Farm News
Our first hay cutting is moderately overdue. Blue skies are a hay-makers dream. The grass-alfalfa stand is tall and lush, yet a bit mature for the picky lips of our goats. No doubt they will devour the choice bits first and leave the stems for us to compost. The dense stand of vegetation belies an alarming reality underneath: the soil is dry. We have received less than half the typical rainfall for May in our area. The Saline Branch, the creek that runs along the eastern edge of our farm is so low that there is barely enough water for the fish to swim in.
We are thankful for the string of sunny & dry days needed to mow and bale this first cutting, but we are nervous about the regrowth and subsequent cuttings. We may need to irrigate our hayfield and pastures this year. This would be a first. Sunny days provide no excuses for the goats to browse in their pasture. A nice deluge of rain would send them straight to the barns, but would replenish the soil moisture we need desperately to keep the vegetation growing.
Farmers' Market and Farm Happenings
This Saturday, come see us at the outdoor farmers' market, Urbana's Market at the Square. Our location is the same as last year: on the south end of the market at the south end of aisle two. Hours are 7 am to 12 noon.
We have a LOT of cheese for you this holiday weekend, as well as goat milk yogurt. We can set up you up for the perfect cheese board or spread for entertaining yourselves or your guests over Memorial Day weekend. Thinking about grilling something? Consider using our yogurt as the base for your marinade. How about an early summer salad with our feta? SO many options await you!
If you want raw goat milk or gelato, you will need to come out to our farm store during open hours. You can also order from our online store for farm pickup. We'll be bringing the following cheeses to market:
Fresh chevre--plain, herbs de Provence, cracked pepper
Fresh chevre with rhubarb compote--a dollop of house-made rhubarb compote adorns the plain chevre, resulting in the perfect pairing of sweet-tart-savory
Truffle chevre--NEW!! an aged/dried chevre ball mixed with olive oil-cured truffles and rubbed with cracked peppercorns. Amazing for grating over pasta or roasted veggies! GIVE THIS little flavor bomb a try! You won't be disapointed.
Angel Food mini-brie-back in stock and young & delish
Little Bloom on the Prairie-mixed milk camembert-NEW BATCH
Black goat-ash-ripened goat bloomy rind-new batch
Fleur de la Prairie-all-goat bloomy rind with dried herbs and edible flowers-new batch
Ukrainian Farmhouse Cheese-all cow milk, fresh cheese
Raclette style cheese-made with cow's milk-great for melting! It makes a killer gourmet grilled cheese!
Feta in whey brine: crumble on a spring greens salad!
Goat milk yogurt (pints and quarts)-all natural, no thickening agents
Farm Open Hours
Come visit us this summer. We are open Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am to 5 pm. You can visit with the goats, taste our raw milk (and buy some to take home), shop our farm store for cheeses, accompaniments and unique gifts, enjoy a cheese board under our pavilion or grab a scoop of gelato. We are also offering wine & cheese flights featuring three cheeses with three wines. It's a great way to try something new.
Special this weekend: Iced Coffee Affogatto! Mad Goat Coffee brewed & chilled with a scoop of goat milk gelato (we recommend vanilla, but there are other flavors from which you can choose!
This Saturday, May 27th at 11 am we're offering a hike with the teenage goats. Join our rock star volunteer, Carol, on a stroll along the eastern edge of our farm. It's a gorgeous part of the farm. The hike lasts for about 30-40 minutes and then we take you on a brief tour of the dairy. It ends with a scoop of gelato. $18/person includes the hike, a farm tour and a scoop of gelato at the end.
NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. HIKE STARTS PROMPTLY AT 11:00 am. SUITABLE FOR AGES 8 AND OLDER. WEAR STURDY SHOES FOR UNEVEN TERRAIN AND APPROPRIATE CLOTHING/HATS FOR THE WEATHER. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO BRING A WATER BOTTLE AND SUNSCREEN TOO.
Not local? You can still support us! You can order from our online retail store. We ship nationwide Mondays through Wednesdays every week. You can choose from one of our gift collections or just mix and match a la carte.