Chicama Run Family Farm

Pumpkin Chili Recipe

2012-01-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

I saw a post the other day with Pumpkin Chili and had it in my mind the last few days that I needed to have it. Yesterday was freezing cold and just a wonderful lazy day so it was perfect. I didn't bookmark the recipe I saw before - so I searched up for Paleo Pumpkin Chili and went from there. http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/foodslideshow/pumpkin-chicken-chili-2/ is the one I came up with -

What do YOU eat?

2012-01-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

This is actually a a very common question that people ask me - especially with so many kids in the house! First my New Year's resolution (or actually New Years just gave me an excuse to do this) is to give a true Paleo diet a try for 30 days. I start this weekend with 100% paleo for myself. This means no dairy for 30 days, no caffeine, and no cheating :) I'm pretty sure I can do this one

Things you forget.....

2012-01-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

as you start to be the one behind the computer..... Last night and this morning I got to milk the cows. Shocker I know - but my oldest girls were at friends' homes for the New Years Eve "stuff" and we gave our employee the evening and morning off. The process is no big deal at all - kinda like riding a bike - you just go and do it. But the thing you forget is the enjoyment in it. No, it's

Fully Flowing Ferments

2011-12-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

The one thing I like about the winter months is the fact I get to spend a little more time on things I have fun doing. Joe has now called me the "Voodoo Woman" as the kitchen is once again filled with experiments. Best part is my son is now going to start doing it as well. Ferments are so easy to get started - but you do need to keep up with it. I'm not a purist in any sense of the word for

Whenever we get sick...

2011-11-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

...we seem to re-evaluate what we are eating and how we are living our life. At least that is the case for me. Not a 1 or 2 day illness - that's nothing. But for the last 3 weeks I have been sick. That's right 3 LONG weeks. The first 2 Joe had to take off work from his regular job so he could do the basic stuff around the house I really couldn't do. Heck, getting out of bed wasn't

Time to Move

2011-10-07T17:09:00.000-04:00

Nah - don't worry..... no one has walked up and offered us money to buy our place. It's just time to move animals. This might sound easy - but it's not. We need to separate the goats we are breeding, goats that need to go to the butcher, goats that just need to go to a new home and goats that aren't ready to do anything yet but sit around and eat. What this type of separation does is allow us

Just a quick thought.....

2011-09-23T20:14:00.000-04:00

So, last week I get an email from a publishing person from the Weston A Price organization. I'm a big fan and believer in a lot of what they promote so it's always exciting when I hear from someone asking me if I want to be a part of their publication. However, here is my issue. I was asked if I shipped my products so that I could then be included in the 2012 Shopping Guide. Ok - don't they

Circle of "Farming"

2011-09-19T10:01:00.000-04:00

It was a sad but needed moment this morning before 8am - we loaded one of our dairy cows for the auction. 6 years, this is the first animal to go to auction vs the butcher. As much as we love our cows, this is something that needed to be done. First, she did produce a wonderful little bull calf (who will soon be veal) - but she never produced enough milk and was actually a pain to use the

Lunch Sizes

2011-09-13T07:32:00.000-04:00

I was just going to post pictures of lunches up on Facebook - however, it occurred to me this morning the different size lunches I make for each kid and people might not always relate - especially with seeing the bento boxes vs the ziploc divided containers. First up is Alexis's lunch. This is a standard 2-tiered bento box. Bottom level are grapes, chocolate wafers, celery w/peanut butter & her

Sunday Meal Planning

2011-09-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

Back to planning meals and I'll share whats going on this week! Dinners for the week are: Sunday - Lasagna & Salad Monday - Stuffed Chicken Tuesday - Tailgate Wraps (Spicy Chicken wraps) - we have a football game to attend Wednesday - Vegetable Casserole Thursday - Turkey Burgers Friday - Chicken Salad Pitas Saturday - Joe's Choice Every night would have a side salad and/or fruit :) The new

What's for lunch?

2011-09-02T08:03:00.000-04:00

A lot of people have been asking me what I am serving the kids for lunch - especially with 5 kids I am packing for - then I have added Joe into the mix (mainly because he didn't think I could pack a full lunch in one of those boxes) Today: 2 kids got: leftover chicken thighs (cut off the bone), rice crackers, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, jelly dessert 2 kids got: ham/cheese

Bento Lunches

2011-08-31T17:30:00.000-04:00

So with school starting - I packed all my kids great lunches thinking they would be STARVING by the time lunch rolled around. Every single one of them came home with stuff they didn't eat. Now, I'm back to bentos. What are bentos? Japanese lunch boxes! They actually are very special in Japan - if you like someone a great way to show it is to pack him a special bento box :) Cute huh? I was

Healthy Meal Planning During the School Year

2011-08-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

I think this question is asked of me a lot. HOW DO YOU DO IT? Answer... I don't always do it and believe me, I screw up a lot! However, if I can remain consistent in planning my meals for the week, my week goes so much more smoothly. It doesn't eliminate the "What's for dinner??" question that everyone seems the need to ask multiple times throughout the day... but it helps me figure out where

What do people want

2011-08-24T14:27:00.001-04:00

With so many people out there, there are so many different attitudes. First, we have the people who are easy going, don't expect a lot as long as you talk to them and are honest. They understand that even though this is a business, this is also our home and our family (which comes first). Believe it or not, though this is the majority of our wonderful customers, this is not the majority of the

Take a moment to look around

2011-08-04T08:55:00.000-04:00

I will say that we are blessed with an incredible beautiful piece of property. Sometimes however, we don't get the time to just sit back and enjoy looking at it - we are constantly going or doing something. Early in the morning though I left to take a child to one thing or another and saw across the road a momma wild turkey and her babies. She's been in the field for the last few weeks and it

What does "Going to Fair" mean?

2011-08-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

This past week we were "at fair." Though a lot of people shook their heads in understanding - I'm not sure what people think it means. Some were shocked we weren't open, some thought it was for 1 day, others just looked at us clueless so I thought I would type up a brief description for you. First - 4-H starts in October so the kids are already planning what they are doing. Every month they

One of the best things I've done....

2011-06-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

I have done something amazing - ingenious and so much more. I hired someone to clean my house!!! I know - shocker... a country mom is supposed to clean house, bake bread, sew clothes and so much more. Well that ain't me (don't tell my kids I used that word - which isn't in my opinion an actual word).... I placed an ad on Craigslist - stated what I needed done and what I was willing to pay.

Getting Back to Basics

2011-05-31T13:27:00.000-04:00

Joe and I have been talking over the last few weeks. We love what we do - we are amazed at how it has grown.... but then we get back to asking ourselves "Why did we start this farm?" Answer (besides our usual "to get away from people"): To provide great products to people and for our family. Nothing huge there - nothing profound - nothing about making a million dollars..... just to show people

Detox Day 2

2011-05-29T08:45:00.000-04:00

So I tried to start on Friday - and I failed. Seriously, I went half the day and was done with it. But, being determined to give this a go... I restarted on Saturday. I had a bad migraine very early in the morning so was up from 2-4am then finally fell asleep only to re-wake up at 5:30 to get ready for the market. Made it through the market on only water as I was still a little fuzzy headed.

Time to Detox

2011-05-27T07:52:00.000-04:00

After 2 weeks of rushing around and working on the farm - it's time to seriously detox. I personally ate so much garbage in the last couple of weeks, I'm a little ashamed (but not so much I feel bad I ate 2 pieces of cake!). Starting today I am detoxing. A friend put that buzz word back in my ear a few weeks ago when she was going to do a 7-day detox (need to find out how she did when I see

The Way it Works

2011-05-17T13:36:00.000-04:00

It's funny how life works all the time. I always just shake my head. This weeks multiple head-shaking events: #1 A goat who didn't even LOOK pregnant gave birth to 3 babies (all are healthy) - she was skinny as a rail to the point I just looked at her and didn't think she was going to give birth this year at all! # 2 Of course as we get ready for the Loudoun Spring Farm Tour this weekend, we

How to get ready for market

2011-05-09T14:06:00.000-04:00

A lot of people look at farmers markets as a quick set up because of the tents and the lack of a "store front." Quite a few have evolved to accepting credit cards and using a cash register even since we started (honestly the first year we were at 2 I never saw a cash register!). So what does it take to get to market day? I'll go with us....... Thursday afternoon/evening - we butcher the

Are You Legit?

2011-04-27T19:51:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not this was asked this past week. Do we actually do what we say we do...... well - look around and I think you'll see animals and such..... so yep we do. If you go to a farm and there are no animals or gardens you might want to think twice. But also ask the farmer - some contract farm, some lease land etc. This brought on a thought - probably because I had CSA stuff on the

Seeing farming as a business

2011-04-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

This is actually a very hard thing to do... yet as I sit with my new set up of Quickbooks Online open, it occurred to me how much of a business this is. I love what we do - don't EVER get me wrong on that one. I love living here. Joe and I were talking last night about being able to make it work after he retires and being able to stay here. This is a very expensive place to live - on a farm

Quick & Simple Yogurt Recipe!

2011-04-22T10:50:00.000-04:00

So that milk you have doesn't smell too good anymore? DON'T TOSS IT! Make it into yogurt instead! Take 1 gallon of milk (souring is just fine) Heat it to 180 degrees (this does NOT make it raw yogurt - it does pasteurize it - but this is a simple recipe) Let it cool to 100 degrees (you can do this in an ice bath or let it cool down naturally - depends if you are in a hurry or not) Add 1

Chickens are NOT Vegetarians

2011-04-13T08:12:00.000-04:00

This morning proved it. Forget the feed - there are WORMS on the ground! Poor worms didn't know what hit them. First I let out the ducks and they haven't eaten feed in a few days while it is raining. Why? Would you if a tastier dinner kept presenting itself from the ground? I move the feeder, the ducks are there waiting for the bounty underneath..... move the water dish - the ground is

Good Morning!

2011-04-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

Whew! So it's 8:25 and I figured today would be a typical morning.... get up.... get 1st kid off to school....let out chickens... get the other 3 kids off to school....do barn chores with the addition of milking the cows in the morning to see if we can get production up some. Everything went as planned until in the barn I notice that a dairy goat is FINALLY giving birth! Well, one was still

Not just farming the land

2011-03-16T18:59:00.000-04:00

When a couple gets married, they think about "putting down roots". It doesn't happen right away - but you think about it. Joe and I were no different. 16 years ago we wanted a place to call our own. Our journey started in Winchester, VA with our first "real house" we bought (we lived in a town house first). 1/4 acre which backed up to a farm - perfect. Then after a few years, and 2 kids,

Childhood Memories...

2011-03-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

Some things make you think twice and look back further... I made fermented ketchup a few months ago. My family wasn't thrilled - and I have now decided they will get over it and I will start making it again. How did I come to this conclusion? Easy..... and believe it or not - I have my own mom to thank for this memory. My mother didn't make ketchup (that I remember) - it was always store

Logistics Stink

2011-03-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

I don't like numbers. I don't care that I got an 'A' in Algebra or that I got another 'A' in accounting (to Joe's amazement) - I don't like to run numbers at all - I give that work to Joe. Last night I went to look at the pricing at the grocery store to see what prices are for meat. I was astonished. Sometimes I wear blinders as I can't tell you the last time I had to BUY my own beef or pork

The Reason You Buy the Right Equipment

2011-02-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

Today we de-horned the baby goats. This is one of the most unpleasant things I think we have to do around here - but we got it done. Pretty much, the de-horner heats up to 500+ degrees and burns around the area of the horn which causes a scab and it falls off and the horn doesn't grow back (hopefully). Why do you get the right stuff to do this? Easy - this STINKS (burning hair etc).... 3-5

Buttermilk Bread Recipe

2011-02-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I made butter from our raw cream - awesome if I do say so myself. A secondary product of making butter is BUTTERMILK. So what do I do with this stuff? My first thought - BREAD. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking is one of my favorite books of all time. I LOVE the bread recipes in this book. So the main recipe which is super easy

Thoughts from the weekend

2011-02-07T08:24:00.000-05:00

We had a really good weekend and enjoyed everything about it. Some thoughts popped into my head though as I had many conversations. #1 - All because something is "Amish" it doesn't mean it's organic. Joe took me to Lancaster the May before we moved in here 6 years ago. Our goal was to find a farm and "see how it's done". Well, we found a "free range egg" farm and headed over there. Walking

You have to love farming

2011-02-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

Just my quick thought of the day. 1) Went to milk the new cow (doing this by hand until we get the machine parts) 2) Cow knocked over the feed and got grumpy about it 3) Cow kicked my arm 4) Cow stepped on my leg and foot 5) Cow knee'd my head *twice* 6) I swear she laughed when I came up and just looked at her Got my milk - let her back out - she followed me to the gate then promptly pushed me

Meet Brenda - Our New Jersey Cow

2011-02-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

Random things I think about...

2011-01-24T16:15:00.000-05:00

On these cold days I sometimes just have random thoughts - yeah I'm sure that if they had a diagnosis when I was growing up I would have been "ADH....oooooo shiny!".... but they didn't so I don't have a label.... Joe just sits and shakes his head at me 1/2 the time. So - I was supposed to be on vacation down in St Thomas this past week..... by myself...... on a beach...... in the sun..... and 70

Sloppy Joes over Rice

2011-01-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

I made this for dinner last night and there is none left (I was actually hoping for some leftovers but I guess it was good!) 2lbs ground beef 2 cloves garlic minced 1 medium onion minced 1 can tomato paste 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup beef broth salt & pepper to taste Brown the meat with the onion & garlic. While browning - mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add the mix to the browned meat and

Dreaming of Milk and Cream (and honey!)

2011-01-08T14:57:00.000-05:00

Well, we might get a cow or 2! I am seriously excited about this. I always get excited when we get a new animal and start a new adventure - but I am really dreaming of this one. Why? MILK - ok 5 kids drink a lot of milk. I refuse to buy the cheap brands and $6/gallon can really cut into my budget if they decide to drink a lot. Raw is definitely better from cows I know and handle on a daily

Hamilton Beach Juicer Review

2011-01-04T12:01:00.000-05:00

So my new juicer came in yesterday. Being new to juicing - honestly it scares me. Questions pop into my head... "Will I like the taste of the juice?", "Do I have time?", "Too messy?" Things like that which I am sure that everyone else goes through as well. So I had an older Juiceman Jr and tried it. Ok - I was a whimp - I did only apple juice and well I don't think you can go wrong with

Winter Planning

2011-01-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

It's amazing that we start planning now for spring and summer. The seed catalogs filled our mailbox this past week and over the weekend we went through "What do you want?".... Now for veggies we try to keep it simple YET interesting. Such as finding an orange sweet bell pepper. Yep that was not easy to find a big one. We could find red, green, "white", and even purple -- but me being

So let's catch up

2010-12-27T16:53:00.000-05:00

So it's been awhile since I have blogged - I post on facebook all the time just because it's there and I can do it from my phone - it's SOOOO easy! Alright, we had a wonderful summer - but let's get on with what's going on now. We currently are waiting on goats to give birth. I have a monitor stuck in the barn so I can see in the morning - yet we still have to go out there. This week would be

Why not organic feed?

2010-05-24T17:14:00.000-04:00

This question is asked a lot of us and the simple answer is COST. Right now we pay $9 per 50lb bag of chicken feed - that's when we buy 2 tons at a time. We over winter our chickens - and so we need to cover the cost of feeding them in January & February when some days we get only 2 eggs. So by our calculations we can pay for their feed and such by charging the $4 per dozen. The feed we get

How can you fault a drink?

2010-05-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

That gives your kids 30+ pro-biotic cultures and THEY LIKE IT!? With so many problems today with kids drinking sodas and pretty much "crap" - this summer I have the solution... my kids will be drinking the water kefir or kombucha only (or homemade lemonade - but I can do THAT with kefir!) I'm up to making 1 gallon every couple of days of each (I like it to ferment 48 hours at least). I just

Goat's are temperamental...

2010-05-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not talking about their attitudes at all (though - I know why they call the baby goats "kids" - they are no different than humans!).... but with their milk production. Seriously - last week..... happy goats.... decent weather.... milk production 'A-OK' giving us about 1 1/2 gallons per day with the 2 goats. Yesterday and today - just over a gallon. It's rainy - icky..... and they just don't

Drink making day!

2010-04-23T08:47:00.000-04:00

Well the kids are thrilled with the water kefir drinks mixed with a fruit juice. Who am I to argue with kids drinking something that has more healthy bacteria in it than a cup of yogurt!? So today I mixed up more..... it will go in the fridge tomorrow morning and be ready by tomorrow evening to start drinking. My experiment of the week was to put milk kefir grains into juice and let it ferment

Eat Seasonally

2010-04-21T07:34:00.000-04:00

What does it mean to "east seasonally"? It means that tomatoes are NOT grown year round in Virginia unless there is a hot-house involved. Sorry - you will not be able to get tomatoes, cucumbers, and other yummies just yet at the market. What is in season then? Think cold stuff - lettuce, cabbage, asparagus, things like that. I found this interactive map and it gives you SOME ideas but not all

What to do with all the milk??

2010-04-05T07:42:00.000-04:00

So we have the Nubian dairy goats now. I'm milking 1 of them.... last night the one that we thought wasn't due until April 16th decided to have triplets..... and later this morning I head out to go and get the 3rd one who we left there because she was so close to giving birth we didn't want to move her (she had the baby the day after we left - good call!!).... Right now with just milking the 1

Spring is in full swing!

2010-04-03T07:57:00.000-04:00

Lambs are jumping - kids and running themselves exhausted by the end of the day (the human and goat kind as well!) and all is good..... ok GREAT!!! Over the next few weeks, I'm planning on doing some reviews of some books. Since we opened our Goat Herd Share program, a lot of people have been asking about eating healthier, raw advantages/disadvantages, goat vs cow, etc etc etc. So I am going

Farmer's Market Update

2010-03-15T10:28:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone -Last week I sent out an email stating that we were not accepted into the Leesburg Farmer's Market for the Spring/Summer Season. Thank you ALL who emailed me supporting us as we are and believing in us. Those who know me and talk to me realize I am just not a very political person - we do what we do, follow the rules and such and really just enjoy what we do at the end of the day.I

If you think farmers are all fair....

2010-03-07T17:03:00.000-05:00

THINK AGAIN!! It's amazing to me how competitive farmers are. Seriously - I think when we had the computer store people were less competitive, and that's a field where you expect competition. When I think of farmers, I think of people helping each other out when they need it, talking to each other for ideas, and just old fashioned values. Believe it or not, this is not true. If I have an

The Season Starts

2010-03-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

Plants are started in the basement, baby chicks are ordered..... and the schedule starts picking up. It's funny how with all the snow still on the ground and now more is expected that we are expecting baby chicks and my basement has grow lights because tomatoes need to be started now. It's honestly hard to think about warmer weather right now with snow predicted and since we are STILL unable to

My Problem...

2010-02-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't "get it"..... yesterday I brought in 2 lambs who weren't doing well and they were born just the day before. Neither one made it through the night even with me getting up every 2 hours. I have NEVER successfully brought in lambs and had them survive. Goats - no problem... all but 1 that I have brought in survived. It's just exhausting when you try so hard to just to have them

Sorry everyone for the past couple of days!

2010-02-15T18:40:00.000-05:00

Someone hacked into the email posting for our blog - I apologize!! What a pain it has been!! I hope it's all cleared up!

The Adventure of Egg Gathering...

2010-02-11T17:09:00.002-05:00

This is usually a pretty easy job because we just drive the ATV up to the chicken coop with the feed. The kids actually WANT to do this chore MOST days. Today - not so much. It took all of us to get 2 bags (100 lbs) of feed up to the chickens because we have been unable to plow a path to the chickens. If we stepped wrong, we could sink 3+ feet and it was exhausting. To heck with a treadmill!

Blizzard 2010 - Day 2

2010-02-06T09:31:00.000-05:00

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Some areas are up to my waist - over 36"....and we are expecting at least 6-8" MORE today...

A Little Bit of Rain....

2010-01-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Most people looked at yesterday as annoying - and I can totally agree. Flash Floods are no fun and rain can make a good hair day go bad.Here's the difference though when you look at it from a farmer's point of view with animals....1) Is there flooding in the barn? 2) Are the animals swimming or did they drown?3) The ducks love it - but what of the chickens in that coop? Under that coop is an

Cube Steak Stroganoff

2010-01-19T08:31:00.000-05:00

Cube Steak Stroganoff (from the original Saving Dinner cookbook)Serves 66 cube steaksSalt and pepper, to taste3 teaspoons vegetable oil1 pound mushrooms, sliced1 onion, chopped3/4 cup chicken broth1/2 cup low-fat sour cream, room temperature1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1 teaspoon tarragonIn skillet over medium high heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil and brown cube steaks on both sides, salting and peppering on

First baby goats

2009-12-31T14:42:00.001-05:00

Well - we had our first baby goats yesterday (12/30/2009)! The only problem is that I have "roaming" goats and dang it if they didn't get "knocked-up" by the large boer goat instead of the cute little nigerian goat we brought home from the fair! UGH!!! What does this mean? Well luckily it wasn't one of the kids registered goats - but these guys will be sold as pets - that could get medium

Everyone is in....

2009-12-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

The barn that is! We had our first baby lamb born (either the 23rd late evening/night or early morning the 24th). She's adorable of course - pure white and just loving. She likes her head scratched.So now - we are expecting the following:11 more ewes (female sheep) to give birth and they usually have twins.9 goats (I think) to give birth and some look like they might have triplets - but the

Snow - December 2009

2009-12-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

Yes - it is snowing. Right now I would say 18" or so are on the ground and it doesn't look like it is stopping anytime soon. The weather guys say that it won't stop until sometime Sunday morning.How does the affect us? A LOT!!! I love snuggling up and watching it snow - and today Joe is the one outside becoming a snowman. I am not ashamed to say that I'm a whimp when it comes to this much

This Saturday at Chicama Run - Open 10-3!

2009-12-04T07:44:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I think that Mother Nature is teasing us with really cold days and then the next day 70 degrees. Over here, we are a little tired of the rain as it makes the fields too wet to do anything. We do have another couple of busy weeks ahead of us! First off - we are OPEN this Saturday from 10-3. We will have eggs, beef, pork, lamb, goat & chicken available. On the chicken - we

Chicama Run Farm will be Open Saturday with Fresh Chicken and Eggs!

2009-11-27T08:01:00.001-05:00

We hope that everyone had a filling Thanksgiving! Our family farm is smoking one of our turkeys today (Friday) after spending a wonderful day in Fairfax with family on Thursday just because we wanted to try it out. We WILL be open on Saturday from 10-3. We have 4 fresh turkeys left which will be on sale for $3.99/pound (from the regular $5.99/pound) and we will be happy to add a second bag

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

What a day - we finally get to just sit. Yesterday was our last round of turkeys and we truly hope that everyone enjoys them!! We get to enjoy ours tomorrow when I set up the smoker and try smoking one (I've never done it).Butchering the turkeys was truly a family event. Unlike the chickens where I can do 10-20 myself in about 1 hour (not including the time the water takes to heat up) -

Last Chance for Fresh Turkey - Tomorrow (Wednesday) at Chicama Run from 1-5!

2009-11-24T18:17:00.001-05:00

This is the LAST time (I promise) I will be emailing you about the Thanksgiving Turkeys - but I figured with the phone calls I have gotten I will send out a reminder. Tomorrow, Wednesday, from 1-5 Chicama Run will be open! Even if you did NOT reserve a fresh turkey, we will have extras available for you that we are butchering in the morning. Price for the turkeys is $5.99 per pound and the

More Turkey News from Chicama Run!

2009-11-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Our whole family will be working this morning to continue butchering turkeys for your Thanksgiving dinner! We have been having a few 15lb turkeys - but most have been in the 16-21 pound range. We WILL be open once again on Sunday from 3-6 and then again on Wednesday from 1-7 for turkey pick up! I suggest coming early on Sunday or Wednesday for the best selection. We will

Correction on TURKEY PRICING!!

2009-11-20T08:42:00.001-05:00

I need more coffee this morning! Everyone - the TURKEYS ARE $5.99/pound - not $5.99! Sorry about that!!! Dana www.chicamarun.com Change email address / Leave mailing list Powered by YourMailingListProvider

Fresh Turkeys, Fresh Chicken, Fresh Eggs & Lamb at Chicama Run - SATURDAY!

2009-11-20T08:37:00.001-05:00

WE ARE OPEN SATURDAY FROM 10-3 The rush for Thanksgiving starts today when I start butchering chickens and turkeys for people this week. This will be both exciting and exhausting since it is my first year doing it AND the first time I have done butchering day after day. SO - what does this mean for you?? Even if you were on the fence for a fresh turkey this year and now you think you might

Chicama Run Farm will be Open Saturday with Fresh Chicken and Eggs!

2009-11-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

Of course we will have some of your favorite beef and pork products as well as the chicken and the eggs! Specials for this week: CHICKEN - $3.99/pound!! I'm butchering today and if you would like to come out tonight (Friday) let me know and we can have them ready for you. Ground Beef - the sales are going great at $4.50/pound so we aren't going to stop it this week Delmonico Steaks -

Quick Reminder! Chicama Run is Open Saturday 10-3!

2009-11-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

Don't miss out on your favorite meats and of course eggs! Come out to the farm starting today (Saturday November 7th) every Saturday from 10-3 to pick up your favorite items. Reserve your turkey today as well - most people start scrambling at the last minute to get a fresh turkey but usually they are all gone by then! Do it at the farm today or online at http://www.chicamarun.com/turkey.html

Chicama Run is Almost Sold Out of Beef for the Year!

2009-11-02T09:06:00.001-05:00

Good morning everyone! I try not to email this often, but we only have 3 - 1/4's left for 2009 of our freezer beef!! We have 2 Choice B (Boneless Steaks) and 1 Choice A (Bone-In Steaks). Once these are sold, this will be it for the season so make sure you get your order in as soon as possible!! http://www.chicamarun.com/beef.html This week is THE LAST WEEK if you want a whole lamb! They

Fresh Chicken Still Available at Chicama Run this Week!!

2009-11-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! After having fun dressing up for Halloween and seeing everyone's cool costumes and all the trick or treating is done..... WE STILL HAVE SOME CHICKENS LEFT!! So here's the deal.... This week Sunday evening (after 4:30) and on Monday.... you can come and pick up chickens for $4.00/pound instead of the usual $4.50/pound. They are still really fresh since I didn't get to butcher

Trick or Treat at Chicama Run Farm! Saturday October 31st

2009-10-28T10:01:00.001-04:00

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Huge News for Chicama Run & What's Happening This Week!

2009-10-23T10:43:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! We were really happy with all the people who came out to support us during the COLD & WET Loudoun County Fall Farm Tour last weekend. It was great to see all our regular customers and then a TON of new people. This was the first one I was able to hang out and talk to some of you instead of running around constantly so that was a good thing. We still have stuff going on so here

Fall Tour Weekend

2009-10-19T06:20:00.000-04:00

Well everyone, it rained Saturday and we STILL had a good turn-out...... Sunday was no rain, but a little windy and again faithful people came out. So the weekend wasn't a total bust in that respect! Unfortunately we were unable to do any hayrides because we would have gotten stuck thanks to all the rain we had. Sunday we were able to do a couple egg gathering tours for those brave enough to

It's the Fall Farm Color Tour Weekend at Chicama Run!

2009-10-13T08:04:00.001-04:00

Ok - this is one of the busiest weeks we have during the year so I am sending this out a little early for everyone. First off - this Saturday and Sunday we are open from 10-4 BOTH DAYS! We will be serving lunch (burger patties from our very own Black Angus steers!) and so much more. Come out with the kids, participate in a scavenger hunt, gather your own eggs to take home, pick your own

Smokin'!

2009-10-05T11:41:00.000-04:00

Ok - for our anniversary I bought Joe an electric smoker. Yeah I know - but you try to do all the chores we do and keep a smoker running at the correct temp!So today, being the good wife I can sometimes be, I am cleaning out the freezer by smoking 3 (yes 3) pork shoulder roasts - YUMMY!!! PULLED PORK FOR DINNER!!!The recipe I used as a rub:1/4 cup brown sugar1/4 cup paprika2 tablespoons salt1

This Weekend at Chicama Run!

2009-10-02T13:50:00.001-04:00

Ok - I'm a little later today than I like but here we go! We will be open tomorrow (Saturday October 3rd) from 1-4. It should be a GORGEOUS day to walk around and visit the farm. We will still be offering the 10% off all beef, lamb, pork & mutton when purchased on the farm. This special is NOT available at the farmer's market. We will have chicken available and eggs once again - I am

Hot News Including Turkey Reservations at Chicama Run a Day EARLY!!

2009-09-27T14:42:00.001-04:00

You all have been waiting for this so here it is - a day early!!! Those on the email list are getting a headstart for reserving turkeys - we will be opening it up to the public on Saturday at the market so be sure if you want a turkey you reserve it this week. http://www.chicamarun.com/turkey.html Only about 40 are available so make sure not to put it off for too long!! Next....yes....

Chicama Run Farm will be Open Saturday with Fresh Chicken and Eggs!

2009-09-25T09:14:00.001-04:00

It's amazing that it's been close to 90 degrees this past week - did someone forget it was FALL?? I'll start off with the most pressing question that people have been asking me - TURKEYS! Yes, we do have about 40 turkeys we will be butchering for Thanksgiving this year!! So far so good. Many of you know last year was a disaster and when we moved them from 1 place to another, they decided to

Just one of the cool things about living here

2009-09-21T15:53:00.000-04:00

I just think it's cool to see this big guy RUNNING (I'm serious - he was cruisin' for such a big turtle!) down the road this afternoon.

Little Piggies...

2009-09-21T09:53:00.000-04:00

Well our large black pig gave birth on Saturday.....8 little piggies were born....1 was still born making it 7 little piggies....Night #1 - 3 little piggies didn't make it or were squished by mom..... now 4 little piggiesNight #2 - the runt didn't make it through the night..... now 3 little piggies....This one is a learning experience. We aren't using a farrowing crate since they are pasture

I've Been Asked....

2009-09-16T09:41:00.000-04:00

To post our newsletter on our blog. Apparently a few people are fans on facebook (very cool BTW).... and they look there and not on the email. I heard you - and so now I will do this :)I just sent this out this morning:"Hi everyone!Chimney sweeps are here - which means colder weather is right around the corner! So it's time to get some of your favorite meats at Chicama Run this Saturday from 1

Cool Sunflowers

2009-09-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

I just think these are cool! Joe picked the sunflowers today - and I just think they look great. We've had people use these as bird feeders and had people take the seeds and roast them. Just a neat thing to grow - especially since I had never seen it before.

Round 1 of Salsa!

2009-08-30T11:51:00.000-04:00

This is round 1 of salsa making this year! Alexis is the one who did all the hard work of chopping the tomatoes! We cheat a little by using Ball Seasoning mixes - but for the amount we need to go through - it works well for us. Super yummy!!! Now we just need more mix to make more!In case you are wondering - this was about 20 lbs of our salsa tomatoes. 15 pints + 6 jelly jars total!

You Know Your Kid's A Farmer.....

2009-08-15T06:40:00.001-04:00

Ok we just got back from my in-laws house for Joe's dad's 75th birthday. Gotta go for something like that - even if there isn't a big party. It's been 4 years or so since we've been down there so it was exciting - but a long 7+ hour car trip.On the way home on I-95 we stopped by this HUGE store "JR's" which we have seen the signs/billboards for years and we just needed to know WHAT it was.

Whew what a long week.....

2009-08-02T10:16:00.001-04:00

Ok we are ALMOST done with the 4-H Fair week. We just have to go and get animals and clean up. Both the kids did really well with showing and their animals did better than I thought they would - which is always good. After 4 years we are still learning how to do the animals that are for showing and this year Jacob got 1st place in his class for bred and owned market lamb and reserve champion

Fun Busy Week....

2009-07-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

This week is super busy...Alexis is in Vacation Bible School and is having a blast...... Jacob is outside helping Joe build the new turkey house......I'm doing paperwork and doing tax stuff...This is what's exciting though....A few years ago I applied for the exemption to process poultry.... it was 5,000 birds per year and you couldn't sell to restaurants, cut up the birds etc. THEY CHANGED IT!!

Gross Out Moment of the Day...

2009-07-12T14:13:00.000-04:00

This post is not for the faint of heart... to some of you - you will laugh..... me..... i did the girly jump up and down and said "GROSSSSSSSS" even with no one around - so I had to call Joe and tell him.....On to my 2 second story.Sometimes you have to put an animal down for whatever reason. This happens on farms as well believe it or not - and we usually do it ourselves. Today it was a

Less Stressful Morning

2009-06-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

Wow.....what a difference a little help makes.So here was my morning:Woke up 6:30 and had coffee and went through emails.7:30 started washing eggs for deliveries today8:30 still washing eggs and needed to get started feeding birds etc plus hooking up the trailer to load animals8:45 help showed up and went and fed all the birds, gathered eggs (pretty much my morning chores)9:30 everything is done

Deciding to downsize and focus

2009-06-28T12:02:00.001-04:00

It's time to breathe a little. I know that sounds a little strange... but we have decided what we want to focus on. CHICKEN/POULTRY.We will start getting rid of our sheep (so anticipate having large amounts of mutton soon - I may even do sausage just because we will have so much to work from). I know a lot of people love our lamb - but they are a lot of work and we do need to focus.Don't worry

A little odd.....

2009-06-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

So we have a friend's son coming in and helping a few days per week with some odd jobs here and there and it feels odd. Why?Because for 4 years, it has just been us doing all the work - no help or anything. But now we are trying to go away here and there on short trips. We purchased a travel trailer almost to force us to go away. We need the break as living where you work can get tough -

So what's going on...

2009-06-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

It's hot. Plain and simple - no one wants to move in the heat. No, it's not August heat...... yet.... but this humidity - well my hair is an instant barometer and the frizz factor says "ICK"We've had a long week already as one of Alexis's show lambs died. Luckily she had one more - but of course it was the one that looked the best. Then 2 of the other lambs died. When rain hits like this -

Pug Checking Out the New Coop

2009-06-01T09:26:00.000-04:00

So this picture was taken by Alexis the other day. The coop is for the kid's 4-H birds (a bunch of bantams) and Pug decided he needed to check it out.

Addicted to Strawberries

2009-05-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

Yes I am! Totally addicted! I told Joe I'm dreaming of running through strawberry fields naked - that's how bad it is.....of course I have my new red crocs on so I don't step on anything.... yes I am a true red neck at this point in my life.These were picked by the kids Sunday the 24th. We think they are the "ever-bearing" variety which is smaller (super sweet) but they produce all year. These

Successful Farm Tour

2009-05-21T07:48:00.001-04:00

Boy did we have fun this past weekend! I think we are still recovering, but it was a lot of fun.We have no idea how many people came through this time - but over 70 DOZEN eggs were gathered by kids and adults alike!I think I have my voice back after talking so much to everyone, but it was worth it. Every year we do this and it's always great to see so many people come out to visit and to talk

Book Addict

2009-05-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

I love books.... Amazon.com is my addiction and the UPS guy knows it! So I ordered the books I needed/wanted for the kids and their Ambleside Online year which we will hopefully be starting soon as I need to get everything in order (which requires the books which will be here Monday)Now of course - a lot of the books are available online for free thanks to them being out of copyright.... but I

Why things cost....

2009-05-10T11:01:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about this the past couple of days.... ok .... people were asking me why I request a $15 minimum on credit cards and realized that most people (including myself before I had a business) did not realize the amount small businesses CAN be charged just for the convenience of accepting credit cards.Now - this isn't a complaint panel.... I just want people to understand some of

Butchering Time!

2009-05-08T09:19:00.000-04:00

Finally with all this rain we get a break! So today I get to butcher the remaining 8 chickens that we have ready to go. Yes - we lost a lot. But I anticipate this being the last "loosing" group because Joe finished my chicken tractor and so far 0 losses.So with me doing this - Joe has gotten most of the gardens ready and is starting to plant some stuff today. Even tomatoes! He grew a variety

Reflections

2009-04-28T13:11:00.000-04:00

Well this past month overwhelmed has seemed to the word of the day - everyday. I had surgery as many of you know - and because of that for the past 6 weeks I haven't been able to lift anything which on a farm isn't easy.We've gotten through it pretty well (though Joe is totally sick of chickens and eggs at the moment) and are looking forward.The question recently arose of "why we moved here."

Spring Day!

2009-04-17T10:32:00.001-04:00

What a beautiful day to get stuff done! This is great since we are opening up the farm tomorrow for the first of the "season." So much needs to be done...As many know I had abdominal surgery a few weeks ago and I thank everyone for their well wishes! Poor Joe has had to deal with me getting grumpy from sitting around and being frustrated to dealing with 2 kids who are done with school (which