holiday foods

Mmmmm...Sweet Potato Pie

Two varieties offer a unique twist on the traditional pie: O'Henry and Beauregard [darker]. For a distinct color difference, keep the two separated and use designated utensils during the entire prepping process: cooking, mixing, & spooning. Ladle two scoops of each into the plate (one across from the other), and then top the alternate variety with the remaining filling. Use a table knife to swirl the filling starting from the outside and working toward the middle. The color variation is subtle, but pleasantly noticeable. Before baking, top it with chopped nuts for an extra special treat. You may want to prepare a crust, as well. In the excitement to get it baked and photographed for today's post, the pie crust was waived. Each order of sweet potatoes comes with a 50/50 blend.

Speaking of other holiday foods, the turkeys have been relocated to their new home! (We know these birds won't actually be available as holiday food until next year, but it made for a good segue.) Turkeys and chickens were relocated and have enjoyed their new space since last Thursday. Electric netting is next on the agenda.

Saturday was a VERY productive day on the farm - thanks to two neighbor girls who wanted a bit of extra cash! After the brooder room was completely cleaned out and scrubbed-down, we then moved onto to cleaning the out front part of the shed. We made so much progress in there that Eric was able to install a small wood burning stove - and light it, to boot! Working in a heated atmosphere is a welcome change.

Ready-to-eat fish has been added to the In Season page. Two men have enthusiastically offered to harvest fish and throw them in a holding tank. Eric cleans them that night and soaks them in salt water. The pond is stocked with crappie, bass, bluegill and channel cat. All varieties are priced equally and orders are filled from what's available. Sorry, no specific orders will be accepted.

There's still time to register for the upcoming herb class. Paula will be co-teaching with Jacque Spangler. While both represent the Harvey County Master Gardener program, Jacque also represents Harvest Greenhouse. Click on the poster to read the details. We'd love to have you!

promotion day

Promotion: to further the growth or progress of.

This weekend the turkeys and chicks were promoted to larger facilities. This grand hotel became the new home for the turkeys. After they learned they had more space above their heads, they began roosting on the water tank and the feed bin. So, today they get an official roost in their pen! With portability in mind, these larger pens are surprisingly easy to move and the design is much more stable than the smaller pens.

The incubator chicks and the La Fleche moved into the turkey's old house. La Fleche is the breed that arrived during the heat of July. Starting with 24, only 6 remain. The tallest on the far right is a La Fleche.


Farm tip for the day: when one cow is all alone in the pasture without any inkling to join the herd, there's much more to the story. "Congratulations, Angus! You have just been promoted to motherhood!!" She calved a healthy bull-calf yesterday morning. Eric and Snow checking on the pair.

Eric's Endeavors ~
Put up electric fencing in 1/4 acre plots along the driveway. The cows have pretty much eaten the available grass in the existing pastures, plus it saves us time mowing.

[click on any photo to enlarge]

newest MHf ventures

Simply Kansas ~
Last week MHf received official notice of membership in the Simply Kansas program! It's been on our to-do list for quite some time and glad to finally have it marked off.

Please visit their website. MHf can be found by searching either Company or Category.

Company ~
From the homepage, select Member Directory, then Company, and then Companies L-R. Scroll down until you find MHf!

Category ~
From the homepage, select Member Directory, and then Category. When it asks you to select a specific category, please opt for one of the following.
1. Agritourism
2. Eggs
3. Fresh Vegetables and Herbs
4. Fish [soon to be added]
5. Frozen Foods [soon to be added]


APPPA ~
MHf recently joined the APPPA [American Pastured Poultry Producers Association]. As MHf gets closer and closer to a full-fledged pastured operation, it's only fitting that we learn from those experienced in the practice.


Poultry ~
The registration certificate arrived in the mail allowing MHf to sell frozen poultry. The only catch is that the customer must drive to the farm to purchase (the meat cannot be delivered). To make the purchase worth your time and gas, you may consider stocking your freezer.

traveling chickens

We like to think of this as a fine example of concurrent planning.

Chicks slated for the butcher block travel about the yard via portable forage pens (MHf's version of Amtrak). Each day, the group is moved to fresh ground giving them access to new grass, unsuspecting bugs, and wiley weeds. Getting up and actually having to walk somewhere is not their idea of a good time; however, they thoroughly enjoy their new surroundings. While feed is provided 24/7, in no way does it diminish the effect foraging has on the taste of the meat. Fantastic!

The hidden plan is that this slope will one day be home to brambles and/or vines. Leaving the waste from these critters adds vital nutrients to the soil. Allowing the older birds to scratch the previous grazing patch just speeds the process. If you look closely at the ground in the forefront, you'll notice a definite line where the pen sat several weeks ago.

Healthy soil = healthy plants. It's a win-win situation!

(click on the photo to enlarge)