Growing Season Update July 9 2016
After a very long dry spell we finally got some rain, what a welcome relief.
Garlic Curing at White Pine Farm.
We picked our first tomato Today, soon they will be available for sale.
Pests NOT WELCOME. This picture shows a squash bug and its eggs, everyone dreads these critters as they like to suck the juice out of the plants. Their greatest nemesis and an organic gardeners friend is the assassin bug that looks very much like them.
CUCUMBERS
Cucumbers are extremely beneficial for overall health, especially during the summer since it is mostly made of water and important nutrients that are essential for the human body. The flesh of cucumbers is rich in vitamins A, C, and folic acid while the hard skin of cucumbers is rich in fiber and a range of minerals include magnesium, molybdenum, and potassium. Additionally, cucumber contains silica, a trace mineral that contributes greatly to strengthening our connective tissues. Cucumbers are known to heal many skin problems, under eye swelling and sunburn. Cucumbers also contain ascorbic and caffeic acids which prevent water loss, therefore cucumber is frequently applied topically to burns and dermatitis.
To Read Full Article Click Here
Chocolate
Chocolate
Good Stuff Cocoa gets their chocolate through Fair Trade Chocolate companies who are Certified organic and they use local raw honey plus other organic ingredients.
Since they have not certified the kitchen where they make the chocolate they cannot claim that their final product is certified organic although they do use organic ingredients.
To learn about where they get their chocolate check out this You-tube video
Farm Boy Chips
YES!!! at last John has the seasoning on the Jalepeno Chips perfect. Enough heat so you can tell they are jalapeno but not so much that you have to grab a 1/2 gallon of Hilhoff milk to sooth the burn.
For those that like Jalapeno chips you will be glad you tried them again.
Growing Season Update June 2016
RAIN at Last. With this new weather development more produce will most likely be added on Monday.
Finally we have a moment to add new pictures.
Tomato Plants at White Pine Farm
Lettuce at White Pine Farm
Cucumber Blossoms at White Pine Farm
May News 2016
Senior Project Fresh
We will be accepting project fresh coupons for seniors this summer. They are free and available to lower income seniors over 60 years old in every county in Michigan. Contact your Local Cooperative Extension service to inquire and acquire the coupons. Each County has an extension service to find your county click Here
and than click on your county.
Chocolate
Good Stuff Cocoa gets their chocolate through Fair Trade Chocolate companies who are Certified organic and they use local raw honey plus other organic ingredients.
Since they have not certified the kitchen where they make the chocolate they cannot claim that their final product is certified organic although they do use organic ingredients.
To learn about where they get their chocolate check out this You-tube video
Growing Season
Come visit us at White Pine Farm and see how things are growing.
Egg Prices
If a dozen Jumbos Costs $5.50 your price per lb on the eggs are $2.93
If a dozen Extra Large Costs $5.25 your price per lb on the eggs are $3.11
If a dozen Large Costs $5.00 your price per lb on the eggs are $3.33
If a dozen Medium Eggs Cost $4.75 your price per lb on the eggs are $3.62
This is a general chart to let you know Jumbos are the best deal.
Quality of the egg as a determining factor for value varies depending on the grower and the time of year the eggs were laid.
ACCEPTING Senior Project Fresh Coupons
We will be accepting project fresh coupons for seniors this summer. They are free and available to lower income seniors over 60 years old in every county in Michigan. Contact your Local Cooperative Extension service to inquire and acquire the coupons.
Place your project fresh coupons in your payment envelope to go have them go towards payment of your invoice.
Market News (April/May)
FERRIS ORGANIC FARM
We do have flour. Ferris Organic farm has an organic mill, they also grow many of their own grains and use a stone ground mill just like Linda and Lee did from Westwind Mill.
We will be offering 2 and 5 lb bags for now and the variety will be increasing of milled products will be increasing.
Soon we will also have spelt flour as well and multiple mixes.
Linda and Lee are hoping to have their new facility built by Aug and Linda will be back to baking and they will again be milling the flour.
Michigan Organic Popcorn is Here
Yes! We finally have some. Thanks to Ferris Organic Farm.
APPLES ARE GONE
No more apples until September when Almars start harvesting again, the remaining apples are starting to get wrinkly and will be put into hard cider. There will continue to be frozen apple cider.
On a different note Almar Orchard’s pig barn caught on fire. They did lose a few pigs and the local fire departments put out the fire before it had reached the other buildings. Almars store is open usual hours, although they will be busy cleaning up and building a new barn.
Growing Season
Tomatoes are growing and potatoes are being planted. Lots of good things are happening on the farm.
Come visit us, please call 810-688-3192 to schedule a visit. If you want you can help out while your are here.
Westwind Closed While Rebuilding. Flour from Eaton Rapids Coming Soon.
NEWS Westwind Milling Co. Sold their historic mill and will be building a building on their farm to mill flour in, which will take about 8 months. Soon we will have organic flour milled in Eaton Rapids Mi. Only a variety of flour will be offered and no mixes.
NETTLE & NEW PRODUCTS
Linda & Lee Purdy had decided that they wanted to spend more time on the farm and to BUILD A NEW facility on their farm so they put the old historic mill up for sale. They assumed it was going to take a long time to sell so no anticipated changes were expected to me made.
Surprise, someone saw the mill and thought it would be a really cool rustic restaurant. So the mill is sold! They anticipate it will be between 6-8 months before their new building will be put up on their farm and at that time they will go back to milling flour and baking bread.
All products from Linda and Lee are removed from the website temporally and the mill will no longer be a pick up location.
We do have alternative location in the works in the same geographical area.
<Nettles and Romanian Culture
Periods of fasting are common among traditional Romanians. “The Big Fasting” takes place during the spring and nettles are an integral part of this fast, especially for poorer individuals that search for them growing wild. Nettles contain amino acids, carbs, amines, sterols, volatile oil, formic and acetic acid, folic acid, chlorophyll, carotene, trace mineral salts, and the vitamins C, B2, and K. Try this traditional Romanian soup found at WWW.uncover-romania.com:
Finding nettles on CSA Farmer’s Market is possible this time of year, they’re also often available at Whole Foods Markets. Buy a bunch when you can, and double or triple this recipe, as needed, and freeze some, because my fortune-telling powers tell me you’ll want to twirl the pesto up with long pasta again long after the season has passed. If you have time to be thoughtful and a bit patient, you can add toasted breadcrumbs, for a bit of crunch, or chopped sundried tomatoes.
NEW PRODUCTS
Toni Oliver is now offering 5 lb blocks of mozzarella cheese on the website. Perfect for the organic pizza lovers everywhere.
Finally someone locally (Engelhard farms) grew some organic cranberry beans. They were the favorite bean for many customers, finding them seemed futile until one day when we were at Dr. Brockreides Farm in Columbiaville (he grows the large white kidney, also known as Cannellini beans) and there sat a small bag of cranberry beans. Alas! Most dry bean growers grow many acres of beans and have them cleaned at a few organic facilities in Michigan and Dr. Brockreide owns one of those facilities. The other one belongs to Everbest Organics.