Spring!

We’ve got lots of plants started for the upcoming growing season, the chickens are happy now that those great earthworms and bugs are back and a daffodil even bloomed. Spring…hooray!

We’ve still got some spots available for the CSA. So if you or someone you know is looking for a share send them our way: by e-mail- eenermachine@gmail.com or by phone- 715-643-2803.

Our next meat delivery will take place on Saturday, April 7. More details on that will be posted soon. We’ve got beef and tons of eggs.



Would you believe our crocus flowers are already done blooming? Now it’s on to daffodils. Forest totally digs flowers.



The chicken ladies are super excited to be frolicking around the farm in the grass, it’s surprising how many bugs are already back. Mmmmmmm, bugs.



The rhubarb is up. This will be in the first CSA box.

-------------

Eener’s Farm C.S.A. Sign-Up Form for 2012

Send this to me in the mail: N12449 220th St. Boyceville WI 54725 or E-mail this information to me at eenermachine@gmail.com and I’ll put you on the list for 2012.

Your Name:_______________________________

Which Size Share: Full ($515) Half ($275)

How to Pay: Make checks out to Eener’s Farm or Renee Bettendorf. Pay the whole works by June 1, 2012 or pay half the amount by June 1, 2012 and the other half by October 1, 2012.

Where will you pick up at: (River Market, Hampden Park, Fresh & Natural, Menomonie Market Food Co-op or Aveda in Blaine)

If you are a returning Eener’s Farm member you don’t have to fill the rest of this out unless something has changed:

Your Address:________________________________

Your Phone Number:_____________________________

Your E-mail Address:_________________________


Risk Agreement: By signing up I understand that there is risk involved in farming and that I have agreed to share in this risk. Because of factors like weather and pests I understand that I may not get all the produce that Eener has planned on putting in my box. I also understand that I may get more than Eener planned on putting in my box in the event that some produce crops do really, really well.

General CSA Info

Delivery Locations: We’ll be delivering to River Market Co-Op which is located in downtown Stillwater; Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson; Hampden Park Co-Op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave., fairly near Midway Stadium); Menomonie Market Food Co-op in Menomonie and in Blaine for Aveda employees.

Delivery Days and Times: River Market Co-op in Stillwater: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 1:30 and 9p.m.

Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 2:30 and 9p.m.

Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick them up between 2:00 and 9p.m.

Aveda: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick up anytime after 2:30 p.m.

Menomonie Market Food Co-op: boxes are delivered on Fridays members pick up between 3 and 8p.m.

Box Size: I offer full and half shares, both are delivered on a weekly basis. Full shares come in 1 and 1/9 bushel boxes, half shares will be packed in 5/9 bushel boxes. If you are trying to picture the size of the boxes here are the dimensions: 1 and 1/9boxes are 17.9”X12”X12” and 5/9 boxes are 14.5”X11.6”X8.1”.

How Do Full and Half Shares Differ? Besides getting larger quantities of produce, full share members also receive sporadic eggs from our free-range chickens. Additionally we pick whatever berries we are able to grow for the full shares (last year we were able to do one delivery of strawberries and one delivery of raspberries. Also, if a crop does terribly, it’s almost a given the full shares will still receive it. For example, last year was a bad year for brussel sprouts but we were still able to eek enough of them out of the patch to supply the full shares.

What Size is Best for You? That is an excellent question…sorta depends on how much you eat and cook. The full shares are for roughly four people and the half shares are for right around two people. That being said, a pair of serious vegetarians could probably easily knock down a full share. On the flip side, a family of four with children may be just fine with a half share.

Pricing: Full shares sell for $515 and half shares sell for $275.

Box Contents: Here’s what’s on the list for this year: basil, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, dill, soybeans, eggplant, fennel, garlic, gourds, hot peppers, sweet peppers, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mint, melons, onions, green onions, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rutabaga, rhubarb, spinach, parsnips, various summer squash, various winter squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips and flowers.

Our Season Length: This year I’ll be doing 18 weeks starting the second week in June and going until the second week in October. This means that for Stillwater and Hudson folks their first box will be on June 11. St Paul and Blaine folks’ first box will be on June 13. Those picking up in Menomonie will have their first box on June 15.

What About Your Vacation(s)? If you leave town or just know you won’t be able to pick up your box we can skip you for that week(s) and double, triple or quadruple your delivery when you get back. Arrangements for this should be made at least 24 hours in advance.

This is all fine and good, but what the heck is a CSA anyway? Basically, a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a type of direct market farm, meaning the farmer sells food directly to customers. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of farm. For one, customers/members know exactly where their food is coming from (we encourage our members to come visit the farm and we hold a big party at the end of the season for everyone). Secondly, produce from CSA farms doesn’t travel far. As a result it’s better for the environment and members enjoy much fresher produce. Another perk is that CSA farms tend to be really diversified (we grow about 40 varieties of veggies plus herbs) so members get a nice variety of in-season veggies.

Risk: Since farming is so completely tied to the weather, it’s risky business. My goal is to provide my members with an amount of produce that is equal to the money they paid for their share. Over the past three years I think I accomplished this goal. But I can’t promise that this will be true for this year. It’s helpful to think of CSA farms in terms of the stock market; when members buy a share they are making an investment. On a good year they will break even or get an amount of produce that is greater in value than their initial investment. On a bad year, they may end up with an amount of produce that is worth less than what they invested. Also, a well-placed tornado could wipe us clear off the map and put a serious bind on CSA deliveries. In buying a full season of produce, the members of CSA farms share the risk with their farmers.

Is Eener’s Farm Organic?: I’m not certified organic, so I can’t advertise myself as organic. I do advertise as “Chemical Free” which means I don’t use any chemical pesticides or herbicides in my farming operations. I looked into the process to become certified and it does involve an investment, which I’d be willing to make. It turns out that being certified also involves TONS of paperwork and record keeping… not my strong points. So at this point I am not pursuing a certification though I remain committed to organic gardening.

March Meat Delivery This Saturday

Eener's Farm CSA is half full for the 2012 season. If you are looking for CSA details please see the previous post titled "2012 CSA Info".

Aside from beef and a very limited selection of goat meat, this month's meat delivery will also include eggs (good work chicken ladies!) If you would like to order something, send me an e-mail (eenermachine@gmail.com)

About those Chickens

My chicken ladies are a mixed flock of several different breeds. As a result they lay eggs in all sizes and colors (even green!). They are free-range chickens. Since there's not much to range on during the winter months they are fed certified organic feed.

Eggs:
$3.00 per dozen

About the Beef and Goat

All of the four-legged critters around here are grass fed. Babies (we'll have some of these soon!) are born out to pasture and raised by their mothers. No one is confined or made to eat chemicals or hormones or anitbiotics.

Meat prices are by the pound. Roasts are about four pounds each, ground beef comes in one-pound packs and steaks are ¾ inch thick. All our meat was raised here on our farm, is professionally butchered and federally inspected.

Beef Prices (by the pound unless otherwise specified):
Ground Beef (comes in one-pound packs): $4.50
Chuck Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Arm Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Cross Rib Roast (three pounds to four each): $5.00
Brisket: $5.00
Rib Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $7.00
Short Ribs: $4.00
T-Bone Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $8.00
Porterhouse Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $8.00
Sirloin Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $7.00
Sirloin Tip Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Rump Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Stew Meat (one pound packs): $4.00
Soup Bones (Holy cow! What a great deal these are about two pounds each) : $2.00 each
Beef Liver: $3.50
Goat Meat: all of these cuts are $6.00 per pound
Leg of Goat

Saturday Delivery Schedule
Home Delivery in Stillwater starting at 9:00a.m.
Home Delivery in Hudson starting at 10:00a.m.
Meet up in the Hampden Park Co-op parking lot at : 11:00a.m.
Meet up in Blaine: Noon

2012 CSA Info

Here is our 2012 CSA Info. A sign-up form can be found at the bottom of this post.

If you'd like to see some photos of what was in our boxes during last year's CSA you can find those by looking at last year's posts in the months of June, July, Aug., Sept., and Oct.

Delivery Locations: We’ll be delivering to River Market Co-Op which is located in downtown Stillwater; Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson; Hampden Park Co-Op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave., fairly near Midway Stadium); Menomonie Market Food Co-op in Menomonie and in Blaine for Aveda employees.

Delivery Days and Times: River Market Co-op in Stillwater: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 1:30 and 9p.m.

Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 2:30 and 9p.m.

Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick them up between 2:00 and 9p.m.

Aveda: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick up anytime after 2:30 p.m.

Menomonie Market Food Co-op: boxes are delivered on Fridays members pick up between 3 and 8p.m.

Box Size: I offer full and half shares, both are delivered on a weekly basis. Full shares come in 1 and 1/9 bushel boxes, half shares will be packed in 5/9 bushel boxes. If you are trying to picture the size of the boxes here are the dimensions: 1 and 1/9boxes are 17.9”X12”X12” and 5/9 boxes are 14.5”X11.6”X8.1”.

How Do Full and Half Shares Differ? Besides getting larger quantities of produce, full share members also receive sporadic eggs from our free-range chickens. Additionally we pick whatever berries we are able to grow for the full shares (last year we were able to do one delivery of strawberries and one delivery of raspberries. Also, if a crop does terribly, it’s almost a given the full shares will still receive it. For example, last year was a bad year for brussel sprouts but we were still able to eek enough of them out of the patch to supply the full shares.

What Size is Best for You? That is an excellent question…sorta depends on how much you eat and cook. The full shares are for roughly four people and the half shares are for right around two people. That being said, a pair of serious vegetarians could probably easily knock down a full share. On the flip side, a family of four with children may be just fine with a half share.

Pricing: Full shares sell for $515 and half shares sell for $275.

Box Contents: Here’s what’s on the list for this year: basil, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, dill, soybeans, eggplant, fennel, garlic, gourds, hot peppers, sweet peppers, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mint, melons, onions, green onions, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rutabaga, rhubarb, spinach, parsnips, various summer squash, various winter squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips and flowers.

Our Season Length: This year I’ll be doing 18 weeks starting the second week in June and going until the second week in October. This means that for Stillwater and Hudson folks their first box will be on June 11. St Paul and Blaine folks’ first box will be on June 13. Those picking up in Menomonie will have their first box on June 15.

What About Your Vacation(s)? If you leave town or just know you won’t be able to pick up your box we can skip you for that week(s) and double, triple or quadruple your delivery when you get back. Arrangements for this should be made at least 24 hours in advance.

This is all fine and good, but what the heck is a CSA anyway? Basically, a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a type of direct market farm, meaning the farmer sells food directly to customers. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of farm. For one, customers/members know exactly where their food is coming from (we encourage our members to come visit the farm and we hold a big party at the end of the season for everyone). Secondly, produce from CSA farms doesn’t travel far. As a result it’s better for the environment and members enjoy much fresher produce. Another perk is that CSA farms tend to be really diversified (we grow about 40 varieties of veggies plus herbs) so members get a nice variety of in-season veggies.

Risk: Since farming is so completely tied to the weather, it’s risky business. My goal is to provide my members with an amount of produce that is equal to the money they paid for their share. Over the past three years I think I accomplished this goal. But I can’t promise that this will be true for this year. It’s helpful to think of CSA farms in terms of the stock market; when members buy a share they are making an investment. On a good year they will break even or get an amount of produce that is greater in value than their initial investment. On a bad year, they may end up with an amount of produce that is worth less than what they invested. Also, a well-placed tornado could wipe us clear off the map and put a serious bind on CSA deliveries. In buying a full season of produce, the members of CSA farms share the risk with their farmers.

Is Eener’s Farm Organic?: I’m not certified organic, so I can’t advertise myself as organic. I do advertise as “Chemical Free” which means I don’t use any chemical pesticides or herbicides in my farming operations. I looked into the process to become certified and it does involve an investment, which I’d be willing to make. It turns out that being certified also involves TONS of paperwork and record keeping… not my strong points. So at this point I am not pursuing a certification though I remain committed to organic gardening.

Eener’s Farm C.S.A. Sign-Up Form for 2012

Send this to me in the mail: N12449 220th St. Boyceville WI 54725 or E-mail this information to me at eenermachine@gmail.com and I’ll put you on the list for 2012.

Your Name:_______________________________

Which Size Share: Full ($515) Half ($275)

How to Pay: Make checks out to Eener’s Farm or Renee Bettendorf. Pay the whole works by June 1, 2012 or pay half the amount by June 1, 2012 and the other half by October 1, 2012.

Where will you pick up at: (River Market, Hampden Park, Fresh & Natural, Menomonie Market Food Co-op or Aveda in Blaine)

If you are a returning Eener’s Farm member you don’t have to fill the rest of this out unless something has changed:

Your Address:________________________________

Your Phone Number:_____________________________

Your E-mail Address:_________________________


Risk Agreement: By signing up I understand that there is risk involved in farming and that I have agreed to share in this risk. Because of factors like weather and pests I understand that I may not get all the produce that Eener has planned on putting in my box. I also understand that I may get more than Eener planned on putting in my box in the event that some produce crops do really, really well.

Hip News From the Farm

Geeze, this post ended up being a novel! If you are looking for Eener’s Farm CSA info please skip down to about the middle of this post. If you are looking to buy meat from Eener’s Farm go ahead and read on.

We had so much fun selling a steer that we’ve decided to sell another one! This time around we had the butcher make some different cuts. There is also some lamb and goat meat still available. All animals raised on Eener’s Farm are 100% grass fed. If you or anyone you know may be interested in buying some please let us know! The next meat delivery day will be on Saturday, February 11.

Beef Prices (by the pound unless otherwise specified):

Ground Beef (comes in one-pound packs): $4.50
Chuck Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Arm Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Cross Rib Roast (three pounds to four each): $5.00
Brisket: $5.00
Rib Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $7.00
Short Ribs: $4.00
T-Bone Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $8.00
Porterhouse Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $8.00
Tenderloin: $8.00
Sirloin Steak (3/4 in. one per pack): $7.00
Sirloin Tip Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Rump Roast (three to four pounds each): $5.00
Stew Meat (one pound packs): $4.00
Soup Bones (Holy cow! What a great deal these are about two pounds each) : $2.00 each
Dog Bones: $1.00 each
Beef Liver: $3.50

Lamb and Goat Meat: all of these cuts are $6.00 per pound

Lamb Meat:We have a limited number of racks, ribs and shanks still available.

Goat Meat:A special note about the goat meat: these are young goats, so they don’t have a goat-y smell to them. In fact, they taste very similar to lamb.
We’ve got ribs, shanks, legs, racks, chops and steaks available.

Olson’s Woodville Meats of Woodville, WI did the butchering. It has been federally inspected. All the meat is packed in clear plastic.

How to buy some:Just e-mail me (eenermachine@gmail.com) or give me a call (715)643-2803 with what you’d like. We’ll be delivering on Saturday, February 11. We do home delivery to Stillwater at 9a.m. and Hudson at 10a.m. We meet people at Hampden Park Co-op at 11a.m. and will do home delivery to anyone living within five miles of there (928 Raymond Ave.) around 11:30a.m. We also have been known to deliver to Blaine at noon. On-farm pick up is available if you live near us or happen to be in the area (N12449 220th St. Boyceville, WI 54725) pretty much anytime.

How these critters lived:The beef is a Hereford steer (a.k.a. Whiteface) born about 18 months ago. The lambs are an Icelandic cross breed born last April. The goats are Saanen cross breeds also born last April. All of these animals spent their entire lives out to pasture. In fact they were born out in the pasture and there moms did an excellent job of raising them. None of them were ever confined and so lived very carefree lives. Since none of them ever had any health problems they were never given any antibiotics. These are true grass fed critters and so corn or any other type of feed was never a part of their diet.

2012 CSA Info

Delivery Locations: We’ll be delivering to River Market Co-Op which is located in downtown Stillwater; Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson; Hampden Park Co-Op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave., fairly near Midway Stadium); Menomonie Market Food Co-op in Menomonie and in Blaine for Aveda employees.

Delivery Days and Times: River Market Co-op in Stillwater: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 1:30 and 9p.m.

Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 2:30 and 9p.m.

Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick them up between 2:00 and 9p.m.

Aveda: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick up anytime after 2:30 p.m.

Menomonie Market Food Co-op: boxes are delivered on Fridays members pick up between 3 and 8p.m.

Box Size: I offer full and half shares, both are delivered on a weekly basis. Full shares come in 1 and 1/9 bushel boxes, half shares will be packed in 5/9 bushel boxes. If you are trying to picture the size of the boxes here are the dimensions: 1 and 1/9boxes are 17.9”X12”X12” and 5/9 boxes are 14.5”X11.6”X8.1”.

How Do Full and Half Shares Differ? Besides getting larger quantities of produce, full share members also receive sporadic eggs from our free-range chickens. Additionally we pick whatever berries we are able to grow for the full shares (last year we were able to do one delivery of strawberries and one delivery of raspberries. Also, if a crop does terribly, it’s almost a given the full shares will still receive it. For example, last year was a bad year for brussel sprouts but we were still able to eek enough of them out of the patch to supply the full shares.

What Size is Best for You? That is an excellent question…sorta depends on how much you eat and cook. The full shares are for roughly four people and the half shares are for right around two people. That being said, a pair of serious vegetarians could probably easily knock down a full share. On the flip side, a family of four with children may be just fine with a half share.

Pricing: Full shares sell for $515 and half shares sell for $275.

Box Contents: Here’s what’s on the list for this year: basil, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, dill, soybeans, eggplant, fennel, garlic, gourds, hot peppers, sweet peppers, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mint, melons, onions, green onions, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rutabaga, rhubarb, spinach, parsnips, various summer squash, various winter squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips and flowers.

Our Season Length: This year I’ll be doing 18 weeks starting the second week in June and going until the second week in October. This means that for Stillwater and Hudson folks their first box will be on June 11. St Paul and Blaine folks’ first box will be on June 13. Those picking up in Menomonie will have their first box on June 15.

What About Your Vacation(s)? If you leave town or just know you won’t be able to pick up your box we can skip you for that week(s) and double, triple or quadruple your delivery when you get back. Arrangements for this should be made at least 24 hours in advance.

This is all fine and good, but what the heck is a CSA anyway? Basically, a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a type of direct market farm, meaning the farmer sells food directly to customers. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of farm. For one, customers/members know exactly where their food is coming from (we encourage our members to come visit the farm and we hold a big party at the end of the season for everyone). Secondly, produce from CSA farms doesn’t travel far. As a result it’s better for the environment and members enjoy much fresher produce. Another perk is that CSA farms tend to be really diversified (we grow about 40 varieties of veggies plus herbs) so members get a nice variety of in-season veggies.

Risk: Since farming is so completely tied to the weather, it’s risky business. My goal is to provide my members with an amount of produce that is equal to the money they paid for their share. Over the past three years I think I accomplished this goal. But I can’t promise that this will be true for this year. It’s helpful to think of CSA farms in terms of the stock market; when members buy a share they are making an investment. On a good year they will break even or get an amount of produce that is greater in value than their initial investment. On a bad year, they may end up with an amount of produce that is worth less than what they invested. Also, a well-placed tornado could wipe us clear off the map and put a serious bind on CSA deliveries. In buying a full season of produce, the members of CSA farms share the risk with their farmers.

Is Eener’s Farm Organic?: I’m not certified organic, so I can’t advertise myself as organic. I do advertise as “Chemical Free” which means I don’t use any chemical pesticides or herbicides in my farming operations. I looked into the process to become certified and it does involve an investment, which I’d be willing to make. It turns out that being certified also involves TONS of paperwork and record keeping… not my strong points. So at this point I am not pursuing a certification though I remain committed to organic gardening.

Eener’s Farm C.S.A. Sign-Up Form for 2012
Send this to me in the mail: N12449 220th St. Boyceville WI 54725 or E-mail this information to me at eenermachine@gmail.com and I’ll put you on the list for 2012.

Your Name:_______________________________

Which Size Share: Full ($515) Half ($275)

How to Pay: Make checks out to Eener’s Farm or Renee Bettendorf. Pay the whole works by June 1, 2012 or pay half the amount by June 1, 2012 and the other half by October 1, 2012.

Where will you pick up at: (River Market, Hampden Park, Fresh & Natural, Menomonie Market Food Co-op or Aveda in Blaine)

If you are a returning Eener’s Farm member you don’t have to fill the rest of this out unless something has changed:

Your Address:________________________________

Your Phone Number:_____________________________

Your E-mail Address:_________________________


Risk Agreement: By signing up I understand that there is risk involved in farming and that I have agreed to share in this risk. Because of factors like weather and pests I understand that I may not get all the produce that Eener has planned on putting in my box. I also understand that I may get more than Eener planned on putting in my box in the event that some produce crops do really, really well.

Eener's Farm 2012 CSA Sign Up

Brrrr! It’s actually winter finally! That’s good I was starting to worry. If we don’t get these good sub-zero temperatures around here I suspect that the potato bugs would form an insurmountable army next summer and just carry away my whole farm.

Anyway…

If you are interested in signing up for the 2012 Eener’s Farm CSA season, please fill out the sign up form at the bottom of this post. I will officially start accepting brand spanking new members on February 1. Alumni members may sign up anytime.

If you are looking for information about Eener’s Farm and the upcoming 2012 CSA season please see the previous post. Or e-mail me at eenermachine@gmail.com or call me at (715)643-2803.

Eener’s Farm C.S.A. Sign-Up Form for 2012
Send this to me in the mail: N12449 220th St. Boyceville WI 54725 or E-mail this information to me at eenermachine@gmail.com and I’ll put you on the list for 2012.

Your Name:____________________________________________________

Which Size Share: Full ($515) Half ($275)

How to Pay: Make checks out to Eener’s Farm or Renee Bettendorf. Pay the whole works by June 1, 2012 or pay half the amount by June 1, 2012 and the other half by October 1, 2012.

Where will you pick up at: (River Market, Hampden Park, Fresh & Natural, Menomonie Market Food Co-op or Aveda in Blaine)

If you are a returning Eener’s Farm member don’t have to fill the rest of this out unless something has changed:

Your Address:________________________________________________________

Your Phone Number:_________________________________________

Your E-mail Address:_____________________________________


Risk Agreement: By signing up I understand that there is risk involved in farming and that I have agreed to share in this risk. Because of factors like weather and pests I understand that I may not get all the produce that Eener has planned on putting in my box. I also understand that I may get more than Eener planned on putting in my box in the event that some produce crops do really, really well.

2012 CSA Info/Meat Delivery This Saturday

We’ve got a meat delivery happening this Saturday (Jan. 14). We’ll be in Stillwater at 9a.m., in Hudson at 10a.m., in St. Paul at 11a.m. and Blaine at noon. E-mail me if you’d like to order: eenermachine@gmail.com

Here is what’s left (thanks to everyone who bought our meat!):

Goat and lamb meat is $6.00 per pound.
Rack of Goat – about half a pound each
Goat Shanks – about half a pound each
Lamb Shanks – about a half pound each
Goat Chops – very small, about 8 will make a pound

Ground Beef – 1 pound packs - $4.50 each
Beef Liver – 1 pound packs - $3.50 each

2012 CSA Info When is winter going to start? It’s been real weird here weather-wise but we’ve been taking advantage of it by getting an amazing amount of outdoor maintenance projects completed. Yesterday I noticed a daffodil coming up in our front yard which reminded me that the 2012 CSA season is just around the corner.

I’ll start signing up brand spanking new CSA members on February 1. Alumni members are welcome to sign up any time (thanks to all who already have!). Last year we sold out in St. Paul early in March and in Hudson and Stillwater in early April. We have a new drop site this year in Menomonie, WI so I don’t know what to expect for a sell-out date there.

I’ll post new member sign-up forms for the 2012 season and where to send them in about a week.

Without further ado, here is some info about our farm and the 2012 CSA season:

Delivery Locations: We’ll be delivering to River Market Co-Op which is located in downtown Stillwater; Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson; Hampden Park Co-Op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave., fairly near Midway Stadium); Menomonie Market Food Co-op in Menomonie and in Blaine for Aveda employees.

Delivery Days and Times: River Market Co-op in Stillwater: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 1:30 and 9p.m.

Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 2:30 and 9p.m.

Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick them up between 2:00 and 9p.m.

Aveda: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick up anytime after 2:30 p.m.

Menomonie Market Food Co-op: boxes are delivered on Fridays members pick up between 3 and 8p.m.

Box Size: I offer full and half shares, both are delivered on a weekly basis. Full shares come in 1 and 1/9 bushel boxes, half shares will be packed in 5/9 bushel boxes. If you are trying to picture the size of the boxes here are the dimensions: 1 and 1/9boxes are 17.9”X12”X12” and 5/9 boxes are 14.5”X11.6”X8.1”.

How Do Full and Half Shares Differ? Besides getting larger quantities of produce, full share members also receive sporadic eggs from our free-range chickens. Additionally we pick whatever berries we are able to grow for the full shares (last year we were able to do one delivery of strawberries and one delivery of raspberries. Also, if a crop does terribly, it’s almost a given the full shares will still receive it. For example, last year was a bad year for brussel sprouts but we were still able to eek enough of them out of the patch to supply the full shares.

What Size is Best for You? That is an excellent question…sorta depends on how much you eat and cook. The full shares are for roughly four people and the half shares are for right around two people. That being said, a pair of serious vegetarians could probably easily knock down a full share. On the flip side, a family of four with children may be just fine with a half share.

Pricing: Full shares sell for $515 and half shares sell for $275.

Box Contents: Here’s what’s on the list for this year: basil, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, dill, soybeans, eggplant, fennel, garlic, gourds, hot peppers, sweet peppers, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mint, melons, onions, green onions, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rutabaga, rhubarb, spinach, parsnips, various summer squash, various winter squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips and flowers.

Our Season Length: This year I’ll be doing 18 weeks starting the second week in June and going until the second week in October. This means that for Stillwater and Hudson folks their first box will be on June 11. St Paul and Blaine folks’ first box will be on June 13. Those picking up in Menomonie will have their first box on June 15.

What About Your Vacation(s)? If you leave town or just know you won’t be able to pick up your box we can skip you for that week(s) and double, triple or quadruple your delivery when you get back. Arrangements for this should be made at least 24 hours in advance.

This is all fine and good, but what the heck is a CSA anyway? Basically, a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a type of direct market farm, meaning the farmer sells food directly to customers. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of farm. For one, customers/members know exactly where their food is coming from (we encourage our members to come visit the farm and we hold a big party at the end of the season for everyone). Secondly, produce from CSA farms doesn’t travel far. As a result it’s better for the environment and members enjoy much fresher produce. Another perk is that CSA farms tend to be really diversified (we grow about 40 varieties of veggies plus herbs) so members get a nice variety of in-season veggies.

Risk: Since farming is so completely tied to the weather, it’s risky business. My goal is to provide my members with an amount of produce that is equal to the money they paid for their share. Over the past three years I think I accomplished this goal. But I can’t promise that this will be true for this year. It’s helpful to think of CSA farms in terms of the stock market; when members buy a share they are making an investment. On a good year they will break even or get an amount of produce that is greater in value than their initial investment. On a bad year, they may end up with an amount of produce that is worth less than what they invested. Also, a well-placed tornado could wipe us clear off the map and put a serious bind on CSA deliveries. In buying a full season of produce, the members of CSA farms share the risk with their farmers.

Is Eener’s Farm Organic?: I’m not certified organic, so I can’t advertise myself as organic. I do advertise as “Chemical Free” which means I don’t use any chemical pesticides or herbicides in my farming operations. I looked into the process to become certified and it does involve an investment, which I’d be willing to make. It turns out that being certified also involves TONS of paperwork and record keeping… not my strong points. So at this point I am not pursuing a certification though I remain committed to organic gardening.

Adventures in Farm Maintenance

It’s high time for a farm story…don’t you think?

In the fall after the CSA is done, the garlic is planted and the fields are cleaned up we usually set to work on maintenance projects…there is no shortage of those around here! After all, I inherited a rather dilapidated farm. Don’t get me wrong, I think the farm is really cool but it’s definitely a work in progress, my husband Cass says by the time we retire (in like 40 years or so) we should have a real nice place here.

So last winter I enlisted my dad to help me with some structural issues in one of the barns. I wanted to get the barn shorn up so that I could have it roofed the following spring. At that time, the roof was the original tin one and it leaked terribly sending a cascade of water or snow down to the lower level which confused cats, dogs, chickens, cows, sheep and goats alike. Why is it raining inside? I’m sure they all asked that question whenever they came into the barn to get out of the rain and found it raining there too in spots.

The barn I tackled last winter is the oldest structure on the farm. It was already built when my great grandparents moved here in 1927. No one knows who built it or when exactly it was built. Several folks estimate that it is at least 100 years old.

The barn is dug into the ground on two sides. The other two sides have been built onto over the years. In the 1950’s my grandpa built an addition onto the old barn. We call that barn “the new addition” it’s the newest building on the farm.

Also at some point in the 1950’s my grandpa bought a building at an auction and then hauled the whole works to his farm where he deposited it right next to the old barn. That building was used as a milk house and calf pen for many years. I now use it as a packing shed for the CSA.

So if you can imagine it, the old barn (which is also the tallest building on the farm) is connected to two other structures (the 1950’s barn and the auction-bought shed-thing). Because of this situation I felt it was very important to fix up the old barn otherwise it might bring down other buildings as it decayed.

My first step was to clear out the haymow. It had been used as a storage area for old junk…errr, I mean treasures for quite a number of years. Underneath the treasures, was a layer of loose hay about one or two feet thick. The loose hay effectively hid all the holes in the floor and made clearing out the hay mow really pretty exciting. I just never knew if I was standing on the floor or a layer of compacted loose hay that could give way underneath me at any second. Luckily, due to my cat-like reflexes and some strategically places boards I never made the plunge to the lower floor.

Anyway, after hauling away a lot of junk and pitching out a mountain of ancient hay I was ready to assess the situation. I learned that two major beams that ran from the hip in the roof to the floor of the hay mow were completely shot and just sort of dangling there. A section of wall near one of these beams had rotted off at floor level. This 10 foot section of wall waved in the breeze. Additionally, both of the main sill plates (pretty major boards that support the roof rafters and wall studs) had disintegrated in spots as well. And lets not forget the holey floor.

After patching the floor so that I could actually walk around up there, I had my dad over for a consultation. We decided that one of the big beams could be salvaged but the other had to go. The sill plate could be patched and once we had the sill plate patched we could nail the waving-in-the-breeze wall back together.

While all this may seem straightforward, this project took about four weeks. It involved fabricating (from scratch!) several giant metal brackets, modifying a pole jack, the use of several bottle jacks, buying customized lumber at a sawmill and really quite a lot of swearing.

At every turn we had to jack up parts of the barn in order to remove damaged pieces and put new lumber in. If you’ve ever jacked up a building you know how creepy this can be. The building makes all kinds of noises and sometimes you can even see it moving which is really pretty freaky when you are standing inside it! As a result I always get nervous when the jacks come out.

One day my dad and I were working on tearing out the beam that was totally rotten. My dad was up on a ladder prying nails out of where the beam joined the roof. He asked me to go get something out of my garage. I was in a state of nervousness since we had had to jack up a major portion of the barn in order to get this big beam out. So I scampered out of the barn and jogged over to the garage.

While I was rummaging around in the garage, I heard the most peculiar sound…hopefully I never hear this again. It was a series of snaps...real quick like giant dominos falling…about 20 of them or so. At about number 10 I thought “oh my God the barn is falling down and dad’s in there standing on a ladder!!!!”. So I ran out of the garage just in time to hear three big crashes.

As I skidded to a stop in front of the barn, which appeared to still be standing, my dad stuck his head out and said “Holy shit, I think your machine shed just fell over”. Sure enough, it did…damn it. Sometimes it’s like pissing on fires over here…seriously.




We went up to look at the machine shed which had been built by my grandpa in the 1950’s. I had known the shed was in bad shape and also in serious need of a new roof. Cass and I had attempted to stabilize it for the winter by cutting down a tree and bracing the log inside the building. But apparently that was not enough. We’d had plans to restore the building…I sorta wanted to turn it into a party shack.

Even though I was bummed that the building had fallen over, it was interesting to see how it had happened. One wall had leaned out to such a degree that it simply broke free from the rest of the structure. At that point each of the roof rafters snapped in turn (that was the domino-sounding thing I’d heard). After all the rafters snapped the wall that had originally separated collapsed (the first big crash), then the two other walls fell in succession (the other two crashes).

After we finished surveying the damage, there was nothing else to do but go back to working on the barn and hope a similar fate wouldn’t become of it. We headed back up to the hay mow and very soon my uncle, who lives down the road about half a mile, came hurrying up the driveway in his jeep.

He had heard the machine shed collapse. But figured it was the barn that had gone down since he knew we were working on it. We all had a good laugh at the irony of trying to keep up one building while another falls over.

In May I hired two roofers to come put new tin on the roof. It looks great! And doesn’t leak! We put 450 square bails up there this summer…sure feels good to use the old barn. As for the machine shed, the rubble has been cleared and we were able to salvage some pretty nice lumber. Miraculously, one corner of the building is still standing. Perhaps a party shack is still possible….