Stone Coop Farm Harvest Dinner

Please join us on November 9th for the first ever Stone Coop Farm Harvest Dinner. 

Farm to table dinners are an excellent way to really see where your food is coming from, and this dinner will begin with a tour of the farm at 4:30 PM. Dinner will begin in our new barn at 5:30 PM. 

Although the menu is subject to change depending on the produce available to us the first week of November, this is what we're planning so far. Please let us know if you have any special food needs, allergies, or diets. We will do our best to accommodate you. We will have water, tea, and coffee available with dinner.

November 9th Harvest Dinner (subject to change)

To Begin:  Crudites and Homemade Bread with Arugula Pesto, Red Pepper Hummus, and Apple Butter

Second:  Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pepitas and Sage

Third:  Winter Green Salad,  Roasted Pumpkin, Toasted Walnuts, Raspberry Vinegar

Main:  Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, Roasted Vegetables

To Finish:  Apple and Pumpkin Upside Down Cake, Whipped Cream

You can sign up for the dinner via email or at the Saturday Brighton Farmer's Market or the Wednesday night market at Stone Coop Farm. The cost for this wonderful feast is $65 per seat. Included in this cost is a membership to Stone Coop Farm's Supper Club.  Please pay in advance to secure your spot. We will accept cash, check, or credit card. If you are a Market Share Member, you can also use your remaining balance to pay for the dinner.

We look forward to sharing this wonderful evening with you. 

In need of leaves at the farm

It's that time of year! At the farm we can use your leaves for mulching our garlic. We'll take deliveries of leaves to the farm in lawn bags and/or tarps, though we ask that you contact us ahead of time before you drop off the leaves. We can also arrange to pick up the leaves with the farm truck. We will not collect them from your yard for you, but are happy to take them if they are already collected in bags or tarps. If your leaf bags are in good shape after we dump the leaves, we encourage you to re-use the bags and will have them available for you to pick up at the farm.

If you're ready to get rid of your leaves, contact us to arrange a time for drop off or pick-up!

Barn Raising

Stone Coop Farm and Timbers and Pillars Construction would like to invite you to an old-fashioned barn raising Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th. We will be raising an 1860’s era barn, which will be used as an animal barn for the farm.

Friday will be devoted to assembling the various parts and pieces of the barn, and Saturday will be the actual barn raising. You may come as an onlooker (barn raising is a spectator sport) or you may volunteer to be a part of the work crew constructing the barn.
For the work crews, because of the site limitations, we are only taking on 20 people. We need a half day commitment, but you may certainly work an entire day if you wish. We will furnish all the necessary tools; you do not need to bring any.
There will also be a mandatory safety orientation at 7:30am and again at 1:00pm for work crews. If you do not attend the safety orientation you will not be allowed in the work area.
Work will begin at 8:00 and go until 4:30 with breakfast and lunch provided. Please let us know via email (joannee@stonecoopfarm.com) which times you would like to attend.
If you would like to help with the food, please let us know via email as well!

-Joannee

Brighton's Farm to Table Experience

This coming Saturday, September 21st, starting at 6pm, is Brighton's Farm to Table dinner, a fundraiser for the farmers market and the Livingston Hunger Council. The dinner will feature a menu designed and prepared by Steve of The Wooden Spoon, with much of the produce from Stone Coop! Check out more information about the dinner at the Brighton Chamber website: Brighton's Farm to Table Experience

More cooking classes to be offered in September

The cooking classes this summer have been a great success thus far! Thanks to all who have attended, and we are looking forward to seeing more folks coming out to the farm in the next few weeks for the remaining classes. Rebecca has also decided to have additional classes from her home. Below are the classes she is offering. If you are interested or would like more information, feel free to email Rebecca.

Apples

Thursday, September 12 6:30-8:30

Join me and learn to make applesauce, apple butter, and an apple gallete. The joy of fall!

Gnocchi and Ricotta 

Thursday, September 19 6:30-8:30

Gnocchi is potato pasta and we will be making it from scratch. We will also make ricotta cheese to accompany the pasta. We will make enough to enjoy a small meal together at the end of class. Feel free to bring wine. 

Squash with an Emphasis on Gluten Free!
Thursday, September 26

Transform this awesome fall vegetable into gluten-free squash cornbread, pumpkin pie, and delicious squash soup. We'll make enough to enjoy a small meal together. Feel free to bring something to drink. Water and tea will be provided. 

Summer Cooking Classes at the Farm

Rebecca Sornson, who is a wonderful teacher, cook and healer, will be offering several summer cooking classes at Stone Coop Farm this summer and fall.  They will be Wednesday evenings from 6:15pm - 8:00pm and will cost $25 each.  The list of classes with a brief description is below.  If you have questions, please feel free to contact Rebecca directly, or you can contact the farm.  Rebecca's contact information is at the end of this note.  There will be limited spaces available so please sign up soon to save your spot.

Summer Cooking Series at Stone Coop Farm

Salads and Salad Dressings

In this class, we’ll turn various Stone Coop Vegetables into unique, delicious, and nutritious salads. Plus, we’ll make three different simple salad dressings which can be made in a minute and will brighten up any meal.

Wednesday July 17^th  6:15pm-8pm $25

Pickling Basics

Learn to preserve your favorite vegetables in delicious brines to be enjoyed all year long. In this class, we’ll make dilly beans, bread and butter pickles, and refrigerator pickles. You will take home samples of everything.

Wednesday July 31^st   6:15-8pm $25

Fruit Preserves

Save the sweetness of summer all winter long! Learn how to make jam safely and easily and take home several jars of beautiful jam at the end of the evening.

Wednesday August 7^th 6:15-8pm $25

Tomatoes

Learn to make and can your own whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salsa. Enjoy the taste of real tomatoes all winter long.

Wednesday August 21^st 6:15-8pm $25

Transforming Milk

In this class, we will use the alchemy of heat, movement, and microorganisms to turn milk into yogurt, butter, and ricotta cheese. It’s surprisingly easy and very fun!

Wednesday September 4^th 6:15-8pm $25

Kombucha and More

Until recent years, tonic drinks like kombucha and herbal teas were a part of most people’s diets. Learn how to make several tonics including kombucha, tisane, and ginger beer.

Wednesday September 18^th 6:15-8pm $25

Vegetable Fermentation

Cultures across the world have been fermenting vegetables for milennia in order to increase the digestibility and nutritional value of vegetables. Learn the basics in this class as we make sauerkraut and kimchee. You will take home a jar to share with your family.

Wednesday October 2^nd  6:15-8pm $25

To Register, e-mail or call Rebecca Sornson at rebeccasornson@gmail.com or (810) 923-0547

Farmers Market Update

We'll just be at Brighton market again this weekend. The summer crops are just starting to come in, but we're still a bit too low on inventory to fill two weekend markets in addition to our summer shares and online sales. Hoping to be getting back to Howell in the next week or two!

Planted nearly all of our fall brassica transplants today: Kossack kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. Just a bit of broccoli and cauliflower left to put in. The second (and much larger) batch of sugar snap peas are starting to come in, and the field kale is finally ready to harvest! Get to market early enough tomorrow morning and you'll be able to pick up the first of the summer kale.

Transitions

As the seasons turn, so do the crops on the farm transition. We have been clearing out beds of winter and spring produce in the hoop houses to make way for the summer crops. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, basil, okra, and more have all been transplanted over the past month and are all enjoying the extra protection afforded to them by the hoop houses. Some of the tomato plants, planted in late April and early May, are already over six feet tall! We're watching with eager expectation as the little green tomatoes grow, excited for the first taste of summer that will soon be upon us. 

As summer comes to bear, the farm also hits something of a lull in produce production in June. With the spring and winter crops finished and the summer produce not quite mature, this time of year is always low on options for produce. Yet, in just over a week, our Summer Shares begin, and we have to be some creative farmers to determine just what our shares will be getting in these first few lean weeks. Soon enough, though, the summer harvest will be in full force and we won't know what to do with the 2,000 pounds of tomatoes we're harvesting each week!

Remember that shares are still available as well so that you can get in on the bounty when the harvest really begins to come in. Check out the different types of shares to see what is the best fit for you and your family:

Market Share

Summer Share

Helping Share (we are sold out of Work Shares for the season)

Farmers Market begins this weekend

Remember, farmers market starts this weekend! We'll be in Brighton on Saturday from 8am - 1pm and in Howell on Sunday from 9am - 2pm. Stop by to get some fresh produce and some herbs and veggie plants for your garden!

Buy a farm share!

We have quite a few different types of shares, so please see the following links to find the right share for you and your family. Remember, you can still buy from the farm even if you don't have a share, either at farmers market May through October or via our online sales system for pickup on Wednesdays. If you have any questions, visit our FAQ page, and if your questions aren't answered there, please feel free to contact us.

Online Sales and Winter Shares
Market Shares
Summer Shares
Working Shares and Helping Shares

Local Food "Speed Dating"

This Sunday in Ann Arbor, Stone Coop Farm will be participating in the Spring CSA Fair sponsored by Slow Food Huron Valley. We will be there with two dozen other farmers to talk with local folks about buying locally and helping them to find the right farm for them and their families. For more information on the CSA Fair, check out the link below:

Slow Food Spring CSA Fair

The fair is on Sunday, March 24 from 2pm to 4pm at the following address:
Pittsfield Union Grange, 3337 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Ann Arbor

Food Rescue

Here at the farm, we try to limit food waste as much as possible. Anything we cannot sell we give to folks helping out on the farm or eat ourselves. What is leftover from that (one can only eat so much kale, after all) we give to our chickens whenever possible. However, there are some things they don't eat, especially anything that is difficult for their beaks to peck through. Inevitably, we end up tossing produce into the compost, which, though it is not an entire waste, is not an efficient or desirable use of the nutrients and calories the food contains. Just this week, however, we have found a solution: Pigs to the rescue!

Another local farm and good friends of ours - Valley View Organic Farm - is raising organic, hormone-free pigs. These delightful porkers are more than happy to devour our organic produce that was destined for the compost pile. Not only does the produce enrich the diet of the pigs, but the nutrients and calories are put to good use, producing meat for the local community and income for a fellow farmer. If you'd like to order organic pork from Mark at Valley View, be sure to check out his website (linked above) for more information.

-Shannon

Sign up for Stone Coop Farm emails from the website

You can now sign up to receive farm emails right on the website. Just click on the link that says "Subscribe to our email list" on the left side of the page beneath the site navigation links. You will need to fill out the entire form, including the comments section so we know what your interest is in the farm. For example, if you're interested in helping out on the farm, you can type in "volunteering", or if you're interested in more information on purchasing a share with Stone Coop, you can type "farm shares".

Winter Share distribution begins next week

If you haven't looked into purchasing a Winter Share, now is the time to do so! We begin distributing shares next Wednesday, February 6th. The share lasts for six weeks with an average value of $25 per week, totaling to $150 for the entire share. There will be a variety of items in the share, such as potatoes, winter squash, leafy greens, turnips, and rutabaga. This share is perfect if you've been craving some good, fresh greens (grown in our hoop houses) and hearty winter veggies (stored in our cooler and root cellar). You can find more detailed information about our Winter Shares, as well as purchasing information, at the Online Sales and Winter Shares page.

2013 Shares Available for Purchase

All shares are now available for purchase from the farm. We have quite a few different types of shares, so please see the following links to find the right share for you and your family. Remember, you can still buy from the farm even if you don't have a share, either at farmers market May through October or via our online sales system in the winter. If you have any questions, visit our FAQ page, and if your questions aren't answered there, please feel free to contact us.

Online Sales and Winter Shares
Market Shares
Summer Shares
Working Shares and Helping Shares

Website Updates and Shares for 2013

We are in the process of updating our website for 2013 with new information on shares and produce available. If you are looking for information on purchasing shares or produce and cannot find it, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.

-Shannon

New Years at Stone Coop

The DeBruhl family was extremely pleased to be able to move from the trailer into their new home at the farm two days before Christmas.  It was the BEST Christmas present ever!  We were warm and cozy before the big snows and cold temperatures hit. The snow and clouds have allowed us some time to relax (and unpack) and let the plants in the hoop houses be dormant for a few weeks. I never thought I would be happy for clouds, but but I have finally had a chance to sit on the couch, drink hot tea, watch a movie, and relax.

We covered the chicken coop with a huge blue tarp to keep out some of the wind and keep the heat from the heat lamps in.  Troy, Reid and I got several chuckles watching the chickens take their first steps into the snow. They were not happy to find out that snow is cold and that they sink in it when they finally risked stepping outside the coop. Several were lifting their wings, like stepping into cold water, so their wings would not touch the snow.  Eventually they got used to it, but they are spending a lot more time in the coop avoiding the cold winds and the snow. 

I will start working on the crop plan next week for the 2013 season.  Soon we will also be offering shares for 2013 so keep an eye out for the details by the end of January. 

THANK YOU all for a wonderful year in 2012 and we look forward to our new adventures in 2013.  Have a fantastic New Year's!!!

-Joannee