Put Away That Rusty Knife, Here Comes The Easy Open

We've improved our packaging! I know, I know, we're only a few months into this jerky business but we figured "why should our friends and customers be forced to use dirty scissors and rusty pocket knives to open their package of fine, quality beef jerky? It makes no sense!"

And so, we're very happy to introduce our new, easy-open packaging. Just find the notch and tear into the goodness.

Come check it out this Saturday at the Culpeper Farmer's Market. This week week we'll have Teriyaki, Sweet-N-Spicy, Berben and Chipotle. PS - This is the last week to get in on our introductory price; after this Saturday our price will go up to $4 (which is still $1-$2 lower than the store-bought stuff. Just sayin').

Hope to see you Saturday (we'll have samples!).

Our New Friends at Ternion Springs Farm

We recently made friends with the folks over at Ternion Springs Farm (right here in Madison, VA). They have a booth across from ours at the Culpeper Farmers Market. Located in Madison, this honey is about as local as we can get without having hives in our own backyard!

Anyway, we love their honey so much that we've decided to use it exclusively in all of our Jerky recipes. Local bees, local honey, local business, local friends. Sweet success!

PS - be sure to stop by their booth to check out their honey and, while you're there, ask about their blueberries (some of the sweetest you'll ever taste!).

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Harvest Farms on facebook. Come grow with us!

A Garden Update

Last night we made a trip to check out the garden. Jonathan (sadly) had not been to the garden since before his trip to Las Vegas. The tomatoes, onions and peas are doing very well. The potatoes are being overtaken by some very fat, very happy little grub-looking things. We'll need to find a remedy for that situation and fast. But, for last night anyways, they looked too happy to disturb so we left them to their feasting.

We couldn't resist picking three small baskets of peas, all of which were eaten when we got home. As you can see from the picture above, even the kids enjoy the green peas. Sarah ate several handfuls before we were able to put them into the pot to cook. For those of you who have only eaten peas of the canned variety, come out to the farm and try one fresh out of the pod. It tastes like summer.

We also picked almost 20cups of basil (which is doing quite well by the way). We'll be making fresh pesto for Saturday morning. In the meantime, the whole kitchen smells like a basil plant (which is a good thing!).

Anyway, here's what's growing:
Tomatoes
Squash
Onions
Peas
Turnips
Potatoes
Beets
Cilantro
Basil
Strawberries

OK, enough blogging, it's time to weed.

Harvest Farms Vegas Vacation

Last week, four of us made a week-long trip to Las Vegas for non-farm business. Chris and Jonathan were very happy to be joined by Shaun and Lindsay for an extended double date in one of the strangest (and brightest) places on earth, Sin City, Las Vegas NV.

While we weren't able to make it to Bradly Ogden, one of the only prestigious restaurants in Vegas to feature an organic, farm fresh menu, we did dine at some of the best restaurants west of the Mississippi including Delmonico's, Emeril Lagasse's legendary (and rightfully so) Creole restaurant, The Fix, a sophisticated hot-spot with an eclectic menu (Shaun had the lobster mango tacos, Jonathan had the spicy tuna with ponzo bread), and the exceptional Dragon Noodle where Chris and Jonathan enjoyed quail egg and pork belly sushi rolls and the most flavorful miso soup they've ever tasted.

We also had a lot of fun checking out the cakes and crepes at Jean Phillippe and had a very fine time at Beijing Noodle No. 9 where Jonathan apparently got trapped inside the enormous glass fish tank full of giant goldfish. It was awesome.

But, despite the fine dining and bright lights, we all missed our beloved Virginia. We're happy to be back on the farm. We've had two successful weeks at the Culpeper Farm's Market. Our basil is all grown up and all of our recent plantings are coming along nicely. We've also set a date with the butcher for our next two freezer fulls of Harvest Farms beef. All-in-all it's been a great season for us.

Come see us at the market next Saturday and make sure to join us on Facebook. You can also check out a few desert pictures taken from the airplane on Jonathan's Flickr photostream.

May 3, 2010

Farmers who wait for the perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
- Ecclesiastes 11:4

Culpeper Farmer's Market

A very big "Thank You" to everyone who came out on Saturday to see us debut at the Culpeper Farmer's Market! We were encouraged by the turnout in spite of the looming rain clouds and chilly weather. We sold out of eggs and vegetables (might need to bump up production!). We also nearly sold of our Jerky. Be sure to swing by the booth next week for more free samples.

Check out some photos from yesterday and browse through some of our photos from the farm.

Thanks again for all your support!


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Come Grow With Us on Facebook.

Buy Fresh Buy Local...... well... sort of

In addition to our recent venture onto The Maker's Diet (as chronicled below) we're also doing our best to "Buy Fresh. Buy Local". For example, our meat has either been butchered from our farm (beef) or shot in our woods (deer). If pork was allowed we would certainly be interested in obtaining some from Polyface Farms which is just down the road (and most recently featured in Food Inc.

But wait! Good news is on the horizon... a few overlooked facts that could bring redemption to this wayward, sugar-addicted soul! This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill candy. This candy comes with a %100 Freshness Guarantee and is produced just a few miles north in Landover, Maryland.

At first glance it would seem that this sugary-pink confection represents an abomination of healthy eating but, upon further inspection, anyone can plainly see that this "Quality Candy" does in fact meet "Buy Fresh Buy Local" standards (which neither the apple or the almonds can tout).

It's no Scat Snack (or Flax Snax as Lindsay has suggested as a more appealing name for the chocolaty-flaxy delights) but it's apparent that this little candy has high moral standards. And that's a compromise we can live with!