Farm News
Champaign Illinois will be in the 97% zone of totality for next Monday's solar eclipse. The region is a buzz with excitement, as folks work through their travel plans to get to the zones of totality. In celebration of the solar eclipse, we made our first batch of Moonglo this week. Moonglo is our raw goat milk tomme-style cheese. It is made using a traditional method of hand stirring and gently heating the curd in the cheese vat. Then, the curd is packed into large basket molds and pressed using the weight of one wheel atop another. After the wheels spend the night in the brine tank, they are transferred to the aging room for at least two months. We bathe the wheels in a culture wash containing pear-leaf tea and Illinois pear wine. Over time, they develop their characteristics orange hue. Moon imitating sun; sun imitating moon. Spring milk immortalized in a large orange globe.
Happenings at the Farm & Beyond
Come see us at the Champaign Urbana Indoor Farmers' Market this Saturday. We are there every Saturday through the end of April, 8 am to 12 noon. The outdoor market "Urbana's Market at the Square" starts Saturday May 4th!
NEWS FLASH: SPRING CHEVRE IS BACK!!! We're bringing the following:
Chevre frais: plain, herbs de Provence, cracked pepper-try our plain chevre (or jersey gournay) with Central IL Bakehouse ginger snap cookies! You won't regret it!!
Goat milk yogurt!!! Both pints and quarts available this week! Buy your yogurt and then pop over to CIB's stand to grab some of there house-made granola!!
Jersey Milk Gournay: plain, garlic & herb, everything bagel and spiced cranberry--great cream cheese substitute-cook with it, slather it on a bagel-you're in charge
Ukrainian Farmers' Cheese: think ricotta and cottage cheese having a baby-delicious served with fresh fruit OR use in a savory dish
Angel Food-brie style: petite rounds--both ooey-gooey AND first of the season mixed-milk versions (mixed milk is super young).
Little bloom on the prairie: camembert style bloomy rind--gooey deliciousness--consider a simple cheese board featuring little bloom, top cut off, your favorite sweet and savory accompaniments surrounded by your favorite cheese vehicle.
We are also bringing some special accompaniments to go with the cheeses!
Our weekly CSA share offers you unique pairings with ultimate flexibility. Every week, you'll get cheese, bread and house-made accompaniments. We will have these for sale at the indoor famers' market, but please go ahead and sign up for shares. Pretty soon, you will only be able to get these shares if you pre-order. This Saturday's share includes:
6 oz. container of everything bagel seasoning chevre
2 oz. stick of Underground Meats "sausiccon sec" dry-cured salami
4 oz. country style mustard
CIB demi-baguette
We are also launching a new "Farm Club" subscription--join the club and get special perks!
Save the dates and book your reservations NOW: Babies & Brunch!! Taking reservations for every Saturday and Sunday in April! Grab those tickets now as reservations are filling up quickly! Enjoy a continental style breakfast while snuggling up to these adorable baby goats!!! What could be better??
Goat Yoga-Pilates comes to the farm in May, featuring our adorable baby goats and certified Pilates instructor Lisa Staples of Living Legacy Pilates.
Farm to Table Dinners: Starting in May, Chef Garron Sanchez will be offering pre-fixe multi-course meals featuring locally grown foods, and our cheeses, of course. He is still fleshing out the themes and menus, but you can now make reservations.
