Farm News
Nothing like a blizzard to punctuate the end of fall. The fall foliage, still vibrant with reds, yellows and oranges, were stripped off their branches by the high winds or coated in a film of frozen snow. Anticipating the plummeting temperatures, we spent the past few days pulling up tomato vines, harvesting all remaining tomatoes, green or ripening. We pruned the herbs in the herb garden, and mulched the rest to weather the storm. We plucked the last of the edible flowers from the still-lush Nasturtium and Geum marigold plants and clipped the last of the wildly purple mexican sage and the crazy crimson pineapple sage.
Knowing that the color would be draining from the landscape all too soon, we worked with urgency to preserve it. There's a tension between the desire to keep the growth alive and the relief that comes from the finality of a hard freeze. In the goat barns, the water heaters have been plugged in, the extra layers of straw bedding laid down and the goat coats puffed up to protect against the cold. Winter has arrived like an unwelcome early guest.
NEW WEBSITE: We have been quietly and diligently working on a new website with Big Guy Technologies, and I am pleased to announce it is now live. We still have a few details to finalize, but we are excited with our site’s extreme makeover. We will be bringing online ordering to the site in the near future. Check it out and stay tuned as new features come on line.
Farm Store and Farmers’ Market Offerings
The Urbana Farmers' Market moves inside Lincoln Square Mall this Saturday, not a moment too soon. We will be there from 8 am to 12 noon (even though the market runs until 1 pm). We will be set up in the south hall of the mall next to Blue Moon Farm.
Here's the line-up of cheeses for this weekend:
Fresh chevre:
plain,herbes de Provence, cracked pepper-our chevre is so fresh and light; it’s the perfect foil for your salads, soups or stews.
Seasonal chevreflavors:
dried tomato
fall chive andlemon zest
Little Bloom onthe Prairie:our final batch of the season goat-milk camembert-style cheese. This batch is aging nicely with a lovely milky and buttered mushroom flavor. Try melting it over roasted delicata squash!
"Nutty Little Bloom:" a riff on our camembert-square shaped bloomy with toasted pecans on top. Pecans from Voss Orchard,Carlyle, IL. The nuts add a sweetness that compliments the buttery notes of the cheese.
Enjoy a pint of gelato (3 pint special —Buy 3, get $1/pint off):
-Vanilla
-Chocolate (very limited)
-Salted Caramel Swirl
-Butter Pecan (with pecans from Voss Orchard, Carlyle IL)
Try a pint from our new line of Whey-Based Sorbettos we’re calling “So-Whey-Betto” The whey from our chevre makes is added to the mix, creating a creamery texture and enhancing the flavor of the local fruits. Not only are they delicious, they are good for you (the whey contains probiotic cultures and lots of healthful nutrients):
-Red Currant
-Black Currant
Can’t make it to the market on Saturday morning? The farm store "The Real Stand" is open Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 pm through the end of December.
We offer a “build your own cheese board.” You pick out the cheese(s) and accompaniments (jam, honey, pickled veggies or pecans), we provide you with a demi-baguette from Central Illinois Bake House. Complete the experience with a glass of wine, cider or beer. Can’t decide what you want? Ask our staff for recommendations.
We have some new wines (from Valle de Guadeloupe, Baja Mexico) in the farm store as well as ciders from Virtue Cidery (Fennville MI).
Of course, you can visit with the goats (kids and adults alike) or just wander around the farm. Venture inside the farm store to shop for other local farmers’ products (meats, eggs, flour, jams, pickles, salamis, syrups, honey, etc.) or take home some PFFC “merch” (tea towels, aprons, t-shirts, sweat shirts and….)
NEW IN THE FARM STORE : Goat, Lamb and Heritage Whey-Fed Pork products from D&M Farms, Breese IL
We still have apples from Red Crib Acres too.
Coming soon: Cheese & Charcuterie Gift Boxes featuring PFFC cheese, house-made pickles and Piemonte Sausage Co. Salumi.
Copyright 2019. Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, LLC. 2019. All rights reserved. 4410 N. Lincoln Ave., Champaign, Illinois 61822 Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, LLC is responsible for the content of this email. Please contact Leslie Cooperband or Wes Jarrell with any inquiries.