Underneath the thin but never-ending veneer of winter on the prairie, we've been taking some breaks, making some cow milk cheeses and preparing for the onslaught of baby goats. Our first kids hit the ground in late February-early March and we've been slowly coming back into goat cheese production over the past several weeks. The incessant rains of late have left large swaths of the farm in standing water, and the cold air has put spring growth on pause.
We are undergoing some changes at the farm, refocusing our energies into running the goat dairy and making the best cheeses we possibly can. We are rejuvenating our pastures and our rotational grazing system, and we are building our "silvopasture" (browse trees planted in pastures) so that our goats can have a diverse and delicious seasonal diet. We are partnering more intentionally with Rocky Road Dairy in Mulberry Grove IL. We receive weekly loads of their beautiful organic, grassfed Brown Swiss cow milk every Monday. We're transforming their milk into blended (cow-goat) cheeses, including our feta in whey brine, our little bloom on the prairie (camembert style) and our angel food (mini-brie, crottin style). We have decided to take a break from Farm to Table Events this year, including our beloved "Babies & Brunch" and "Dinners on the Farm" series. Nonetheless, the farm will be open on weekends for folks to visit, enjoy the goats, shop our farm store "The Real Stand" and savor a cheese & charcuterie board with a glass of wine or a local microbrew.
Starting Saturday, April 9th, we will be open from 11 am to 2 pm for folks to pick up orders from our online store. We encourage you to take advantage of our one-time spring discount of 15% off all orders placed for farm store pick up from now through 9 am on April 9th. The coupon code is "springopen2022" and you enter this when prompted in the checkout process of your online purchase. If you aren't able to purchase online, you can still come out and shop during those hours (11-2).
The regular season's farm open hours begin the weekend of April 16-17. We will be open from 11 am to 5 pm, both Saturdays and Sundays. Saturdays in April will feature special opportunities to meet & greet this year's "crop" of baby goats! The naming theme this year is cocktails!! During regular open hours, you can walk around the farm, visit with the goats, shop in our farm store and enjoy a cheese & charcuterie board with a glass of wine/beer or other beverage. We will continue to attend the weekly Urbana "Market at the Square," starting Saturday May 7th. We hope you will continue to support our farm. Come visit us this spring!