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!!!