This morning as I went for my morning walk, I was so excited and relieved. While walking down the road the silence helps to calm me. I think of nothing but the silence in my head and how quiet it is. As you all know a house with a 2 yr old, 3 yr old and 2 dogs is anything but quiet. So I cherish every moment on my walk.
However, this morning was different. As I'm walking down the road proud of myself for staying motivated in walking and getting healthier I took a moment to stop and listen to the sounds. The noises excited me.
The birds were chirpping, the sun was shining just a little and I saw a couple little squirrels scurrying around under the trees. Then the sound of the creeks was the most soothing. There is no other noise in the world that I enjoy more than the sound of the creek with birds chirping all around. The peacefulness is just so unreal.
It is the sound of a new season, a new beginning, new ideas, births, friends, parties and fun in the sun. For us this is the portal to our busy season.
This is one reason I love living where we do. It is so serene. It makes it hard to get business out here because we are so far off the beaten path, but there is nothing better than enjoying the beauty out here!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
How we build a germination box
As Spring slowly proceeds upon us, not that you would know it with the weather we are getting here today. Most of you are beginning to plan your gardens, buy your seeds and wonder how can I get things going earlier.
When we first started this business we started and grew our plants cold. Meaning we had no heating besides a salamander and could only keep the temperature just above freezing. It took forever for plants to grown and we learned early on that growing this way did not work for a farm that was trying to make a living selling plants. We realized that by the time our plants were ready so were the plants that our customers had started from seed. We had missed the sales and realized that we needed to change things.
We then learned about germination boxes and easier ways to get plants going earlier while still saving us the expense of heating a 20x96 greenhouse which could get extremely expensive.
So we decided to build our own germination box. Even though it has been 5 or 6 years now, we are still using it and it works wonderfully and still saves us money. By the time the plants are coming out of the germination box we are still only heating to above freezing but they are established enough to be able to give us a jump start on the plants and it is warm enough out that we don't have to worry about it too much.
So how did we do it?
We were given these stacked pallet racks by a family friend and decided that they would make an awesome germination box. Even though ours were already together it is not that hard to build what we have. Our racks are 4 pallets stacked in a way that they are like shelves. You would use 2 x4's to brace the sides and make it so they are spread out enough to fit trays on them. Make sure you cross 2x4's in the back giving support so that they don't wobble.
We then wrap 4 mil plastic around them on 3 sides. This helps to keep the heat and the humidity in.
The front side we drape plastic in front so that we can close it and seal it up at night and when it is really cold but also so that we can get inside it easily.
We also have heat mats that we lay on each rack and we place the trays of plants on top of these. The heat mats are hooked up to a thermostat with a little thermometer that is placed in the soil in one of the trays to monitor the soil temperature.
We hang lights in the germination box as well to help give the lights the plants need. We generally don't use them too much to be honest though. If it is warm enough during the day we generally just take the trays out of the germination box for the day and let them get the natural sunlight that is coming through the greenhouse. If it is 40 outside in the greenhouse it is generally 60 or above so the plants still get the heat they need while getting the sun they need.
We also place an electric heater in the bottom of the germination box that is also thermostatically controlled so when the temperature in the germination box drops below a certain degree it will kick on. Being that we are only heating the germination box and not trying to heat the whole greenhouse we are saving money.
Once the plants are too large to stay in the germination box we then will begin to heat the smaller section of our greenhouse. We sectioned off the front part of the greenhouse so that we would once again save on heating expenses. We heat the front side until it is warm enough that we don't need to heat anymore. We cram plants in there and make sure that nothing happens to our little plants.
Don't get me wrong we are still kind of a behind a little on somethings with the greenhouse because we do not have the heating systems that most greenhouse do and we do not have the ventilation and things needed during the summer we have a disadvantage. But as a small farm sometimes you just have to make things work in ways that you can afford.
This is how we did ours. I am sure you can do it yourself and even figure ways that you could save in your own way.
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| Seedlings |
We then learned about germination boxes and easier ways to get plants going earlier while still saving us the expense of heating a 20x96 greenhouse which could get extremely expensive.
So we decided to build our own germination box. Even though it has been 5 or 6 years now, we are still using it and it works wonderfully and still saves us money. By the time the plants are coming out of the germination box we are still only heating to above freezing but they are established enough to be able to give us a jump start on the plants and it is warm enough out that we don't have to worry about it too much.
So how did we do it?
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| Racks built out of pallets |
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| Plastic is wrapped around 3 sides |
We then wrap 4 mil plastic around them on 3 sides. This helps to keep the heat and the humidity in.
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| Door to germination box |
The front side we drape plastic in front so that we can close it and seal it up at night and when it is really cold but also so that we can get inside it easily.
 |
| Heat mat |
We also have heat mats that we lay on each rack and we place the trays of plants on top of these. The heat mats are hooked up to a thermostat with a little thermometer that is placed in the soil in one of the trays to monitor the soil temperature.
 |
| Grow lights |
We hang lights in the germination box as well to help give the lights the plants need. We generally don't use them too much to be honest though. If it is warm enough during the day we generally just take the trays out of the germination box for the day and let them get the natural sunlight that is coming through the greenhouse. If it is 40 outside in the greenhouse it is generally 60 or above so the plants still get the heat they need while getting the sun they need.
We also place an electric heater in the bottom of the germination box that is also thermostatically controlled so when the temperature in the germination box drops below a certain degree it will kick on. Being that we are only heating the germination box and not trying to heat the whole greenhouse we are saving money.
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| This picture is from 2011 but this is the the front section of the greenhouse that we heat until we can no longer fit everything. |
Once the plants are too large to stay in the germination box we then will begin to heat the smaller section of our greenhouse. We sectioned off the front part of the greenhouse so that we would once again save on heating expenses. We heat the front side until it is warm enough that we don't need to heat anymore. We cram plants in there and make sure that nothing happens to our little plants.
Don't get me wrong we are still kind of a behind a little on somethings with the greenhouse because we do not have the heating systems that most greenhouse do and we do not have the ventilation and things needed during the summer we have a disadvantage. But as a small farm sometimes you just have to make things work in ways that you can afford.
This is how we did ours. I am sure you can do it yourself and even figure ways that you could save in your own way.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Grateful and Humbled.
This week has been a great week for me. I was starting to get into this winter slump and blah mood. January is always an extremely slow time of year. This year January just seemed extra slow. While sitting here trying to figure out what is the best way to go with the business, planning for the busy season and stressing about the here and now I was getting hard on myself and a little down.
But this week I had a doctors appointment in Binghamton and Eric Sr being the loving husband he is watched this kids so that when I was done with my doctors appointment I could go to lunch with my mom. Something that I haven't done in a LONG time. Just my mom and I. It was awesome, nostalgic, relaxing and stress relieving all at the same time.
As I sat at her work waiting for her to get done so that we could go to lunch. I talked with an old family friend. As I talked he reminded me of how no one would have ever thought that I would be the way I am. I had always been into sports and went to college for accounting. I also swore I would never live on a farm or in the country. Needless to say I was a country girl trying to get away from my country roots. Here I am now running a farm with my husband and trying to make a living on it. I can, make my own and grown my own food.
As we got further into the conversation and he learned that I loved my "amish life" as my mother calls it and that I would prefer to live farther out in the country than anywhere near a big town or city. He told me I needed to "come out of my shell" and that I would need to leave my "country island that I love so much." What he was saying was all in good advice, just trying to say to me that if we want the business to grow that we need to push outside our boundaries. He is a phenomenal business man, a little too lenient with his employees but nevertheless has proven that he can run a large business in different states and make money doing it. So advice from him I listen too.
I explained that most of what has happened has just kind of "fallen" into our laps and we have rode the wave in with the Fruit butters. There has been a few things that we have actively pushed as far as accounts go. We were generally in the right place at the right time or word of mouth spread the word about our fruit butters.
We have been doing this business for 7 years now and have not been overly successful at anything. Everything seemed to have potential, but it never actually made it there. No matter how hard we pushed we got discouraged and tried to find something else that would make us profitable. We continuously were struggling and could not stay above the line.
Up until now.
As much as we have struggled and as much as family members and people close to us have told us that we shouldn't be doing this we shouldn't be putting ourselves through this we could never seem to prove them wrong.
Well here we are now, with something amazing apparently and not even realizing it.
We stopped in the Cardinal Cafe the other day for a drink and to talk . While there I was stopped by 2 different people expressing how much they LOVED our fruit butters. One customer explained to us that she puts the Jalapeno Apple Butter on her toast every morning. She absolutely loved the flavor and cannot get enough. Another man informed me that our Pear butter was outstanding and he loves it. Wow, 2 compliments in one day from random people in our community. It felt good.
Then I headed into the only grocery store in town and ran into a few different people that I knew and we were sitting there talking for a few minutes when a person that I don't believe I have ever met came up to me and asked if I was the one who made the fruit butters. I said yes and she proceeded to tell me that she was having a hard time getting her child to eat breakfast in the morning before school. She had tried everything and he just refused to eat in the morning. She grabbed our fruit butter on a whim thinking it was locally made and that she knew there were no preservatives or anything. She had it in the fridge for the next morning and when she was struggling again with him to eat the next morning she asked if he wanted a bagel. He had previously refused bagels in the past with cream cheese, jelly, honey, butter. She had tried it all. But she finally convinced him to try the bagel with fruit butter made by us. She said that she could not believe it when she walked into the other room to finish getting ready and when she came out he had eaten the whole bagel and asked if he could take some of the "fruit stuff" to school with him for lunch.
Talk about humbling. Thank you so much is all I could think of at the moment. But as I finished getting my groceries and continued to head home I couldn't help but think that our fruit butters something that I made actually made someone's life a little less of a battle. WOW.
I know to some it may not seem like a huge thing, but when you make stuff and you don't really know if people are really enjoying it or if you are doing anything in making a difference in the big picture of the world. It seems small but nevertheless it is a step and it shows me that I am doing something, I am creating a great product that is making life and food a little more enjoyable.
We then received a phone call from one of our distributors (Cascun Farm) asking us if we would be interested in having our butters served at HUGE event in New York City. After listening to what they said and hearing about how many people would be there and what they would be talking about we were extremely excited. The foodies of foodies go to this event and it is $400 per ticket! What!! Holy smoly, but hey nevertheless our butters will be there!
So here I am re-energized, self-esteem boosted and feeling like things will be just fine. We will get to that point and keep pushing. By the end of 2013 we hope to be in triple the amount of stores we are in now and in at least 1 or more big chain stores. Well that is at least my goal plus more. But trying to keep it realistic and attainable!
But this week I had a doctors appointment in Binghamton and Eric Sr being the loving husband he is watched this kids so that when I was done with my doctors appointment I could go to lunch with my mom. Something that I haven't done in a LONG time. Just my mom and I. It was awesome, nostalgic, relaxing and stress relieving all at the same time.
As I sat at her work waiting for her to get done so that we could go to lunch. I talked with an old family friend. As I talked he reminded me of how no one would have ever thought that I would be the way I am. I had always been into sports and went to college for accounting. I also swore I would never live on a farm or in the country. Needless to say I was a country girl trying to get away from my country roots. Here I am now running a farm with my husband and trying to make a living on it. I can, make my own and grown my own food.
As we got further into the conversation and he learned that I loved my "amish life" as my mother calls it and that I would prefer to live farther out in the country than anywhere near a big town or city. He told me I needed to "come out of my shell" and that I would need to leave my "country island that I love so much." What he was saying was all in good advice, just trying to say to me that if we want the business to grow that we need to push outside our boundaries. He is a phenomenal business man, a little too lenient with his employees but nevertheless has proven that he can run a large business in different states and make money doing it. So advice from him I listen too.
I explained that most of what has happened has just kind of "fallen" into our laps and we have rode the wave in with the Fruit butters. There has been a few things that we have actively pushed as far as accounts go. We were generally in the right place at the right time or word of mouth spread the word about our fruit butters.
We have been doing this business for 7 years now and have not been overly successful at anything. Everything seemed to have potential, but it never actually made it there. No matter how hard we pushed we got discouraged and tried to find something else that would make us profitable. We continuously were struggling and could not stay above the line.
Up until now.
As much as we have struggled and as much as family members and people close to us have told us that we shouldn't be doing this we shouldn't be putting ourselves through this we could never seem to prove them wrong.
Well here we are now, with something amazing apparently and not even realizing it.
We stopped in the Cardinal Cafe the other day for a drink and to talk . While there I was stopped by 2 different people expressing how much they LOVED our fruit butters. One customer explained to us that she puts the Jalapeno Apple Butter on her toast every morning. She absolutely loved the flavor and cannot get enough. Another man informed me that our Pear butter was outstanding and he loves it. Wow, 2 compliments in one day from random people in our community. It felt good.
Then I headed into the only grocery store in town and ran into a few different people that I knew and we were sitting there talking for a few minutes when a person that I don't believe I have ever met came up to me and asked if I was the one who made the fruit butters. I said yes and she proceeded to tell me that she was having a hard time getting her child to eat breakfast in the morning before school. She had tried everything and he just refused to eat in the morning. She grabbed our fruit butter on a whim thinking it was locally made and that she knew there were no preservatives or anything. She had it in the fridge for the next morning and when she was struggling again with him to eat the next morning she asked if he wanted a bagel. He had previously refused bagels in the past with cream cheese, jelly, honey, butter. She had tried it all. But she finally convinced him to try the bagel with fruit butter made by us. She said that she could not believe it when she walked into the other room to finish getting ready and when she came out he had eaten the whole bagel and asked if he could take some of the "fruit stuff" to school with him for lunch.
Talk about humbling. Thank you so much is all I could think of at the moment. But as I finished getting my groceries and continued to head home I couldn't help but think that our fruit butters something that I made actually made someone's life a little less of a battle. WOW.
I know to some it may not seem like a huge thing, but when you make stuff and you don't really know if people are really enjoying it or if you are doing anything in making a difference in the big picture of the world. It seems small but nevertheless it is a step and it shows me that I am doing something, I am creating a great product that is making life and food a little more enjoyable.
We then received a phone call from one of our distributors (Cascun Farm) asking us if we would be interested in having our butters served at HUGE event in New York City. After listening to what they said and hearing about how many people would be there and what they would be talking about we were extremely excited. The foodies of foodies go to this event and it is $400 per ticket! What!! Holy smoly, but hey nevertheless our butters will be there!
So here I am re-energized, self-esteem boosted and feeling like things will be just fine. We will get to that point and keep pushing. By the end of 2013 we hope to be in triple the amount of stores we are in now and in at least 1 or more big chain stores. Well that is at least my goal plus more. But trying to keep it realistic and attainable!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Kristen Rice Photography
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| Cross Creek Farm 9 oz fruit butter collection Picture taken by Kristen Rice Photography |
We are also getting ready to launch our online store on our brand new website and needed pictures for that.
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| Cross Creek Farm Cranberry Apple Butter 32 oz Picture taken by Kristen Rice Photography |
Our road gets very little traffic and of course that day it seemed like everyone decided to drive down our road. Everytime they drove past I could see the looks on their face like, "what is this girl doing taking pictures outside it is freezing cold! "Is that a Lightning Mcqueen table!"
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| Cross Creek Farm Blueberry Apple Butter 32 oz Picture taken by Kristen Rice Photography |
Well as I said it failed miserably! I was done. Could not take it anymore I had been trying for a few days and could not seem to get anything that we thought looked decent.
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| Cross Creek Farm Pear Butter 9 oz Photo taken by Kristen Rice Photography |
I contacted her and gave her the products and could not wait to get the pictures back. I was so excited.
When I received the photo album, I was even more excited. They were above and beyond what I expected. I was expecting great photos, but these were just gorgeous!
Head to her website or her Facebook page and check out her photos!
Amazing photography!
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| Cross Creek Farm Jalapeno Apple Butter 9 oz Photo taken by Kristen Rice Photography |
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| Cross Creek Farm fruit butter 32 oz jars Photo taken by Kristen Rice Photography |
Friday, January 25, 2013
Cranberry Apple Smoothie
Lately we have been having difficulty getting Eric Jr (3) to eat his vegetables and fruit even meat without a fight.
He loves ice and ice cream, so we were asked if we had considered making smoothies for him. We didn't think of it but we decided to try it.
In the process of trying to figure out what fruit to use and if we had any on hand we realized....we have plenty of fruit it is just in the form of fruit butter!
We got the ice, the Cranberry Apple Butter and orange juice and put it together in the blender.
It was amazing!!!!! Eric Jr absolutely loved it. He drank 2 cups full, Julianna enjoyed some and so did Eric and I.
He loves ice and ice cream, so we were asked if we had considered making smoothies for him. We didn't think of it but we decided to try it.
In the process of trying to figure out what fruit to use and if we had any on hand we realized....we have plenty of fruit it is just in the form of fruit butter!
We got the ice, the Cranberry Apple Butter and orange juice and put it together in the blender.
It was amazing!!!!! Eric Jr absolutely loved it. He drank 2 cups full, Julianna enjoyed some and so did Eric and I.
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| Cross Creek Farm Cranberry Apple Butter Picture taken by Kristen Rice Photography. |
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Herb Week
During the summer we are continuously outside whether it be the greenhouse or in the field.When we aren't doing that we are in the kitchen working on fruit butters. Sometimes the dried herbs take a back seat.
Well this week my main focus has been on the herbs and herbal teas. We have been stripping and processing herbs everyday getting them ready for packaging.
We went out to the greenhouse and harvested some rosemary, oregano, thyme and peppermint that have managed to stay alive through this winter so far. We hung them and have started the drying process. It is so exciting to be able to harvest herbs even in the cold month of January.
This Saturday at Otsiningo Winter Farmers Market from 9 am - noon we will be have a health fair as well as the market. So we figured why not take this opportunity to debut our loose leaf teas. I have been working so hard to get all of this done.
We have had many requests since we started doing tea to include loose leaf teas. We have been debating it back and forth and trying to come up with great packaging and great product.
Well for this year we have limited quantities until we get going again in the spring. But we are excited to launch our new product. Currently they will be sold in 7.75 oz glass jars and our labeling may change but I think I have figured out the label.
There are probably some of you who don't understand what a loose leaf tea is so I have included some information in this post that I hope you find helpful.
What is a loose leaf tea?
Loose leaf tea is basically the whole leaf. It is buds, leaves, flowers, and other particles of your tea plant in a chunkier thicker form. You need a tea ball or tea infuser to put the tea in to steep it.
Tea bags tend to contain particles or "dust" of leaves, flowers and other parts of your plant.
Is there a difference in taste?
Loose leaf teas tend to have a stronger flavor but you have to let them steep a little longer.
Tea bags tend to have a quicker flavor but it is often mild compared to loose leaf tea.
Basically when it comes down to it it is more of a personal preference. If you don't have a tea ball and would like to try the loose leaf teas, you can also put them in a coffee filter to test it out.
We will be offering tea balls for sale in the near future if you do not have one already.
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| Bee Balm tea leaves and flowers picked last year |
We went out to the greenhouse and harvested some rosemary, oregano, thyme and peppermint that have managed to stay alive through this winter so far. We hung them and have started the drying process. It is so exciting to be able to harvest herbs even in the cold month of January.
This Saturday at Otsiningo Winter Farmers Market from 9 am - noon we will be have a health fair as well as the market. So we figured why not take this opportunity to debut our loose leaf teas. I have been working so hard to get all of this done.
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| Goldenrod flowers picked last year |
Well for this year we have limited quantities until we get going again in the spring. But we are excited to launch our new product. Currently they will be sold in 7.75 oz glass jars and our labeling may change but I think I have figured out the label.
There are probably some of you who don't understand what a loose leaf tea is so I have included some information in this post that I hope you find helpful.
What is a loose leaf tea?
Loose leaf tea is basically the whole leaf. It is buds, leaves, flowers, and other particles of your tea plant in a chunkier thicker form. You need a tea ball or tea infuser to put the tea in to steep it.
Tea bags tend to contain particles or "dust" of leaves, flowers and other parts of your plant.
Is there a difference in taste?
Loose leaf teas tend to have a stronger flavor but you have to let them steep a little longer.
Tea bags tend to have a quicker flavor but it is often mild compared to loose leaf tea.
 |
| Chamomile flower petals and lavender buds getting prepped for Chamomile/Lavender Tea |
Basically when it comes down to it it is more of a personal preference. If you don't have a tea ball and would like to try the loose leaf teas, you can also put them in a coffee filter to test it out.
We will be offering tea balls for sale in the near future if you do not have one already.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Pine Needle Tea
While looking to expand our herbal tea line, we came across a recipe in an herbal book for Pine Needle Tea. As I began to read it was very clear that this is a tea that I should be drinking as well as a tea that would benefit some of our customers. So we decided to harvest some off the property and sell it.
Before we could sell it we obviously had to try it ourselves. I will have to say that I was a little nervous. I was thinking it would taste like Pine and if you have ever tasted Pine sap it is not so tasty.
I will have to say though that this may now become my favorite drink. I plan on making a jug full tomorrow so that anytime I want a drink I can just go to the fridge and pour it in.
It is a very mild tea with a refreshing flavor. Does not taste like Pine Needles like you would suspect.
This was our first weekend with Pine Needle Tea at market.
The best way to drink it is to use fresh pine needles. Being that we have to have something that can be sealed for sale we dry it.
They say you can use any pine you want but the best pine to use is White Pine. So after scouring the fields and woods we found we have plenty of White Pine Trees.
When prepared as a tea Pine Needles inhibit mucus production in the bronchi and act as a disinfectant. It is a very good stimulant giving a boost to anyone who is tired and drained. They have a very high Vitamin C content. Pine Needle Tea is also a mild diuretic as well.
Besides just the straight Pine Needle Tea that we are selling today we will also be offering a few different varieties mixed with some other herbs once harvest season comes back around.
We are going to be carrying a White Pine Needle Tea mixture that is said to help flush the urinary tract. As well as one that is said to help with circulation and one for neuralgic pain.
We are very excited to be adding new teas and to also be expanding on the teas and offering bulk loose leaf teas as well.
As we progress I will try to give details about some of the new varieties we will be releasing.
Before we could sell it we obviously had to try it ourselves. I will have to say that I was a little nervous. I was thinking it would taste like Pine and if you have ever tasted Pine sap it is not so tasty.
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| White Pine Needles |
It is a very mild tea with a refreshing flavor. Does not taste like Pine Needles like you would suspect.
This was our first weekend with Pine Needle Tea at market.
The best way to drink it is to use fresh pine needles. Being that we have to have something that can be sealed for sale we dry it.
They say you can use any pine you want but the best pine to use is White Pine. So after scouring the fields and woods we found we have plenty of White Pine Trees.
When prepared as a tea Pine Needles inhibit mucus production in the bronchi and act as a disinfectant. It is a very good stimulant giving a boost to anyone who is tired and drained. They have a very high Vitamin C content. Pine Needle Tea is also a mild diuretic as well.
Besides just the straight Pine Needle Tea that we are selling today we will also be offering a few different varieties mixed with some other herbs once harvest season comes back around.
 |
| White Pine Needle Tea |
We are very excited to be adding new teas and to also be expanding on the teas and offering bulk loose leaf teas as well.
As we progress I will try to give details about some of the new varieties we will be releasing.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Our Fruit Butters Used as Baby Food?
Many people continuously are asking us,
"What do you do with Fruit butter?"
There are some many different answers to this question. There are so many different ways that we have had customers use it as well as our experimentation's that I could make a book out of it.
But one recent way to use it that was brought to our attention when I was asking customers, family and friends for ideas I thought was really neat.
Our Sister-in-law told me that she fed it to our nephew since he began eating solids. He loved it and it was basically like giving him the baby food you buy in the store except for the fact that she knew where it came from, knew who made it, no preservatives and she had the option of sugar free if she wanted.
Up until that moment I did not really think about it like that. I mean I had given it to Julianna when she first started eating solids, but that was because we made it and had it here. Never thinking that that might be a good way to use it.
I mentioned it to another one of our customers at one of the craft fairs that we did this winter and they bought a bunch of them and said that their baby loved it!
They chose to use our fruit butters for the fruit portion of their baby food. And they made the rest. That was awesome to hear!
Do you know anyone who has a baby that is interested in local, no preservative food for them? Mention our fruit butters, we have the sugar free varieties so you don't have to worry about the sugar content or additives. Our sugar free fruit butters are just fruit and spices.
My kids love them I am sure yours will too.
"What do you do with Fruit butter?"
There are some many different answers to this question. There are so many different ways that we have had customers use it as well as our experimentation's that I could make a book out of it.
But one recent way to use it that was brought to our attention when I was asking customers, family and friends for ideas I thought was really neat.
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| Julianna eating a pear we use for the fruit butters September 2011- 9 months old. |
Our Sister-in-law told me that she fed it to our nephew since he began eating solids. He loved it and it was basically like giving him the baby food you buy in the store except for the fact that she knew where it came from, knew who made it, no preservatives and she had the option of sugar free if she wanted.
Up until that moment I did not really think about it like that. I mean I had given it to Julianna when she first started eating solids, but that was because we made it and had it here. Never thinking that that might be a good way to use it.
I mentioned it to another one of our customers at one of the craft fairs that we did this winter and they bought a bunch of them and said that their baby loved it!
They chose to use our fruit butters for the fruit portion of their baby food. And they made the rest. That was awesome to hear!
Do you know anyone who has a baby that is interested in local, no preservative food for them? Mention our fruit butters, we have the sugar free varieties so you don't have to worry about the sugar content or additives. Our sugar free fruit butters are just fruit and spices.
My kids love them I am sure yours will too.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Snow Day
As many of you know our area was hit with the snow storm that came through last night. We ended up not getting as much as they said we would. We were forecasted for 8-10 inches and I believe we probably got 6 or 7 inches. Either way it was enough for us to take the kids out to play.
So today we took a little break for a few hours and took the kids out to play in the snow. Eric Jr absolutely loved it. Which we knew from previous years but this is the first snowfall where he was actually old enough to play in it and there was enough of it.
Julianna this was her first time ever in the snow. Julianna absolutely hated it. She literally stood in the same spot the entire time we were outside. The most she did was put her hands in her pockets. As daddy said, "She was born in January but is definitely not a snow baby!" Daddy tried to pick her up to put her on the sled with him but she was not having it. Started screaming and crying. And then sat in the snow crying asking to go inside. We were only outside maybe a total of 25 minutes.
Now it is back to the grind. We had a meeting today with a web designer who is going to help us design a new website (more professional looking) and create our new online store, as well as take a load off of me by maintaining it. (*sigh of relief).
I rendered our first batch of beeswax last night from some of the honeycomb harvested from our hives. Definitely a new process for me but it was fun. Love to learn new things. Didn't get a ton of wax but got enough to be able to do some test batches of some of the new value added products we are hoping to create using our herbs.
Also finished our first herbal pillow today. That is another product that we will be offering soon. We have talked about it for a long time but have not actually done it yet. I am still testing some different ways and mixes and things but they will be up for sale soon hopefully.
With the holidays and the end of year here we are already starting to look toward next season and try to figure out seed orders, markets, festivals, sales, customer specials, new ideas, and much more.We are hoping that even though we are stopping some things that the new things will take the place of those and create a wider variety of products focusing around the main things that we are good at. As always if you have any suggestions, comments or ideas you think we should look into please do not be afraid to let us know. We are always interested in learning and new ideas.
As always thank you for your dedication and loyalty in our journey and we hope you continue on with us, many of you are like family now!
From our family to yours we hope you had a wonderful holiday and we wish you a Happy New Year!
So today we took a little break for a few hours and took the kids out to play in the snow. Eric Jr absolutely loved it. Which we knew from previous years but this is the first snowfall where he was actually old enough to play in it and there was enough of it.
Julianna this was her first time ever in the snow. Julianna absolutely hated it. She literally stood in the same spot the entire time we were outside. The most she did was put her hands in her pockets. As daddy said, "She was born in January but is definitely not a snow baby!" Daddy tried to pick her up to put her on the sled with him but she was not having it. Started screaming and crying. And then sat in the snow crying asking to go inside. We were only outside maybe a total of 25 minutes.
Now it is back to the grind. We had a meeting today with a web designer who is going to help us design a new website (more professional looking) and create our new online store, as well as take a load off of me by maintaining it. (*sigh of relief).
I rendered our first batch of beeswax last night from some of the honeycomb harvested from our hives. Definitely a new process for me but it was fun. Love to learn new things. Didn't get a ton of wax but got enough to be able to do some test batches of some of the new value added products we are hoping to create using our herbs.
Also finished our first herbal pillow today. That is another product that we will be offering soon. We have talked about it for a long time but have not actually done it yet. I am still testing some different ways and mixes and things but they will be up for sale soon hopefully.
With the holidays and the end of year here we are already starting to look toward next season and try to figure out seed orders, markets, festivals, sales, customer specials, new ideas, and much more.We are hoping that even though we are stopping some things that the new things will take the place of those and create a wider variety of products focusing around the main things that we are good at. As always if you have any suggestions, comments or ideas you think we should look into please do not be afraid to let us know. We are always interested in learning and new ideas.
As always thank you for your dedication and loyalty in our journey and we hope you continue on with us, many of you are like family now!
From our family to yours we hope you had a wonderful holiday and we wish you a Happy New Year!
 | |||||
| (From left to right top row)- Eric Jr, Jessica, Eric Sr (From Left to Right Bottom)- Sandra, Julianna, Bela |
Monday, December 17, 2012
8 days until Christmas
Yes I know when I actually saw that in writing I panicked a little!
Every year I plan on picking things up through the year so that I don't do the last minute rush and have to go out shopping and finding things the week of Christmas! But here I am once again the week of Christmas thinking of all the things I still have to get and what I still have to make!
I had planned this year to give some homemade gifts to some people and I never got them done. But for the past 2 years now I have given some of our fruit butters away to some family members as gifts. Just to let them know I did think of them.
I still have to get some stocking stuffers for the kids. It's funny you think that they would be so easy but it's so hard sometimes to know what to get especially on a tight budget.
One of my friends is giving all homemade gifts. I would love to to do that, but I do not have the time. Last year I made some cookies for my brothers.
I was looking at some different homemade things for the little ones and I think I might make some play-doh to put in their stockings.
But for those of you that prefer to buy things we do still have one more indoor market before Christmas this Saturday at the Metrocenter in Downtown Binghamton. It is from 9 am- noon.
We also will be a drop off point for Teddy Bears for the Newtown Community. A lady from the Chenango Bridge area has started a event trying to get enough Teddy Bears to send down to help comfort some of the children in that area. Her goal is to get enough Teddy Bears for every child to have something to comfort them a little.
I first heard about it through Cardinal Cafe who is also becoming a drop off point. They are always on top of helping out communities. So I offered to them that we would be willing to pick some up from the Binghamton area and they told me to get in contact with the other lady.
So here we are...
If you want to help the Newtown Community, please feel free to find the drop off points for this program and drop off a Teddy Bear to be sent down to these children. Saturday the 22nd is the very last day to donate. So make sure you get to either Cardinal Cafe in Newark Valley or Otsiningo Indoor Winter Farmers Market at the Metrocenter in Downtown Binghamton.
Here is a link to the event on Facebook if you would like to find out more http://www.facebook.com/events/119070621591814/?fref=ts.
I hope to see you at market this Saturday and if not I hope you have a very Happy Holiday!
Every year I plan on picking things up through the year so that I don't do the last minute rush and have to go out shopping and finding things the week of Christmas! But here I am once again the week of Christmas thinking of all the things I still have to get and what I still have to make!
I had planned this year to give some homemade gifts to some people and I never got them done. But for the past 2 years now I have given some of our fruit butters away to some family members as gifts. Just to let them know I did think of them.
I still have to get some stocking stuffers for the kids. It's funny you think that they would be so easy but it's so hard sometimes to know what to get especially on a tight budget.
One of my friends is giving all homemade gifts. I would love to to do that, but I do not have the time. Last year I made some cookies for my brothers.
I was looking at some different homemade things for the little ones and I think I might make some play-doh to put in their stockings.
But for those of you that prefer to buy things we do still have one more indoor market before Christmas this Saturday at the Metrocenter in Downtown Binghamton. It is from 9 am- noon.
We also will be a drop off point for Teddy Bears for the Newtown Community. A lady from the Chenango Bridge area has started a event trying to get enough Teddy Bears to send down to help comfort some of the children in that area. Her goal is to get enough Teddy Bears for every child to have something to comfort them a little.
I first heard about it through Cardinal Cafe who is also becoming a drop off point. They are always on top of helping out communities. So I offered to them that we would be willing to pick some up from the Binghamton area and they told me to get in contact with the other lady.
So here we are...
If you want to help the Newtown Community, please feel free to find the drop off points for this program and drop off a Teddy Bear to be sent down to these children. Saturday the 22nd is the very last day to donate. So make sure you get to either Cardinal Cafe in Newark Valley or Otsiningo Indoor Winter Farmers Market at the Metrocenter in Downtown Binghamton.
Here is a link to the event on Facebook if you would like to find out more http://www.facebook.com/events/119070621591814/?fref=ts.
I hope to see you at market this Saturday and if not I hope you have a very Happy Holiday!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Holiday Magic
Last weekend we participated in Holiday Magic in Newark Valley NY.
This is the same town that we started the farmers market in this year. It is also the same town that my Brother- in-law owns a cafe.
Last year we participated in Holiday Magic by setting up in front of Cardinal Cafe (brother-in-laws cafe) with our homemade wreaths, fruit butters, herbs and teas. So when we talked about setting up for Holiday Magic this year we were so grateful that he allowed us to set up there again.
You know those movies on tv that you watch that have Christmas in a small town and they have a big festival or holiday event. That's what this is for Newark Valley, Berkshire, Richford and the surrounding communities. Santa comes to see the kids. There are crafts, music, games and other events going on. They also do a Silent Auction of wreaths made by local community members with the money supporting one of the local organizations.
This year I was asked to decorate a wreath for this event. We weren't sure what to do. The wreath had to have a theme. After pondering and waiting until the last minute I finally decided to do an "Herbal Christmas!" Sticking with something from our farm but also making it beautiful.
Of course I forgot to take a picture, but the wreath consisted of some of our herbal teas, dried herb shakers as well as fresh and dried herb bouquets. I grouped some fresh rosemary, fresh mint, dried goldenrod and dried lavender together into bunches and placed them around the wreath and then attached our herbal teas and shakers to it.
I will have to say it looked awesome. I normally second guess my work until someone else outside of the family compliments it. But this was gorgeous. It was definitely something that I would have hung in my home.
It was also great to see all the families in the community having a great time. Santa arrived by horse and sleigh at the Village Green. The kids were able to go and sit on Santa's lap. Of course Eric Jr sat on Santa's lap and when Santa asked his name he gave him his whole name including middle and last. Too cute. Santa then asked him what he wanted for Christmas and the first thing that came out of his mouth was "New Tinkerbell movie." Huh? Then he proceeded to say that he wanted play-doh.When Santa asked him what he was going to make with the play-doh he responded, "Doh!" Then it was Julianna's turn. She sat on Santa's lap and proceeded to tell him that she wanted Mickey Mouse!
Needless to say Santa did not do a very good job this year! Hahaha! These things were not even mentioned to Mommy and Daddy!
We sold quite a bit and enjoyed the company of our community. It was great to see everyone and to enjoy each other while celebrating a great community holiday! We will be back there again next year hopefully and we hope to see you there. If you have never come to Holiday Magic make sure you do! Also make sure you come to Cardinal Cafe grab a nice hot drink or food, pick up your fruit butter, herb, wreath and then go enjoy the rest of the time!
This is the same town that we started the farmers market in this year. It is also the same town that my Brother- in-law owns a cafe.Last year we participated in Holiday Magic by setting up in front of Cardinal Cafe (brother-in-laws cafe) with our homemade wreaths, fruit butters, herbs and teas. So when we talked about setting up for Holiday Magic this year we were so grateful that he allowed us to set up there again.
You know those movies on tv that you watch that have Christmas in a small town and they have a big festival or holiday event. That's what this is for Newark Valley, Berkshire, Richford and the surrounding communities. Santa comes to see the kids. There are crafts, music, games and other events going on. They also do a Silent Auction of wreaths made by local community members with the money supporting one of the local organizations.
This year I was asked to decorate a wreath for this event. We weren't sure what to do. The wreath had to have a theme. After pondering and waiting until the last minute I finally decided to do an "Herbal Christmas!" Sticking with something from our farm but also making it beautiful.Of course I forgot to take a picture, but the wreath consisted of some of our herbal teas, dried herb shakers as well as fresh and dried herb bouquets. I grouped some fresh rosemary, fresh mint, dried goldenrod and dried lavender together into bunches and placed them around the wreath and then attached our herbal teas and shakers to it.
I will have to say it looked awesome. I normally second guess my work until someone else outside of the family compliments it. But this was gorgeous. It was definitely something that I would have hung in my home.
It was also great to see all the families in the community having a great time. Santa arrived by horse and sleigh at the Village Green. The kids were able to go and sit on Santa's lap. Of course Eric Jr sat on Santa's lap and when Santa asked his name he gave him his whole name including middle and last. Too cute. Santa then asked him what he wanted for Christmas and the first thing that came out of his mouth was "New Tinkerbell movie." Huh? Then he proceeded to say that he wanted play-doh.When Santa asked him what he was going to make with the play-doh he responded, "Doh!" Then it was Julianna's turn. She sat on Santa's lap and proceeded to tell him that she wanted Mickey Mouse!
Needless to say Santa did not do a very good job this year! Hahaha! These things were not even mentioned to Mommy and Daddy!
We sold quite a bit and enjoyed the company of our community. It was great to see everyone and to enjoy each other while celebrating a great community holiday! We will be back there again next year hopefully and we hope to see you there. If you have never come to Holiday Magic make sure you do! Also make sure you come to Cardinal Cafe grab a nice hot drink or food, pick up your fruit butter, herb, wreath and then go enjoy the rest of the time!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Holiday Season
Are you still pondering what to get those special people in your life that you know don't use half the stuff you normally get them.
Are the people you are getting gifts for the type of people that love food and love to try new things?
Most importantly, is it important to you to make sure you buy from local producers?
If you answered yes to any of those questions we have the perfect items for you!
We have numerous items that you can give. We have 12 varieties available right now. Make a mix and match basket. Purchase just one special one. Pair them with some teas. Either way they all make great gifts.
We had someone purchase a bunch this weekend for their office christmas gifts. Do you do Secret Santa?
Perfect teacher gift or just something a little perfect for yourself to enjoy while you are fixing Thanksgiving dinner?
We will take special orders for the butters right up until the Christmas. We even will wrap the jars in cellophane with a nice ribbon around them.
Fruit butters available now:
Apple ButterSugar Free Apple Butter
Blueberry Apple Butter
Sugar Free Blueberry Apple Butter
Cranberry Apple Butter----*NEW*
Jalapeno Apple Butter---- *NEW*
Pear Butter
Sugar Free Pear Butter
Plum Butter
Peach Butter
Pumpkin Butter
Sugar Free Pumpkin Butter
Herbal Teas available now:
Apple Mint Tea---- *NEW*
Lavender Tea
Spearmint Tea
Peppermint Tea
Sage Tea-----*NEW*
Lemongrass Tea
Lemon Balm Tea
Dried Herb Shakers available now:
Basil
Oregano
Sage
Lemongrass
Lime Basil
Lemon Basil
Marjoram
Dill
Poultry Seasoning
Lemon Balm
Lemon Lime Fish Seasoning
We will be at the Chenango Valley High School Craft Fair this weekend from 10am-3pm. Make sure you come and see us!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce Change Up!
Believe it or not the Holiday season is upon us. The massive amounts of people at all hours in the stores tells us so. The amounts of christmas trees and Santas in every store tell us that Christmas is coming!
Well we can't wait for Christmas, but more than anything I can't wait for a nice Turkey on Thanksgiving. More now than every Christmas overshadows Thanksgiving. But not for us!
As most of you know we raised our own turkeys this year and I cannot wait to taste the freshness of our own turkeys.
Going into Thanksgiving some people were asking for a cranberry flavored fruit butter. Being that we were using only local fruit I was having a tough time trying to figure this one out. We finally decided that we would buy some cranberries and pair them with the local apples we get and make a Cranberry Apple butter, sticking to our local fruit but also pleasing our loyal customers.
The cranberries are still from the USA. Obviously there are no cranberries in NY.
I personally don't care for Cranberry Sauce at thanksgiving. So when I was making this I was a little skeptical. But I will have to say if you are looking for something different for Thanksgiving rather than your normal cranberry sauce you need to absolutely without a doubt try our Cranberry Apple Butter.
Oh my God it is amazing!
My mother in-law loves it!
(They are our guinea pigs sometimes so they have had the good and the bad recipes. )
But to hear from her that she raves over it and ate it within a few days I knew we had a good one. She then called and asked for me to make a big jar of it for thanksgiving.
Yup that must mean it is really good!
We then had our Fiber Festival this weekend at the Oakdale Mall and this proved more than anything that it was excellent. Our biggest seller over the weekend was the Cranberry Apple. People were consistently saying how they were going to use it instead of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.
What is the difference between cranberry sauce and Cranberry Apple Butter?
Cranberry sauce is full of high fructose corn syrup and tons of sugar! And obviously lots of preservatives.
Cranberry Apple butter made by us is made of Cranberries, Apples, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. There really is not a lot of sugar in it. Just enough to give it a sweetness but that is what the apples are for as well to give it that right amount of cranberry tartness and sweetness of the apple. No preservatives, No high fructose corn syrup!
Come on give it a try, change it up for Thanksgiving and have our Cranberry Apple Butter with your Turkey this year!
Well we can't wait for Christmas, but more than anything I can't wait for a nice Turkey on Thanksgiving. More now than every Christmas overshadows Thanksgiving. But not for us!
As most of you know we raised our own turkeys this year and I cannot wait to taste the freshness of our own turkeys.
Going into Thanksgiving some people were asking for a cranberry flavored fruit butter. Being that we were using only local fruit I was having a tough time trying to figure this one out. We finally decided that we would buy some cranberries and pair them with the local apples we get and make a Cranberry Apple butter, sticking to our local fruit but also pleasing our loyal customers.
The cranberries are still from the USA. Obviously there are no cranberries in NY.
I personally don't care for Cranberry Sauce at thanksgiving. So when I was making this I was a little skeptical. But I will have to say if you are looking for something different for Thanksgiving rather than your normal cranberry sauce you need to absolutely without a doubt try our Cranberry Apple Butter.
Oh my God it is amazing!My mother in-law loves it!
(They are our guinea pigs sometimes so they have had the good and the bad recipes. )
But to hear from her that she raves over it and ate it within a few days I knew we had a good one. She then called and asked for me to make a big jar of it for thanksgiving.
Yup that must mean it is really good!
We then had our Fiber Festival this weekend at the Oakdale Mall and this proved more than anything that it was excellent. Our biggest seller over the weekend was the Cranberry Apple. People were consistently saying how they were going to use it instead of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.
What is the difference between cranberry sauce and Cranberry Apple Butter?
Cranberry sauce is full of high fructose corn syrup and tons of sugar! And obviously lots of preservatives.
Cranberry Apple butter made by us is made of Cranberries, Apples, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. There really is not a lot of sugar in it. Just enough to give it a sweetness but that is what the apples are for as well to give it that right amount of cranberry tartness and sweetness of the apple. No preservatives, No high fructose corn syrup!
Come on give it a try, change it up for Thanksgiving and have our Cranberry Apple Butter with your Turkey this year!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Craft Shows and Winter markets!
Now that the outdoor market season is over we once again have found a bunch of craft shows and indoor markets that we will be attending. As a farmer and living only on what you make from the farm you still have to find things in the winter when things slow down outside.
Otsiningo Farmers Market once again has created an indoor market and will be located once again at the Metrocenter in Downtown Binghamton. It will be the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month from 9am-Noon. The same as last year.
Here is our schedule:
November 3, 2012- Cortland High School Craft Fair 10am-3pm.
- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon. We will not be there this time but Cheryl from
Boer Bakery has offered to sell our products for us.
November 10- Oakdale Mall Fiber Festival 10am-9 pm
November 11- Oakdale Mall Fiber Festival 11am-7pm
November 17- Chenango Valley Craft Fair 10am
December 1- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
December 2- Vestal Craft Fair 10am-3 pm
December 7- Parlor City Indie Market and Craft Fair 6pm-9pm
December 8- Parlor City Indie Market and Craft Fair 9am-6pm
- Holiday Magic Newark Valley in front of Cardinal Cafe
December 9- Parlor City Indie Market and Craft Fair 11am-6pm
December 15- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
January 5- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
January 19- Otsiningo Winter Market 9 am-noon
February 2- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
February 16- Otsiningo Winter Market 9 am-noon
March 2- Otsiningo Winter Market 9 am-noon
March 9-10- Field, Hearth and Home event- Treadway Inn Owego
March 16- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
April 6- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
April 20- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
Otsiningo Farmers Market once again has created an indoor market and will be located once again at the Metrocenter in Downtown Binghamton. It will be the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month from 9am-Noon. The same as last year.
Here is our schedule:
November 3, 2012- Cortland High School Craft Fair 10am-3pm.
- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon. We will not be there this time but Cheryl from
Boer Bakery has offered to sell our products for us.
November 10- Oakdale Mall Fiber Festival 10am-9 pm
November 11- Oakdale Mall Fiber Festival 11am-7pm
November 17- Chenango Valley Craft Fair 10am
December 1- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
December 2- Vestal Craft Fair 10am-3 pm
December 7- Parlor City Indie Market and Craft Fair 6pm-9pm
December 8- Parlor City Indie Market and Craft Fair 9am-6pm
- Holiday Magic Newark Valley in front of Cardinal Cafe
December 9- Parlor City Indie Market and Craft Fair 11am-6pm
December 15- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
January 5- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
January 19- Otsiningo Winter Market 9 am-noon
February 2- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
February 16- Otsiningo Winter Market 9 am-noon
March 2- Otsiningo Winter Market 9 am-noon
March 9-10- Field, Hearth and Home event- Treadway Inn Owego
March 16- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
April 6- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
April 20- Otsiningo Winter Market 9am-noon
Monday, October 15, 2012
No More Rabbits
We have officially made the decision that we will no longer be selling rabbit meat. We are selling all the rabbits and our equipment. We will keep a few just for us for personal use, but other than that we will no longer continue selling them at market.
As all of you may heard feed prices are going up. And not just a little. Feed prices are rising very quickly and are making it very difficult for all farmers to continue raising animals.
This is the reason we decided to get rid of our rabbits. We have a bunch of loyal customers that buy rabbit every so often. But not as much as we need. The rabbits are not making us enough money to pay their feed bills let alone pay for the equipment we bought for them.
That being said we are keeping a few for ourselves and will continue to breed a few. That means we will not always have rabbit available, but we may occasionally have a few up for sale. If you would like to continue to get rabbit from us on an occasional basis, you may give us your contact information and when we have them available we will contact you.
We are sorry for the inconvenience and we are sorry that we cannot continue. We hope you still come back for the chicken and our fruit butters and herbs.
Thank you for being so loyal and for understanding.
As all of you may heard feed prices are going up. And not just a little. Feed prices are rising very quickly and are making it very difficult for all farmers to continue raising animals.
This is the reason we decided to get rid of our rabbits. We have a bunch of loyal customers that buy rabbit every so often. But not as much as we need. The rabbits are not making us enough money to pay their feed bills let alone pay for the equipment we bought for them.
That being said we are keeping a few for ourselves and will continue to breed a few. That means we will not always have rabbit available, but we may occasionally have a few up for sale. If you would like to continue to get rabbit from us on an occasional basis, you may give us your contact information and when we have them available we will contact you.
We are sorry for the inconvenience and we are sorry that we cannot continue. We hope you still come back for the chicken and our fruit butters and herbs.
Thank you for being so loyal and for understanding.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The kitchen is finished!
After the long wait and anticipation. The kitchen is finished!
We had our inspection on Friday October 5th and all went well. I have been cooking out of the kitchen now this past week and it has been a HUGE relief!
Trying to make as many butters as I have been trying to make in our small home kitchen was not too easy. Consistently pumping out and canning and trying to have dinner was not working out so well.
Now working out of the new kitchen I go down there work and come home and make and eat dinner. In the new kitchen I have plenty of room to move around. The kids have their own little corner where there is a TV, DVD player and toys for them to play with. Trying to keep a 1 1/2 year old and a 3 year old busy while you are trying to get work done is almost impossible. But it does a decent job.
Here are some pictures. I have not taken pictures since these were taken and this was before the stove, other counter and trim was finished.
I am going to try to take some more pictures this week to post the finished product. We are so glad to be able to expand now and will enjoy getting more varieties of products out to you including some specialty herbal stuff!
We had our inspection on Friday October 5th and all went well. I have been cooking out of the kitchen now this past week and it has been a HUGE relief!
Trying to make as many butters as I have been trying to make in our small home kitchen was not too easy. Consistently pumping out and canning and trying to have dinner was not working out so well.
Now working out of the new kitchen I go down there work and come home and make and eat dinner. In the new kitchen I have plenty of room to move around. The kids have their own little corner where there is a TV, DVD player and toys for them to play with. Trying to keep a 1 1/2 year old and a 3 year old busy while you are trying to get work done is almost impossible. But it does a decent job.
Here are some pictures. I have not taken pictures since these were taken and this was before the stove, other counter and trim was finished.
 |
| Eric Jr helping clean the sinks or just playing in the water. |
 |
| Julianna checking out the new potty! |
 |
| Where the space is on the left is where the stove and other countertop are. |
 | ||||||
| Checking to make sure his juice boxes were still cold! |
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Newark Valley Apple Festival Oct. 6th and 7th.
Every year there is an apple festival held in Newark Valley. We have always talked about vending there but never really had much to vend. Produce isn't something that people would buy at an apple festival.
Now that we have the fruit butters, dried herbs and teas, we have decided we will join them this year.
Newark Valley Apple Festival
October 6th & 7th from 10am-5pm
http://www.nvhistory.org/Apple%20Festival.shtml
We are very excited. It is a great event and there is so much to see and do.
Check out the website. Great bands, great products, great people and a great time!
Every year they do an apple butter demonstration, but never have anyone that sells apple butter. So we fit right in. We contacted them and they were excited that we were interested.
I can't wait to see how it goes. I love the old thyme theme and the old farmstead attire.
Make sure you come out and check it out. And while you are out this way, you can also join us at the Newark Valley Farmers Market on Sunday the 7th from 10am-2pm right down the road from the Bement Billings.
Hope to see you there!
Now that we have the fruit butters, dried herbs and teas, we have decided we will join them this year.
Newark Valley Apple Festival
October 6th & 7th from 10am-5pm
"Admission is $6.00 for adults (members $5.00) and $4.00 for students and senior citizens. Children under 5 are free. Family rate $18. For more information call 642-9516. See you there!
Always fun for the whole family, this event includes "apple everything," kids' activities, great food, crafts, horse & wagon rides, and a well-stocked gift shop. Come see how people lived 150 years ago! You’ll find demonstrations of blacksmithing, open hearth cooking, spinning and weaving, black powder shooting, soap making, tours of the farmhouse, and more.
There will be lots of music including folk, bluegrass, Celtic, traditional fiddle music, string band, and Gospel. New this year - we will feature Morris Dancers, English and Irish folk dancing groups, and Contra Dancing. You can either watch, or join in and learn!"
http://www.nvhistory.org/Apple%20Festival.shtml
We are very excited. It is a great event and there is so much to see and do.
Check out the website. Great bands, great products, great people and a great time!
Every year they do an apple butter demonstration, but never have anyone that sells apple butter. So we fit right in. We contacted them and they were excited that we were interested.
I can't wait to see how it goes. I love the old thyme theme and the old farmstead attire.
Make sure you come out and check it out. And while you are out this way, you can also join us at the Newark Valley Farmers Market on Sunday the 7th from 10am-2pm right down the road from the Bement Billings.
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
List of all the stores that carry our products.
I sat down the other day trying to figure out just how many stores our products are in. It is extremely humbling considering we started making the fruit butters in October of last year simply to have a little extra at our Harvest Festival that we held last year. To think that not even a year from then our butters would be in so many different stores.
Distributed by Cascun Farm CSA:
Gourmet Guild- Brooklyn, NY
Knickerbockers Meat- Ny, NY
Distributed by Regional Access:
Bellwether Hard Cider- Trumansburg, NY
Catskill Harvest- Liberty, NY
Chair 6- Lake Placid, NY
Clayton Food Co-op- Clayton, NY
Down to Earth Whole Foods- Endicott, NY
Greenstar Natural Foods Market- Ithaca, NY
Lost and Fondue- Skaeneatlas, NY
Masonville General Store and Cresent Wrench Cafe- Masonville, NY
Mildred's Meadows- Duanesburg, NY
Natur-Thyme- Dewitt, NY
Pittsford Farm Dairy- Pittsford, NY
The Foodshed- Brooklyn, NY
Distributed by us:
Cardinal Cafe- Newark Valley, NY
Cornell Orchards- Ithaca, NY
Eddydale's Farm Market- Ithaca, NY
Engelbert Farms- Nichols, NY
Lakewood Vineyards- Watkins Glen, NY
Shurfine- Newark Valley, NY
Six Mile Creek Vineyard- Ithaca, NY
Wow- 21 stores. And we are currently working on a few more accounts including a couple large accounts.
Sometimes in life there are those points when you wonder how did I get to this point? We were at that point last year and were trying to find something to get us over the hump we had been working so hard to get over. Then this came along. We are not over the hump yet, mainly because we are investing so much to be able to expand but we are hoping and praying to god that this is the break we needed.
My days now are filled with peeling fruit, cooking fruit, freezing fruit, prepping fruit, and canning. The kitchen smells of fruit and fruit pies. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to walk into grandma's kitchen and she had just taken a fresh baked apple pie out of the oven and the house was filled with that fresh cinnamon apple smell.
There are many times when we have wanted to give up, we have struggled, but have pushed through knowing that someday things would work out. We are still struggling, but we actually see a light at the end of the tunnel. The light is miles away, but at least it is visible.
I have talked to numerous people who think that farming is an easy job. It is far from easy. It is all about passion, love and dedication. As with any small business or starter business. There are times when you just have to push through even though you don't know when the money is going to be coming in.
One person asked me a few weeks ago how we handle the stress, let downs and disappointments. To be honest, I don't handle it well. I get very stressed and anxious. I get intense. I keep pushing through and telling myself that things always work out. Eric is more laid back. He handles things better than I do. Although I do believe that deep inside he struggles with it because how could you not. But he doesn't let it show on the outside. He stays strong and figures things out. One of us has to be level headed about things I guess.
I guess my point to this little spat is that no matter what life throws at you....you always make it through. And the fruit butters have helped us and I hope they continue to.
And of course if it wasn't for all of our loyal customers who continue to come back and love to try the new varieties of fruit butters and our new products that we continuously add we adore you. If it weren't for you we would not be here. We would not be the family we are today. You have truly inspired us to be better people and to give you the best products possible.
Distributed by Cascun Farm CSA:
Gourmet Guild- Brooklyn, NY
Knickerbockers Meat- Ny, NY
Distributed by Regional Access:
Bellwether Hard Cider- Trumansburg, NY
Catskill Harvest- Liberty, NY
Chair 6- Lake Placid, NY
Clayton Food Co-op- Clayton, NY
Down to Earth Whole Foods- Endicott, NY
Greenstar Natural Foods Market- Ithaca, NY
Lost and Fondue- Skaeneatlas, NY
Masonville General Store and Cresent Wrench Cafe- Masonville, NY
Mildred's Meadows- Duanesburg, NY
Natur-Thyme- Dewitt, NY
Pittsford Farm Dairy- Pittsford, NY
The Foodshed- Brooklyn, NY
Distributed by us:
Cardinal Cafe- Newark Valley, NY
Cornell Orchards- Ithaca, NY
Eddydale's Farm Market- Ithaca, NY
Engelbert Farms- Nichols, NY
Lakewood Vineyards- Watkins Glen, NY
Shurfine- Newark Valley, NY
Six Mile Creek Vineyard- Ithaca, NY
Wow- 21 stores. And we are currently working on a few more accounts including a couple large accounts.
Sometimes in life there are those points when you wonder how did I get to this point? We were at that point last year and were trying to find something to get us over the hump we had been working so hard to get over. Then this came along. We are not over the hump yet, mainly because we are investing so much to be able to expand but we are hoping and praying to god that this is the break we needed.
My days now are filled with peeling fruit, cooking fruit, freezing fruit, prepping fruit, and canning. The kitchen smells of fruit and fruit pies. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to walk into grandma's kitchen and she had just taken a fresh baked apple pie out of the oven and the house was filled with that fresh cinnamon apple smell.
There are many times when we have wanted to give up, we have struggled, but have pushed through knowing that someday things would work out. We are still struggling, but we actually see a light at the end of the tunnel. The light is miles away, but at least it is visible.
I have talked to numerous people who think that farming is an easy job. It is far from easy. It is all about passion, love and dedication. As with any small business or starter business. There are times when you just have to push through even though you don't know when the money is going to be coming in.
One person asked me a few weeks ago how we handle the stress, let downs and disappointments. To be honest, I don't handle it well. I get very stressed and anxious. I get intense. I keep pushing through and telling myself that things always work out. Eric is more laid back. He handles things better than I do. Although I do believe that deep inside he struggles with it because how could you not. But he doesn't let it show on the outside. He stays strong and figures things out. One of us has to be level headed about things I guess.
I guess my point to this little spat is that no matter what life throws at you....you always make it through. And the fruit butters have helped us and I hope they continue to.
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” - Maya Angelou
And of course if it wasn't for all of our loyal customers who continue to come back and love to try the new varieties of fruit butters and our new products that we continuously add we adore you. If it weren't for you we would not be here. We would not be the family we are today. You have truly inspired us to be better people and to give you the best products possible.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Family Fun Day- Newark Valley Farmers Market
This Sunday August 26th is Family Fun Day at the Newark Valley Farmers Market. We are very excited and hoping it will be a great success. We figured just before the kids go back to school we can have a great time and enjoy the end of summer for the kids. And it is all FREE- except for the Chicken BBQ of course.Being our very first full fledged event at the market, we have been trying to think of ways to get everyone involved. We have recruited some local groups (Revolutions Dance Studio, Newark Valley Soccer Club) to come down and set up to get the word out about their programs. Get more kids involved in activities. What a perfect time. If there are any other groups that are wanting to participate this Sunday please make sure you contact us ASAP.
Some of things we are planning:
Story time- Books by Senator Libous - bring the kids to listen to some stories throughout the market.
Bounce House- We will have a bounce house for the kids to play in while you shop.
Firetruck and Ambulance- let the kids come check out a firetruck and ambulance in person. What kid
would not enjoy that?
Sing -a-long songs and music- performed by Dannielle Swart, Trish Englehard and Judy Stock.
Danielle has been great and played many different times at the market. She
coordinated the Community Jam Sessions that occur the 2nd Sunday of
every month.
Coloring Contest- Bring the kids down, have them color a coloring page and submit it to win a "Let's Go
to the Farmers Market" package. Package includes a bag, book, activity cards, and
shopping lists all pertaining to fruits and vegetables and farmers markets. Each child that
enters will receive a small party bag as well.
EMS BBQ- The local EMS will also be hosting a chicken barbecue at the market.
Alex the Clown-Alex is Providence Farm owners son. Alex is a goofball by nature so it was just
appropriate that we had him as our clown. He loves to do silly things and play around with
the kids.
Hope to see you all there. Spread the word. In today's economy when money is tight FREE events for the kids to enjoy themselves are always a great thing.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
New Butter Cooker
We have begun to expand greatly. We originally started with 4 small crock pots. We then moved to four 7 quart crock pots and we were currently sitting at six 7 quart crock pots.
This week we purchased two 18 qt commercial roaster/cooker/warmer. This will more than double my batches. I am so excited.
There have been a few times already when I get a bunch of orders in all at the same time and I rush to get them done on time. That is even with stocking up when I don't have orders.
But markets have been selling very quickly as well, so most of the time I do not have that much back up even though I am making butters everyday except for Friday, Saturday and Sunday due to the farmers markets.
Now I will have to say as excited as I am about this new toy, the bigger we get.....when we make our first million! = ) This is what I would like to get!
This is a 200 gallon steam jacket kettle! Everyone has those wishful items that they want. This is one of mine!
This week we purchased two 18 qt commercial roaster/cooker/warmer. This will more than double my batches. I am so excited.There have been a few times already when I get a bunch of orders in all at the same time and I rush to get them done on time. That is even with stocking up when I don't have orders.
But markets have been selling very quickly as well, so most of the time I do not have that much back up even though I am making butters everyday except for Friday, Saturday and Sunday due to the farmers markets.
Now I will have to say as excited as I am about this new toy, the bigger we get.....when we make our first million! = ) This is what I would like to get! This is a 200 gallon steam jacket kettle! Everyone has those wishful items that they want. This is one of mine!
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