Farm News
Despite the roller coaster ride of temperatures of late, spring is forcing herself on the landscape. There’s the constant low hum of the trilling toads in the nearby pond, the sudden purple carpet explosion of violets in the lawn, the emergence of peach and Seckel pear blossoms in the orchard and the return of the purple martins to their freshly cleaned martin house. The goats know there’s good stuff growing in the pastures; it’s harder to get them in for the evening milking, and they’re leaving primo alfalfa leaves on their hay. We have two does left to kid, over 230 kids on the ground and the first group a couple of weeks away from weaning. Spring insists and leaves a wake of blinding beauty behind her.
Babies & Brunch
We are able to host guests safely on the farm for this spring event by limiting the number of people per hour. We are taking up to 50 guests/hour for the remaining Saturdays in April, 10 am to 1 pm. Registration ($16) per person (children under two are free) includes your choice of sweet or savory grab ‘n go item, and lots of baby goat petting and viewing. We also have coffee drinks (by “The Red Head on Main”) and our famous goat milk hot chocolate for additional purchase. Our farm store is open for purchase of cheese, gelato and lots of other goodies.
This Saturday, we welcome the delicacies from Chef Stephanie Izard’s “Little Goat.” We are featuring veggie empanadas and yogurt parfaits. For the 17th, we’re offering sweet and savory hand pies from Brite! Bakery in Chicago. For the final Babies & Brunch on April 24th, we welcome back the Sunday Dinner Club team for “Tubers Donuts” and a savory muffin. While all the dates and times are sold out, check back on the site from time to time, because we do get people canceling.
If you can’t grab a ticket to Babies & Brunch and you want to buy our products, have no fear. You can order online for pick up on Saturdays from 1-3 pm. We’ll even let you pet some goats!
Featured Items in Our Farm Store
Ø Fresh chevre
Plain
Herbs de Provence
Cracked peppercorn
Fresh Chive & Lemon Zest (seasonal flavor)
Ø Goat Milk Yogurt—1st of the Season!!
Ø Mixed Milk (cow-goat) Feta aged in Whey Brine
Ø Snowy Woodland—our jersey cow milk (Kilgus Farmstead, Fairbury, IL) mini brie
Ø Snowy Woodland with “champagne” wash—lovely buttery brie with delicate wash of Illinois Sparking Co.’s Sparking Brute Rose
Ø Raw Goat Milk (fresh and clean)
Ø Goat Milk Gelato by Pint (so many flavors, check out what’s available in the online store)
Plans for May and Beyond
We will be attending Urbana’s Market at the Square starting May 1st.
Our farm store will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4 pm starting May 1st
We are working on hosting more events featuring our party-loving goats; stay tuned
Lots of folks are asking about our Farm Dinners! We are hoping to offer an abbreviated season starting in July. We want to make sure we can offer the full experience of dining outside with guests dining communally along our long farm tables. We want to make sure we can do this safely.