We're back on the farm after a great nine days in BC and Alberta! We flew into Victoria and spent 3 days exploring Vancouver Island and then made our way across BC, up the Okanagan Valley and through the mountains to Banff and Jasper. We had mostly sunny weather, did lots of beautiful hiking, and our luggage didn't get lost in transport so that's a win! Now, we're back to the last few weeks of summer crops and the start of fall crops. Since we took 2 weeks off of deliveries, we will be doing three deliveries in a row in September to take advantage of the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and more while they are still here.
New this week we have both our farm-raised pasture pork and pastured chicken available for purchase! Our pork will be sold in 3lb batches of chops (centre or butt) as well as old-fashioned ham and Italian sausage. Our chicken will be sold in 5lb batches of single cuts (boneless/skinless breasts, boneless/skin-on thighs, and drumsticks) as well as whole chickens. Both animals have full access to pasture and are supplemented with a gmo-free, soy-free grain mix sourced locally. We raise Kune Kune pigs, which are a small, haired breed of pig native to New Zealand. Unlike most pigs, they can be raised on pasture alone. This means in our climate they eat pasture during the summer and hay during the winter. We supplement with grains (particularly for babies and pregnant/nursing sows) as well as as much vegetable and apple surplus as we can give them. Because Kune Kune pigs eat so much grass, their meat tends to be more flavourful than your average pork with greater marbling. You can think of them as the Waygu beef of the pork world... Because they are about 1/3 to 1/4 the size of an average industrial pig, the individual cuts are smaller. All our meat is vacuum sealed for maximum freshness and sold frozen.
We also have a limited number of bulk boxes raw chicken pet food patties. These patties are made by our butcher and include 100% chicken, including bones, meat, organs, and skin. Our cats and dog love this patties! Each box is approximately 11lbs of meat, divided into serving size patties. These come frozen and we simply thaw enough for 3 days or so in the fridge and keep the rest frozen until needed.
The first fall crop that we get to enjoy this week is spaghetti squash! The other varieties of squash take longer to mature and develop their flavour, but spaghetti squash is delicious straight from the field. Since spaghetti squash doesn't store as long as other varieties, be sure to grab some earlier as we will run out of it before the end of the season. In the coming weeks, you will see more fall crops like: spinach, arugula, storage cabbage, parsnips, kohlrabi, and more! And our carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, and garlic will continue through the fall as well. There is always something new to enjoy!
