I meant to share this a while back.
When our Farmer's Market closed for the winter (they're shut down from Oct to April) I had to find a source for meat. I went to www.localharvest.org and found a wonderful source for pork and beef. I can buy it in small quantities and it's GREAT!!
My 3 youngest peeps went with me this past Saturday to Faye Farms in Udall KS. Heather & Mark were so nice and friendly. They showed us the 2 week old piglets and the month old pigs. I was in awe at the size of the mamas ~ 600 pounds! We also saw the calves, some of which are for sale. (If I could figure out the room needed for a cow to pasture, then I'd know if we could get a family milk cow ~ but aren't they supposed to stay in a herd?!) Oh, and their chickens! What a hoot!! We already love the flock we have and we got to see Black Astralops & Mad Hatters both of which we now want. Why are chickens so addictive?! They told us about their turkeys and chicken meat birds for sale. Plus we saw grouse and even a peacock. Sadly, they can't sell milk to us ~ their milk co-op rules don't allow that. But, I think we found a milk source in Clearwater.
We bought hamburger as well as pork chops plus some pork sausage and 2 dozen eggs. I showed our chickens the eggs, but they don't appear to care that I'm getting eggs from other hens. LOL Jerry declared the sausage the best ever ~ he is from Iowa and it reminded him of his farm life.
We definitely will be back to shop for more. We're now on the list for a whole hog in May and will more than likely be able to get a side of beef too. Gotta get more freezer space!
Also, on the local site, I found a homesteader that does sell produce from her garden which has me thinking about that option (selling the surplus) because when I checked into the Farmer's Market, I found that there was a bit of paperwork and approvals had to be met before you could sell there. I don't think we'll be at the production level to really warrant selling at a market, but we might be able to do it on a smaller scale.
The other site I like to browse is www.pickyourown.org Another great source for local fresh veggies & fruits. I have been to several of the growers and found them all to be top notch.
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4 comments:
Get your hands on a copy of Five Acres Enough mmmm it might be Ten Acres Enough now that I think about it. It is very inspiring even if you do not have the same amount of acreage as he did. Milk cows do not have to be in a herd. They do just fine one on one with the farmer. My folks both grew up on farms that had only one milk cow. My brother has only one milk cow. You can even do one milk goat. We did for quite a while. Glad you are not letting the off season deter you from not shopping at the super market.
Valley Center's Farm Market doesn't have the same requirements that the extention office one has. We will be selling there this year. You can have 1 cow in the city limits, they are fine alone. You can find out online how much room the require (the city)
Hiya :) Love your blog. I'm in Ark City. We get our beef from a grower in Winfield. I love the farmer's markets up there, try to make it at least once a month when they are open. I was going to get some stuff in the market in Winfield this year, and my husband ended up having a heart attack in May, so that kind of put a damper on our plans for last year. Maybe this year.
Lanny ~ Thanks for the book idea. I'll look for it. And, thanks for the cow info. I really thought cows needed to be kept together.
Phelan ~ As always, great advice! I looked into the Goddard market and was told it was only open to Goddard residents... which I'm so close to the city line, but not close enough. I'll check out Valley Center, if not to sell, then at least to shop! I'll check on the city limits for a cow. Honestly, I don't think we have enough room.
Gracie ~ Hi to you! It's fun to connect with folks close to home. I'm in Ark City quite a bit - I have houses for sale there. Where is the market in Winfield? I haven't been to it yet.
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