Come Get Yer Chicken!!

We're just three days away from the final Chicken BBQ at Miller's for this year.  The orders are rolling in quickly and there's a limited supply of juicy Miller's Pastured Poultry.  So call us soon!  Give us a call at 570-587-3399 if you'd like to reserve a meal for the Chicken BBQ on October 24th (this Sunday!) @ 3 pm.  All orders are "take-out", but if you'd like to hang out at one of the picnic tables and eat, be our guest!  (If you want to play on the slides, visit the corn maze or take a hayride, it'll be $4/person admission.) 

The menu for this BBQ will be:

• A piece of succulent Pastured Poultry (raised and processed right on our beautiful farm & lovingly grilled by son/brother-in-law Johnny Cat)
• Creamy winter squash straight from our fields whipped with honey & butter
• A hot baked potato
• Homemade Miller's applesauce
• A cup of expertly-crafted Miller's Apple Cider

Reminder: Meals are $10 for adults and $7 for children and must be reserved.  Please call the number of above to reserve your meal and get your hands on the last Chicken BBQ for 2010! We look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

In pursuit of the perfectly-marinated, plump & juicy Chicken BBQ I remain,
Delana (for Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards)

Announcements, Announcements, Announcements...

Your Farmers recently took a short blog hiatus--I hope you didn't miss us too much! But our excuses are quite good (as excuses go...) Though I'd love to spend some time giving you a peek into our insanity-prone minds in this post, there is only time for some brief announcements. More of the juicy "good stuff" will follow next week.  I promise!

Now to what used to be my second-favorite time at summer camp--the "Announcements" segment of the day.  This is when the Camp Director would give you the highlights of all the cool stuff that you'd be doing that day (assuming it didn't rain, or you didn't get chicken pox, or whatever other calamity might befall you!)*

• We've added an adorable, too-cute-for-words addition to the Farm in the past weeks.  Griffith Jackson Peregrim was born just a few minutes after midnight on October 5th! Congratulations to Mama Amber for her valiant, drama-free delivery and to Papa Lew for managing to make it home just in time for the big event! (Note: Lew was diligently pressing the latest batch of cider for our beloved customers while his lovely wife labored to bring their first son into the world!) Baby Grif (as his big sister Lena likes to call him) brought eight pounds, two ounces of baby love into the world, and the proud parents/grandparents/uncles/aunts would be DELIGHTED to tell you all about him.  So stop by the Farm and ask us how he's doing--you'll be sure to walk away 15 minutes later with far TOO MUCH information!
• We are celebrating our First Annual Cider Squeeze Celebration this weekend.  Today and tomorrow (Sat & Sun) we will be running cider-making demonstrations between 1pm and 4pm in the cider room (inside our Farm Market.) Stop by and watch Lew or Wally or Amber squeezing the best Apple Cider this side of Seattle. Samples will be available. (Note: We are celebrating SWEET Apple Cider this weekend.  I realize all you European readers of this blog think "cider" only comes in a fermented form.  But if you make it to the Farm Market this weekend you'll see how an expertly-crafted Sweet Apple Cider can make you completely forget the absence of alcohol!)
• Our apple pies are getting better every week as we continue to introduce more varieties of apples to the mix.  Denae and Robin have been busy in the Bakery getting pies ready for our ravenous customers. (And Denae technically has her own full time job!) Come by for the kind of apple pie that makes you want to sink into your easy chair and just say "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..."
• Next weekend on Sunday Oct 24th we are hosting our 3rd Chicken BBQ of the year.  Adult meals are $10 and Children's meals $7. The menu is being finalized, but rest assured that it will most certainly include a piece of our pasture-raised, succulently marinated and basted (by brother/son-in-law John) chicken.  The final menu will be posted here shortly. Reservations required.  Email yourfarmers@millersorchard.com or cal 570-587-3399 to reserve.
• Just a reminder: It's Fall, the air is crisp, the colors are gorgeous, and our Farm Market is CHOCK FULL of cider, apples, baked goods, doughnuts, squash, pumpkins, gourds and more! I know you're busy, but stop by and sample the best Fall can offer.  (After all--Amber gave birth 10 days ago and is already back working on the Farm.  If she can do it, so can you!)

That's all she wrote for now, folks.  It's off to the Farm Market to greet today's shiny, happy people.  More in this space soon.

Raising a glass of non-fermented Apple Cider to the newest Miller's scion, Baby Grif, I remain,
Delana (for Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards)

*In case you were interested my favorite time at summer camp was the annual mud hike--slopping through mud, sometimes chest-deep on my 4'5" frame, was my idea of a good time! (Yes, despite my closet-full of high heels, I AM a Farmer's Daughter!)

Chicken BBQ This Sunday Sept 26th!

This weekend we kick off the Fall 2010 activities season, and we're excited to be offering a chicken BBQ this Sunday September 26th from 2pm to 4pm.  You can eat at one of our several picnic areas on the farm ($4/person Farm activities admission additional), or Take-outs are available.
Meals are $10 for adults and $7 for children.
The meal includes:
--A piece of our pastured poultry expertly seasoned and grilled to crispy, juicy perfection
--A sampling of our homegrown winter squash
--Corn on the cob
--Our homemade applesauce
--A cup of our fresh-squeezed pure apple cider

We're requesting that you reserve your meal by Saturday (Sept 25th) at noon.  Payment can be made at the time of pick-up.

We're looking forward to treating you to our healthy, sustainably-raised chicken, squash and more!
In celebration of finger-lickin', pasture-raised, nutrient dense GOOD food we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

Apples and Cider and Doughnuts, Oh my!

We're just one day away, blogosphere friends, from the dawn of the Autumnal Equinox. Though my thin skin dreads the coming of cold days and colder nights, my taste buds are ecstatic over the season's delectable treats.  Ten days ago, Your Farmers at Miller's introduced the apple harvest to customers in the form of Mactintosh, Pippin, Cortland, Gala, Ginger Gold and Honey Crisp apples! I've had at least one apple a day--and the juice has run down my chin on more than one occasion.

And, of course, apples aren't only for eating whole.  On Saturday Lew made the season's first batch of apple cider! As many of you know, apple cider gets better (richer, more complex) as the season continues and as more varieties of apples are added to the mix.  But even the first batch offers the tongue a much more exciting drinking experience than a glass of apple juice will ever do!  Our first batch starts with a fresh, lightly sweet taste and finishes with a subtle tang.  Delicious!

With the first batch of cider comes the first batch of apple cider doughnuts!  Since the first crisp day of September, we've had customers asking for these sweet, sugary treats the moment they walk in the door of the Farm Market. And Sunday afternoon, we were finally able to respond with a hearty "They're Here!"  We'll be making the doughnuts every Saturday and Sunday through October 31st and most weekdays beginning Sept 27th.

In other news--there are pumpkins, gourds and winter squash galore.  Over the last few weeks Lew, Wally and I (and some friends-turned-farmhands) have been in the fields gathering the colorful bounty!  The pumpkins have taken on a deep orange color and are pleasingly round and full.  We've got some nice 30+-pounders in the mix, so stop by soon to get your jack-o-lantern pumpkin!  Also in are corn stalks, straw and Indian Corn.  And our late planting of vegetables have been providing dozens of crisp zucchini, yellow squash and the freshest, sweetest green beans this side of the Susquehanna!  (Come in soon for those green beans and zucchini, because Momma is taking as many as she can to make her famous Dilly Beans and Pickled Zucchini!!!  If you don't get the veggies fresh, at least you can buy Momma's pickled versions in the Farm Market!)

As you can see, the family is busy as a hive-full of overworked bees! But we're not too tired to invite you to come visit the farm for all your favorite Fall activities beginning this Saturday the 25th! We'll be having hayrides and Guided Farm Tours (your chance to ask Lew everything you ever wanted to know about swine husbandry and more!) and the cornfield maze (this year lovingly designed by Wally himself!) and a giant hay bale maze and slides and animals and more!

There's much more to share, but it's time to make the pierogies and pick the beans for Momma's kitchen adventures. Check back here for some more news in a few days...

In celebration of Fall's exhaustingly delicious bounty, we remain
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

Ch-ch-ch-changes, It's gonna be a different Farm!

Things change, all the time.  The nature of life is about change.  From birth to somewhere in our twenties our bodies must grow our die.  After that our bodies slowly, incrementally break down.  No matter what stage of life, standing still is not an option!  And it's the same thing on the Farm.  The change can occur subtly (we somehow never seem to notice the grass actually growing until we notice it's really high!) and in sudden bursts (like the new baby calf that surprised us last week!).  Some change is deliberate (for example Your Farmers' decision to minimize our focus on Disney-land-style entertainment and unveil the "real Farm" to our Fall 2010 visitors) and other change happens regardless of our plans (like this Spring's late frost and its effects on our apple crop).  Philosophers and the like often talk about human character in terms of man's ability to absorb and respond to change.  We like to think that farms can be measured against a similar metric.  So let me fill you in on some of the changes we've got going on @ Miller's Orchards for Fall 2010 (in no particular order)...

• A quick note on our bovine population--we are indeed one cow richer as of last Friday! One of our cows--whose due date was predicted for mid-October--surprised us with a healthy calf! No pictures of the newborn yet, but they will follow...
• Our U-pick Apple Orchard was the victim of another late-spring frost for 2010, the second year in a row.  Though we're sad to report that this orchard will not be open to the public for apple-picking this Fall, we are offering a one-weekend-only opportunity to come join the Apple Harvest WITH Your Farmers!  On Oct 2nd and 3rd we are inviting our Farm visitors to join us in the orchard to pick the "cider-grade" apples (definition: tastes great, looks funny) with Wally and Walter Sr (Grandpa).  You'll have a chance not only to be a "real" Farmer but also to interact with the two guys on the farm who know the most about apples!  (That's a combined 145 years of apple experience!)  Now I know this is sounding like a Tom Sawyer con, but we really think you'll enjoy the harvest activity!  And if you really want to purchase some of the cider-grade apples you pick, you'll be welcome to (by weight) in the Farm Market.  I do recommend, however, that you save your money for the larger, nicer-looking "#1-grade" apples for sale in the Market.
• Perhaps you're sick of hearing it, but I'd like to emphasize one more time that if you visit the Farm in Fall 2010, you'll be seeing the "real" Farm a lot more clearly.  Because we've stripped away of few of the glitziest (and spookiest) distractions from the Fall line-up, you'll be checking out the actual Farm operations almost wherever you look! If you're at all interested in how food grows, you'll want to catch one of our Guided Farm Tours (offered twice each on Sat and Sun) beginning Sept 25th through Oct 31st.  Here's where you'll have a chance to spend 45+ minutes with the fascinating 6'2" tower of knowledge and eccentricity that we lovingly call Brother Lew!  He'll regale you with facts, figures and anecdotes about all the Farm operations, answer your questions, and MAYBE even showcase his award-winning cattle & pig-calling skills ALL while you bump along the Farm roads in one of our HayExpress LX haywagons...  What more could you want from a Fall afternoon?

That's all the ch-ch-ch-changes that are fit to print in one blog post.  More to come later this week.  In fact, it's time for Your Farmers to head to the field to pick some pumpkins!  On the next blog post: doughnuts, cider, chicken bbq, and more.  In a future blog post: all about honey!

In joyful acceptance of the beauty of change, I remain,
Delana (for Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards)

Four-legged Landscaping

I got educated this afternoon by Lew in one of our back pastures while moving cows. What cows, you might ask?  About six weeks ago, Your Farmers @ Miller's added eight head of cattle to the farm as our newest adventure.  The bovine boys and girls settled into their new home rather nicely; I'm sure it doesn't hurt that they are moved to fresh grass every afternoon.  A mobile electric fence keeps them in their place (at least most days!).

Which leads me to this afternoon...  Every afternoon Lew heads out to the back pasture to set up the cows' new paddock of fresh grass and herd them onto it. Today I joined him.  And like previous times, Lew took the opportunity to educate me on grass, its importance to the agricultural food chain, and the astounding low-tech phenomenon of grazing. 

Grass, you see, is elemental in sustainable agriculture; it is the initial "crop" of an ecologically diverse farm.  The herbivores (and omnivores) on the farm eat the grass and benefit from its nutrients.  And a healthy, diverse "grass-culture" can only result from healthy, aerated soil.  The pasture that our cows are eating through is a mix of orchard and crab grasses (and other weeds) that had grown rather high.  Eventually high grasses choke off the new growth underneath; so high grass must be dealt with. It can be cut (combined is the farmer term) and bundled into bales to be used as food. The cutting also causes a layer of thatch to cover the field providing protection for the new grasses poking through. 

The alternative to cutting/baling the grasses (and often subsequent re-seeding of the field)is grazing.  And that is exactly what our cows are doing.  They eat the choice seed-laden pods at the top of the high grass with their big, flappy lips (dropping some of those seeds on the ground to germinate and produce the next grass crop).  They also knock down the thatch-y stalks of the grass with their hefty four legs.  Thus the effect of grazing is much like combining--the pasture is gradually cut down, re-seeded and left with the protective thatch cover which encourages an even thicker covering of grass in the field.  Not to mention, their manure is chock-full of nutrients that the pasture's soil needs to produce another healthy crop of grasses.  Each day, as Lew moves the cows from one well-eaten paddock to the next fresh one, he's putting the cows "to work" as our resident landscapers. (And the cows think it's just chow time!)  And what's even better is that while the cows are eating and working on the health of our pastures, they're also growing so that at some point in the future we'll be able to sell them for their meat!

That's just the tip of the sustainably diverse agricultural ice berg.  Why not visit us on a weekend from Sept 25th to Oct 31st for a guided tour of the Farm?  You can pepper Lew with questions about the ecology of grasslands--I'm confident he'd love to tell you more!

In defense of grass and flappy-lipped bovine landscapers we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

Local Harvest Dinner in the News

Check out the Scranton Times blurb about Saturday night's Local Harvest Dinner!

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/local-harvest-dinner-introduces-diners-to-their-food-1.966002

Food, Families, and Flying Machetes

As I sift through the paperwork on my desk this morning, happy memories of Saturday night's Local Harvest celebration at Miller's Orchards are tumbling through my mind...  Were you there?  If so--we thoroughly enjoyed educating you, feeding you and meeting you!  If you weren't--here's what you missed!

The weather cooperated fabulously and we had a warm, dry evening on the farm for the Buy Fresh Buy Local's 2nd Local Harvest Dinner fundraiser.  After our 75 guests arrived and were checked-in, they were loaded onto one of our hayride wagons for the first Farm Tour of the 2010 season.  Brother Lew conducted the tour that took our guests to our poultry pastures, the cattle pasture, our orchards, the vegetable fields and the pork pastures.  (Father Wally drove the wagon with great skill while Sister Amber and a slightly under-the-weather Lena Mae stayed cozy on the wagon...) At various points folks filed off the wagon for an up-close and personal look at our farm operations while Lew narrated and answered some extremely astute questions from the guests. Approximately 45 minutes later the tour wrapped up in the parking lot just outside the Farm Market where the harvest celebration feast awaited!

Let me tempt you with a recounting of our local harvest menu that Aunt Jackie, Momma Robin, yours truly and others prepared:

• BBQ chicken (Miller's Orchards pastured chicken prepared by brother-in-law John Young and sister Denae over a wood-fired BBQ pit!)
• Corn on the Cob (a sweet bi-color variety from Charlie Miller's farm!)
• Whipped Young Acorn Squash with Honey and Butter (from the first picking of our own acorn squash!)
• Cucumber & Tomato Vinaigrette salad (even the basil and parsley of the dressing were fresh-picked from Momma's garden!)
• Honey-Sweetened Apple Pie (from the Miller's Orchards bakery!)
• Strawberries & Cream (lightly sweetened strawberries from our greenhouse strawberry patch doused in a little cream!)

Are you hungry yet?  We heard a lot of "yum's" and "mmmmmmmmmm's" in the crowd, and not a single guest was shy about visiting the buffet table for seconds (and thirds and fourths in some cases!)  Each of Your Farmers @ Miller's spent a while circulating in the crowd, giving tips on how we prepared the various dishes and discussing the finer points of selecting fresh meats and produce in the local market.

Now you'd think that would be enough, no?  But the evening's festivities continued with a rousing juggling show put on by local juggler, Rob Smith.  Rob entertained the guests throughout dinner with some nice tricks--but nothing that would have presented a choking hazard.  Apparently he'd been saving the crazy stuff for the after-dinner show.  As kids (and a WHOLE LOT of adults!) got cozy on the grassy knoll behind our pavilion, Rob turned up the heat (literally!) on his act.  Thirty minutes later, young and old alike watched with jaws agape as Rob juggled machetes and flame-tipped batons!  (Safety regulators among our readers will be relieved to note that Rob began all tricks with a "Don't try this at home" disclaimer...)  Thanks, Rob, for a family-friendly-but-still-stomach-droppingly-fun good time!

If you missed the Buy Fresh Buy Local harvest dinner on Saturday night, don't despair.  Throughout the Fall 2010 season, you will have a few more opportunities to taste John & Denae's delectable wood-fired BBQ chicken and plenty of chances to catch Lew's highly informative (and generally dry-humor-filled) Farm Tour.  Check out our website for a listing of the Fall events! (And who knows--maybe Wally will try his hand at some juggling!)

With local-food-filled bellies and fond family fun memories we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

HTML stands for "How the Mind is Lost"

It's the close of another busy day here at Miller's Orchards, and I'm excited to say that FINALLY our website is updated and available to the public.  Certainly, there will be more content updates to come.  There are several Fall Festival events that need to be solidified, and more updates on our Agrication* philosophy are in the works. And certainly we will continue to update the site as we come across new interesting bits of information... But at long last, there is a website with current information!  Hallelujah!  

Despite a few set-backs (like erasing 15 hours of html-code updates in one tragic left-click of the mouse) and a few handicaps (like coping with a non-linear brain while trying to accomplish a decidedly linear project!), I do believe we have ourselves a moderately functional (and hopefully informative) website.  I'm looking forward to adding more content as it pertains to the "how-to's" and the "why's" of our farming methods.  But I think I'll give my withered eyeballs a break for a few days!

Check it out at www.millersorchard.com

In the meantime, we are busily taking care of farm business.  Walter and Lew have been baling straw, and we've been putting it up (both for our use and for sale) in our early 1900's bank barn.  When you come visit the farm this Fall, be sure to check out this historic treasure that sits just behind our Farm Market.  It's called a "bank barn" because it's built into a hill--the bottom floor of the barn is partially set into the earth creating natural insulation.  The barn is high, making roof repairs treacherous.  We were fortunate last summer to find a local contractor brave (or foolish enough) to replace the roof!  The job required an extra-high lift, a rock-climbing-like harness (to strap the poor guy in!) and no small amount of chutzpah! (If you're out there Tim--please know that you are STILL the most beloved contractor to Your Farmers @ Miller's for this daring feat!!!) You see, it's hard to talk about a simple farm structure without a history lesson and another story from the farm family archives.  Before you know it I'll be blathering on about Great Grandpa Miller...

Before I close, another tangent for your agricultural edification...  Straw versus hay--do you know the difference?  Perhaps you're too embarrassed to say you don't, or perhaps you simply don't care.  If you're in the former camp, let me save you from your ignorance.  Hay is comprised of grasses with their seeds/grains still intact.  It is cut while it's still alive.  Hay has nutritional value and is therefore used as food for various livestock (and pets!).  Straw, on the other hand, has little nutritional value (other than colon-twisting levels of fiber!) because it is merely the stalk remnants of a harvested grain.  Straw is used as animal bedding or as a part of an erosion-reduction strategy on lawns and the like. (It's even used as reinforcement in the making of bricks--especially in less-developed countries!) The straw Walter and Lew are baling this week is simply the leftover, grain-less stalks of the oats Lew harvested last month with his combine.  The oats were used in the feed for our pigs and chickens.  The leftover stalks will be used as bedding and will be sold in our Farm Market this Fall.

Enough history and trivia for today folks!  Perhaps if you join us for one of our Guided Hayride Tours this Fall you can learn more trivial factoids (and suffer through a few more family anecdotes!)

In pursuit of trifling miscellanea we remain,
Your (rather busy) Farmers @ Miller's

*More on Agrication in a future post...

Websites, reservations and other farm miscellanea

We are officially into the "Fall Season" here at Miller's Orchards.  Your Farmers have been busily planning and preparing for the time of year when we host you--our friends and neighbors--at various events on the Farm.  This is an exciting and hectic time of year, and if you know us, then you know that we are "all Farm all the time" from now until Thanksgiving.  

Over the next 12 weeks we will be harvesting apples from our orchards, several acres of pumpkins and winter squash and our late-planting vegetables.  We will be cutting the corn in our three-acre corn maze, setting up our hay-bale maze and sprucing up the hayride wagons.  Beginning in September we will open the Farm's "gates" to school groups on weekdays and folks like you on weekends for hayrides, guided farm tours, pumpkin picking and more.  The Bakery's ovens will start cranking seven days a week and the savory aroma of apple-cider doughnuts will soon fill the air.  And on top of all this, we'll still be taking care of the regular farm chores--like taking care of the pigs, the broilers and our layers.  This, friends, is the season all Northeastern farmers live for!

As we enter into the Fall excitement, I'd like to update you on a few items:

• http://www.millersorchard.com/ is our official website and it is currently under construction.  Yours truly (delana) is steadily updating the site to reflect the changes for 2010.  However, not being a certified webmaster, the updating is taking a bit longer than planned.  Fortunately, I have made great headway in the last few days and expect to have a fully updated (if somewhat pedestrian) website for public view by the weekend's end.  Don't fret if you visit the homepage and find the "under construction" message!
• The "Local Harvest" dinner is next Saturday August 21st!  The reservation deadline has been extended to Monday August 16th.  As a reminder--this dinner is at Miller's Orchards and showcases all local food (Your Farmers @ Miller's will be providing the chicken and apple pie!).  The night kicks off with what we think will be an entertaining and informative hayride farm tour at 5:30pm.  Dinner is at 6:30pm.  The cost is $20 for adults and $7 for children.  Come and Join Us!  Reservations can be made by calling 570-941-7588. 

That's all for now folks! 

In anticipation of the upcoming Fall harvest we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

Local Harvest Dinner Aug 21, 2010

DON'T MISS OUR LOCAL HARVEST DINNER--Coming up soon on August 21, 2010.

Next week we will celebrate local food with a fundraiser for the Northeast Buy Fresh, Buy Local chapter.  The dinner not only raises money for this important activist group, but it also showcases the produce and meat of local farms (most notably the poultry & apple pies of Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards!)

The fundraiser kicks off with a farm tour at 5:30 pm at Miller's Orchards on August 21.  (Here's your first chance for the 2010 season to get up close and personal with the chickens, pigs, veggies, orchards and, yes, even YOUR FARMERS at Miller's Orchards!)  Dinner will be at 6:30 pm, and all foods served will be locally grown and made.  Some local musicians will provide entertainment, and various local food vendors will be on hand to discuss their products. 

The cost is $20 for adults, $7 for children.  Reservations are requested; simply call 570- 941- 7588 by August 13th. 

Bottom line: come on August 21, 2010 to Miller's Orchards Farm Market for some exercise & entertainment (on the farm tour), some good nutrition (at dinner) and a down home good time!  We'd love to see you there! 

In celebration of the local harvest we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

The Local Food Revolution, an article

Eaters, consumers and readers--
Another brief post tonight to tell you about a good overview article written by John Ikerd, professor of Agrictultural Economics at the University of Missouri.  (Ikerd is also one of the main "experts" in ana Sofia joanes' latest documentary, Fresh: The Movie.) Ikerd helpfully outlines the origins of the sustainable/local food/nutrient-rich food movement that is currently sweeping across the U.S. as I type.  He also touches on the "certified organic" vs sustainability debate before delving into some brief case studies of local food practitioners and various co-ops that are taking off.

If you've been following our blog, then you know that the farmers @ Miller's are big proponents of locally grown, nutrient-dense, sustainable food, though we don't necessarily champion the USDA's certified organic label.  We think our duty to God, our community and ourselves is to gently nurture our ecosystem and provide nutrient-dense food for our community; the label is almost beside the point.  Ikerd puts some economic and sociological logic behind the Miller's Farmers' mission statement!

http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/Indiana%20--%20Food%20Revolution.htm

I hope you enjoy!  Feel free to add your comments on the blog.  Debate is good!

As fellow soldiers in the local food revolution we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

Veggies in September

Welcome back!  Many apologies for the brief hiatus from blogging.  A few of your farmers @ Miller's took a journey westward to the cornfields of Ohio and Indiana for a wedding.  But we're back to business as usual...

"Business as usual..."  Hmmmmmm...  Truly no two days are alike at Miller's Orchards.  Last week Lew and Wally were trying to "trick" a 350-pound hog onto a trailer for transport to the butcher.  (Note: pigs are incredibly intelligent, and our Miller's hogs are no different.  The pigs have figured out that when their comrades walk onto our farm trailer, they never seem to return.  The remaining hogs are NOT quick to jump on the trailer anymore!) 

And this afternoon your farmers @ Miller's managed to squeeze field preparation, vegetable planting, evening chores AND a strategy meeting all into a few short hours.  Lew and I (Delana) worked on field prep this afternoon after the all-family strategy meeting.  Afterwards Momma (Robin), Amber and Lew transplanted cucumbers, beans and zucchini.  (I, sadly, missed this fun in order to attend a musical rehearsal at church!)  Momma managed to finish the evening chores somewhere in there too!  Talk about inspiration...

Now, if you're a farmer yourself, or even an amateur gardener, you're probably wondering WHO on earth plants cukes, beans and zucchini in early August.  Well, your farmers @ Miller's do!  We're experimenting with some of our ground this year by doing a late planting of vegetables.  Later this week we'll also be planting broccoli and some lettuce.  Because we did not use all our prepared fields for our earlier plantings in 2010, we made a decision several weeks ago to try this late planting on the unused field space.  By planting at this point in the summer we will be hopefully harvesting these veggies in mid- to late-September.  Nothing like getting to buy fresh beans AND your apples and winter squash, right? 

Tomorrow I will be at Steamtown, center court, selling corn, cukes, pickles, tomatoes, beans, baked goods and more!  Stop by and say hi!

In the pursuit of the un-predictable, good-food life, we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's

Self-Serve?

Good Morning!

Just a quick update on the farm's activities.  A few weeks ago, Lewis had the brilliant idea of setting up a self-serve produce stand to allow customers to pick up their corn, veggies, etc even at times when the Farm Market is not open.  As many of you know--the Farm Market is only open Thursday through Saturday 10 am to 4 pm in the summer.  And many of you simply can't get there during those times.  But grumble no longer, because as of Saturday we've set up our tent, put out some tables and now offer you a nice selection of summer produce every day!

Stop by and pick up some zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, cabbage or beets.  Most days we will also have fresh-picked sweet corn too!  Yummy!  Simply pick up your farm-fresh produce, bag it up, write down your purchases in the notebook provided, and leave your money in the box (small change will be available, but please bring exact amounts whenever possible!!!).  Check back here for news on the latest veggie and fruit offerings at the self-serve stand.

We look forward to continuing to serve you, our neighbors, in the most creative ways possible.  So stop by and get yourself some self-serve veggies!

For life, health and crunchy cukes we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards

Fresh, the movie

Good morning and good appetite to you!

First, a friendly reminder from your Farmers at Miller's that tonight we will be co-hosting a showing of Fresh, the movie, at the Waverly Community Center at 6:30 p.m.  A few farmers, including yours truly, will be there to briefly introduce their operations, and there will be yummy snacks!   The movie is just over an hour long--so it's the perfect summer evening event!  We hope to see you there!

In other news...  We've been having fun this summer getting our products out to you in the Scranton area.  The last two Saturdays we've set up our tables at Connors Park on Orchard St in South Side.  There is a farmers market there every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. sponsored by the United Neighborhood Centers in South Side.  Their goal is to provide both access to fresh local foods/products as well as to give the rapidly changing South Side community a gathering place at which they can form and strengthen a community identity.  Noble causes, both.  We're excited to see how this market develops and will keep you posted about our involvement each week.  (Oh--and you may be interested to note that this particular market has captured the interest--and airtime--of local talk-show host, Steve Corbett!)

In addition, we've partnered with the Steamtown Mall to shake things up a bit in Center City Scranton.  On Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. you can find me (and sometimes Lew) in center court at the Steamtown Mall's first-ever farmers market!  We'll have fresh produce, homemade baked goods and jams & jellies for sale, and, as always, a friendly smile and some farm-fresh corny humor to brighten your day.   Stop by and see us each Thursday for a chance to see what we've got this year!

A few more exciting developments...  This year's hot weather has been a boon to several of our crops.  Lew tells me that our winter squash crop (acorn, butternut, etc) is coming on nicely and there are some fine-looking squash getting ready for your table in the very near future.  Our blueberries have been producing a nice consistent crop this year; they've been helped by our ever-growing ability to irrigate on the farm.  The latest group of hogs just made the journey to the butcher yesterday, and we're anticipating some mouth-watering fresh pork on the menu soon.  And I've been happy to see our next batch of broilers filling out in time for the next dressing date on July 31st.  Order now to pick up your fresh chicken!

That's all the news that's fit to disseminate for now.  More later, kind folks!  In one of our upcoming blog posts I'll be explaining and analyzing one of the newer movements in sustainable farming:  the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

Until then, good food to you!
delana (for your Farmers @ Miller's)

Visit us @ Steamtown Mall TODAY!

Morning one and all!

The Farmers @ Miller's Orchards are waking up happy and excited this morning. Why, you ask?  Well, for one, yesterday's soaking rain was a blessing on our dry crops.  And for two, we're headed to Steamtown Mall today to host the mall's first fresh produce stand.  We'll be right in center court today, and every Thursday through August from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
[See today's Scranton Times for a blurb on the new Steamtown Mall produce stand.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/mall-at-steamtown-to-host-weekly-fresh-produce-stand-1.890373]
Today I'll have fresh sweet corn, cucumbers, beans, and blueberries--straight from the farm to your neighborhood mall.  We'll also have fresh homemade pies, cookies, zucchini brownies, breads and a host of jams, jellies, relishes and PURE HONEY!

We're excited to be able to bring some of the best produce and farm products from Northeast PA to you at a new and unusual location.  Not to mention, it's yet another place you can learn about our nutrient-dense agricultural methods. You can also place orders for Pastured Pork, Pastured Poultry or some of our farm-fresh Pastured Eggs.

Stop by and say HI!

Looking forward to seeing you downtown,
Delana (for your Miller's Farmers)

Fresh, the movie

Step right up, folks, there's a movie coming to a community center near you!  On July 20th, Miller's Orchards and several other local farms and businesses will be hosting a showing of the movie, Fresh, at the Waverly Community Center at 6:30 pm.  We're excited to be able to share this event with you, as we have all thoroughly enjoyed the movie ourselves.  Fresh celebrates farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing (and in some cases re-discovering) the nation's food system.

Come one, come all to this entertainingly educational evening.  Light refreshments will be served.

Until the next tasty post,
Delana (from Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards)

Hot & Hazy

If you live in Northeast PA, or if you live in anywhere in the American Northeast, you've been lazing through the Heatwave of 2010 the last few days!  At Miller's we've been finding creative ways to stay cool.  Little Lena Mae, the current farm mascot of sorts, has been thoroughly enjoying her baby pool as well as the wet end of Momma's garden hose; she doesn't seem to mind wandering around in a soaking sundress one bit!  Lew and Walter Jr are both staunch advocates of denim-like work pants ("dungarees" as Grandma would say)--and no 100-degree weather is going to change their minds!  I have noticed that they've been finding ways to do their work in the shade as often as possible, however.  Robin, as fearless as ever (and injured to boot--more on that later), is meeting the heat head-on.  She's spent the better part of the last 5 days planting mums in the greenhouse.  This is why she's my hero!  And I?  Well, I've spent a good amount of time learning HTML so that Millers can get an updated web presence; so while I haven't experienced a whole lot of air-conditioning, I've spent most of the last few days in the shade.  But I paid my dues this morning carting mums for Robin and shovelling wood chips.  Who said farm life was boring?


In other news, the farm has been buzzing with several changes...  We've made arrangements to thin our hog herd a bit and will be packing off a few of our little guys to a new home tomorrow morning.  (Hint, hint: If you haven't ordered your pastured pork for 2010, email us at yourfarmers@millersorchard.com to reserve today!) We've moved most of the remaining hog herd and most of the Broiler chickens into orchard pasture.  We consider that a two-fer: the chickens and hogs get to lounge in the shade of the apple trees in between meals and the orchards get the benefit of the hog/chicken fertilizer!  This hot dry weather has been tough--but our boys and girls in the pastures are doing well.  Their wild critter friends, however, are struggling more; our Broilers have certainly fended off their fare share of hot & hungry predator attacks this last week.  A few Broilers have given their too-short lives in the struggle, but we've got our Millers Orchards fingers crossed that the danger is now passed.  On a happier note, the blueberries are coming on nicely despite the jungle-like conditions, and Amber, Lew (and sometimes Lena) have been spending the after-dinner hours harvesting the crop.


Speaking of injuries, let me just take a moment to update the Disabled List for the week.  A few weeks ago Grandpa found himself between a tractor tire and the ground and wound up with a broken ankle, an injured knee and a few months of some heavy physical therapy.  But never fear, Grandpa's spirit has not been injured despite his swollen leg and "light-duty" job description.  We've missed his indomitable presence in the day-to-day farm operations, but we expect him back soon!  Not to be left behind, Robin has been sporting a splint and various bandages up and down her left arm after a skid-steer mishap on Independence Day. The orthopedic says the damage is limited to several non-fracture hand injuries and a broken finger, and Robin has been happily planting her mums, hand-splint and all!


So you've been reading the blog, but maybe we've never met in person.  Well--we'd like to change that soon!  Your Farmers at Millers Orchards are coming to a farm market near you VERY soon!  Starting this Saturday, July 10th--we'll have a table at the Elm St Farmers Market (at Connors park, which is on the 500 block of Orchard St. between Pittston and Prospect.)   For all your South-siders and anyone else, stop by and say hi starting this Saturday between 10 am and 2 pm.  We'll have blueberries, pies, eggs and maybe even chicken (still working out the refrigeration details).  Starting mid-July, we expect to be popping up in at least one more Scranton location with farm-fresh goodies.  Stay tuned for more details.


Until the next time, we wish you good food, good health and cool nights!


Delana (for your Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards)

Nutrient Dense food--Lew's thoughts

Here's an excerpt from our Spring 2010 Newsletter where Lew opines (in his charmingly long-winded fashion) on nutrient dense food.  (If you're interested in the whole Newsletter--which practically requires binding!--feel free to email us at yourfarmers@millersorchard.com.)

Nutrient Dense??? Who Cares???

If you’ve read the earlier part of this Newsletter, or ever talked to me in person, then you have probably already heard about “nutrient dense.” Besides being a clever marketing catch-phrase, it is a concept—No, a GOAL—that we are striving for in all our products. Before I stress the importance of “nutrient dense,” let me say a few words about “certified organic.” Several years ago our family had our collective eye on USDA Organic certification. Yet I was never quite satisfied with the requirements entailed in organic certification. Not only do the standards for certification vary depending on the certification agency, but I began to be concerned about the concentration on “the process” not on the end-product. Now let me interrupt myself immediately to say that I am not against organic certification or the processes that organic farmers use. I know several fine farmers who grow organic, and if I didn’t grow my food on our farm, I would buy theirs. I’d buy their produce not because some agency certified them as organic, but rather because those farmers produce a tasty, healthy product. Here’s the bottom line: in my humble opinion, it is the results obtained, not necessarily the process employed, that matters most. While I think that many organic farms may also be focused on results, I am more concerned that “certified organic” has become just another way for farmers to “add value” and raise prices on their goods. Again, “certified organic” is not always a gimmick, but for some farmers it can be more about price than the result. And organic also does not mean small or local. Allow me one last tangent to insist on the importance of knowing your farmer whenever possible. Know your farmer to confirm that his/her priorities agree with yours.


Now, let’s focus on “nutrient dense” and the central place this concept has taken in the Miller’s farming paradigm. The “nutrient dense” strategy focuses on the inherent healthiness of the end product—not just the means. Why focus on the end product? Because if the end product is filled with nutrients, then the methods used to produce it must have been good for the land. Nutrient-depleted soil cannot produce a “nutrient dense” vegetable or support a “nutrient-dense” grazing animal. For example, consider our Broilers. Over the years, we have lost some potential sales on our Broilers because they were not “certified organic.” If you are one of those folks, let me first say that there are no hard feelings. In fact, I admire your commitment to the organic movement. But I do believe the taste and nutrient-content of any one of our pastured Broilers would surpass the average “certified organic” confinement-raised organic chicken. Here’s why: by focusing on the “end product” not just “the process,” we expose our Broilers to constant fresh air, sunlight and room to stretch their wings. There is no doubt in my mind that our “process” is more “natural” for any bird than the organic confinement methods currently used for “certified organic” chickens; and a more “natural” process means our Broilers are healthier birds and result in a healthier meal on your table.


To be fair, a lot of us small growers have gotten caught up in our own “process-driven” methods; we throw our animals out onto some grass and immediately think we’ve ensured a healthier product for the consumer. We just as easily begin to idolize “the process” and take our eyes off the more important goal of producing a superior product. But at Miller’s we are striving to focus on a “nutrient dense” end-product. In doing so, we are constantly adjusting “the process” so that it produces the best possible fruit, vegetable, meat or grain with the most nutrients available.


Modern farming methods are not known for their “nutrient dense” focus. Scientists have known for decades that our food is nutrient deficient. Flour, milk and even salt are fortified with separate nutrients (like Vitamin D, calcium and iodine) because these nutrients no longer naturally occur at sufficient levels in our food. Our food lacks these nutrients because the soil they’re produced on lacks them. Over the last century, the American agricultural system has turned farmers into miners, taking out the last remaining nutrients in the soil without returning anything back to it. I don’t believe this is what God intended farming to be. We are to cultivate the land, care for it, shepherd it, protect it, improve it, and yes profit from it. But long-term profit (and I mean generations-long profit) can only be obtained when we return nutrients to the soil so that it has the ability to produce good food for decades to come. This is a multi-generational commitment so that my grandchildren and their grandchildren can farm this land and confidently expect a crop each year—a “nutrient-dense,” life-giving crop.


Perhaps you, like I, have seen the articles that predict a worldwide food shortage in the next 20 to 25 years. This is rubbish. Friends, we have barely begun to scratch the surface of excellent farming techniques. I assure you, that by holding nutrients in high regard, and by diligently returning nutrients to our soil, we can continue to raise quality food with all the nutrients necessary for a quality life. There’s no need to run out of food—we just need to keep our eyes on the goal of “nutrient-dense” food. If we ensure the health of the soil, the resulting quality and quantity of our food supply will be seemingly infinite.

And we're off!

Only 22 days behind in re-launching the "your farmers" blog for 2010--but who's counting? And, yes, there’s been a minor blog address change. But at long last, we’re back! Welcome to all newcomers (that means basically all of you!) young and old, redneck and suburban, hippie and yuppie! This is the virtual home of random musings and sundry miscellania from the farmers at Miller's Orchards.


So who are we?

Well, we're a dirt-under-our-nails family of farmers in Northeast PA (though a few of us have some nice-looking heels in our closets!!!) Wally & Robin are the patriarch and matriarch, respectively, of this agricultural empire. Son Lewis and his wife Amber and their children Lena Mae and XXX (yet to be born) live and work with Wally & Robin on the farm. Daughters Denae and Delana (your blogger truly) have cycled on and off the farm in full-time and part-time capacities over the last decade. Of course, we can't forget Grandma and Grandpa--the Miller's Orchards collective Godfather. Grandpa is still spry and active on the farm nearly every day, and Grandma makes sure to supervise every now and again.

Life on the farm follows the rhythms of the seasons, sometimes cool and calm, sometimes humidly chaotic. But like a stable-full of hard-working mules, the farmers at Miller's Orchards have managed to thrive for seven generations and counting! Over the decades the farm has weathered droughts and floods, bumper crops and crop destruction. It was a source of food and work for many a man during the Great Depression and the place where quite a few school children plucked their Fall pumpkin from a hilly field.

The farm has also seen quite a few drastic changes more recently. In the past six or seven years Lew and Wally have begun to return the farm to gentler, sustainable agricultural techniques. With a focus on soil health and biodiversity, Miller's Orchards has become part of a national (nay, international) movement to cultivate nutrient dense food that heals the earth and provides true nutrition to our customers.

What do we actually do on the farm?

Well, our stable of products has experienced quite an evolution over the years as we continue to experiment the crops/animals best suited for our physical environment, our local market and our own interests and abilities.  For 2010 we're growing strawberries and asparagus, apples, pumpkins and squash and more. We raise chickens (for meat and eggs), pigs and soon beef cattle. We also grow grain that we use to feed our animals. We bake pies and breads, make sauces and soups and jellies and jams... We host field days during which we invite you--the customer--to our farm to see how it really works. We even build some of our own technology (Lew is an amateur machinist). And we also create some of our own fun. We've got a corn maze and hayrides in the Fall, and we've been known to host a few down-home concerts, weddings, birthdays and more!

There're all sorts of stuff that go on behind the scenes, and from now through the end of the harvest we intend to invite you backstage for a look-see. Backstage passes are free--just stop by this blog every week for your VIP tour. You might find a farm anecdote or two, or maybe a useful article on local food, or maybe even my aforementioned random musings on farm life. We welcome your questions, your comments, your (kind) criticisms and even your suggestions.

For the sake of good food we remain,

Your Farmers