Yarden of Eatin'

Walpole Valley Farms Awarded 2011 NH Farm of Distinction

March 29, 2011Leave a comment

By Caitlin Caserta, Walpole Valley Farms

Chris Caserta of Walpole Valley Farms stands in front of his farm which was just recognized by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture.(Zachary P. Stephens/Brattleboro Reformer)

Walpole Valley Farms was awarded the New Hampshire Farm of Distinction award on February 4th at the annual Farm and Forest Expo in Manchester, NH. The New Hampshire Farm of Distinction program was started in 1997 as a way to recognize New Hampshire farms that go above and beyond when it comes to aesthetics and cleanliness. The three other Farm of Distinction winners for 2011 were Alyson’s Orchard also of Walpole, Stoneridge Farm of Bradford, and Zorvino Vineyards and Winery of Sandown.

Walpole Valley Farms is a thriving diversified, multi-generational, family farm with a focus on sustainability and agritourism. Innkeeper Jacqueline Caserta tends extensive vegetable, herb and edible flower gardens on the inn grounds which provide much of the ingredients for the decadent three-course candlelight breakfast served daily to inn guests. Gardens on the farm are all maintained following organic and no-till gardening practices. At the heart of Walpole Valley Farms mission is sustainability, education and a healthy connection to the land. The farm has really taken off in the past two years and has been selling its own 100% grass-fed and finished beef, pastured chicken and turkey, eggs from pastured hens, pastured pork and vegetables from the inn gardens. The farm sells its products at Burdick’s Restaurant, Walpole Grocery, Blueberry Fields in Keene, and directly at the farm.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit the farm make a point to this year. Or visit www.innatvalleyfarms.com or www.walpolevalleyfarms.com for more information anytime.

Walpole Valley Farms
663 Wentworth Road
Walpole, NH 03608
(603) 756-2805

Maple Madness: Sugaring with Hank Kenney of Maple Homestead Farm

March 29, 2011March 29, 20114 Comments

By Hannah Grimes Marketplace and Laura Keir

Hank Kenney’s favorite part of maple sugaring is the boiling, when the gallons and gallons of sap are reduced down to a sweet syrup. But so far this year, he hasn’t been able to do much boiling. Up until this past Saturday, March 12, when the Kenneys started boiling, they hadn’t made “a spoonful” of maple syrup. Last year Maple Homestead Farm had finished its syrup production by March 18th. Despite the slow start to the sugaring season at Maple Homestead Farm and elsewhere, the sap is finally running.

Hank has been farming his land in Marlborough since 1972. For nearly 20 years, it was a dairy farm with up to 70 cows. But they couldn’t make money at it. Now the Kenneys’ focus is on the maple syrup, which is available in about 10 stores in the area, and on the hay, which they sell to grain stores and big stables. The roughly 1,000 gallons of maple syrup the farm makes in an average year accounts for about a quarter of the farm’s business, while the 30,000 bales of hay produced each year makes up a considerable chunk of the rest. They also keep five beef cows.

The weather had not cooperated to make the sap run at Maple Homestead until just this past Saturday- freezing nights and warm, sunny days are needed. The Kenneys tap 5,100 trees spread out over 500 acres of land. The sap that ran from those trees earlier in the season did not contain enough sugar to make quality maple syrup. Using a hydrometer to test the sap, Hank found that the sap was only 1% sugar, while 2% or 3% is usually needed to make syrup. Hank says this is probably because the maple trees did not get enough rain back in August, when they were producing their sugars. Despite the low sugar content, someone did boil this low sugar sap, but according to Hank the syrup turned out so dark that they could not sell it.

One of Hank’s favorite maple stories involves a group of middle school kids from Long Island who came up for a visit on a cold, rainy day during sugaring season. “Most had never been off the pavements,” he says. Hank gave them buckets and took them out to show them how the sugaring was done. When they got back to the house, one young boy looked at Hank and said: “Mr. Kenney, this is a lot of work. Why don’t you just buy your syrup at the supermarket?”

“People have gotten too far removed from the farm,” Hank says. “Fewer and fewer people are directly involved with farming. They think food grows on the store shelves.”

As a farmer, Hank knows best that food depends on the temperament of the weather rather than magically appearing on the grocery store shelf. Hank’s prediction for the 2011 sugaring season is that due to the unusually late start there will be less maple syrup produced in this part of the state compared with areas further north. Time will tell how the season shapes up for that golden maple syrup New Hampshire is famous for.

Maple Homestead Farm
60 Richardson Rd
Marlborough, NH 03455
(603) 876-3838

Maple Syrup from Maple Homestead Farm is available at the Hannah Grimes Marketplace.

Raw Milk

March 10, 2011March 10, 20113 Comments

Compiled by Laura Keir, Hannah Grimes Marketplace

February’s Localvore E-Newsletter included news and resources on the latest issues surrounding raw milk. Whether you choose to drink raw milk or not, the regulations and business decisions concerning this local product are probably affecting local farmers and consumers including yourself. Get informed and get involved!

In recent months, the controversy over raw milk has heightened with milk cooperative Organic Valley’s decision to prohibit its suppliers from selling unpasteurized milk to local consumers. The effects of this business move has rippled out to touch the Monadnock region. See the following articles:

Organic Valley Lays Down the Law on Raw Milk
By David Gumpert, Posted on Grist, May 25, 2010

Organic Valley started up in 1988 with a vision of being a different kind of milk cooperative, one that helped save small family dairies via promoting organic dairy products. Read more…

Raw Deal? Co-op Forces Farm to Stop Selling Raw Milk Locally
By Sarah Trefethen; Article from The Keene Sentinel, Published Jan. 31, 2011

Standing on a bale of hay at Stonewall Farm on a recent afternoon, 4-year-old Sara Dafeldecker laced small pieces of hay into her father’s hair as he talked about his family’s relationship with the farm. Sara has been drinking fresh-from-the-cow, unpasteurized milk from Stonewall Farm for her entire life, Kai Dafeldecker said.

Stay informed about raw milk issues in our state by checking out the Facebook page of the New Hampshire Alliance for Raw Milk (NH-ARM).

What’s Your Interest? Do You Drink Raw Milk?

Where do you stand in the controversy over raw milk? How do you feel about recent events concerning raw milk? Share your experiences and knowledge via email, Facebook, and Twitter. If you drink raw milk, where do you purchase it? Please let us know so that we can compile a list of local places to buy raw milk as a resource to the community. And be sure to check the Monadnock Localvore website for additions to this list of raw milk sites.

A Look at Flying Cloud Dairy

February 22, 2011February 22, 20115 Comments

By Jan Sevene, Monadnock Localvore Project
Revised by Laura Keir

Flying Cloud Dairy
426 Hill Road, Alstead, NH 03602
William “Bill” Jahos
(603) 835-2519
Email: bjahos@comcast.net

The “Hill” in the address gives away its location. A quintessential New England farm, Flying Cloud Dairy is situated atop one of Alstead’s pleasing rolling hills, making a visit most pleasant.

Here, owner Bill Jahos milks thirteen cows – mostly Jerseys and one Ayrshire. They produce his quality organic raw milk. Sold in half-gallon glass bottles, it can be picked up at the farm and at a few other sites- Orchard Hill Breadworks in Alstead, Nature’s Green Grocer in Peterborough, and Hannah Grimes Marketplace in Keene.

“The farm does have cream and other farm products available, upon request,” he says. Jahos encourages customers to inquire about other products. If you know what you want, he will tell you if he can fill the order.

Farming for twelve years, he has worked toward converting to organic. Today, the farm’s crops and livestock are all certified organic. But there is more. What makes Flying Cloud Dairy really stand out? Jahos eagerly answers, “My cows are 100 percent grass-fed. No grain. That is important to my customers.” The Flying Cloud herd grazes on pasture during the warmer months and eats baleage and dry hay through the winter. While the cows produce less milk than if they were on a grain diet, Jahos says, “It seems to me the cows are put here to eat grass….to add supplements just for production needs doesn’t fit into my philosophy.”

Support another local farmer, who works hard so that his customers can enjoy the benefits of healthy local products. Get to know Bill Jahos. Give him a call, visit the farm, and ask to be included as a regular on his list of well-cared for customers.