For those of you keeping track, there was no October newsletter. I certainly had lots of news in October but just no time to sit down and write it all down. That means this newsletter will be a long one. The Pumpkin Patch and Maze were great, we had a record number of visitors. No one spent as much money as in years past but I think that is a sign of our economy. We are still grateful for everyone that came out and enjoyed the wonderful weather and all of the farm fun. This year’s maze game was about farm animals and we hope everyone that visited the maze learned something new about farm animals. We want everyone to have fun while visiting the farm but we also want you to learn something about farming and farm life. We added a couple of new features this year, the duck races and the cow train and included gems with our fossil mining. We had thousands of school children visit both for the Pumpkin Patch field trip and the Thanksgiving on the Farm field trip. They picked pumpkins, learned about growing pumpkins, learned about the first Thanksgiving dinner, fed cows from the hayride, visited the farm animals, and played in the playground. I’m always amazed at the way different teachers handle their classes. My favorite teacher is the one with a whistle, that’s a lady who knows how to take charge and get attention. I’m getting a whistle for next year.
Our Fall Harvest Dinner was a wonderful success again this year, thanks mostly to our fabulous chefs but also thanks to all of you that attended. Below is a list of the 11 chefs that participated this year. Please help us thank them for donating their time and talent to Legare Farms Education Foundation. The best way we can thank them is visiting the restaurants and eating with them. We had some of our favorite chefs that return every year and we had some new chefs this year. Thank goodness the weather was perfect this year. Last year we about froze. Make plans to attend next year, it’s always a great event.
We finished up our 2011 CSA vegetable deliveries mid November. I think this year’s vegetables were a success although we struggled with the spring and early summer vegetables because we were so dry. Fall was a much easier growing season which is unusual because Fall can be a difficult time to grow vegetables. I hope all our CSA members would agree that this year was a success. I’ve got lots of collards, broccoli, squash casseroles, and peas in the freezer for the winter. We’ve got our pickles made and I hope we have enough okra pickles for the year. The pumpkin butter is all done for the season and we learned we didn’t make enough of our native scuppernog grape and muscadine grape jellies. The salsas were difficult this year since the spring tomato crop wasn’t the best but I think we are in good shape since the Fall tomato crop was good. The jalapeno peppers were great this fall although my crew said they weren’t hot enough. Speaking of all our food products, as you plan your Christmas shopping don’t forget Legare Farms. We have gift certificates available for anything we do or you can just choose an amount and the recipient can choose what to spend it on. We also have gift boxes with 3 of our pint jars of jams, pickles, and salsas or you can buy individual jars. Below is more info on all of our gift opportunities.
We have a couple of months now to breath before we start planting vegetables for the 2012 CSA. We still have to feed animals and gather eggs and fix fences and do all the other everyday farm things. We are already taking memberships for the CSA and I’m pouring over the seed catalogs planning next year’s crops. We’re prebooking potato and onion sets. I’m trying to find that deal on fertilizer if we buy early. There are deals out there if we look for them. We have to do everything we can to cut corners and save money. We are finishing up cleaning and putting away everything from the Fall activities as well as cleaning out the vegetable fields from the Fall vegetables. We do still have some Pugily pumpkins which are very similar to butternut squash when used for cooking. If you are interested in purchasing a few, call us. There are still a few regular pumpkins in the fields and now that the pumpkin season is over, the pigs and cows will have a feast on them. Lots of work as always on the farm, just a little slower pace from now until spring.
The slower pace means less money coming in so we have had to cut back the hours our crew is working. If you have a project you need help with or an extra hand, they’re available to work. They can clean houses, rake leaves, wash windows, cut grass, plant plants, or pretty much any thing you might need help with. Call me if you need some help and we’ll work out the details.
New at the Farm
We now have pork available. I know you didn’t believe it would ever happen since I’ve been saying “available soon” for at least a year. Here are the cuts available: bacon, center cut pork chop, uncured ham slices(great for the grill), pork loin roast, shoulder roast, uncured ham roast, sausage, uncured and cured fatback, and ribs both riblets and St Louis style. We also have some other cuts that aren’t as popular but are available such as pig’s feet etc. If you would like a price list, just let me know.
Feature of the Month–Christmas Gifts from Legare Farms
Gift Certificates in any amount. They can be used on anything we do or sell including summer camp, eggs, parties, bonfire/hayrides, sod or a combination. Think outside the box for a really cool gift.
CSA vegetable program memberships. Full share $355 or half share $245.
Meat Sampler Box –which can include beef, pork, and chicken or all of one in any amount you wish. You can purchase the actual meat which is frozen or a gift certificate for the sampler which will be easier to wrap.
Gift Boxes $20 each. These have 3 pint jars in each one and you can pick from any of the following; peach jam, blackberry jam, blueberry jam, strawberry jam, pumpkin butter, Damson plum jam, okra pickles, candied orange pickles, candied dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, peach salsa, blackbean salsa, corn salsa, and garden salsa.
Individual jars of canned food. You can purchase any of the above mentioned pint jars($6) and sugar cane syrup in a pint bottle($5), okra and tomatoes quarts($8) and we also have very limited scuppernong and muscadine jelly, green tomato relish, and artichoke relish. We have sold out of honey for this year. The spring dry weather affected the amount of honey that the bees made.
Fruit Trees—we have plum, pear, apple, grapes, fig and blueberries. Range in price from $18 to $35. We can install them if you want to include that in your gift. Again you can give a gift certificate and let the recipient choose which varieties they want.
Nursery Plants—we still have a few crepe myrtles and sweet grass available.
Concrete Statuary—we have a fair selection of concrete statuary and we are wheeling and dealing on the prices. I can send you pictures of what is available if you don’t want to come out without knowing what we have.
We will be open 4 days especially for purchasing Christmas Gifts (however you can shop anytime, just call before coming out) December 7th and 14th Wednesday 2-6 pm and December 10th and 17th 10am-2pm.
Special of the Month
Whole Chickens are on sale for $4 per lb. from $4.50 per lb. Most weigh between 4 and 5 pounds. We also have split chicken breast, leg quarters, and wings available. All of our chicken is antibiotic and hormone free and also free range.
Special Thanks to Our Fall Harvest Dinner Chefs
When making those holiday dinner plans, please remember all of these wonderful chefs and restaurants.
- Chef Fred Nueville from The Fat Hen
- Chef Micah Garrison from the Middleton Place Restaurant
- Chef Jacques Larson from Wild Olive Restaurant
- Chef Craig Deihl from Cypress Restaurant
- Chef John Ondo from Lana Restaurant
- Chef Nathan Thurston from The Ocean Room at Kiawah
- Chef Chris Stewart and Sarah O’kelley from the Glass Onion
- Chef Nico Romo from Fish Restaurant
- Chef Robin Rhea from Slather Brand Foods
- Chef Drew Hedlund from Fleet Restaurant
- Chef Andy Harris from Funky Little Kitchen Restaurant
Thank you to Holy City Brewery, Palmetto Brewery, Irvin House Vineyards, and Charleston Tea Plantation for their beverage donations for the Fall Harvest Dinner.
Calendar
December 7th and 14th Wednesday 2-6pm Special Store Hours for Christmas Gifts
December 10th and 17th Saturday 10-2 Special Store Hours for Christmas Gifts
December 10– Sip-N-Shop at the Square Onion 411 Hibben St. Mt Pleasant 12-5 pm
December 10– Gift Fair at Tractor Supply Hwy 17S Ravenel 10am-2pm
March 23-25– Battle of Charleston
March and April– Chicken and Egg Field Trips
April–Rent A Chick
April– start of CSA vegetable deliveries
Volunteers of the Month
Lee Sports
Lynne and Danny Dillehey
Betsy and Gordon Long
Mykal and Billy Harley
Jim Cody
Brittany Stephens
Paula and Gary Hart
Patti and Jason Marshall
Jay, Sharon, and Nicole Coke
Courtney Smith
Chalmers Mikell
Laura Elsey
Education Foundation Wish List
wheelbarrows
picnic tables
glass punch cups
clear glass plates(bread&butter size)
folding chairs
folding tables
Coleman lanterns
plastic storage boxes(all sizes)
long sleeve shirts(for scarecrows)
All donations are tax deductible since the Foundation is a 501C-3.
The Foundation can always use volunteers and sponsors for our events. We especially need an electrician for some small jobs around the playground.
Recipe of the Month
Butternut Squash Casserole
3 cups mashed squash (Pugily pumpkin can be used in place of butternut squash. We just happen to have a bunch of Pugily pumpkins for sale)
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup milk
½ stick butter, softened
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
Vanilla wafer cracker crumbs (optional)
Cube up butternut squash or Pugily pumpkin and bake in oven at 350 degrees until soft them mash.
Combine all ingredients except cracker crumbs in bowl; mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
If you decide to use the crumbs, sprinkle them over the surface just before baking.
I mentioned in my last newsletter that my niece Sarah was selling Avon. She is still taking orders for all Avon products but she has some Skin So Soft that she got for a customer and they ended up not taking. She is offering it at a discount so if you need something to keep those gnats off you, give her a call at 843-296-6117.
We won’t be in the office much over the next months but you can always reach us by cell phone. Linda’s cell number is 843-514-1215 and my cell phone number is 843-514-1218. Please call anytime, if you want to buy something, ask questions or just chat.
Don’t forget to join us on facebook at www.facebook.com/legarefarms I try to send lots of pictures of the different things going on at the farm. If you have pictures from a visit to the farm, please share them with us.
We are also working on our website so I hope by next month, I’ll be telling you to check out the new and much improved website.
Helen Legare-Floyd
Legare Farms
2620 Hanscombe Pt. Rd.
Johns Island, SC 29455
www.legarefarms.com
legarefarms@bellsouth.net
843-559-0788
www.facbook.com/legarefarms
Legare Farms