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