Greetings! I am super-excited to announce that my book on Making Homemade Pet Food that I have been working on over the past year is now published and available in book stores!

And it is available on Amazon:

The Healthy Homemade Pet Food Cookbook: 75 Whole-Food Recipes and Tasty Treats for Dogs and Cats of All Ages

by Barbara Taylor-Laino by Fair Winds Press

Paperback

List Price: $21.99

Our Price: $15.60

Buy Now 

I will also have some copies for sale at our upcoming Seed-Garlic Sale at the farm this Sunday, October 13th from 9 am - 2 pm... (there's more info on our Garlic Sale below ... and we will also have a selection of my herbal healing salves and lip balms at the Garlic Sale in case you need to stock up for the winter!)  

Next weekend, October 19th and 20th, I'll be up at the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck doing signings and demos....

And I must say that the Sheep and Wool Festival is the ultimate fall fest! The focus is fiber and fiber arts and sheep and other fiber animals. Yarn, Dying, Spinning, Weaving, Herding Dogs, Farm Supplies, all sorts of demos and exhibits and tons of vendors selling beautiful crafting supplies! And then for lunch you can try Lamb burgers and ravioli and sheeps' milk cheeses! Checkout the site! Really fun!

This Friday morning, we are running our popular workshop on How to Make Your Own Homemade Pet Food, and we still have space available if you would like to join us and get some hands-on experience in creating healthy, whole-foods based pet food, and take home a sample for your pet to try out!

Scroll down for a pet food recipe for Lamb and Whiting with Seasonal Vegetables!

Here's more info on our workshop:
Making Homemade Dog & Cat Food Workshop 

Friday, October 11th 2013, 10 am - 12 noon

Featured in the NY Times and Orange Magazine!
Healthier, Economical, Delicious. Either as a supplementary meal or as your pets' regular diet, homemade food is better, safer, and easy to make. We will mix up a batch of balanced food using raw chicken as a base. We'll go over tons of options in food bases - raw vs cooked, various nutritional additions, dogs vs cats, special needs pets, and discuss the wide range of commercial diets and brands. You'll take home recipes, a clearer knowledge of the commercial pet food available, and resources for suppliers. We'll also make up a wonderful whole foods supplement that you can add to a commercial diet using higher quality ingredients and for a lot less money than the fancy brand names. Even if you're not ready to switch over completely to a homemade diet, you'll get a lot from this workshop. Workshop takes place in the farm kitchen | Cost is $48 | Registration closes 10/10/13 - send me an email (reply to this email) and let me know if you would like to join us!  

 

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Seed-Garlic Sale!

 
Our Fall Seed-Garlic Sale is
scheduled for:

Sunday, October 13th
from 9 am to 2 pm.

Seed-Garlic can also be purchased by appointment October 11th through 14th. Please email me (info@midsummerfarm.com) to arrange a day and time.

Plant each clove about 4-5 inches deep, and in mid-December, cover with another 1-2 inches of heavy leaf mulch or compost. (By waiting until mid-December, you allow the ground to be 'open' for sun and warmth.) Try to apply the mulch right before a rain in mid-December. The cloves should form good roots, and about 4-6 inches of green arial leaf part should grow before the weather gets too cold.

Hard Neck Varieties for we will have this year:  

Music - A beautiful medium hot flavored garlic. Porcelain variety with good storage.

Spanish Roja - One of our favorite Rocambole varieties. Classic rich garlic flavor.

German Red - A very spicy rocambole - vigorous and loves cold weather. Bright red wrapped cloves.

Metechi - This is the first time we're trying this porcelain variety - it is supposedly very large and beautiful with lost of purple striping.

New: Georgia Fire - This is also new for us, it one is known for very spicy and hot flavor. It is rocambole variety, similar in flavor to the German Red, with salmon/peachy inner skins.

All varieties are the same price - sold in 1/4 lb packs for $7.00. I'll have some mixed packs as well.... And they are all certified organic.

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THE GARLIC GROWING CALENDAR:

~Plant toes in Mid-Fall in a spot where they can overwinter safely.

~Around December 21st, apply mulch before a rainy day

~3rd week of April - get a head start on weed control!

~June - harvest your scapes!

~June 21st - All energy in the garlic plant switches to bulb growth. Leaves start dying down.

~After the Fourth of July - garlic is basically ready - not much more growth of the bulb will occur. When half the row is turning brown/yellow, then on the first set of nice dry days when the soil is dry, pull the garlic up. Don't wait too long, the papers start deteriorating if left in the ground too long.

~Each some fresh out of the ground, but cure most of your bulbs for storage by spreading or hanging in a open and dry area out of direct sunlight. This curing process develops the flavor distinctions between the varieties.

~Labor Day - peak flavor

~October - Replant toes for next year's garlic.

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PET FOOD RECIPE: Lamb and Whiting with Veggies and Seasonal Herbs

During our last workshop we realized we were out of chicken necks and so we pulled together this recipe using what we did have on hand. It was meant to be - all the animals loved it!

Ingredients:

6-8 frozen whiting fish fillets

1 pound of ground lamb

7-8 chicken hearts

3 eggs with shells

3-4 carrots

about 1/4 medium red cabbage, cut into 1 inch wide strips to fit into the meat grinder

1/4 cup of pecans

2 tablespoons (12 g) pumpkin seeds

3-4 dark kale leaves

1 clove fresh garlic

a couple sprigs of fresh herbs, I used oregano, basil, and parsley

1 tablespoon (9 g) bonemeal

1 tablespoon (20 g) honey

1 tablespoon (10 g) kelp

Directions:

Alternate putting the fish fillets, hearts, egg shells, vegetables, and nuts through a meat grinder and into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator. If you make more than can be consumed in 5 days, separate into serving-size portions and freeze. Or you can make a really big batch, and roll the mixture into serving-size meatballs and freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, put the meatballs into freezer bags for easy storing. Defrost the desired number of meatballs in the refrigerator a few days before you need them. Meatballs will last at least 3 months in the freezer.

Serving: Feed 1/4 cup (50 g) twice a day to a medium-size cat; 1 cup (200 g) twice a day to a medium-size dog.

Variations: This recipe has a lot of room for variation-just don't get carried away with adding different vegetables and end up feeding your pet more veggies than meat. You want to keep at least a 4:1 ratio of meat to vegetables, or even better, 5:1.

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Fall 2013 Workshops at Midsummer Farm

Workshops at Midsummer Farm: Classes are taught from a strictly Holistic and Organic standpoint. Class size is kept small to ensure individual attention. Fees include all materials and supplies needed. Children are welcome; children under 5 are free. If more than one person from a single household is taking the workshop together, the second person may deduct $5 from the cost of the workshop. Many classes take place outside in the gardens and are weather-permitting. Participants must register in advance. Cooking classes are hands-on and tasting is encouraged. NOTE: times and dates of workshops are subject to change.

Making Homemade Dog & Cat Food Workshop

Making Herbal Salves, Ointments, and Lip Balms   

With a focus on organic, fair-trade, medicinal herbs and spices, we'll construct a variety of healing and soothing salves and lip balms. We'll also discuss different types of healing herbs, what they can do for us, and where to get them. You'll never want to be without a jar of Anti-itch salve made with white willow bark and plantain or Dry-skin healing Calendula salve made with self heal and chickweed once you see how fun they are to make and how effectively they work. Workshop takes place in the kitchen at Midsummer Farm |Cost is $48 | registration closes 10/18/13 

Making Homemade Dog & Cat Food Workshop

Making Great Vegetable Purees!

NEW!!! Using Herbs with your Pets Workshop

Saturday, November 9th 2013, 10 am - 12 noon
Natural Pet Rearing with a focus on using herbs as a way to naturally care for your cat or dog. We'll be discussing Herbs as Superfoods, Herbs for preventing parasites, Calming herbs, Anti-inflammatory herbs, Allergies and herbs, Skin problems and herbs, and more as well as an Herbal-based whole food supplement mix. Workshop takes place in the farm kitchen | Cost is $48 | Registration closes 11/6/13

Making Herbal Salves, Ointments, and Lip Balms   

If you haven't been to our farm yet, we're located at 156 East Ridge Road, Warwick, NY 10990. And welcome!   

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