🐓The Farmgirl Monthly🐓
Shopping Guide ~ April Edition
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Shop for handcrafted, made-from-the-farm treasures brought to life by today's farmers!
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FEATURED FARM CRAFT
Acorn Pottery and Farm
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How and/or when did life as a farmer, rancher or homesteader begin for you?
This is always tricky, because what makes you a farmer, rancher or homesteader…having the desire, having the animals and all the plants…loving your life and centering it at home? I’ll have to say our health and food was the biggest key factor in making us famers and homesteaders. We have always been homebodies, and Johns work as a potter has always allowed him to work at home. After rounds of sickness with our kids one winter and being convinced there had to be another answer than yet another antibiotic, I started digging…literally and figuratively. I was looking for all of the alternative ways to health, and diet turned up everywhere. We knew about Polyface and lived close enough to go often, so we went and sold pottery at a few craft shows they hosted. We met tons of like minded people, looking for health through food and a richer life for their families and neighbors. This really was our tipping point.
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Carolyn's Farm Kitchen Baking Mixes are distinctly designed to pair with the growing seasons in New England and offer the goodness of old-fashioned scratch-baking at home, with the convenience of a one-bowl assembly. With a few additional ingredients and easy to follow instructions, our Farm Mixes are ready for the oven in just 5 minutes. Our products are created from original recipes and handmade in small batches using premium, all-natural, Non-GMO ingredients....real food. Farm Mixes are perfect for busy Moms, kids, grandparents & empty nesters, college students, campers & cottages, and just as everyday treats. Savor the seasons and taste the difference!
Our Harvest Tea Bread celebrates all good things coming from the farm fields & orchards! Made with raw grated Spring carrots, grated apple, and warm spices in the mix, this bread is flecked with beautiful color and flavor throughout. We suggest you add your favorite mix-ins such as nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips to take it to the next level. Think carrot cake......but better (and healthier)! Harvest bread is perfect for breakfast or tea-time, and as an afternoon snack for the kids (great way to sneak in some veggies too).
Recipe Tips: Swap out the carrots for raw grated butternut squash or parsnip for a delicious seasonal change. Want a healthy icing? Add confectioner's sugar to plain unsweetened Greek yogurt and spoon over the top of loaf or muffins just before serving. Yum!
Each package makes one 9x5" loaf, but can also be baked as mini loaves or muffins (freezes well too!)
Package weight: 19 oz. Allergens: contains wheat Cost: $6.95
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I am a mom who set out on a journey to find joy living a slower paced life with farm raised kids, sassy chickens, and a made from scratch life. Sourdough first piqued my interest when I found my grandmother’s sourdough bread loaf recipe, so I knew I had to try it. Every single time I make a loaf of sourdough bread, sourdough biscuits, or sourdough pancakes, I think about my grandmother and how much love she put into feeding her family a made-from-scratch meal. Now I get to do that for my little family while also helping others who want to do the same. Some people are intimidated to create their own sourdough starter, so I am happy to offer a bit of mine to help them get started baking right away.
Wendy Robinette
Sassy Feathers Farm
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Rachyl’s Goat Milk Soap carries a full line of bath and body products made from - you guessed it - goats milk! The first product our founder, middle sister Rachyl, created is our famous all natural goat milk soap. We offer bars for babies, dogs, and humans in various scents and for numerous skin conditions and sensitivities. All our products are handcrafted in small batches on our family farm using all natural or organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible including our recently revamped packaging. Our products can be ordered online or found at our farm stand and in local stores and farmers markets - a full list is on our website. You can learn more about our family and our products, as well as being the first to know about giveaways and discounts, by following us on social media!
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Personalize your farm-stand goodies and add the finishing touch to your fresh eggs with Wild Feather Farm's high quality, wooden based rubber stamps! Be the envy of your friends or fellow farmers with this customizable egg carton stamp, or be the talk of the town at your local farmer's market. This is the perfect gift for the chicken lover in your life, too. Wild Feather Farm specializes in creating rubber stamps and provides graphic design services for farms, gardeners, homesteaders and small businesses. Our rubber stamp collections offer an array of designs including chicken, duck & quail egg carton stamps, honey / bee stamps, gardening, baked goods & farm stamps. Stamps are available with or without a handle.
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Running W Therapeutic Riding Center
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A Pathway to Wellbeing
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Running W Therapeutic Riding Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit equine therapy center nestled in northern Idaho. Here, Don and Cyndie Wiltsie and their small army of volunteers have been given the opportunity to pour into the lives of those in the community for the last five years. Our mission is to provide a pathway to well-being that adds value to the lives of those with challenges through the strength of the horse. We began with a therapeutic riding class and now offer a youth outreach program through a partnership with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department and a veterans program.
Reflecting on the veteran program, one volunteer noted, “Seeing the transformations that have taken place have shocked us. When we first began, we were optimistic but didn’t know what to expect. A year and a half later, we have countless stories of men and women going from depressed or suicidal to understanding that their lives have purpose.” Children with severe disabilities have overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles, and local youth from troubled homes have learned the rhythms of a healthy relationship – all through the strength of the horse. We’re excited about the future, knowing this is only the beginning.
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Dixie Lining Farmhouse ~ Starting a Farm
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Running around my asphalt paved cul-de-sac was how I spent most of my childhood. Same goes for my husband. We both grew up in Southern California, about 30 minutes from the beach. It wasn’t long after we started dating that we got a wild hair and decided to build a chicken coop in the suburbs of Southern California constructed out of pallets we had collected from the back of convenience stores. The excitement of successfully raising chicks into chickens, collecting our first egg, and sharing our fresh eggs with neighbors is what sparked our crazy idea to ditch the city life of California and move to rural Arkansas in pursuit of starting a farm. We yearned for the simple life, a life that required hard work and would reward us in ways that nurtured our soul.
We had dreams, big dreams! We dreamt of having 40 plus acres speckled with cows, hogs, chickens, and horses. We planned on having a start to finish operation to provide the community with farm fresh meat and vegetables from a reliable, ethically sourced farm. Shortly after leaving everyone and everything we knew to move to Arkansas, we realized our dreams and journey were not going to happen on our timing or how we had planned.
Without knowing anyone and not having a source of income, we both worked 9-5 jobs and lived a life similar to the one we lived in California, except we only had each other. It was hard to be living a similar life to the one we left and not own our own farm. The only reason we made such a huge move was to farm, but here we were renting a house in rural Arkansas, basically starting over and it seemed like the journey to owning our own farm was a slow, arduous climb.
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Blueberry Fields Farm ~ Guinea Fowl
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We’ve kept a free-range flock of Guinea Fowl here on our farm for several years. Over that time, I’ve come to learn a thing or two about Guinea behavior: Most importantly, there’s a certain amount of trial and error involved in raising and keeping a successful flock, one tried and true method for a farmer in a different part of the country may not be the best approach for you. Also, Guinea Fowl aren’t for everyone. Guineas are a type of bird that takes a little getting used to, but once you do – there is so much to appreciate about them!
Why do we keep Guinea Fowl? The insect control, mainly ticks! We noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of ticks around the non-wooded parts of our property, where the Guineas spend most of their time. Secondly - entertainment value! Guineas are comical, silly birds that keep us laughing. Guineas are curious, cautious and very observant. Is there a new shovel leaning up against their coop? Perhaps a potted plant that wasn’t there yesterday? They will notice; and that may throw their entire nightly routine off (much to your dismay at lock up time at dusk).
Do Guineas need a coop or can they just live out in the trees? Left to their own accord, Guineas would probably spend their evening out in the trees, but this isn’t the safest location for them, due to predators. We keep our Guinea flock in a secure coop and run through the winter months and encourage them to return to that coop in the evenings the rest of the year.
Are Guinea Fowl really loud? YES. They are very noisy creatures, with a lot to say. They will complain when breakfast is late, when a strange car pulls into the yard, and they will most definitely HONK non-stop when the horse vet visits for an important consultation (trust me, I know).
Are Guineas aggressive toward chickens? It depends. We haven’t had issues with our Guinea flock being aggressive to our chickens. Parts of our flock were hatched and raised by mother chicken hens, so that could help make the difference.
Can Guineas be kept on a small property? That also depends. Guineas are excellent, methodical foragers – and as part of that process, they will roam far and wide. They will pay no heed to property lines, and if you have a particular close-by neighbor who doesn’t appreciate free ranging fowl that will mean your Guinea flock will most definitely visit that neighbor’s bird feeder on a daily basis. And twice on Mondays.
And there you have my quick introduction to Guinea Fowl. If you have additional questions, please feel free to find me on Instagram @blueberryfieldsfarm.
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Rusty Moose Farm ~ The Art of Sourdough
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I’ve been making homemade bread for over 20 years but I had never made sourdough before but I loved eating sourdough bread! I have very fond memories of enjoying toasted sourdough, smothered in salted butter and delicious strawberry jam with my Grandma; it was her favorite. Sourdough bread is nostalgic for me. It takes me back to when I was a kid, running free in the streets, waiting for the street lights to come on as a sign that it was time to go home.
My friend Ashley sent me my first sourdough starter. She’s been featured on Farm Made as well. She’s a sourdough master and has her own recipe for sourdough as well.
There are so many recipes for sourdough, but this is the one I’ve been using:
Once you have your sourdough starter made, you will need to make 100g of leaven: use 1 tablespoons of sourdough starter, 40g of water and 40g of bread flour, mix well and leave, covered until it’s bubbly and ready to bake with. Then gather your ingredients and a scale:
- 300g water
- 100g sourdough leaven (made with your starter)
- 100g of organic stoneground flour
- 400g organic bread flour
- 10g fine sea salt mixed with 15g of cold water
- 50g bread flour (for dusting your banneton)
- Semolina/cornmeal to dust the bottom of the baking surface
In a large bowl whisk your water and starter and mix well. Add all the flour and mix until all the ingredients come together into a large ball. If I’m short on time, I do this in my mixer with the dough hook on. Cover with a clean damp cloth and let the dough rest for 30 minutes and 2 hours.
Add the salt mixed with the water and dimple your fingers into the dough to allow the salty water and salt to distribute evenly throughout the dough. Leave for 10 minutes.
Next, lift your dough high and fold your dough over, do a quarter turn of your bowl and repeat three more times. Repeat 3 times at 30 minute intervals with a final 15 minute rest at the end.
Shape the dough lightly into a ball then place into a round or oval banneton dusted with flour (If you don’t have a banneton then use a clean tea towel dusted with flour inside a colander). Dust the top with flour, then cover with a damp tea-towel.
Leave your dough until it is 50% bigger then transfer to the fridge, and leave to proof for 8 – 12 hours.
The next morning preheat your oven to 425°F for at least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake. Place your dutch oven or baking stone in the oven and a large pan of boiling water underneath. The hydration helps form a beautiful crust.
Using a lame, or sharp knife, slash the dough to decide where you want it to tear and create a crunchy ear.
Once the oven is up to full heat, carefully remove the baking stone from the oven, dust with a fine layer of semolina, which stops the bread from sticking and carefully transfer your dough into your dutch oven. Cover and bake for an hour. Turn the heat down to 350°C (and remove the lid if you are using a Dutch oven) and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or until your desired crust color is reached.
Let it cool completely before slicing and use a sharp serrated knife!! Enjoy!
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FARMHOUSE KITCHEN RECIPES
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This salsa is delicious immediately after mixed together but gets prettier and more flavorful after fermentation. Many that are not fond of radishes in the raw form, indeed enjoy them fermented as the flavor dulls somewhat. I urge you to try this salsa even if radishes aren’t on the top of your list. Use this salsa as you would any other salsa; over eggs, with corn chips, over tacos, etc.
Yield: 1 Pint
- 1 bundle red radishes, chopped (about 1.5 cups prepared)
- ¼ cup scallions – white and green sections, thinly sliced (about 2 scallions)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ jalapeno, finely...
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Farm Stay USA
is a traveler referral site for the best lodging on authentic working farms and ranches in America. Book your unforgettable FarmStay today!
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Everything you need to know to build and grow YOUR
Small Business from Scratch
- from formation and branding to social media and shipping - in an easy to follow online course!
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Help preserve the farm! FarmMade FarmSavers sole purpose is to SAVE FARMS and GROW NEW ONES.
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