Farm News
The halcyon summer days of July have faded into hazy memory. We deluded ourselves into thinking we had dodged the extreme heat enveloping so much of the rest of the country. We were wrong. The heat began to settle in last weekend, and, like an unwelcome house guest, decided to stay for a while. The soaring temperatures joined forces with the ambient humidity, making it painful to walk from house to barns and back. The goats took turns cooling themselves in front of fans, gulping their goat “Gatorade,” and submerging their chins into the cool water in their stock tanks. We could coax them into the pastures in the early morning after milking, but by mid-day, their appetites plummeted (as did their milk production) and their desire for shade was all-consuming.
The creamery staff became the envy of the dairy crew; their normally hot and steamy cheese make room was a relative relief from the extreme outdoor heat & humidity. The pond beckoned me, and I finally found some time to take a swim. The pond is fed by ground and rain water, and it’s quite deep. Endure a few footsteps of gushy mud and water weeds and you’re rewarded with cooling soft liquid surrounding your body. The banks are mostly protected by cattails, so the water is clear. Gliding across the length of the pond, there was barely a ripple from my strokes. The surface was lukewarm bathtub temperature; a few feet down, the cooling thermocline refreshed my toes. Barn swallows skimmed the water’s surface for hovering insects; Goldfinches dipped their beaks to take a drink.
I dried myself off on our new dock; positioning myself into the shade of a newly emerging willow tree along the shore. I sat still, observing the water’s surface, noticing the amazing diversity of dragon flies and their prolific procreation. The more I stared, the more I saw—exoskeletons of dragon flies clinging to cattail fronds, piles of tiny water beetles creating a living raft and camouflaged frogs pretending to be one with a floating leaf. The cooling waters, the discovery of a subtle water world removed more than heat from my body.
Farm Open Hours—VISIT THE FARM, CHECK OUT OUR “FARM BAR”—ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST LOCAL FOOD AROUND!
Even in the linger heat of the season, the farm is a great place to spend the weekends. Guests can enjoy artfully crafted cheese and charcuterie boards, small bites highlighting what’s local and in season and weekly specials. Breads from Publican Quality Bread (Chicago, IL), goat-milk yogurt parfaits and scones from Alchemy Coffee & Bakehouse (Wilmette IL) round out the menu. Sunday brunch “Bloody Mary’s” will feature organic tomatoes from Blue Moon Farm (Urbana IL). Need more enticing? Come try some amazing wines that you can’t find anywhere else in Champaign-Urbana!
This week’s featured menu items include:
Cheese boards
Charcuterie Boards featuring Piemonte Sausage Co. and Underground Meats salumi
Publican Quality Bread crostini du jour (changes weekly)
Watermelon and Feta Salad with fresh mint
All PFFC Caprese salad—our very own fresh mozzarella, farm tomatoes and basil with olive oil and balsamic drizzle
We’ve started a NEW tradition of wine flights! We’ll feature three wines from our Organic & Biodynamic Portfolio for a set price. Cool off with a cold brew from our newest selection of local microbrews, kombucha beer and hard cider! We’re very excited about these new libations.
Hours are:
Fridays, 4-8 pm
Saturdays, 11-8 pm
Sundays, 11-5 pm
In the farm store, we now feature vegetables from new farmer “Open Hands Farm.” This weekend’s offerings include: tomatoes, okra, garlic, green beans, potatoes, beets and chard.
Farm Dinners and Farm Events are BACK! While our Paul Virant and Sunday Dinner Club dinners are both sold out, we are working hard on adding more dinners and special events. Save the date for a very special Mezcal and Small Plates Pairing Event with Alex Jandernoa of Banhez Mezcal, Oaxaca, Mexico on October 9th. Save the date for a Sunday afternoon of cannoli and gelato with The Tony Cannoli of Lincoln Illinois-October 17th.
Urbana’s Market at the Square: Featured Items Going to Market This Saturday-7 am to 12 noon
It’s peak summer bounty time at the farmers’ market right now. We’re there with our fellow veggie and fruit farmers; all of our cheeses can be paired with so many of these produce gems—simple prep is the key to enjoy the amazing flavors! The weather is summer-like, but don’t let that slow you down. Bring a cooler to keep your cheese and gelato in peak condition.
NEW NEWS FLASH: We now have a third award winning cheese to add to our accolades—our ash-ripened “black goat” won a silver medal in the inaugural New York International Cheese Competition. We are so proud!
Don’t forget too: OUR RAW MILK “PELOTA ROJA” IS BACK IN THE CHEESE LINEUP! Come grab a wedge of this 2021 Good Food Award winning cheese, inspired by Spanish style raw goat milk cheeses. Early spring milk makes these early batches taste AMAZING!
Can’t make it to the market? No worries! Order from our online store for farm pick up either Saturday or Sunday during farm open hours.
Here’s the line-up of offerings for this weekend:
Fresh Mozzarella! Yes, you read that right! We are now making fresh mozzarella with the amazing cow milk from Rocky Road Dairy. Like all of our cheeses, we make this cheese as close to traditional methods as possible. Comes as a perfectly formed ball (approximately 5-6 oz)-perfect for your very own caprese salads as well as home made pizza!
Gidget’s Grilling Cheese-made with rich, grassfed cow’s milk from Rocky Road Farm. Grill or pan fry to get some nice caramelization on the outside. Drizzle with local honey and a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh herbs. Enjoy with crusty baguette or some grilled summer squash.
Artisan Cottage Cheese-summer milk from grazing cows makes an AMAZING cottage cheese. It is both gorgeous (lovely yellow in color-a testament to the grass the cows are eating) and delicious. If you think cottage cheese is boring, you really need to give this a try! It’s a game changer!
Fresh chevre
Plain
Herbs de Provence
Cracked peppercorn
Dried Tomato!! YES It’s BACK!!
Little Bloom on the Prairie our goat milk camembert-style; this batch is aging nicely; enjoy with sliced heirloom tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil!
Angel Food: our little crottin style bloomy is young, dense and mild—perfect for slicing and enjoying with crackers and drizzle of local honey
Black goat-ash-ripened bloomy-rich “fudgy” texture that I love so much AWARD WINNING!
Fleur de la prairie-our goat milk bloomy with dried garden herbs and edible flowers-A 2021 Good Food Award Winner! Try with slices of early season apples.
Pelota Roja- raw goat milk Manchego style cheese with a guajillo-olive oil rub—so good for shaving over a tomato and basil salad or grilled eggplant! 2021 GOOD FOOD AWARD WINNER!
Goat Milk Feta aged in Whey Brine-try with grilled peaches and a drizzle of honey (sweet and salty and sublime). Watermelon season is HERE for your feta-watermelon salads!
Goat Milk Yogurt—it makes a great smoothie or enjoy with your favorite granola and fresh berries-now available in both pints and quarts! We are featuring our yogurt in our farm kitchen’s parfaits this weekend.
Goat Milk Gelato by Pint (4-5 flavors at the market; many more at the farm)
If you’re interested in buying fresh raw goat milk, you can either order from our online store for farm pick up on the weekends, or just visit our farm store during open hours—now offering both quarts and half gallons in our refrigerated display case.
We’re HIRING!
We are seeking an experienced Part-Time Kitchen-Farm Store & Events Staff Member. The ideal candidate will have an interest in learning how to execute our new weekend “small bites” menu while also assisting with service from our “farm bar” and helping to execute our bi-monthly Farm to Table Dinners and private events. Experience in a commercial kitchen and proof of Illinois Food Handler’s License required. Additional qualifications include:
· Passion for food and cooking, especially using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients
· Cheese lover a big plus (we are a farmstead cheese producer after all, and our menu is very cheese-centric)!
· Excellent hygiene and attention to maintain safe food conditions in the kitchen
· Reliable, punctual, honest
· Ability to work in a seasonally hot kitchen
· Ability to multi-task (e.g., prepare simple foods, wash dishes, wait on customers, serve alcoholic beverages)
· Ability to work in a small team setting
Hours of availability needed are subject to change based on events, but candidate will primarily be scheduled Fridays-Sundays ( approx. 25 hours/week)
We value our employees and offer a competitive fair wage to all who work here. Ifyou or someone you know is interested in this position, please contact…
Lisa Wells, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery Event Planner at prairiefruitsevents@gmail.com Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in the position (and why you think you’re a good fit) along with a current resume.
Goats for Sale
Looking for a family milking goat or a 4-H project for your kids? Looking to build a small herd to make some goat milk soaps and skin care products? Looking to expand your commercial dairy goat herd? Want some goats to keep your invasive plants at bay? How about a few goats to take on hikes? We have what you’re looking for! Our goats are certified “Animal Welfare Approved,” registered through the American Dairy Goat Association AND super happy and healthy. Send us an email (prairiefruitsinfo@gmail.com) and we’ll let you know what we have available.