Fresh Carrots: It’s a Lifestyle

Some time ago I developed a snack habit of eating an apple after lunch every day. But lately the availability of local apples that have been keeping cool in storage has dwindled and my snack routine was in trouble. I am in staunch opposition to eating apples from other parts of the country, let alone other parts of the world, so I didn’t really have a choice. I had to give up apples until autumn. Enter the carrot. [cue joyous song about carrots sung in unison by 1000 bearded men]

Differences between raising heritage chickens and cornish cross for meat (part 1)

Today we harvested our five biggest heritage cockerels and it was an eye-opening experience. We didn’t kill them because of the 4 am crowing, or the fact that one of them bit our daughter, or because we are in dire need of adding more chicken to our freezer.  We did it because this is why they are here, why we are raising them.  We are exploring the sustainability of heritage breeds, as well as taking note of our experience raising different breeds.  They are here to feed us, and we thank them for their role.  We took the opportunity to compare to a batch of cornish cross chickens we also raised for meat, and in this post I’ll go over some of the key differences in the actual raising of the birds.

Potatoes, Corn, and Tomatoes

Dear August,

I love you. Your hot sweltering days make everything come to birth with rapid full force.  The nights are short and swimming in humidity.   Your days are long and packed with lake hopping, people laughing and catching up, and so much delicious food. Bring on more heat, bright summer days, and all the celebrations of summer. Love, Amy

PS Thanks for the potatoes, the corn, and the tomatoes!

Help us understand your food and win free maple sugar!

We love to go with our guts on what is right. We’ve developed deep opinions over time and have done some work along the way to validate my thinking, and our instincts have improved and evolved into something we really feel good about. But every now and then we hear something, or see how someone lives, or just put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and everything changes. What does this have to do with your chance to win some free granulated maple sugar, made right here at Ferrin Brook Farm?

100% Local Meal – Pan-seared London Broil With Sautéed Swiss Chard and Spring Onions and Maple Glazed Spring Carrots

It has been so inspiring to walk around the farmers’ market on Saturday mornings.  I like seeing all the beauty around us, but, it is even more fun to play with the vegetables, meat, and dairy and create meals for our family.  The best part about these meals is that I can picture the fields, I know the farmers’ faces and strong hands. The added bonus that with local amazing food like this, I can feed my family AND support my local economy! This local support not only bolsters community and keeps the market going, but ceases the need to support food shipped from thousands of miles away on trucks. 

The Age of Automated Food

I work hard to maintain a high level of engagement with my food.  Whenever possible, I want connection to the process of growing and preparing meals with my family.  I want our children to grow up knowing where their food was raised, how it was processed, and how it was transformed into a meal before them.  I want them to see a box of crackers as somewhat strange.  They should think the chicken we raised and processed on our own is normal.