Good News and Bad News
This last Tuesday night, August 5th, my husband, Shannon, came along with me to sell at the Ely Farmer's Market. What a fun night we had. It was so busy and festive. All the vendors are cheerful and friendly as are the customers. The customers are year-round locals, seasonal locals, and lots of people just up for a vacation! It's fun to explain what we do and why we do it to new folks and see returning customers and get their feedback. Nothing beats hearing a voice in the crowd say to someone, "Ooo! I tried her chicken (or pork) last week, and it was great!" I always leave the Ely Market fired-up about what we are doing here on the farm. It was Shannon's first time coming along, and he really enjoyed it.
Tuesday night, when we got home and looked at what was left in the freezer, we realized we had no pork left to sell at Market! I think that the next batch of chicken is all spoken for by folks who pre-ordered. The last batch of chickens we raise won't be ready for 10 weeks, and I imagine the Market may well be closed by then.
We just plain underestimated the interest in local meat. It was great seeing that right here on The Range there are lots of people who are behind what we do. And that they want and need a local farmer they can get good clean meat from. Of course, I'm disppappointed that I missed out on a least another month of sales. And I'm disappointed because I was just starting to get to know the vendors and customers as friends. I'm sure going to miss seeing the great folks I met in Ely and Virginia the last couple months - especially our Ely Market Manager, Marcia Mahoney. What a great lady with a great smile. She is a terrific promoter for our Market and Bear Creek Acres. I can't wait to work with her again. She and the Board Members took that Market to new heights.
We still are taking orders for October chicken. We will be offering pork by the whole and half a few times starting in November. That list is filling up - so call the farm (218-984-3235) if you are interested and to ask questions. You can also read more about that here.
We plan to have individual cuts of pork at the Farmer's Markets next year. Next time we'll have more of everything. We may expand our sausage offerings as well. We are considering bringing beef, too.
We are truly sorry if we have disappointed any of our customers by running out of meat. Please remember that it's always available at the Natural Harvest Food Coop in Virginia.