Pork is BACK! 6/17/16
Hello SMALL Farm Enthusiasts! This is from Angie Minno of Foxgrape Farm outside of Gainesville: Looking for some interesting traditional recipes to try with grassfed beef that make the most of the everyday cuts?
Yogurt vs Kefir 6/3/16
Oh boy is it fun on the farm in the summer! It seems as though we run as fast as we can and then do our best to keep up. We are extremely grateful for good, young folks who want to come out and learn farming and after several years of this we have begun to establish some guidelines, making it work better for all involved. Most farmers love what they do and want to be close to the land and animals but lack in the area of management, preferring to work alone. I will admit, I have fallen into this category myself but it seems like my calling has expanded beyond myself so whether I like it or not I am managing a team. For me this is becoming more and more enjoyable although the growing family plus a working team is sometimes a daunting task.
Kvass and estrogen in milk, part 2-5/19/16
Here is some interesting feedback, from a very qualified person, on our topic of estrogen in cows milk, I am sending this verbatim with his permission and please, especially note his comments at the end.
Estrogen in milk 5/5/16
Hello Fellow SMALL Farm Enthusiasts! Here is an interesting question that has come up way too often in the last 3 years that I will address and hopefully put to rest, at least for a while: Hi Dennis and Alicia, Could you please let me know how many and how often your cows are pregnant? What percentage is the milk of pregnant cows in the bulk of your milk? Would you consider selling "milk for boys?" I am concerned about my sons drinking milk that is high in estrogen from pregnant cows. Do you know of any research on this? I found and read several articles in peer reviewed journals and a few magazines, but nothing I found was recently published or especially definitive, each only calling for more research. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts on this.
Bitterweed, Biochar and Bread, Oh My!
Hello Fellow SMALL Farm Enthusiasts! Off taste in the milk!! It is a bad day when cows get into dog fennel , a weed that the cows like to eat in early summer and the milk can have a bitter taste. We only had 2 or 3 people complain but we know many of you are slow to say anything. I want to say please speak up as this is the only way we know we have issues AND we want to give credits and refunds appropriately, so do not be shy. We were actually not sure what was going on or if something was even wrong but then Alan Boyd from Tallahassee who partnered with us here for several years let us know that he had a little in several gallons and this tip was what we needed. Dog fennel is not harmful in any way in fact probably good for you but the taste is so awful you just do not like the milk. So if you got some of this let us know how many gallons please.
Farmer Work Shop At FCF 3-26-16
Welcome to our "Farm Report" where we share a little bit about what is happening at the farm. If you would like an up close and personal encounter with us we welcome you to schedule a farm tour by e-mailing Dennis at thisisdennis@windstream.net. We love visitors and love to connect you with your food source!
Jimmy Beef, Rick and Erin leaving 1/28/16
Change is the one constant in life, we do not always like it but it happens. Rick and Erin came to us 5 months ago and have done a great job with orders, packing and several other things here like inventory control and more. Rick was excited about doing pastured poultry here and we got the license so we could sell these to restaurants and grow this thing ………..but then he got a call from Chic-fil-la where he worked as a manager before coming to work with us. At first he thought little of it until they offered him a LOT of money. Rick is young but he is extremely good with numbers, meticulous with organization and good with people, we will miss them both. We are looking for someone to replace him and his wife, Erin who has been our “Office Manager” these past months. We hope to find someone soon enough so that they can be trained by Rick and Erin before they leave. Help Wanted! We are looking for an Office Manager who is well organized, detail oriented and has strong computer skills to work with us 20-25 hours /week or more depending on desire and skill level. The person would be in charge of processing orders, answering phone calls and e-mails and updating inventory and other information on our website as well as keeping our Facebook page up to date. If interested please e-mail us and we can give you more details. The person would also need to live locally to our farm in Live Oak, FL.
Look What's New and We're Becoming MORE "Green"! 1/14/16
We are in the time of year when we are nurturing millions and millions of babies, rye plants that is! (No human babies from Alicia or Angela but I am sure we will have one or 2 of those by the next farm report!) We normally plant around November 1st but because of the warm weather this year it ended up being much later. It takes about 45 days for the rye to be mature enough to graze but once it comes it is the best time of year for us. The peas are still doing fine and the cows are in excellent condition but they will be very happy when the rye comes in, it is just the best. Help Wanted! We are looking for a person who is internet savvy with some web development experience to work with us. 20-25 hours /week or more depending on skill level. The person would be in charge of processing orders, answering phone calls and e-mails and updating inventory and other information on our website. If interested please e-mail us and we can give you more details.
Farm Report 12/31
<p>Happy New Year from FCF,<br /> I found this to be brief, concise and helpful……for your health and the health of the planet. Please vote with your pocket book and do not buy GMO goods <a href="http://mailchimp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=724abd6613b28376f02f2a9b0&id=676f8baafb&e=f374f1e1c2" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#6dc6dd;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">http://organicconnectmag.com/<wbr />wp-content/uploads/2015/09/<wbr />Natural-Vitality-Non-GMO-<wbr />ebook.pdf</a> <br /> <br /> Wild “Medicinal” Honey is back: <a href="http://mailchimp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=724abd6613b28376f02f2a9b0&id=18367a7b4c&e=f374f1e1c2" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#6dc6dd;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">https://fullcirclerealfoods.<wbr />com/store?q=honey</a> as is “No Spray” sweet potatoes: <a href="https://fullcirclerealfoods.com/product/sweet-potatoes-40lb-box" target="_blank">https://fullcirclerealfoods.<wbr />com/product/sweet-potatoes-<wbr />40lb-box</a> from local farmer, Sammy Starling and many other goodies. If you have not browsed our site in a while go for it. 2016 promises many good things and many predict bad as well but at FCF we are full steam ahead till the bottom falls out. My friend Scott decided to change his life in 2015 and in his 5<sup>th</sup> month with Melaleuca, made 150k and they are looking for people who want to make a bit more money on the side or a whole career change. E-mail me and I will put you in touch with him imed.</p>
Merry Christmas From FCF 12/17/15
<h1 style="margin:0;padding:0;display:block;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:-1px;text-align:left;color:#606060!important"><span style="font-size:32px">FCF News</span></h1> <p>Merry Christmas from FCF,<br /> Give the gift of health this year to your loved ones by giving them the Nourishing Traditions DVD set by Sally Fallon Morell. It is one gift that will keep on giving for the rest of a person’s life. In fact, if you have not seen these, give the gift to yourself then pass them on to anyone you care about. No need to say anything, they speak for themselves entirely. The person to whom you give them to that takes the time to watch these DVDs will see that you care about them greatly. We feel this set is one of the best, well referenced and the perfect blend between common sense and good science. <a href="https://fullcirclerealfoods.com/product/nourishing-traditions-dvd" target="_blank">https://fullcirclerealfoods.<wbr />com/product/nourishing-<wbr />traditions-dvd</a><br /> <br /> This is absolutely stunning: <a href="http://mailchimp.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=724abd6613b28376f02f2a9b0&id=6305def467&e=f374f1e1c2" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#6dc6dd;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr />v=2DA_vbX_T1I</a><br /> Not too bad either, and whatever goes for beef is the same for milk: <a href="http://mailchimp.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=724abd6613b28376f02f2a9b0&id=4bc35ff6dc&e=f374f1e1c2" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#6dc6dd;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">http://empoweredsustenance.<wbr />com/benefits-of-grassfed-beef/</a></p>
Pumpkin Chili
<p> </p> <p class="text-center">This is a great flavorful and healthier twist on traditional chili. The pumpkin is packedful of vitamins!</p> <p class="text-center">This recipe is great for a cool florida fall day!</p> <p class="text-center"> </p> <p class="text-center"> </p>
Farm Report 11/19
<p><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Rick and Erin have been on the farm for about three months helping out with organizing the orders, learning about the animals and meeting with customers at the farmers markets and South Florida delivery. Rick is very interested in learning all about raising chickens and has really enjoyed raising his first batch of 200+ Cornish Cross chicks. These chickens were raised a little differently than our daughter Caroline raised hers, they were fed Non-GMO feed exclusively and were divided into smaller coops that Rick built. They were rotated daily (3 times a day as they got larger) to allow them fresh grass and bugs. As with the other animals raised on this farm these chickens have never received vaccines, hormones or antibiotics. We are preparing to harvest the chickens next week and are gearing things up for them to fly out the door! The whole chickens will be sold as a Non-GMO Full Circle Farm product $5.50/lb with an average weight being around 4 lbs a bird. We also have bags of heads and feet, livers, hearts, gizzards and 13 piece cut-ups that will be available from these same birds. You can find them here:<span> </span><a href="http://mailchimp.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=724abd6613b28376f02f2a9b0&id=626e2a3110&e=f374f1e1c2" style="color: rgb(109, 198, 221); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; -ms-word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">https://fullcirclerealfoods.<wbr />com/store/poultry</a></font><br /> <br /> The land is flowing with milk and HONEY here at Full Circle Farm. Randy of Little River Organics and known for his Satsuma’s, Persimmons and Chestnuts, says that “the bees are on all you can eat from now till frost”. Goldenrod and Spanish needle are growing abundantly and, indeed, another good friend who keeps bees locally said, in about 3 weeks time, his bee hives had gone from half full to completely full of honey. He had to harvest several gallons of honey so that the bees would keep making it. Randy placed a couple of hives here at our farm and a lot of the nectar for this honey comes from a plant called Spanish needle and goldenrod. </p>