I talk a lot about the local produce that our farmers provide, but there are so many other local foods available in our area that I rarely touch on. Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting a few farms that raise animals. We picked up our order of pastured, organically-fed chickens from Marshall and Kevin at Sunnyside Farm and got to hear all about how the demand for pastured poultry is skyrocketing among restaurants and consumers. Marshall and Kevin raised pigs this spring as well, and are looking forward to offering more pastured pork in the future. We are so lucky to have delicious, fresh, pastured meat available right here!
The Farm on Oak Creek is not currently selling meat to the public, but Denise raises meat sheep, turkeys, and pigs. When we stopped by yesterday to check on our piggy, we were surprised by the arrival of two sweet lambs born just a few hours earlier! The Verde Valley is full of small farms and I just love discovering all that they have to offer and talking to the amazing farmers who work so hard to care for the animals and crops that sustain us. And having raised my own pigs, chickens, turkeys, and cows, I know exactly how much work and how rewarding it is to raise them. So please consider supporting all types of local farmers. Many of them are listed on our Verde Valley Local Food Guide, and if you know of any other farms that we should add please let me know.
The season will be coming to a close on October 11th, so it is time to start talking about next year. We have so loved serving you all this year and hope that you will be shareholders again next season. Our 2018 season will run from May 16th – October 10th. We are now accepting signups for next season, so if you know you would like to be a CSA member again next year please download a copy of the Early Bird Contract or pick up a hard copy at distribution this week and return to us by October 11th. It is very helpful for us to know ahead of time which shareholders will be returning before we open up enrollment to our waitlist. Thank you again for supporting our farms this season!
Have a great week!
Meghan
What’s in your basket – September 27th
Cherry tomatoes – Willowbrook Farm
Onions – Willowbrook Farm
Pea shoots – Willowbrook Farm
Potatoes – Whipstone Farm
Salad mix – Whipstone Farm
A rainbow of fall colors.
A brand new little lamb!
The freshest onions are the best onions.
Happy piggies on a fresh patch of pasture.