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
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/local-harvest-dinner-introduces-diners-to-their-food-1.966002
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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:
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
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!)
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
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
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...
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...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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:
In anticipation of the upcoming Fall harvest we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards
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.
In anticipation of the upcoming Fall harvest we remain,
Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
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
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
Saturday, August 7, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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
"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
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