If you have been trying to buy eggs from us for the past two months, you know that demand for our eggs is WAY up. Our hens our doing their best, but they haven’t been able to keep up with all the people wanting Zweber farm fresh eggs. We are keeping a waitlist and trying to get eggs to everyone as we can. Thank you so much for your patience.
Luckily, we have a group of teenage hens that are just coming into production age. Each day, we are gathering more and more eggs from that group. We hope the supply catches up to the demand soon and we will have eggs back in our store. If you are wanting eggs, please call Zweber Farms at 952-461-3428 or email us at info@zweberfarms.com.
I also want to note that Jonnie’s (our middle son) ducks are laying consistently again. Ducks are very seasonal layers. He is now collecting a couple dozen duck eggs a week and about a half dozen goose eggs a week. If you are interested in either duck or goose eggs, let us know. All the sales go to Jonnie. It is his small business.
We also have half pork orders available immediately. You could fill up your freezer today with brats, hams, chops, bacon, ribs, and more. No wait time. If you want to customize your order, let us know. We will also have more half and whole hogs available next month. Do not wait if you are thinking about it. We raise fewer pigs over the summer months. Plus you will want to fill up your freezer before grilling season really gets started. Filling the cooler and heading to the lake are easy when you have a freezer full of Zweber Farms pork.
Last sales pitch before I catch you up on farm happenings: Easter Hams. We have quarter, half and whole hams available now. We typically sell out at Easter time, so don’t wait. If you are unsure on what size you need for your meal, just call or email us. We can help you out. These are fully smoked, bone-in hams. We don’t inject them with water, so you will get delicious tasting meat. See all our pork products and prices here.
My favorite Easter Ham recipe is from the Pioneer Woman. I have been using it for years. The secret to a crispy outside but juicy inside? Soda. Not kidding and trust me this will be the best ham you have ever tasted. Pioneer Woman’s Best Glazed Ham Recipe
Now to farm updates:
Well March is being March this year. Record breaking high temps one day. Blizzard conditions two days later. Repeat. I have been taking coats off calves, to put them back on twelve hours later. Oh and the mud. We all do not like the mud. I know mud means we have moisture in the ground, which we still need more of, but it just makes everything more difficult on the farm. What we need is an all day, warm and gentle rain. This will pull the last of the frost out of the ground. No more frost means the water from rain, ice and melting snow can seep into the ground where it is needed instead of creating mud pits where our tractors drive. I found this old picture of one of my boys on the farm when they were much younger. I am thankful that they are able to do their own laundry now.
While the first day of spring happens officially this week, for me I don’t really consider it spring until the cows are eating out on pasture. That happens sometime around the first or second week of May. Sometimes, rarely, we get them out on pasture the last week of April. All of our grass-fed beef animals and our organic dairy cows live on pastures year round. In the winter, they are on pastures that get mucked up. This might be a hay field or pasture we want to replant in the spring. Or it is one that we just sacrifice to dirt each winter. We will later plant some cover-crops. The first day that we let our cattle out onto pasture to harvest their own food is a holiday in our house. We have Organic Valley friends who celebrate pasture day with a picnic and bottle of Champaign. I think we need to start that tradition.
Soon our barn will be filled with the sound of baby chickens. Our first batch comes in April. Once they grow their feathers, they will be out on pasture too. Jonnie’s new 4-H ducklings arrived last month and they are already big and growing adult feathers. You will be able to see them peeping around the yard with the adult ducks when you stop by.
Lots of calves are being born right now. We try not to have babies born in January and February because of the cold. Once March comes, it seems like we have a baby a day. It isn’t quite the many, more like a couple a week. New babies will be born until the end of June. We also try not to have calves born in July and August due to the heat. Hannah will be starting her Saturday Open Houses tours again in April. Make sure to come out then to see the babies.
Family wise, things are wrapping up on the school year. There is always burn out now and we have to push through the last eight weeks. I have homeschooled by kids for the past twelve years. Erik is a senior and graduating. Since he has been taking college classes while in high school, he is planning a gap year to work a bit and figure out what he wants to really do. Erik and Jonnie have a brother adventure trip planned this May. They plan to go to WY to rock climb and hike.
Hannah is preforming in CastleCo Theater’s production of Finding Nemo Jr this month. The show is at Lakeville Arts Center. There are a few seats left, but I think the show is almost sold out both weekends.
Jon, Lisa, Tim and I are busy with farm things, as expected. We all have some travel planned in the next couple of days and weeks to look forward too. Tim is hopefully going to climb the Mount Whitney next week. This will be his first winter mountain assent. The avalanche ratings are high right now, so his climbing partner and him might need to change their plans. Jon and Lisa are headed to Arizona next month to hike and see some sunshine. I have a very short trip to Vermont planned in May.
While I am in Vermont, I am staying on a flower farm in a yurt. Tim and I have talked for years about building a small cabin, tiny house, or yurt to rent out on the farm. While this trip is mostly for family, I will be talking with the farmer about their experience renting out a yurt.
Would camping in a yurt or cabin be something your family would like to do? Let me know in the comments.
I hope all is well with you and yours. We will see you at the farm!
~Emily
