The plastic is off!

Let the cleanse begin! Yesterday we removed the plastic from our large unheated greenhouse. This will expose the soil to the elements this winter. Accumulated salts will be washed from the soil and pests will be exposed to the elements. Today's heavy rain is a good start for this process!

Buying Club, Farm News and home made dog food!

Greetings from a frozen Dancing Hen Farm!

We are delivering buying club orders this week.  Ordering is now open and will close Thursday morning.  Deliveries will be this weekend.  We have eggs, chicken, pork, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and a very limited supply of cooking greens available.  Farmer Don did not put many greens out on the buying club this week, since he is unsure how our plants handled the recent cold temperatures.  He did not want to remove the plants protective coverings with temperatures still below freezing.  With warmer temperatures predicted, we will assess our fields this week.  Watch future newsletters for more availability on our buying club.

Speaking of below freezing temperatures.  Welcome winter!  While we were enjoying the unusually mild December, Mother Nature was planning a not so mild start to the New Year.  It was 4 on our back porch this morning, with temperatures only rising into the 20’s during the day.  But, the weatherman is assuring us this cold blast will be short lived and we will be back in the mid 40’s by the end of the week.  So the warm weather will be back for at least another short stay.  What strange weather we are having this year!  And still no real measurable snow? 

We have been busy in the kitchen lately.  Busy making dog food!  Our older dog, Shady, has been having multiple health problems which all seemed to point to a problem with her food.  This is not a new problem for us with Shady and over the years she has been on all sorts of commercial dog food and I don’t even want to think about how much these foods have cost us!  We are now making her (and Rosie) something akin to doggy meatloaf.  The base of the food is our own ground chicken (including some bones, necks and organs) to which we add eggs and vegetables.  I have to say she is looking and acting better than she has in years. Over the weekend I even witnessed her jumping over row covers in the field!  I am a bit worried my kitchenaid mixer can’t handle the grinding, so we may need to invest in a meat grinder.  And I am worried when we are crazy busy in the summer it will be hard to find time to make dog food when I can’t always find time to make us dinner!  If anyone has a good dog food recipe, please share it with us!

Thank you again to everyone who has signed up and remitted payment for our 2016 CSA.  Egg shares are going fast and our new chicken share is also a popular add on.   As always, if you have questions concerning the CSA, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. 

Ok, time to send off this note!  Stay warm!