2011 - December Newsletter

Thanksgiving was truly blessed again this year. A HUGE Hawk flew in front of the van while traveling between families and reminds me to LISTEN!
The goats are comfy in their winter home, close to the house. I caught myself watching them from the window today. They are funny. They all react together to the noises on the farm, including the girls. Lily always has to say Hello to them when we get to the farm and Goodbye when we leave. The piggies just keep eating and the new laying hens are not laying eggs yet but their variety takes a little longer than the others. The cats are finding their warm homes on the farm and the kids are getting out their scarves, hats and mittens to continue with outside adventures thru the winter season.

TIME TO ORDER SEEDS:
We are making our plans for next years growing season and ordering our seeds and plants NOW. As we will be able to add crops thru May we’d like to get a good start for next year by placing some orders now for the early spring.

What are your favorite vegetable VARIETIES????

Instead of having mostly BELL peppers we want to expand with multiple varieties for your cooking needs. (and to please your taste buds)

YOU and your families are an important part of what keeps our farming community going. WE WANT TO GROW FOR YOU. Imagine getting a BOX of fresh, local produce delivered to your front porch, once a week, with the varieties you KNOW and LOVE. E-mail me some names of the varieties you like and we’ll starting doing some research on how to grow them for you.

Produce, Chickens, and Turkeys: We are taking chicken and turkey orders and WPB Memberships for 2012. The box program will start in June and we order chickens as soon as the weather gets warmer in the spring. Turkeys went fast this year and we had lots of people interested the week of Thanksgiving and could not fill their orders. If you are thinking of having a farm raised, fresh turkey for your holiday season next year let us know as soon as possible.

WINTER HOURS:
Office: Mondays 9am-5pm
FARM: I am at the farm on Wednesdays from 10am-2pm. I would be happy to put orders together for you to pick up at your convenience.
Email is a great way to get hold of me, but I will be taking days off and disconnecting while I spend time with my babies. We love everything we do at the farm, but now is the time to stay home, spend LOTS of time together, relaxing and recharging for next year.

Sweet Potatoes and Rutabaga for Sale:
Sweet Potatoes: $1.50/lb (we are getting down to just the small ones. They are a little shriveled but just as delicious and nutritious!) DISCOUNTS ON BULK BUYS OVER 10LBS.

Rutabaga: $1/lb

Fresh Eggs: Please only take 1 DOZEN at a time if you stop at the farm. $3/doz. Thank You.

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OPEN GREENHOUSE AND OPEN HOUSE Sunday Dec 4th 2011, 1pm-4pm.
MAMA’S FARM (Mazomanie):
10906 Amenda Rd
Mazomanie WI 53560

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**There will be NO 2012 Jan. Newsletter, but you may receive e-mail updates once in awhile.**

From everyone at the farm, we wish you all a safe, happy, HEALTHY Holiday Season.

Please feel free to share this with your family, friends and neighbors. We hope you have a great end to a wonderful year!

Jamie

At the farm until 6pm today

We've got Rutabaga, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes for your Thanksgiving Feast! Stop in for your Organically Grown LOCAL Produce. I have a few dozen fresh eggs left too!!!

From all of us at Hillsong Ridge Farm (Spahn Family), we'd like to wish you all a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving! We are very thankful for many things this year including each one of you for all the support you've continued to show us. I have so much great energy today knowing that we are providing you with healthy foods for your bodies and souls! You are building a wonderful community thru the farm and that is truely something to be thankful for.

Lots of Love and Happiness,
Jamie

Thursday Business Fair in Cross Plains

View the flyer for the 2nd Annual Business Fair in Cross Plains. We had a great time attending as guests last year and this year we look forward to our booth experience. Sounds like there will be lots of prizes and there was lots of tastings going on there last year so I look forward to that too! Bring your business cards or return address labels to make for a quick entry form for all the booths. Hillsong Ridge Farm will be giving away 1 FREE SMALL PRODUCE BOX for the 2012 Growing Season. Last year there was a cash prize at the end of the night too! If you are a new and/or privately owned small business, coming to the fair is a great way to do some local, free advertising!

Hope to see some of you there:)
Jamie

Fresh Produce!

Need some fresh produce? Let me know. I'm planning on being at the farm Tues, Wed & Thurs this week!

November 2011 newsletter

Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, SWEET POTATOES! If you’ve stopped at the farm lately, you know what we are talking about because you saw the HUGE pile of potatoes in the garage. Cleaning and sorting seems to be taking forever, but like other jobs at the farm, it is a peaceful one. Did you know Sweet Potatoes are one of the healthiest foods for you to eat, and can be prepared MANY different ways?

LIST OF ALL THE WAYS TO MAKE SWEET POTATOES:Baked - warm or cold sweet baked potatoes make a great snack for young and old. Kids like nature’s “push-up” - a sweet potato cut in half, grasped in the hand and gently squeezed. As that yummy part of the sweet potato emerges upward, one simply gnaws away at it. This can also be done with a spoon, and instead of pushing the potato insides up, one digs down with a spoon. Even little ones can master both of these techniques and will have fun trying.

Steamed
Grilled
Pancakes
Breads
Fries
Roasted
Soup
Pies and puddings
Casseroles
Baby Food!!!
If you have a great sweet potato recipe, please share!!! Not everyone likes sweet potatoes, but with all the different ways to cook them, you are sure to find something you like.

LIST OF ALL HEALTH BENEFITS OF SWEET POTATOES:This starchy vegetable has bulk to keep your tummy full for hours. Yet its nutritional profile makes the calories worth it, especially since they are fat-free. Its fiber alone is enough to make a sweet potato worth eating. If a beta-carotene contest were held, sweet potatoes would tie carrots for first place. That may make them top-notch for fighting chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease, as well as disease related to inflammation, such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Sweet potatoes are also rich in potassium and vitamin C; a small potato provides almost half the daily allowance.

Sweet potato is rich in Vitamin A (beta carotene) and Vitamin C. Both Vitamins A and C are powerful antioxidants that work in the body to remove free radicals, this free radicals are chemicals that damage cells.

Sweet potato is good for stomach ulcers and inflamed conditions of the colon.

It is beneficial for low blood pressure.

May be helpful for hemorrhoid because of its high fiber content.

Sweet potato is a good food for people involved in heavy muscular work, since this food is high in vitamins and minerals.

Sweet potato may help prevent cancer in glands and organs with epithelial tissue due to its high Vitamin A content.

Sweet potato is a good food for diabetics, because it helped stabilize blood sugar levels.

OK, enough about sweet potatoes. Let’s talk animals! The goats have been moved to their winter home. You can visit them whenever you like, but please be aware that the wire fence that runs across the top of the pen IS ELECTRIC and WILL SHOCK YOU. We hope they like their home. It will be a little warmer for them during the cold winter months and a little closer to the other animals to make the feeding trip a little easier when it’s 20 degrees below zero.

The Spring Laying Hens have still not started laying eggs yet. Chickens naturally slow down with productions when the weather changes and as they age, so our “old” layers are just keeping up with demand. If you stop at the farm for fresh eggs, PLEASE only take 1 dozen at a time. Once the other layers start laying we should have plenty again to add new egg share members and have whatever you need on demand, but until then we are at the will of the chickens.

As for what’s left for veggies: We were a little disappointed when we didn’t have enough time to weed a few of our peppers and eggplant. Now were are happy to STILL have both because the weeds have helped protect them from frost. We have SOME Kale, Spinach, Turnips and Kohlrabi. Brussels Sprouts, Rutabaga and Sweet Potatoes A PLENTY.

BOX MEMBERS:As a member, we’d like to invite you to come to the farm on Wednesday, or Thursday this week and grab a few veggies off our produce shelf to take home for the winter. Now that we’ve harvested almost everything we have a few things for you, but not enough to FILL boxes for everyone. If you had a small share - fill ¼ of a paper bag, if a standard share - fill ½ paper bag, and a large share fills 1 paper bag full. It is best to cut the spinach and kale fresh for you, so if you know when you are coming send me a text or give a call so I can cut them for you. If we get a hard frost again, everything may be done, but until than we will bring in what is still surviving out there.

We ended up with 19 continuous weeks of fresh produce boxes. A few boxes were a little small at the beginning of the season and when we transitioned to fall harvest, but most weeks the boxes were LOADED with awesome veggies and a few fruits. There were veggies we had way to many of and some veggies that didn’t make it at all. I have a lot of learning to do about herbs too. We’ve got lots of perennial herbs planted so hopefully next year you will have lots more herbs in your boxes. As our first official box members you will always mean something special to us at the farm. You give us the faith we need to continue because you’ve shown us the need and want for fresh, chemical free, local foods. You will see our box member prices for 2012 at the end of the newsletter. Please know that 2011 members will receive $10 off the total of a ½ share or $20 off a small or large share. This discount will be for 2011 MEMBERS ONLY, THAT ARE CONTINUING WITH US IN 2012. You will notice we have raised our prices a bit. This is due to what we learned in the 2011 season (our 1st box season at the farm). We learned that we need more support in the costs of products and EMPLOYMENT. As we grow we NEED more employees to help provide more food.


2012 Hillsong Ridge Farm Weekly Box Program:Hillsong Ridge Farm is focused on producing chemical free, fresh produce for our local communities. In our 3rd year we will continue to grow a wide selection of veggies, herbs, and fruits. We work hard as a family to bring you the best quality food we can provide as we learn how to build a sustainable farm for everyone to enjoy. We put lots of love into what we do at the farm. With your continued support we see a healthy future for all of us.

When you join our box program, you become an active member @ our farm. You will receive weekly or biweekly boxes filled with a variety of common veggies as well as other not so common varieties that are grown in Wisconsin Climate. As we continue to nurture our fruit production (it will be a few years yet before we have large quantities)you may also receive a variety of fruits in your box.

The Weekly Produce Box program is an 18-20 week season that was designed to help you save money on produce, teach to eat seasonally, and provide members with special product privileges. The deadline for WPB sign up is March 15th 2012. Payment is due before March 15th, in the form of cash or check. You may pay in full or pay ½ now and post date a check for the other half for July 15th 2012.

As a box member you agree to share in the RISKS as well as the BOUNTY with the farmer and other members. Understand that due to wildlife, mother nature, and/or other production factors, the quantities and varieties may vary seasonally from 1 year to the next. (There are NO REFUNDS with the box program).

2012 Weekly Produce Box Member Prices:½ Share = EVERY OTHER WEEK Box (9-10 weeks from Mid June - Mid October) = single person or veggie lite household = $250

Small Share = Every Week Box (18-20 weeks from Mid June - Mid October) = provides for a household that eats & cooks fresh veggies (family consumption may vary) = $450

Large Share = Every Week Box (18-20 weeks from Mid June - Mid October) = large family or household that eats LOTS of veggies and may want to can/dehydrate/freeze portions = $630

Add EGG SHARES to your box membership:

½ share = 1 dozen, every other week, for 10 weeks = $30
Full Share = 1 dozen, every week, for 20 weeks = $60

WORKERS SHARE:We will be offering a workers share in 2012. Come to the farm and work 5 hours a week and receive a Small Share every week. You mush be 18 or older to participate in the workers share and have your own transportation to and from the farm. As a “worker” you will participate in multiple duties at the farm like; planting, WEEDING, harvesting, bundling and packaging produce for boxes, putting together boxes, and other light chores. Please note that if you commit to a workers share, we and other members expect 5 hours of your hard, concentrated work every week, rain or shine.

Chickens and Turkeys:We are SOLD OUT on our chickens. We will have fresh chickens sometime in June 2012. If you’d like to pre-order your chickens for next year please let me know (it will help us determine how many baby chicks to order in early spring).

The Turkeys are a little bigger than we expected. I will be contacting everyone that ordered a Thanksgiving Turkey this week to discuss details on butchering and price change (lowered). If you ordered a turkey and do not hear from me by the end of the week, please contact me ASAP.

The winter season is sneaking up on us pretty fast. We still have a few things left at the farm that are good for storage or freezing for the winter months. Stop in or give a call so we can put some produce together for you to pick up. Winter can be long and depressing for some, and having a good supply of nutrients in your freezer will only help with the health and energy for your body.

Please feel free to share this with you family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. If they do not have e-mail access, have them give me a call and I’d be happy to mail a copy.

Take care and stay healthy.
Jamie

Stop in!

At the farm all day, stop in for your chemical free goodies!!

Market Day at the farm

Open Market today 'till 5:30pm and tomorrow 9am-5:30pm.

Avail Produce: Green, jalapeño, and banana peppers. Rutabaga, brussels sprouts, turnips, baby eggplant, and sweet potatoes.

sprouts...

Did you say "BRUSSELS"? Yummy.

Stop by!

I'm at the farm all day. Swing in if you need sweet potatoes, peppers (a little of all kinds available) kale, kohlarbi, rutabaga, turnips and eggs!

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes for Sale: $1.50/lb (big, small, and everything in between). Discounts on 1/4, 1/2, and FULL Bushels. $5 Off Special this week on a bushel of "2nds".

Canning Tomatoes

I have a bushel of canning tomatoes for sale. $15

Happy Fall!
Jamie

Sweet Potato Ideas

Who knew you could make so many things with sweet potatoes! Fries, Walnut Bread, Buttermilk Biscuit Stacks, Cajun-Roasted, Soup, Rolls, and PIE! Anyone have a favorite SWEET POTATO RECIPE, please share!

Squash

We have extra Acorn and Buttercup squash. Little Sweet Potatoes, eggplant, and a few watermelon.

Grean Beans

Green Beans!!! Let me know if you need some. We've got lots but they are going fast...

Market Day

No Market at Eagle Plaza Wednesday. Not much left over this week after weekly boxes. Transitioning to fall harvest...I do have Watermelons if anyone needs some stop in at the farm:)

baby goats!

Big Black Mamma Goat had her babies! Baby #1 is huge and doing well. Baby #2 got stuck and did not make it. Baby #3 is VERY small and may not make it thru the night. Please say a little goat prayer to guide it on it's path. Thank you Steve for checking on her when I asked or mamma may not have made it either.

September 2011 Newsletter

I remember going up to the gardens and finding the very first tomato of the season. I got a sickening feeling in my stomach for a short moment just because we had too many tomatoes last year I couldn’t stand the smell of them by the time the season was over. My very next thought was “YEAH! FRESH TOMATOES!” This year has been a totally different growing season than last year. We had so many carrots last year that a lot of them stayed in the ground, and this year we have NONE. What a disappointing and confused feeling. We weeded them this year and the deer found a wonderful snack. They may have survived if we wouldn’t have had the long stretch of hot, dry weather. However Eggplant and Zucchini have been in abundance. Our broccoli did good too until we couldn’t keep up with the flowering due to the extremely hot days. And why does it seem like weeds grow no matter what the weather does.

LEARNING seems to be the big word this month. We are already looking back at the last few months of the growing season and making decisions about what we are planning to do next year. Like BEES! The apple trees were full of flowers this spring but because of the lack of pollination there are very little apples to harvest. Anyone with helpful knowledge of Bees please feel free to send me some info or stop by the farm to talk, my ears are listening.

One batch of baby pigs arrived a week ago. There are 8 of them. The 2nd mamma pig had her babies Tuesday. She had eight as well. We tried to be patient to witness the miracle of life, but it wasn‘t meant to be because every time we walked away she‘d have a couple. I was surprised at how long the girls would just stand quietly and watch. I think they were hypnotized by watching the baby pigs learn how to breath, walk and find their mommy for food. We learned that each piglet will find it’s food source and stay their for it’s baby life. Lucy thinks it’s cool that each piggy knows its own mommy. For such a messy animal, they sure are cute. If you do stop in at the farm, please keep your distance from the pigs though. THEY WILL BITE. Pigs can get very aggressive when pregnant or with little ones around. Just stay back and watch. If you are lucky, Leo might grab a baby pig to see up close. (Thanks grandpa!) The newest batch of spring laying hens are getting ready to start laying eggs too. We call their first eggs, pullet eggs. They are very small. With all the action going on at the farm, the girls are sure learning a lot about animal life.

Wow, it sure looks like we have a lot going on at the farm, including fall harvest. The next couple sections will be good to read if you want to stay updated on the produce part of the farm.

WPB Members:
We have about 7 weeks left of the box season. We recently sent out a survey to see how the box program is going. We want to thank all the members for filling out and returning their forms. We got lots of good feedback and are excited to see what we can change for next year. One of the biggest things the boxes are lacking is FRUIT. We are working on increasing our fruit productions, but this will take some time. Like mentioned above, I think our biggest challenge right now is pollination. This year we planted hundreds of raspberry and blueberries, along with blackberry plants and apple, peach, plum, cherry, and pear trees. Our hopes is to have so much fruit we won’t know what to do with it all, but until then we only have a small supply.

It was also interesting to read everyone’s comments about what veggies they liked and wanted more of, and what veggies they could do without. We wish we could know exactly what each member wants and only put that in your box, but figuring out how to cater to each individual is something we are still trying to figure out. Part of the box program is to learn to eat new things, and to eat seasonally. Like myself, if you’ve always bought whatever you wanted at the grocery store, eating only what is fresh for many weeks in a row can be overwhelming. I am finding a benefit to the boxes is to freeze some produce every week. You won’t be able to pull peppers out of the freezer to eat fresh but they will be great in soups, stews and casseroles this winter. I don’t know about you, but I get this AWESOMELY wonderful feeling knowing I have fresh, local, chemical free veggies in my freezer for my winter cooking!

What to expect for the rest of the season:
Squash harvest is coming up fast. We have a lot of it, and so will you. Start preparing know for recipes and freezing. Tomatoes, potatoes, melons, beans, radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, beets, and hopefully apples and grapes are also on the way. You may even see carrots because of the help of our wonderful neighbors. Oh yeah, and don’t forget PUMPKINS! Pumpkin can be frozen and used for all kinds of baking so get ready. The other big fall harvest crop is SWEET POTATOES! We had some problems with the company that supplied us with plants this spring so the sweet potatoes got planted pretty late this year. If we have a long fall we will have a huge harvest, but if our first frost and cold weather comes early we may have very little. Welcome to the world of farming.

Again, thank you for filling out your surveys. We are excited to make some changes for next year and hope you will all stick with us as we try to fine tune our box program. This was our first year and I look forward to the challenges of healthy, seasonal eating in the years to come.

NEWSLETTER RAFFLE WINNERS!
September is my favorite time of year. You get to say goodbye to summer and HELLO to fall. Beautiful colors and HALLOWEEN! Oh yeah and FOOTBALL SEASON!!! Thanks goes out to Martin Timmins (Papa) for donating 2 Bucky Badger carrying bags. I had the girls each pull a customers name from a hat today.

The winners are: Helen Meinholz and Karen Schmitt. Congrats Ladies. I will deliver your bags sometime next week.

CHICKENS AND EGGS!
Next week is the start of a new egg share quarter. If you would like to join, let me know. You can pick up your eggs at the farm or get them delivered. We like to have at least 3 members in one area to deliver to, but I make box deliveries on Mondays til the end of October so if you are on my route, I will drop off some eggs for you. The egg share program has been great. It helps a lot to know how many eggs we need each week and how many laying hens we need to plan for every year. Once the new hens start laying consistently we will offer the other hens as SOUP CHICKENS!

EGG SHARE PRICES: per Quarter/12 weeks

½ Share = 1 doz. Every other week = $18 (+ $2 delivery fee)
Full Share = 1 doz. Every week = $36 (+ $4 delivery fee)
1 ½ Share = 1 doz. one week, 2 doz. the next = $54 (+ $4 delivery fee)
2 Full Shares = 1 doz. Every week = $72 (+ $4 delivery fee)

Freshly Frozen Chickens available daily @ $2.50/lb. The next batch is getting close to 4 lbs, which is when we cut them into halves, quarters, and pieces. We add $1 to the total cost of the cut chicken to pay for processing and packaging. Place your orders today for your freshly cut and vacuum sealed chicken. The TURKEYS are looking fabulous. We only have a few that are unspoken for so place your order today. We have decided to charge $2.75/lb this year. I need all orders in by the middle of October for planning purposes. Thanks!

Thank You Everyone:
There are so many people I have been thinking about lately. Thank you to our customers. Whether you receive a box every week, purchase only what you need, or support us with education about our different crops, we are so thankful. This great community that is being formed is such a blessing. I say this daily, “the world is changing and we have to change with it, not fight it.” The prices in the grocery store keep rising and we keep paying, when in reality, for the small cost of seeds and lots of hard work, we can have free food right in our back yards. Plus with the continuing rise of cancer, it just seems simple to cut out those boxed foods we are accustomed to eating and put healthy fresh foods into our bodies. Remember our body is the temple our souls live in on this earth, lets take care of it.

A big thanks goes out to the business owners and customers at the Eagle Plaza (in Sauk). Seeing your smiling faces every Wednesday keeps me going. Salons for You is a great place to go for body maintenance along with energy rejuvenation. The ladies there are true “healers”. Ancient Healing is also the place to go when you need some good energy and healing. The wide range of professional healing and products is just what you need to help you on your “life’s path”.

Now that school is starting we are losing some of our best workers. My cousins have been working their butts off this summer in the fields. I think that really builds character when you choose to work for the health of others instead of spending the summer being a kid. My grandma (Nana) has also been a big help this year and we wouldn’t know what to do without her. We are truly making this a family business!

Since this is our first year with the box program we’ve found ourselves coming up short on produce a few times. Thank you to our neighboring farms, families and friends who have committed their gardens to organic practices to help us fill our orders. I’ve said it before, “I can’t change the world but I can change a community.”. This is only our 2nd year and it looks like the community is already changing for the good.

There’s lots of you out there to thank, so I just want you to know I think about you and thank you all deeply for your support and smiles.

YOUR GARDENS:
I would love to hear about your gardening experiences this year. I think it would be nice to have a “YOUR GARDEN” section in the newsletter each month to share with everyone. I know we have a lot to teach each other. Send me an e-mail anytime!

Well, we have a couple months left of the season and some days it takes a lot of energy to make it through the day, but it’s all worth it when I hear Lucy say, “I want to be a farmer like you mom when I grow up!” I am pretty sure I said the same thing to my dad when I was her age!

Please feel free to share this with your family, friends and neighbors. We hope you have a great September!

Jamie

vege update

I have a bushel of tomatoes and 7lbs of broccoli for sale. Buy only what you need or buy bulk and save money. 1st come, 1st served. A few seedless watermelons left this week!

available produce

7lbs of Broccoli
7lbs of green beans
Full bushel of tomatoes

Markets and available produce

No Market in Sauk today. Making deliveries around 11am-noonish. If anyone needs anything let me know. No market times at the farm, but we will be in and out all day so stop in if you need something. Potatoes, onions, melons, broccoli, beans, beets, tomatoes, chickens, and fresh eggs!

BABY PIGGIES EVERYWHERE!!!

Tried to watch mamma have them all day and the only time she did was when I left....wasn't meant to be I guess. We officially have 16 baby pigs. Pics soon. Lucy and Lily had some wrapped in blankets and pushing them in a stroller:)

produce

melons and green peppers galore!

Tomatoes are ready!

Anyone in need of canning/freezing tomatoes just give a call.

Wed Market Times

Sauk (Eagle Plaza) 11am-1:30pm Farm 3pm-7pm Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Onions, Potatoes, Zucchini, Cukes, Herbs, Freshly frozen chickens, fresh eggs, Peppers!!!

this weeks available produce, and market times

Lovin' this Awesome Weather:)

SWEET CORN $3.00/doz or 2 doz for $5 (more than 2 dozen = $2/doz)
Green Peppers $.50 each
Eggplant $.75-$1 each
Onions $.75 each
Tomatoes $1.50/lb [1/4 ($9) , 1/2 ($15) and Full ($25) Bushels available for pre-order]
Cherry Tomatoes $2/pt
Zucchini $.50 each or 3 for $1
Cukes $.50 each
Potatoes $1/lb
Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage) $2.50/bunch
Freshly frozen whole chickens (around 5lbs) $2.50/lb
Fresh Eggs $3.00/doz


Wed. Market Times
Sauk (Eagle Plaza) 11am-1:30pm
Farm 3pm-7pm

Tomatoes

I have a bushel of tomatoes for sale: $25 First come first serve.

produce

Eggplant, Zucchini & Sweet Corn!!!

Saturday

Farm closed saturday til noon. After that we will be in the fields so come find us if you need anything:) Momma pigs are looking like they are ready to have some babies SOON! Spending the weekend at the farm, maybe we'll get lucky!

Jamie

Wed market - this weeks available produce

Happy 1st week in August!

SWEET CORN $3.00 / doz
Eggplant $2.00 each
Cherry Tomatoes $2.50/pt
Some slicing tomatoes $2.50/lb
Broccoli $2.00/pt
Green Peppers $1.50/lb
Cabbage (purple and green) $1.50 each
Okra $.20 each
Pickling Cucumbers - great for making refrigerator pickles, price depends on how many you need
Dill $3.00/ 6 heads
Onions $.50-$1 each
Patty Pan Zucchini $2.00/qt
Basil, Parsley, rosemary, thyme and more herbs: $2.50/bundle
Potatoes $2.00/lb

Fresh Eggs: $3.00/doz $4.50/ 18pk

Chickens $2.50/ lb

Wed. Markets:
Sauk (Eagle Plaza): 11am-2pm
Farm 3pm-7pm

Stop on by!

Hello Everyone,
We will be hangin' at the farm this afternoon if anyone needs to stop by to get some goodies for their weekend meals.
Fresh Eggs
Freshly Frozen Chickens
Fresh Produce: Broccoli, Turnips, Beets, loose leaf lettuce, green peppers, cabbage, red and pontiac gold potatoes (some fingerlings), lots of onions, maybe a few tomaotes and more.

Call, text, or send an e-mail if you'd like me to have your ordered packed up and ready for you to pick up on your way home or vacation today.
Have a Great Weekend,
Jamie

This weeks available produce

We need some RAIN:)

Green Peppers: $.75 each or 2 for $1.00

Green Beans: $3.00/lb

Onions (small and large) Yellow, white or purple candies: $.50-$1

Loose Leaf Lettuce (not much, 1st come 1st serve): $2.50/bag

Red Potatoes: $1/lb

Cabbage: $1.50/head

Zucchini: $.50

I have some pickling cukes that need to be used up in the next couple of days.

Cauliflower: $2.50/head (not much)

We are picking a few tomatoes every day so it won't be long before we have tons of them. Time to start thinking about what you will need for canning, sauces and such.

Have a great week! Stay Healthy, your body deserves it.
Jamie

New peas

Just picked 3lbs of new peas- PERFECT for Stir Fry. $3.00/lb

I have a 1/2 bushel of yellow beans and a 1/2 bushel of green beans for sale: $25 for 1/2 bushel $40 for both boxes. Good for pickling!

Have a great weekend.
Jamie

Fresh Chickens

We butchered chickens today. They are whole and between 4.5-5.5lbs @ $2.50. Available for pick up tomorrow or Thursday at the farm. First come, first served.

No markets Wednesday - deliveries instead

Hello Everyone, due the heat and safety of our employees we will not have market at sauk or at the farm wed. However, I will be making deliveries to Sauk Wed around 11am and if you need to pick up your box at the farm we will be around. If there is anything you need please place an order via e-mail or phone by 8am Wednesday. I will bag it up for you and deliver to your house or to Ancient Healing (at the Eagle Plaza) for you to pick up on Wed. Anyone that would like to stop in at the farm, just let me know what you need and we will have it ready for you to pick up. We only want to harvest what we need to this week. Please know we want to supply you with what you need so don't be afraid to place an order!!!


Broccoli $3.00/qt $5.50 - 1/4 bushel (~3.5lbs)

Beans (green and yellow) $3.50/lb 10lb = 1/2 bushel= $25

Cabbage $1.50/head

Onions (small and large, yellow, white and purple) $1.50/lb

Summer squash $.50 each

Yellow/Green Zucchini $.50 each

Cucumbers $.50 each

Pickling cukes $1.50/lb ( i have about 20lbs so first come first serve. our dill has yellow seeds at this point)

Dill $4.00 for 12 heads

Red Potatoes $1.00/lb buy by the qt or 5lb bags

Time to think about freezing veggies

Wow is it hot! What a great time to start thinking about winter! I don't mean snow, I mean, "what are we going to be eating?" It is time to start canning and freezing. You may think you don't have time to do all this but if you do things in "steps" you take up a lot less time during your busy days. As long as we get some rain with this heat, our crops are doing OK. If all goes well we will have lots of beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, peppers and more. We will also price produce by the 1/4, 1/2, and FULL bushels. This is where you will get the best deals. Attached is a canning and freezing guide.

Last year was the first year we froze veggies in our house and it was so depressing when we ran out because the stuff from the store just isn't the same. The girls could surely tell the difference between the store bought veggies vs. the frozen veggies from the garden. It really is a good feeling to look at a freezer full of fresh veggies for the winter.

Our bulk pricing is also good for those of you making baby food. Make it now and freeze it if your baby isn't ready for solids but will be when the veggie is out of season.

I am not sure on timing with our bulk supplies so keep your eyes open for e-mail updates after we pick . We would also love to take your pre-orders if you wish.

Stay safe in this heat. It is no time to mess around, listen to your body and what it is telling you. Lots of WATER and shade. Have a great week!

Jamie

At the farm today

At the farm from 10-2 today if anyone needs produce stop by or let me know what you need and I'll box it up for you to pick up whenever it works for you!!!

Cucumbers
Zucchini
Cabbage
Beans (maybe, will have more in a week or 2)
Peas (not many)
Beets
Onions (Spanish and candy)
Leaf lettuce
herbs
Potatoes
Kohlrabi
BLACK CAP RASPBERRIES!

Work for food!

To anyone that is interested in doing some work in our gardens at the farm in trade for produce:

We are in need of some serious weeding help. (no kids please - we need workers to know what they are hoeing so we do not lose crops, thanks!) Today is a great day to come put a few hours in and enjoy some peace and quiet before the hot weather takes over. Just give a call or text and let me know if you can come out. Thanks so much!

Jamie

Great day @ the farm!

No markets on Thursday. Staying home to enjoy some one-on-one time with the kids :) If you need some produce, chickens or eggs place an order & I will have one of the boys box it up for you, and you can pick up at farm.

Enjoy Life, Eat Healthy!!

Farmers Market TODAY!

Sauk (Eagle Plaza) 11am-2pm and Farm 2pm-6pm We will have some time for short animal tours during market at the farm today, Lucy will be your guide :)

Cucumbers, Zucchini/Summer Squash, Beans, Broccoli, Onions, Cabbage, Black Caps, Kohlrabi, some beets, Kale, herbs fresh from garden if you want, Red Potatoes. Freshly frozen chickens and fresh eggs!

This weeks available produce and market times

Hello Everyone, hope you are enjoying this hot July weather:)

Cabbage (green) $1.50
Green Beans $2.00/lb
Kohlrabi $.50-$1.00
Broccoli $3.50 = lg head (around 1 lb)
Peas (not many)
Black Caps (maybe)
Lettuce $2.50/head, this will be the last week for head lettuce, then it's back to looseleaf
Kale $3.50 for 1/2lb
New Red Potatoes $1.00/lb
Zucchini/Summer Squash $.50-$1 each depending on size

Fresh Eggs Available Daily $3.00/doz $4.50/18pk

Freshly Frozen Chickens Available: whole or cut $2.50/lb (most run from $8-$12 each right now)

FARM open market times:
Tues: 3pm-5pm
Wed: 3pm-6pm
Thurs: will be around most of the day - times to follow
Friday and Sat. times to follow but we will be around

If anyone needs to come and these time don't work, just give a call, email, text or stop in. If we are around we will be more than happy to take time to hook you up with some great, local, chemical free, farm fresh foods!! Yummy!

Have a great rest of the week.
Jamie

Rain!

Hey! RAIN!!!! Let's do a little dance of joy :)

stir fry

Anyone know a good, easy stir fry recipe?

July 2011 newsletter

Happy summer Everyone! Heat, bugs, bees, pools, sprinklers, bonfires and of course FRUITS AND VEGGIES! We hope all of you are enjoying the summer and time with the kids/family. As always, things are crazy busy at the farm. Weeding and harvesting mostly. I give all our workers a lot of credit. With the heat and no rain it makes it hard to be in the fields. I suppose if there was too much rain, there’d be too many weeds, like last year. We do need some rain so say a little prayer to mother nature to bless us with some natural water for our natural crops.

We have some new additions to the farm: 2 mamma pigs and 2 baby jersey calves. We are hoping to have baby piggies in a couple weeks. Anyone that wants to visit with the kids should send an e-mail or call to set up a day or feel free to bring them when you pick up your produce during open market times. (Fridays and Saturdays work best). Rosie is 2 months old now and we are starting to get on a schedule, which is making it a little easier to get things done on the farm. The kids are also working hard putting together boxes, washing tubs, making mud pies, and running thru the sprinkler! We were able to get up north for the 4th of July and just have family time, no work! Thank you all for waiting til I got back to answer your questions or get you your products.

Chicken Update:
Leo has been butchering our 1st batch of chickens the past couple of weeks. Our 2nd batch of chicks are growing nicely. We are still taking orders for whole and cut chickens. You can get them cut into halves, quarters, or pieces. We will try to always have freshly frozen chickens available to purchase daily as well, for those of you that would just like to pick one up when you want. They are between 3-5lbs right now.
Current Prices:
$2.50/lb (add $1 to the total of cut ones for the cost of labor and packaging)

Turkeys: We are taking orders for your homegrown fresh holiday turkey. Not many left so place your orders soon.

Goats:
The goats are loving their new home in the grass pasture. I love to watch them. One minute they are all spread out eating away at the grass and the next they are all laying together under the shade trees. Anyone visiting the goats please know they are in an electrically charged fence. There is one big metal green fence that we can all stand by and feed the goats without getting a little shock.

Eggs:
We are officially WI State Certified Egg Producers. We passed inspection with flying colors. From what I hear the inspector was very impressed. This means we will be able to sell our eggs @ markets and stores and other places off the farm. We haven’t purchased them yet, but you will start seeing blank egg cartons with our labels on them. When the time comes, please help us out by saving and returning your cartons.
Prices:
$3.00/doz
$4.50/18pk

Fresh Eggs Available Daily at the farm. If you and anyone in your neighborhood is interested in weekly or biweekly deliveries please contact me so we can set something up.

WPB MEMBERS:
Well, we are approaching week 6 of our boxes. I have to be honest that it is a little overwhelming sometimes to figure out, harvest, clean and bundle, and box produce. But it is so cool to watch your boxes fill up and head out the door to your kitchen table. We are learning a lot every week, like how to keep produce looking fresh if we harvest the day before, or how to keep greens from shriveling up in the heat. You may have also noticed that one week you get very little of something or it’s not quite ripe and the next week you get an abundance with lots of taste. Timing has been challenging since this is new. Also the weather makes things different every week. We hope everyone is enjoying their boxes so far. Please let us know how we are doing. We want to hear the good and bad so we can keep learning how to serve our customers better. Also, please try to hang on to your foodie cheat sheets every week. You may need some info. from the past sheets as I always try to put new stuff in the current sheets every week. The biggest thing to remember is to always wash your produce and to know how to store your fresh veggies (or how to freeze them). If you find a great recipe please feel free to share with me and I will post it for everyone to try. Personally I like most of my produce raw, right out of the garden, but love to hear how everyone is preparing their local, farm fresh food!

If we get some rain, some of your upcoming produce will be:
Peas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Summer Squash/Zucchini, Beets, Lettuce, Cucumbers/Dill, Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, and other herbs. Along with Green, Purple, and Yellow Beans, Kohlrabi, Fingerling Potatoes, New Red Potatoes and raspberries. (and maybe blueberries). Sweet corn and cherry tomatoes by the end of the month. Please know that if we don’t get rain, the productions of crops will slow down dramatically. This is just part of being involved in a member shares box program. Just keep sending your good rain energy to the farm.

WORKERS SHARE:
We are still looking for help at the farm. If anyone is interested in working 4-5hours a week in trade for a Weekly Produce Box, please send me your contact information, along with the days and times you may be able to work. We look forward to having you join us in the fields and sharing in the wonderful things you will help us grow.

Markets:
We are having a great time at the Eagle Plaza Market in Sauk on Wednesdays. Seeing a lot of return customers and lots of new ones too. I even had a good sales day during a rain storm, weeks ago. I set up thinking, “it’s just sprinkling right now, I’ll set up my tent and see what happens. We had lots of customers, even when the rain started coming down hard. Anyone driving by when I was packing up that day got a laugh too. I was putting the tent down, (the rain was coming down pretty hard at the time) and was standing on the outside, not thinking about what was about to happen… all the water on the tent came rushing down on top of me, almost taking me to the ground. One of the moments when you hoped no one was looking.

Market at the farm has been slow. Please let me know if there are more available times that work better for you to pick up produce. We have not started at the Spring Green Farmers Market for a couple of reasons. Not enough produce and lack of time and energy on my part (because of the kids!). We are making deliveries on Mondays so if anyone needs something delivered please let me know by 10am on Monday mornings.

Current Market Times:

Sauk: (Eagle Plaza parking lot)
Wed: 11am-1:30pm

OPEN MARKET AT THE FARM:
Wed: 3pm-7pm
Fri: 2pm-6pm
Sat: 10am-2pm (times may change)

Facebook and blog:
I recently updated face book with some new pictures from the farm. Check ‘em out!
Don’t forget to check out our blog pages for recipe updates.

Though we have been very busy, it is really great to see all your smiling faces. The best is when an 8 year old picks out something like broccoli or berries for dinner that night. Knowing we grew it and that there are many people supporting us to provide that meal is an unexplainable feeling. And we are not even half way thru yet. Hopefully there will be lots of goodies available in the next couple months. Please don’t forget about those winter months when you are craving fresh foods. We’ve been freezing berries and broccoli so far. I think about that winter grocery bill and how we might be able to cut back on cost with the frozen goodies in our freezer. Plus all the colors in the freezer makes it look pretty, not just full of boxed and bagged things from the store. Just ask about our ¼ and ½ bushel pricing!!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you think may be interested in the farm and what we have to offer. If they do not have e-mail access, have them give me a mailing address, as I am more than happy to mail newsletters every month.

Jamie

Chickens and Produce

Fresh Chickens available for pick up today. $2.50/lb whole and cut

Produce Available today: Broccoli, Beets, Zucchini (big and small), Cabbage, candy onions, romaine and loose leaf lettuce, parsley, and basil. Maybe some sugar snap peas...
Kale for smoothies.

Markets and Chickens

Hello,
We will have market today at:

Sauk - Eagle Plaza Parking lot
11am-1:30pm

FARM:
3pm-7pm

We are also butchering chickens again today. Please let me know if you are interested in a fresh chicken. $2.50/lb Whole, quartered, halved, or pieces. Pick up tonight and 2moro.

Produce Avail.

Cabbage
Broccoli
New Red Potatoes (some)
Snap Peas (some)
Kohlrabi (some)
Beets
Lettuce
Kale
Mustard (some)
Small Onions
Zucchini (big and small)
Basil
Parsley

FARM FRESH EGGS

This weeks available produce and market times

This Weeks Available Produce:

Beets $2.00/bun
Radishes $1.50/bun or 2 for $2
Table onions $1.50/bun or 2 for $2
Broccoli $3.50/qt
Kohlrabi $.75 each
Strawberries (not many 1st come 1st serve) $3.50/qt or $3.00/qt for 2 or more
Lettuce - Romaine $3.00/head
Garlic Scapes $1.50/bun or 2 for $2


Market Times:

- Wed 11am-1:30pm (Sauk/Eagle Plaza)
- Wed 3pm-6pm @ FARM (can be later if needed just let us know)

- Thurs. Noon-4pm @ FARM

The FARM will be closed Fri- Monday. Happy 4th of July Everyone. Be safe and eat healthy:)
The Spahns

Chickens

Hello All,
We will be butchering chickens on Wednesdays this week. They will be between 4-5lbs @ $2.50/lb.

Whole chickens will be ready for pick up Wednesday after 5pm and all day Thursday.

Cut chickens will be ready for pick up after 12pm on Thursday.

We'd like to get most of the chickens picked up/delivered by Thursday night as we will be heading north for the holiday weekend. If this schedule does not work for you just let us know and we will work something out.

Anyone interested in a chicken that hasn't pre-ordered, please contact me by Wednesday morning. Nothing like a fresh chicken on the grill for the holiday:)

Thanks
Jamie

Chickens

If you are ordering cut chickens please keep in mind that $1 will be added to the total for bagging and labor costs.

Also for ANYONE ordering cut chickens, would you like them:

halved?
quartered?
cut in individual pieces?

Lots of SMILES :)
Jamie

This weeks produce

Hello Everyone,

Strawberries: FIRST COME FIRST SERVE
$4.50/qt
$4.00/qt for 2 or more
$3.50/qt for 8 (1 box)
$3.00/qt for 9 or more

Kohlrabi:
small = $.75
Lg = $1.25

Beets:
$2.50/bunch (10/bunch)

Kale:
1/4 lb = $3.00

Onions: (candy)
$1.50/small bunch
$2.00/larger bunch

Lettuce:
1/2lb bag = $2.50

Market Today (Wed)=
Sauk (Eagle Plaza) 11am-1:30pm
Farm 3pm-7pm

No markets today

Sorry we will not have open markets 2day or 2moro. Just not enough produce ready yet...

Happy Fathers Day to all you daddys out there:)

Jamie

Wednesday Markets! - We have STRAWBERRIES!!!

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that even though it is raining we are still having Market up in Sauk at the Eagle Plaza. I will have the purple minivan set up in the parking lot by the grass. If the tent isn't up we will be hanging in the van for you to pick up your boxes and will have some produce to sell.

We WILL have open market at the FARM today:
3pm-7pm
If it's raining we will be in the garage, if not I will have a tent set up down by the garden:)

THIS WEEKS PRODUCE :
STRAWBERRIES: $5/qt or 2 for $9
Asparagus: $4/lb
Radishes: $1/bunch
Table Onions: $1.50/bunch or 2 for $2
Rhubarb: $1.50/bunch or 2 for $2
Spinach: $3 for 1/4lb bag
Lettuce: $2.50/bag
Kohlrabi: $.75 for small $1.25 for Large

Chickens

Hello Everyone,
We will be butchering chickens the week after next.

With the changing prices in feed we were not sure what we would be charging and this may change by the next batch...but so far we are keeping the price the same.

$2.50/lb
add $1 to the total charge if you are getting them cut

The chickens will be between 3.5-5lbs. We are taking orders for cut or whole chickens. If you would like your whole chickens bigger than this let me know ASAP so we can set them aside to grow!

Thanks
Jamie

No market at farm Friday or Satruday

Hi everyone,
Nice to have a little rain, hope everyone made it safely thru the storms.

We will NOT have open market at the farm FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. Unfortunately with the cold wet spring and now the hot weather the past 2 weeks our harvest schedule is off. We are hoping to have more variety of produce next week or the week after. We do have some asparagus and radishes. If you need something let me know and we will set it aside for you to pick up otherwise stay tuned for scheduled market times next week.

Thanks
Jamie

Asparagus for sale

$4.50/lb or 2 for $8. Great for eating fresh or pickling.

We have some radishes and table onions and rhubarb for sale too but not many so first come first serve. I have deliveries this afternoon and will be in and out at the farm. Let me know if you will be stopping by and I will put your produce in the fridge with your name on it if I'm not around. If you are able to text me that is the best way to get ahold of me today. 206-5161

Farmer's Market

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately we have to cancel open market at the farm today. Those of you that are planning on coming to the farm to pick up your WPB box please still do so. I will not be around but Leo will be here to help you get your box. I will send an e-mail update to let you all know if we will have open market 2moro afternoon. Sorry for any inconvenience.

I WILL still be having farmers market today up in Sauk at the Eagle Plaza from 11am-1:30pm.

For sale today:
Asparagus
Radishes
Table Onions
Lettuce
Some spinach
some rhubarb
potted herbs

Jamie

June 2011 Newsletter

Hillsong Ridge Farm        2011 June Newsletter            By: Jamie Spahn

WOW! Is all I can say about what’s going on at the farm.  We have been so busy planting yummy veggies and fruits, weeding, fixing, feeding animals, communicating, and ENJOYING every minute watching the kids on the farm!  The weather has been pretty good to us.  We could use some light showers throughout the week tho, so say a few prayers for gentle rain.  It has been very exciting to watch the farm grow this year along with the kids.  Little Rosie is a month old already! It won’t be long before she’s running with the other 2 causing all kinds of mischief. Lucy and Lily have been working very hard along with playing at the farm.  Weeding is one of Lucy’s favorite things too do besides watering. (Watering means: MUD PIES!) Lily just wants her shoes OFF! I can not keep shoes on her no matter how hard I try. She also loves to lay in the dirt.  She lies down in dirt rows between the lettuce and stares at the sky.  

Leo has been busy creating the fruit hill. Raspberry, blueberry and blackberry plants on one side and Apple, Plum, Peach, Pear, and Sweet Cherry trees on the other.  We are very excited to have fruit on the farm in a few years.  We are hoping for “Pick Your Own” patches.  Besides taking on the fruit hill, Leo, along with some great  helpers, has been planting ACRES of produce. Now the WEEDING is really starting to become a daily thing at the farm.  It is actually very relaxing to weed, and if we stay ahead of them, it doesn’t take to long to get thru a row.  Things are looking real good so far, let’s hope mother nature is good to us during this great growing season.

I am sure there is much more going on to tell you about but these days my mind if filled with the joy of a newborn.  Rosie is one healthy little girl that loves to eat.  I please ask that you be patient with me at the farm and markets.  The other day we got to the farm and she had soiled herself up to her neck.  I had to give her a bath, with her 2 big sisters trying to help (and cause a little trouble), and all I could think about was, “what if there was a customer here right now?”  The answer is: They will have to wait or help themselves.  We will have our produce set up and priced during market hours but if you come to the farm at other times, just know you may have to help yourself or wait if I’m busy with my babies!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you  think may be interested in the farm and what we have to offer.  If they do not have e-mail access, have them give me a mailing address, as I am more than happy to mail newsletters every month.

Again thank you all for your support. I know I say this a lot, but we REALLY mean it.  I get to wake up every day happy, and get to raise my kids on a farm, being with them as they grow.  That means more to me than words can describe.

Jamie

Ken Meinholz
Barb Crosby

Congratulations Ken and Barb! You will receive your 2011 Farm Coupon Book in the mail this week.
WEEKLY PRODUCE BOX MEMBERS:
Thanks to everyone that signed up for the weekly boxes.  As we love to do farmers markets and open market at the farm, it is really exciting to know we are for surely going to feed a number of families this year.  The box program has allowed us to plan our plantings a little better and your up front payment supports everything that is going on at the farm right now.

This week will be our FIRST week of boxes.  I will be contacting ALL members to make sure we have you down for delivery or pick up and at what times. Things you will see in your box this week: Lettuce, Spinach, Radishes, possibly Mustard and Table Onions.  There is not much for variety yet, but as the weeks continue you will see your boxes full of all kinds of wonderful, fresh, chemical free, homegrown produce.  Those of you that have signed up for every other week can plan on getting your boxes on the odd numbered weeks starting with week 1.

A big thanks goes out to MaryAnn Marx from the Sauk Community Center.  She worked very hard in putting a box program together for the Sauk community.  We are very excited to be a part of this new program and can’t wait to see how it grows for members and other farms.  It feels really good to bring so many people together because of wanting to eat healthy and take care of our bodies the way mother nature intended!

WORKERS SHARE:
We are still looking for help at the farm. With the continuing growth of our WPB members and the market season starting this week,  we will be looking for lots of help on the farm this year.  If anyone is interested in working 4-5hours a week in trade for a Weekly Produce Box, please send me your contact information, along with the days and times you may be able to work.  We look forward to having you join us in the fields and sharing in the wonderful things you will help us grow.

Thank you to Linda, Charlotte, and Kris for coming out to the farm the past couple weeks. Your hard work and great energy is very appreciated.

“I’ve started weeding at the farm, and have been surprised at how relaxing it is. The first time I was there I stopped only because it had started raining, and discovered I’d been at it for 3 hours. I was so surprised! It was satisfying to look back at the work I had accomplished. The calming affect it had on me made me want to come back for more work. Who da thunk?? I highly recommend it.” - Linda Ruiz

CHICKEN UPDATE:
We are hoping the chickens will be at the 4lb range in the next 2 weeks.  I will keep you all posted with a butcher date when it gets closer.  We are taking orders for whole and cut chickens at this size and orders for whole chickens around 5-7lbs.  If you’d like your chickens bigger than 7lbs please contact me right away so we can set aside your chickens to grow.  We do not have the new pens finished yet but they are getting outside and it is amazing how much faster they grow once that sunlight hits them.
We have also just received our 2nd batch of baby chickens and turkeys. I will be in and out of the farm next week, but if anyone would like to bring their kids to the farm to check out the chicks, come during our Open Market times at the FARM.

TURKEYS:
We have our baby turkeys for the November/December holiday season.  We are also taking orders now for your holiday turkey.  Let us know how many you want, about what size, and fresh or frozen.  Since Thanksgiving is pretty far away yet, it is ok if you don’t know what you need, but give me a heads up if you know you are interested in a farm fresh turkey.

EGGS:
Next week is our last week of this quarters egg shares.  Contact me if you’d like to sign up for our next quarter of egg shares.  Prices below:

Eggs Share Program: (pick up at the farm available daily)
Our next quarter starts Thursday, June 16th.
The egg share program is quarterly (12wks).

EGG SHARE PRICES:
½ Share = 1 doz. Every other week = $18 (+ $2 delivery fee)
Full Share = 1 doz. Every week = $36 (+ $4 delivery fee)
1 ½ Share = 1 doz one week, 2 doz the next = $54 (+ $4 delivery fee)
2 Full Shares = 1 doz. Every week = $72 (+ $4 delivery fee)

We are definitely looking for more neighborhoods to deliver too.  We ask that you get at least 3 people interested in participating in the egg share program.  We will deliver a cooler to a designated house once a week with everyone’s eggs.  Those members will have a 4 hour time frame to pick up their eggs each week.  It is really a great way for you and your neighbors, friends and family members to get fresh eggs weekly and saves everyone a little money in gas (as we all know that is a bonus these days!)

Current Market Times:
Sauk: (Eagle Plaza parking lot)
Wed: 11am-1:30pm

OPEN MARKET AT THE FARM:
Wed: 3pm-7pm
Fri: 2pm-6pm
Sat:  10am-2pm (times may change)

Facebook and blog:
I have many pictures to update on our facebook page.  I am hoping to get to them this weeks, so keep your eyes open Please note we will be using our face book and blog pages (along with e-mails) to update you with info from the farm.  Each week we will let you know what’s fresh and what is included in WPB members boxes, along with available open market times at the farm.  The blog page will also include recipes and ways to store your produce for that week.
KIDS SAFETY AREA:  The Kids Playground is wonderful!  The girls are learning to play nicely together and it is fun to have something for the visiting kids to do too.  Like always, PLEASE slow down  and watch for the little ones when pulling into the driveway.  If you are not sure where to park when you visit the farm, down on the flat part of the driveway by the old corn crib/and trailer is always a good place.  
MAY’S NEWSLETTER RAFFLE WINNERS!!!

February 2011 Newsletter

Happy Snow Days! Though I love the snow, I am definitely ready for some warmer weather. The need to get my hands in the dirt, plants some seeds, and grow things gets stronger every day. Lots of things to talk about this month. We are starting the major planning part of the year. Putting together Weekly Produce Box Info, planting lists and schedules, events, building and fence reconstruction, and the fruit hill are some of our main focuses right now. I would also like to do more teaching this year about what homegrown products can do for your body. If you want to learn more about what types of foods may help a specific health issue, let me know. We want to help anyone we can, which may mean growing a certain type of veggie, fruit, or herb.

I had a great opportunity to attend the 13th Annual Value Added Agriculture Seminar in Madison last week. Taking classes on Farm to School, Cost of Goods, Grants, Agroforestry and sustainable fruit production, and Find Your Fit, was fun and I learned a lot. After the 2 day seminar was over my head was spinning. Not only did I learn about how to better our products, but how to connect with you, the customer. It will take a few years to really reach our true potential as produce farmers and providers, but we are well on our way down the right path. We dug our hole last year so this year will be dedicated to building a strong, reliable foundation.

A BIG THANKS goes out to all of you that took some time to fill out our farm surveys. We got some great feed back and look forward to using the information to run the farm this year and years to come. The following are a list of the WINNERS from the SURVEY RAFFLE.

CONGRATS TO:
Becky Ward - Won a $10 Massage Gift Certificate (from Jamie)
Carrie Knutson - Won a $10 Essential Oils Gift Certificate from Young Living Oils
Becca Biasi - Won a $10 Farm Gift Cert. for the purchase of any product from the farm.
Rhonda Janskowski - Won a Hillsong Ridge Farm 2011 Coupon Book
Again thanks for all your support and keep your eyes open for more raffle opportunities in the upcoming months.

2011 WEEKLY PRODUCE BOX (WPB) PROGRAM information:
The Weekly Produce Box program is a 20 week season that was designed to help you save money on produce, teach to eat seasonally, and provide members with special product privileges. The deadline for WPB sign up is March 15th 2011. If you are interested in an every other week program (10 wks), please contact me individually so we can figure out what you are looking for and create a program that works for you. Payment is due before March 15th, in the form of cash or check. You may pay in full or pay ½ now and post date a check for the other half for July 15th 2011. Remember: As a WPB member you agree to share in the risks, as well as the bounty, with the farmer and other members. Understand that due to wildlife, weather, and/or other production factors, the quantities and varieties you receive may vary seasonally from one year to the next.

WPB members will receive discounts on Bulk Buys (for canning and freezing) thru out the 2011 season. They will also ALWAYS get any fruit product we have available first before farmers market and drop by customer sales.

Large Box - 4 or more people = $42/wk = total of $800 for 20 wks
Standard Box - 2-3 people = $25/wk = total of $500 for 20 wks
Small Box - 1 person = $18/wk = total of $360 for 20 wks

Adding Egg Shares to your WPB program:
Large = 20 wks= 18pk of eggs every week = additional $75
Standard = 20 wks = 1 dozen eggs every week = additional $50
Small = 20 wks = 1 dozen eggs every other week = additional $25

We have not decided on Pick up days (at the farm and Sauk). It will more than likely be Wednesdays and Saturdays, but we are always open so if those days don’t work for you to pick up your box just let me know and I will get you on a different schedule. We are still working on finding a few drop off locations, but it will depend on who’s interested and where everyone lives. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. If anything we will offer home deliveries this year! Please do not let pick up days and locations keep you from entering this program as we WILL get you your produce no matter what.

For those of you that are interested in buying your produce in a box form but would like to pay for your box weekly or pick and choose what you want in your box every week, let me know. This option will be available every week, but know that your box price will be higher than the WPB program and prices will change weekly depending on the products in your box. (box form will be cheaper than buying each item separately) I do want to know if you are interested though because it will help us better determine how much product we need to grow. Just remember the WPB members will always get any available fruit first and the rest will be First Come, First Serve.

LIST OF 2011 PRODUCTS: (N) = new product for us this year. I do not know individual varieties yet.

Early (May-June)
Radish - red and white
Lettuce - multiple types
Spinach
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Kohlrabi
Peas (snow & snap)
Scallions (N)
Turnips (N)
Table Onions
Herbs (many diff. types)
Swiss Chard (N)
Greens (collards, kale, mustards) (N)
*We are currently looking for organically grown Asparagus, more Strawberries, and Garlic from neighboring farms, so they may be included.

Mid (July - Aug.)
Beets (many varieties)
Beans (green, purple, yellow)
Broccoli
Carrots
Cucumbers/Pickles
Eggplant
Herbs
Fennel (N)
Greens (collards, kale, mustards) (N)
Lettuce - multiple types
Onions - sweet and Spanish
Peas (snow & snap)
Peppers (green, red, orange, yellow, purple bells) Red Italian frying peppers and other hot peppers
Potatoes
Swiss Chard (N)
Tomatoes (many varieties, including cherry)
Watermelon
Zucchini/Summer Squash
Muskmelon
Sweet Corn

Late (Sept.- Nov.)
Apples (some)
Beets
Beans
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts (N)
Cabbage (green & purple)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cucumbers/Pickles
Eggplant
Herbs
Fennel (N)
Greens (N)
Leeks (N)
Lettuce - many types
Muskmelon
Onions
Parsnip (N)
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Pumpkins (pie and carving)
Radishes
Raspberries
Turnips (N)
Scallions (N)
Spinach
Swiss Chard (N)
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Winter Squash (Delicate, Butternut, Buttercup, Spaghetti, Acorn)

Possible Fruits this year: Raspberries, Strawberries, Apples, Cherries, Pears, Peaches, Blueberries, Blackberries, Grapes.

Chicken Update:
Our winter batch of chickens are almost around 4lbs. Anyone interested in whole or cut chickens at this size please let me know. We only cut chickens when they are around this size so now is the time to order as we will not have fresh cut chickens again until June-ish. I’m guessing we will be butchering next week. Current Chicken Price =$2.50/lb (+ $1.00 added to the total for cut chickens to pay for labor and packaging) FYI: As the cost of feed continues to rise, we will have to raise the price for our meat chickens and fresh eggs in the near future.
Fresh Eggs Available Daily: $2.50/doz

Check us out on FACEBOOK & our BLOG PAGE!
Become part of the Hillsong Ridge Farm face book page and get weekly/daily updates about the farm, along with the chance to see pictures of what goes on at the farm. Our blog page:
http://hillsongridgefarm.blogspot.com/ is also used to communicate updates, but I would mostly like to use this page to share recipes, including weekly menus for the busy households. If you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share please send it to Hillsongridgefarm@gmail.com.

Information I am Looking For:
For those of you that have your own business, I would like to organize an event on the farm this year for you to come advertise. I think it will be a good way to support our community. Please send me an e-mail to explain your business. I am looking for info now but will not be holding this event until later in the year. As I am due at the end of April, I want to get as many things together for the farm before than. I am also wondering who would be interested in a “Kid/Family Event Day.” I wish we could have them every weekend at the farm but this year we will probably be limited to 1 or 2 event days and some pre-planned visits. Some things we are considering are days to interact with the animals, learning how to make food and juices, learning how to can and freeze, planting/gardening days, wagon rides, plant your own seeds for take home projects, and pumpkin carving contests. My questions: Would you like to volunteer to help out on an event day? Any ideas for farm events? Do you have a group event interest, like field trips for daycare or play dates?


Sauk Wellness Night: Join us for the 2nd Annual SPA NIGHT!
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Time: 6:00—8:00 p.m. Community Center Gym
730 Monroe St., Sauk City
You’ve worked hard and now it’s time to reward yourself with a “Health Trip Spa Night”! Enjoy an evening of being pampered featuring local businesses who specialize in making you feel special! Free demonstrations and services such as massage, reflexology, guided imagery, yoga, reiki, scalp massage, pedicures, and nutrition counseling will be available for you to try. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see what it’s like to be treated like a King/Queen! This event is free to all Health Trip participants, any non-members can attend by contributing $5. Proceeds will go to the Sauk Prairie Food Pantry.

Hillsong Ridge Farm will have a booth set up at the community center that night. We will be raffling off 2011 Farm Coupon Books and Free Product Give-Aways! We plan to teach about our farm fresh, chemical and hormone free products along with the benefits of Locally Grown Foods, and homemade baby foods. There will be lots of opportunities to learn good health tips and pamper yourself. Come Join Us!

Please feel free to send this newsletter to any family members, friends, and co-workers you think may be interested. If you know anyone that wants farm info but does not have e-mail access just have them call me or send me their address and I will mail the newsletters to them.

Thank you for your support and have a great February! (Spring is almost here!)
-Jamie

Potted Herbs for Sale

Basil, Lavender, Cilantro, French Tyme, Fennel, Parsley, Oregano, & Sweet Marjoram potted herbs for sale. Large Pots: $5/pot or 2 for $9. Smaller Pots: $3.50 or 2 for $6. We will be around Friday and Saturday for open market. No greens yet, but they will be ready soon. Fresh Eggs Avail. Daily $3/doz.

First Frost Hostas for sale. $5/pot

May 2011 newsletter

Hillsong Ridge Farm 2011 May Newsletter By: Jamie Spahn

We’d like to welcome our new little farmer, Rosemary Ann Spahn. Born 5-1-11 = May Day!!! 7lbs 14oz 21 ½ in long. Rosie and mommy are doing great. Her big sisters have been very helpful and there’s lots of love floating around right now. It will be a week or two before we make our fist adventure to the farm, but I know she will just love it. We can’t wait for all of you to meet her!!!

Hopefully all the April showers will bring May flowers and lots of nice days for planting. We have the lawn garden full of rows of greens, radishes, beets, and more, but we really need some nice weather to get into the upper gardens and get planting. Guess we can’t force mother nature. The fruit hill has been cleared and plowed as well, so when the weather allows, the blueberry and raspberry plants will be going in too. We’ve had lots of new additions to the farm lately. We have about 25 goats now and 2 new baby twins. They are very cute and growing well. Our big Mamma Goat, had a baby boy a few days ago. He needs to be fed a bottle a few times a day. It’s taking him a bit to catch on but he’ll get there. The boys have been working hard on making the new goat pen for all of them to run around in the grass. The little stinkers keep getting out, so it has been a little challenging. Once the weather warms up and the planting is done we will have open house days for visitors to come and play at the farm!

KIDS SAFETY AREA:
Some of you may have noticed the new fence around the swing set , sand box and picnic area. This was put up to create a safe place for the kids to play. With lots of vehicles pulling in and out of the farm we need to always be watching for kids. Please, please, please SLOW DOWN and keep your eyes OPEN when you pull in the driveway, as you never know when a kid will pop out of no where. The worst place is between the house and the garage, where the kids run between and there is a blind spot from the porch wall when pulling up the driveway. The farm is a great place for everyones kids to live life, so let’s keep it safe, thank you very much!

MAY’S NEWSLETTER RAFFLE WINNERS!!!

Dean Baley
Judy Ketelboeter
Congratulations Dean and Judy. You will receive your 2011 Farm Coupon Book in the mail this week.

WEEKLY PRODUCE BOX MEMBERS:
We are still taking on members for the WPB program until the middle of May. If you are interested, please let me know and I can send you the info. We are still planning on having the first boxes ready the first or second week in June, but with the rainy, colder weather it might be a week later. Hopefully not, because we have lots of stuff planted in the lawn garden to get us started, and they have just sprouted so keep praying for that sun!

WORKERS SHARE:
With the continuing growth of our WPB members we will be looking for lots of help on the farm this year. If anyone is interested in working 4-5hours a week in trade for a Weekly Produce Box, please send me your contact information, along with the days and times you may be able to work. We look forward to having you join us in the fields and sharing in the wonderful things you will help us grow.

CHICKEN UPDATE:
The baby chickens have arrived! We have 300 laying hens and 400 meat chickens. We are currently taking orders for meat chickens. It takes about 8 weeks or so to get them to around 4lbs. Over half of them are already spoken for so place your summer orders soon for your whole or cut chickens. We will be getting more baby chickens the first week of June that will not be ready til August, so plan accordingly. There’s nothing better then a fresh chicken on the grill for all those summer weekends!!!
We have all the chickens in the new hen house. The outdoor part of the pen is not finished yet, but will be by the time they are ready to explore the outdoors! The hen house is much bigger then the one in the barn and will have lots more room and outdoor access for the hens!!! Plus we are hoping to make it more accessible for customers to come and collect eggs with their kids!

TURKEYS:
We have ordered 50 turkeys for the November/December holiday season. We are also taking orders now for your holiday turkey. Let us know how many you want, about what size, and fresh or frozen. Since Thanksgiving is pretty far away yet, it is ok if you don’t know what you need, but give me a heads up if you know you are interested in a farm fresh turkeyJ

EGGS:
The hens have really picked up on production as the weather continues to warm. The next egg share quarter starts the 3rd week in June. We are always looking for new communities to add to our egg share/delivery program. If you and some of your neighbors, family members, or co-workers are interested please let me know. The way it works is that everyone involved pays for 12 weeks of eggs and we deliver to someones house or office once a week. Please keep in mind that there is a small delivery fee and you need at least 3 people to start a delivery program. You can ALWAYS join the egg share program and pick up at the farm every week.

Here are some benefits of FARM FRESH EGGS: (factory eggs loose these benefits)
- good source of low cost, high quality protein
- boosts brain health
- reduces inflammation
- provides a good source of choline
- promotes weight loss
- good impact on heart health
- improves cholesterol levels
- helps to prevent blood clots
- protects against muscular degeneration and cataracts
- protects eyesight


THANK YOU:
A thanks goes out to Carrie Knutson, who has volunteered to help with the WPB weekly product updates and blog menus. Carrie is a good friend of the family and also is a SHAKLEE product distributor. If you would like to learn more about the natural products she has to offer please contact her at Knutson.carrie@gmail.com. http://healthconnections.myshaklee.com/us/en/

RECIPE:

“Egg-Cellent Taco Brunch”

Ingredients: (serves 12) cooking time = 15 min.

10 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 hard taco shells
1 medium-sized tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl combine eggs, salt, and pepper. Beat Well.
3. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, and cook the eggs until scrambled, but still moist. Remove to a bowl and add taco seasoning mix; mix well.
4. In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and suate the onions until tender and lightly browned.
5. Stand the taco shells open end up in a 9x13” baking dish and put a ¼ cup of egg mixture into each shell. Top each taco shell with 1 tablespoon of onions, olives, and tomatoes. If there are any toppings left over, divide evenly over the tacos. Top each taco with 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese and bake for 6-7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
NOTE: These can be topped with taco sauce or salsa just before serving if desired.


Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you think may be interested in the farm and what we have to offer. If they do not have e-mail access, have them give me a mailing address, as I am more than happy to mail newsletters every month.

I hope this newsletter finds you and your families well and happy in life. You are all a very important part of the farm and what we stand for. Your support has been a wonderful overwhelming feeling and we hope you are excited for all the things we have to offer you this year and years to come! We may not be able to change the world but we can change communities together.

Jamie

Egg-Cellent Taco Brunch

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (serves 12) cooking time = 15 min.

10 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 hard taco shells
1 medium-sized tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl combine eggs, salt, and pepper. Beat Well.
3. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, and cook the eggs until scrambled, but still moist. Remove to a bowl and add taco seasoning mix; mix well.
4. In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and suate the onions until tender and lightly browned.
5. Stand the taco shells open end up in a 9x13” baking dish and put a ¼ cup of egg mixture into each shell. Top each taco shell with 1 tablespoon of onions, olives, and tomatoes. If there are any toppings left over, divide evenly over the tacos. Top each taco with 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese and bake for 6-7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
NOTE: These can be topped with taco sauce or salsa just before serving if desired.

rhubarb ready - and planting help wanted!

Hello Everyone, we hope you are enjoying the sun as much as we are!

We have some Rhubarb ready. Let me know if you are interested. 1st come 1st serve. Recipes to come soon.
Rhubarb = $1.50 per bunch (8 stalks)

Also, we will need some help planting ( or some light weeding) this week and next. If you are looking for a little extra cash or want to trade hours for produce this year, contact me with hours you are able to work. A few adults in the field for a couple hours get a lot of work done, so you don't have to put in a full day, just an hour or two goes a long way.

Weeding...

Spent a few hours weeding in the garden yesterday. Felt good to get my hands in the dirt and was very quiet and relaxing, but I'm a little sore today. Still need to take it easy for a bit, but it won't be long til we are in the full swing of things!!! Keep praying for warmer weather.

Fruit trees

We will be purchasing and planting fruit trees next week. Any requests???

Rhubarb

Rhubarb yum yum. WBP members: feel free to stop in at the farm and pick your own!

doves

2 white doves in the garden last night...good sign??

planting

Thanks to Leo, Uncle Skip, and cousin Jacob for helping with all the planting this weekend. Potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, peas, beans, fennel, sweet corn, and much more in the dirt. Little rain and lots of sun needed :) We have lots of planting to go, but it's been a good start. Love all the spring buds and blossoms showing up everywhere :)

fruit

Raspberry and blueberry plants going in on the fruit hill today!!!!

Planting...

Plant, plant, plant...

Sprouts!

FINALLY! Checking the lawn garden today, and sprouts ALL OVER!!! Yeah, bring on the sun and some warm weather too!!! Feeding the new baby goat with the bottle was lots of fun today too, the little guy is really starting to catch on!! Lucy also practiced walking (with a leash) her goat, Pony Lu! Gotta get her ready for a parade this year :)

Baby goat born!

Big ole Mamma Goat had her baby yesterday afternoon. Little boy...I'm very jealous, wish I was having baby!!! Can't wait to see the new little one. (he needs to be fed with a bottle, can't wait to have the girls feed him:))

Baby chicks today!

Lucy worked very hard today helping Grandpa Leo get baby chickens, unloading every one by hand into it's new home at the farm:) 300 laying hens, 400 meat chickens. Chickens will be around 4lbs in about 8 weeks. Place your orders now for cut or whole chickens.

Eggs in Baskets

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Special equipment: jumbo sized 6-cup muffin tin

Ingredients
3 large russet potatoes, peeled
½ stick unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt & cracked black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
6 slices prosciutto, about 2 ½ ounces, chopped
2 tablespoons maple syrup
6 eggs
¾ cup shredded provolone

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Serves: 6 servings
Level: Easy

In a food processor fitted with the grater attachment, push chunks of the potato through to grate. Once all the potatoes are grated place them into cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the moisture. Add the potatoes to a large bowl, stir in the melted butter and season well with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spray the muffin tin lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Press the grated potatoes evenly into the muffin cups being sure the potatoes go up the sides and a thin layer and covers the bottom. Bake until the top edges turn light golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl toss together the prosciutto with maple syrup and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently crack an egg into each cup. Bake until the egg whites set but the yolk remains runny, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set the oven to broil. Top the eggs with grated cheese and put the maple prosciutto on another sheet tray. Broil both until cheese melts, and prosciutto crisps slightly, about 1 minute.
Top the eggs with crispy prosciutto and serve immediately.

Egg deliveries today

Making egg deliveries this afternoon. Let me know if you need some farm fresh eggs!!!

Eggs - help yourself

Good Morning All,

Just a reminder we have 18pks (and some 12 pks) of eggs in the refrigerator at the farm that are a couple weeks old for boiling easter eggs. They are on the RIGHT hand side of the fridge in the garage. Help yourself if no one is around and you can put the money in the middle desk drawer.

12pk = $3.00
18pk = $4.50

The kids will LOVE coloring brown and green eggs! Plus they will taste DELICIOUS!

Try to have a great week, even though the weather may not be the greatest!
Jamie:)

Easter Eggs

‎18pks of "Easter Eggs" in the fridge in the garage on the Left hand side. They are a week or two old, so they might peel a little better after boiled. $4.50/18pk and $3.00/dozen. The kids will have fun coloring brown and green eggs!!!

Planting today

Lots of stuff planted in the garden today: Beets, Spinach, Radishes, Mustard, Swiss Chard, Turnips, and lots of Lettuce:) Feels good to be back to work...OUTSIDE! Anyone still interested in signing up for our Weekly Produce Boxes let me know, you have til the end of April to sign up.

Twins!

Firepit, the goat, just had twins! One boy and one girl. Very cute! Pics 2moro on the Facebook page!

Buying...

Do you all have chicks or chickens for sale by chance?

New Goats

New Goats today! Steve and Leo went to an auction today and came back to the farm with all kinds of new family members! Can't wait to name them ALL! Pics to come soon on Facebook!

April 2011 Newsletter

APRIL IS FINALLY HERE! There is sooo much going on this month, I don’t know if I can get it into words. Baby goats will be born, along with our new family member . We will have baby chicks in the middle of April. I’m sure there will also be baby kittens running around soon too. NEW LIFE is so amazing, we can’t wait to share with all of you. Besides babies, we will be getting our hands in the dirt and planting. The land will be worked with love to get ready for all our wonderful products. All our plants and seeds are ordered and ready to plant as soon as the ground and weather allows us to. I started some flowers and herbs indoors this year. I am very interested to see how they continue to grow. I would like to be able so sell some potted flowers for Mother’s Day, but will have to keep you posted on their progress. Leo has been working hard getting the “Fruit Hill” ready for lots of fruit plantings. We will be focusing on getting raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry bushes in the ground first, then the other fruit trees. I can’t wait to see what the old pasture will look like when full of fruit!!! (Lucy say’s she can’t wait for the Apple Trees!)

APRIL’S NEWSLETTER RAFFLE WINNERS!!!
Betty Frey
Joan Acker
Congratulations Betty and Joan. You will receive your 2011 Farm Coupon Book in the mail this week.

WELCOME ABOARD:
Thanks to everyone who will be participating in the Weekly Produce Box program. I think members will be very happy with the way the program is laid out and hopefully find some savings in buying 20 weeks of fresh produce. There is still some time to join the program if you wish. We can add members until the end of APRIL. We are hoping the first boxes will be ready the first or second week in June (it all depends on when mother nature allows us to start planting). Please look at the Monday afternoon delivery/drop off sites. We are hoping that some of you may be more interested in the WPB program if we can deliver your boxes to help you out during your busy work week. Just let me know if you are interested.

MARKET TIMES AND LOCATIONS:
Please keep in mind that these times and days may change or we will add days throughout the season but this is what we’d like to start with. If these times do not work for you let us know and we will make other arrangements, as there is usually someone around the farm every day.

Monday Afternoons:
- Home Deliveries for WPB members. Drop off location in Waunakee, Middleton (off of Hwy Q), possibly Middleton West Side (off of Mineral Pt. by Garner Park), and Fitchburg. We are still looking for a drop off site towards the center of Verona, and Windsor/SunPrairie. Individual times for each drop off location will be sent later.

Wednesdays:
- Sauk Farmers Market: The Eagle Plaza parking lot (on hwy 12 across and diagonal from the Harley Davidson Shop.) I will also be joined by Jesse Z., from Mama’s Farm in Mazo. Not only does she have a great variety of produce, but specializes in flowers!!!
11am-1:30pm. WPB pick up available.

- Open Market at the Farm:
3:30pm-6:30pm (we can be available before or after, just call ahead of time to make arrangements)

Saturdays:
- Spring Green Farmers Market: (location to be sent later)
9am-Noon
WPB pick up available.

- Open Market at the farm:
10am- 2pm

EGG UPDATE:
This week is Week #2 of our egg share program. Anyone that would still like to participate in this quarter please let me know. The last week of the quarter will be June 9th, 2011.

Eggs for Easter- Hard boiled eggs peel a little easier if they are not as fresh. We don’t let our eggs get more than a week old, so if you would like us to set aside a dozen or 18pk of eggs for you let me know ASAP. The kids will love coloring eggs that are already brown and green and have speckles on them!!!

1 dozen = $3.00
18pk = $4.50

**We’ve had some comments about blood spots in our eggs. I just wanted to address this with everyone.**
Eggs with a visible blood spot on the yolk are safe for consumption. The spot can be removed with the tip of a knife. Blood or "meat" spots are occasionally found on an egg yolk. These tiny spots are not harmful and are caused by the rupture of a blood vessel during formation of the egg. Blood spots do not indicate a fertilized egg. These eggs are safe to eat.

Mass candling methods reveal most eggs with blood spots and those eggs are removed but, even with electronic spotters, it is impossible to catch all of them. As an egg ages, the yolk takes up water from the albumen to dilute the blood spot so, in actuality, a blood spot indicates that the egg is fresh. Blood spots are more commonly found in brown eggs. The reason is two-fold. Firstly, the genetics of brown birds predisposes them to lay more eggs with blood spots in them. Secondly, during the candling procedure, the brown shell of the egg appears to have a red tint to it, which makes the task of looking for a red spot behind it extremely difficult. Hens will also lay more blood spotted egg when they are stressed out. Examples: A dog near the laying pen, or extreme changes in weather conditions.

CHICKEN UPDATE:
We will have new baby chicks April 21st. I will let you know if we will have open times at the farm to bring the kids around when we get them. It will all depend out what’s going on. Things are going to be very busy at the farm during planting season along with my due date being close. We will be getting baby chicks throughout the summer so there will be more opportunities for playing with baby chickens if this time does not work out.

The third week in June is our estimated time for fresh chickens. At that time they will be around 3.5-5lbs. We are now taking orders for cut and whole chickens at that size AND whole chickens 5.5-8lbs.

HELP NEEDED:
I am currently looking for some help writing some blog page sections and the weekly produce updates. I want to be able to add a small weekly update in our WPB boxes that explain what is in the box every week and how to use the uncommon veggies along with their health benefit. I also want to create a WEEKLY MENU to be updated every Saturday, that includes easy/fast/healthy recipes for the busy families. Thank you to my good friend Linda Ruiz who created and who will put the technical part of the blog page together. With everything going on this year, I need to be realistic with my time and this is an area I may not have time for but is much needed. If you have interest in helping with this please let me know. You will be compensated for your time with produce, eggs, or chickens.

If anyone has some great, healthy, homemade meals they like to put together for their families regularly and want to share, send details to jamiebond26@aol.com. Thanks!

PERSONAL NOTE:
I want to apologize ahead of time for forgetting anything with customers for the next few months. I seem to have “Prego brain” very bad these days and I’m sure the first few weeks the baby comes I will be a little dis-connected from the business. Thank you for being patient during this very exciting time in our lives. Helpful reminders to me are very appreciative. Also, if you can not get a hold of me please try Leo @ 608-516-7524. I will do my best to put together a May newsletter, but with the new baby, I may have to just keep you all updated with weekly/daily e-mail and face book and blog postings, so keep your eyes open. A big thanks goes out to all of you too, for supporting the farm and our families. I truly feel like we are living the dream right now, being able to raise our kids and work on the farm with family every day!!! I just hope we are giving you what you are looking for as well!!! Please know that any comments, questions, and concerns are always welcome. I feel communication with our customers is always a #1 priority.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you think may be interested in the farm and what we have to offer. If they do not have e-mail access, have them give me a mailing address, as I am more than happy to mail newsletters every month.

I hope this newsletter finds you and your families well and happy in life. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself and get outside to take a cleansing breath of that fresh spring air!!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These gluten-free cookies are very easy to make. Serve with hemp milk or fresh almond milk for a fun treat! You can also vary the recipe by adding cocoa powder and a little extra sugar for chocolate cookies or take out the chocolate chips and add 1 to 2 teaspoons ginger powder and cinnamon each for a ginger spice cookie.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup melted virgin coconut oil or organic butter
1/4 cup whole cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup (or more) organic chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place pitted medjool dates into a small bowl, cover with boiling water. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Then place soaked dates and water into a blender and puree.

3. Scoop out date puree with a rubber spatula and place into a bowl. Add melted coconute oil, whole cane sugar, and vanilla; whisk together.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and sea salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together with a fork or wooden spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Gently flatten each cookie with the back of a spoon. You don't want to flatten them to much, only slightly.

6. Bake for 10-14 minutes. Baking time will depend on the size the cookies are. Larger cookies need a little extra time and smaller cookies a little less. let cool slightly then enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.