whole capons available for your Holiday feast.

If interested, give us a call.

Karen & Peter
519 232-4105

Farm Fresh Chicken

Saturday November 20, 2010 will be the last fresh chicken day of 2010.

With the autumn weather now upon us, we slowly come to the end of our poultry season. We raise our chickens during the summer months so they can enjoy the lovely sun and run in the pasture.

We will be available between 10am and 2pm at the farm for those of you who plan to drop by on the 20th.

We look forward in seeing you at the farm.

Karen & Peter

(519) 232-4105

Muscovy Duck - An exciting alternative to chicken!

On Saturday October 30 at the farm we will have fresh duck available. Yum! Yum!

Many may have tried duck before at their favourite resturant but may not have tried their hand at cooking one in their own kitchen.
Cooking duck is simple, and rewarding.
Duck has such a delicious taste, it pairs well with fruits and other sweet and spicy ingredients to create wonderful and exotic tasting meals.
I say be creative and experiment! Give it a try.

If you are interested in buying fresh duck on Saturday, drop by between 10 and 2.

Or feel free to give us a call (519) 232-4105.

We look forward to seeing you,

Karen & Peter

Fall is Here

I can not believe that tomorrow will be October. The months have gone by very fast. Summer and then Autumn, before we know it. As a farmer, you see the time going by - by what is happening around you - not by the turn of the calendar.

On our farm, we are busy getting those turkeys that are ready for Thanksgiving sold. We have not too much problem with that, as we are usually sold out and have a waiting list. This year all our turkeys for Thanksgiving are spoken for, we are now starting our Christmas list. If you are wanting a turkey for your Christmas celebration you need to contact us now. That list is also filling up. (call us at 519 232-4105)

We just got more chicks this week, these chickens will be ready at the end of November. After this flock we will not have chicken available until next summer.

We always welcome those interested in "Knowing your Farmer" so call us, and we can arrange a visit.

Karen, Peter and Emily

Duck, Duck Goose!

On Saturday September 18th we will have Muscovy Duck available - FRESH!

If you love to cook duck then do not miss this opportunity. Give us a call to reserve yours, we have a limited supply and we do expect to sell out.

It is always hard to estimate what weight they will come in at, we think maybe these will be around 5 - 8lbs. The price for duck is $3.50/lb.

I want to add in my post today that last night I saw the film "The Future of Food" at the London Public Library. It is well worth watching, infact you cango to the website and watch it online. Check it out of you have the time. It is another film that will make you change some of your habits when it comes to buying food.

September 18th will be a busy day for us. After our "Duck Day" at the farm - which we have asked for pick up to be from 9:30 to 11:00. We are off to the Stratford Garlic Festival, it is a great event for any garlic lover! Need to purchase some new seed this year, love all the varieties available. It is always great to try a piece of that garlic fudge that is usually there! Yes, fudge baked with garlic, it is very tasty.

If you plan to stay closer to London that day there is a Tomato Fest taking place at the Covent Garden Market from 11 - 2. I heard about it last night. It is being organized by the London City Farm Network, they plan to have tomato tastings of over 40 unique varieties. This is a great way to find out what variety you like and then can take note so next year you can plant it in your garden.

Karen & Peter

519.232.4105

Ilderton Fall Fair

I have noticed a few of the leaves falling and it begins to remind me of the fall. Fall always makes me want to bake - apples and squash etc. I am not sure why, it must be a comfort thing.

I had some peaches that were left over from the canning I did. I had a craving for a cake, so I made a peach coffee cake. I did not have a recipe so I took a few that I had and combined them to make one up.

The flour I used was from the Arva Flour Mill, I usually do buy my flour there. I then mixed half of the unbleached flour with spelt flour, I had bought the other week from the Eagleson's at the Exeter Farmers Market a few weeks ago.

The coffee cake turned out delicious! Now I have a winner for the Ilderton Fair. I just may make another and enter it this year at the fair. If you have never been, the Ilderton Fall Fair is one of the best fairs around. This year it is October 1, 2, 3. Hope to see you there!

Bees

Tomorrow is September, and I ask where did the summer go? The past few months have gone by very quickly. It always seems that when spring approaches one starts to make a list of all the projects and things they plan to do over the summer. Well - one of those items on my list was to learn about bees and the world of bee keeping. I hate to admit that I never really did fit this in. I guess I was too busy concentrating on the birds here on the farm!

At the University of Western Ontario there are a few beehives on site. The photos I have included were taken at the Research Station. Bees are very fascinating little creatures. Always keeping busy. Busy as a bee!

Today, while in Chapters I found a book on the sale rack - Keeping Bees, Looking After An Apiary by Vivian Head. I did purchase the book and will give it a read. This will be my start!

I do plan to attend an upcoming tour of the Chatsworth Honey Bee Farm. The tour is being organized by FarmStart on Sunday Sept. 19th. http://www.farmstart.ca/current-events-workshops/. I am sure this tour will be very interesting and look forward to seeing the bees and meeting the farmers.

Maybe next summer, I will invest in that hive that I did not get around to purchasing this year. I shall keep you posted!

Beautiful Bees

• Honeybees wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.


• To make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, fly over 55,000 miles and will be the lifetime work of approximately 768 bees.


• Honey is the ONLY food that contains all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.


• Honey never spoils.


• Bees are the most important group of pollinators. Almost 80% of all flowering plants depend on pollinators to help them transfer their pollen.


• Honeybees are the only insect that produces food eaten by man.


• The estimated total value of Honey Bees to Canadian agriculture is $782 million.