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First Asparagus long
May 15, 2015

 


Panda with ram

I am happy to report that we had another birth today, and it was a surprise as we didn't think Panda (our ewe) was even close!  She had a little ram and he's adorable.  We haven't found the perfect name yet, any ideas? I have to have "lamb therapy" every morning and snuggle with some of our ten lambs. They are unbelievably cute with super soft curly fur, soft little hooves, whirly spots where horns will never grow and the sweetest voices ever!  And when I'm done, I can just hand them back to their moms, and go about my business. No bottle feeding. 

Panda with ram 2
 Isaiah is holding Toasty who is also a ram, below.Isaiah holding Toasty

I I am also joyfully announcing our first market attendance this Spring!  We will be at Traverse City's Sara Hardy Market from 7:30 - noon tomorrow.  Then I'll go to Boyne City next Wednesday, Charlevoix next Thursday and Boyne City and Traverse City (with Sarah's help) next Saturday.

 

I'll be bringing our very first asparagus, though we don't have much yet, so if you'd like some, please come early. 

 

Other yummy firsts of the season?

  • Spring dug parsnips, (I made the parsnip cake from the A-Z Cookbook minus the frosting part and it was so YUM!)
  • Jewel toned rhubarb, (Can't wait to make rhubarb cake! OK, so I have a thing with cake.  I'm shooting for wheat-free and Naomi mentioned chick-pea flour so...)
  • Sweet n spicy Welsh bunching onions, (Think green onions, but these are perennials and come up earlier for us!)
  • Asian braising mix (includes: baby tatsoi, kale, green mustard, red mustard, and Hon Tsai Tai) meant for light steaming or stir-fry, but I know many people who love it uncooked!
  • Very tender and sweet Spinach.
  • Rosy Radish (WE WERE in HEAVEN eating salt and peppered, thinly sliced radish on Italian sour dough bread with mayo and baby kale!)

Coming soon in early to mid June...

Strawberries! Baby lettuce mix.

Variety of lettuce heads, 3 types of Beets,Rainbow chard

Cilantro, Dill, Green onions, Parsley, Sage, Japanese turnips and something I'm sure I'm forgetting!

 

Well I'm off to finish getting ready for tomorrow's market. Have a great weekend!

Andrea Romeyn
 

Sierra's herb class
Sierra Bigham of Bear Earth Herbals taught us so much about herbs throughout a woman's life last Saturday!  She is a local treasure and I am inviting her back to my home this year - as requested - for Part II. We all had tea tastings, learned how (and why) to make infusions and tinctures for ourselves, and about the common herbs found right in our own yards! Check her out at our local farm markets or on Etsy.
Learn More Here!
Gratefulness
Help Us Share The Harvest!
Pastured Pork Share
pigs 2015
Our piglets are here and cute as can be!
They love to burrow down in the hay on cold nights and snuggle together.  I posted a video of what they look like hunkered down and sleepy in our barn on Instagram.

We're waiting until it gets a bit warmer and then they'll be moved to our farm's woodland. Our pigs are moved around to give them access to fresh grass and forage, given organic vegetables, non-GMO corn, soy and minerals, tree shade on hot summer days and fresh water from our 230-foot well.

We have just a few of our sides unspoken for, so if you'd like to make sure you're on the list, it's best to shoot us an email and send your deposit of $100 to Providence Farm, 5691 N M-88, Central Lake, MI  49622.  (Just an email will not save your bacon.) ;-)

We charge $3.70/# hanging weight, with each side coming in around 100 pounds. You're on your own for processing which can range anywhere from $60-$160 depending on the specifics of your order.
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Deb holding Cookie Dough

Meet Deb Veenstra. She is our friend and Providence Farm secretary.  Many of our CSA members already know her from our farm correspondence. She's a treasure in the office where we don't have near as much talent!
Gloria the black n white calf

This little oreo is our first black and white Belted Galloway born on the farm last Thursday!  She is a heifer and Jacob spotted her first.  He named her Gloria!

old Chalmers
Our 1940's Chalmers G has been a work-horse this past month.  It sure is cool how they used to make things so well they still work 75 years later!
CSA Shares Still Available For the 2015 Season!
Week 11 Share 2014
Pictured Here Is An Example of a Small Family Share (1-4 people) From the 1st Week of CSA 2014
Amount of items and total weight increases throughout the season. To make an informed decision about purchasing a share, it's best to look at our newsletter archives from 2014.  Head here for frequently asked questions.  Or check out this review!
Pictured Here Is An Example of a Large Family Share (5-8 people) from September 2014
Large family shares have 1/3 more food than small family shares.  Amount of items and total weight increases throughout the season. To make an informed decision about purchasing a share, it's best to look at our newsletter archives. 

HelpHelp Us Share The Harvest!
Week 12's share
Partner With Us! 
Every season, Ryan and I make it a priority to share what we grow, and we've seen the need in northwest Michigan grow each year with us.  Each week during the growing season, we donate a wide variety of our delicious vegetables to four area food pantries, including Good Samaritan Family Services in Ellsworth, which serves over 700 families each month!  We also give CSA shares to individual local families, all totaling several thousand pounds of produce each year.  

If you'd like to help us expand our reach, you can partner with us by donating any amount to go towards our "Sharing The Harvest Fund". You may designate whether you want to add more to our food pantry donations or you can sponsor an individual family with a CSA share.  Each new 18-22 week CSA family is given a free From Asparagus to Zucchini - A Guide To Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce Cookbook, invited to our CSA potlucks, tours and events, as well as sent helpful email newsletters with recipes and storage tips, just like all of our new CSA members!  Ready to commit, have questions or know a family who'd appreciate fresh, nutritious, local produce through our Sharing The Harvest program?  Email us. 

SIGN UP AND SAVE
15-20% off market prices!
A commitment to 18 or 22 weeks of garden shares enjoy heavy savings on locally grown, certified organic produce plus a 
FREE A-Z Cookbook for all new 18-22 week sign-ups received by May 30th, 2015!

New this year: Investor Shares! (Flexible, A La Carte Style, Perfect Those Who Feel A Traditional Share Is Too Much Food.) Enjoy 10% off market table prices!
Our thanks for reading what's going on here. We are a small family farm that relies 100% on local people like you.  We really can't express our gratitude enough.  THANK YOU.  We especially thank all our Winter and Spring registrations from CSA members.  Your early payment helps us tremendously this time of year.  Please pass the idea along to any person you may think would be interested in our "Traditional CSA Garden Shares" or our new "Investor CSA Share" as committed community support is the back bone of our family farm.  

 

Sincerely,
  
Ryan & Andrea
5691 N M-88 (1 mile east of US 31 at Eastport)
Central Lake, MI  49622
(231) 350-6420
(231) 599-2020 
  
We're passionate about living soil, thriving plants, healthy people! 
Providence Farm | 231-350-6420 | providencecsa@gmail.com | http://providenceorganicfarm.com
5691 N M-88
Central Lake, MI 49622