Grateful for the picture perfect summer days we’ve had here recently. Market prep is well underway. Looking forward to a great morning at market tomorrow. Due to a couple traveling family members, we’re mixing things up a bit tomorrow as far as who is staffing which market so you might see some new smiling faces at market :-). See you soon….don’t forget that Thanksgiving Turkeys can now be pre-ordered!
Finishing up work Wednesday on a beautiful summer evening

Watching Daddy work….
Pasture Raised Chicken….Inspect what you Expect

Pasture Raised Non-GMO chicken is available just about everywhere. Sounds great but there are very important questions to ask to assure quality….
1. Are the birds constantly on grass and is the pasture they are on sprayed with chemicals or fertilized?ย We like to say that our birds are pasture raised ‘on grass’. This is what makes the meat taste so good. But did you know that pasture raised, ‘GMO’ fed chickens taste delicious too? There are more questions to ask…
2. Where are the birds processed? If they are taken to a processing facility, it is possible they are being processed in water containing bleach or other chemicals.
3. What is the source of the Non-GMO feed? Non-GMO feed suppliers are popping up all over the place. However, almost none of them consistently test for GMO contamination. And most of them allow the use of herbicides & potentially pesticides on the feed crops.

Fried Honey Brook Chicken + Saute’d Honey Brook Kale + Honey Brook Egg Plant Parmesan = Absolute Deliciousness!
A cool cloudy covering with an occasional sprinkle over Honey Brook Farms this morning
Tomato processing time….
Herding turkeys….atleast trying too ๐Ÿ™‚
This week on the farm….
All in all, Thursday morning was a pretty normal one. Let us share with you our adventures….we were on track to process chicken & turkey starting at about6:30am. Joshua was running up for ice & a few other things in town when a couple beef cows were noticed on top of the berm above our country road…..and there was no electrical fence between the road and the cows….not good! A team was dispatched to the site and they collectively corralled the cows, repaired the broken wires, & returned to commence processing. All was moving along well when a couple moving objects were noticed on the west side of the bee yard. Two brown objects running/galloping across the field – oh no….not one, not two, but 11 juvenile pigs had evaded the confinements of their pasture and were exploring the brush & pasture beyond. 10 pigs were spotted and lead back home but one was no where to be seen. Through the brush our animal response team diligently searched the area until the missing pig was found and safely home. And once again we were all back on the job processing birds. Yes, another normal morning on the farm.

Daniel & team planted hundreds of tasty fall veggie seeds.ย Had a good tour with a couple people earlier this week. More chicks arrived Thursday along with Thanksgiving Turkeys on Wednesday. Brooders are full of little peep-peep noises & yellow balls of cute fuzzies. Separated a couple 10 month old heifers from the beef herd. They’ll return to the beef herd at about 15 months so they can be bred.

Seed planting time….
Farm tour….
This time of year, we all enjoy BBQ’s, fresh tomato sandwiches, & grilled meat. Most of these often involve the use of common condiments. When was the last time you checked out the ingredient list on that bottle you’re about to open for your sandwich?

Do you know what 5 of the worst condiments are in your refrigerator? After you read this list, check out the end of the email for an easy homemade Mayo recipe that we often use!

  1. Mayonnaise
  2. Sour cream
  3. Ranch and blue cheese dressing
  4. Ketchup
  5. Steak sauce and barbeque sauce

Want to know why? Check out Dr. Mercola’s detailed review of these commonly used condiments.