Codman Community Farm's Farm Notes

New Lambs!

2010-02-02T13:11:00.004-05:00

We have three new lambs on the farm. Zachie and Sam were born on Saturday morning and Bobo was born last week. It's so much fun having new lambs on the farm and watching them bounce around the pen with the other sheep. We're still waiting for one more ewe to show us what she's got in there. Stay posted!

2009-03-14T12:50:00.000-04:00

Today was a busy day!!!! First Gabrielle and then a few minutes later Sweetie Pie gave birth to twins. Both sets of twins are doing fine. This the fourth day in a row that something has been born at Codman!

First Kids

2009-03-13T15:58:00.000-04:00

Fancy had the first kids of the season around 2:30 this afternoon! A set of triplet girls. The middle sister was stuck, and Hiedi had to help her out, it seems the last one did not want to wait her turn. Everyone is up , and seems to be doing well. New babies three days in a row!

Spring Is Here!

2009-03-12T15:22:00.002-04:00

Well spring at CCF has officially begun! Our first lambs were born this morning. A handsome pair of ram lambs arrived early this morning. They are quite healthy and signal the official start of the busy season here at CCF.

Gretel Codman

2009-03-11T15:11:00.004-04:00

Today our first calf of the year was born. She was born to Gretchen- a four year old Lineback/Devon cross that was born here on the farm; her name is Gretel. Though cows calve all year around this first calf of the year seems like a wonderful spring starter here at Codman. We are expecting lambs any day now and once the lambs come the kids will come, then the piglets, and the Devon calves........And before you know it summer will be here and haying will begin again!!!!! March is one of the busiest months of the year on the farm. Come by and visit!

2009-03-11T15:10:00.000-04:00

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Extra CSA info

2009-02-17T13:05:00.002-05:00

What is a CSA?
Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with the farm and to receive a fixed amount of our high quality, grass-fed meat. By making an upfront financial commitment for three months’ supply of meat, members of the CSA will know for certain their fixed share (approx 10 lbs per month) and will come at a fixed time to pick up their share. More importantly, they will enjoy the predictability of getting access to the quality, locally produced meat they want, and they will be supporting the farm as a CSA is a more predictable and simple operation for selling our meat.
Why Eat Local, Grass-Fed Meat?
Simply….because it is “better for you” and “better for the environment”. Local, grass-fed meat is good for you. It is widely agreed that corn-fed meat contains more saturated fat and less of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids than pasture-fed meat. Our cattle is grass-fed in the warm weather and fed with locally grown hay in the winter. Our Tamworth Pigs forage on pasture and dine on grain, vegetable food scraps and bread. We do not use growth hormones and administer antibiotics only to sick animals. Our meat is leaner and more flavorful than most commercial beef.

Local, grass-fed meat is also good for the environment. Experts believe that industrial livestock production attributes to 18% of the world’s greenhouse gases, second only to energy production. Most of the meat the world eats is raised in animal feedlots where they feed animals processed corn and soy (instead of grass) to help the animals achieve slaughter weight (1100 lbs) much faster than they would on a farm (14-16 months on a feedlot vs. 24-25 months on a farm). In the US there are 10 billion animals slaughtered for meat consumption every year. Approximately 50% of all antibiotics in the US are prescribed to livestock animals to keep the industrialized meat production food chain safe. These operations feed our country but they have hidden costs: high consumption of oil and fossil fuel related to transportation, water and air pollution, concentrated toxic wastes, and the introduction of novel and deadly pathogens.

Head Cheese Step One

2009-02-05T21:54:00.000-05:00

Learn Beekeeping

2009-01-31T08:52:00.005-05:00

There is still room in the beekeeping class at Codman Farm that starts in early February,

Last year I took the beekeeping class at Codman. I now have two beehives that you may have noticed out in the cow pasture. The honey in the photo is from one of my hives.

I started out having a great fear of bees, and wasn't sure I could be calm enough to work with them. Slowly I'm getting more and more calm when I work with them and find working my hives to be very relaxing. Hives don't always produce enough honey for the beekeeper to take the first year, butI did take about 7lbs from one hive this year.

Bees not only provide the beekeeper with honey but are so important in the pollination of so many crops. Become a beekeeper!

Smoked Ham Hocks

2009-01-27T20:40:00.001-05:00

For the hocks you will need some hocks, and 3 parts salt and one part sugar. Do your self a favor, buy a scale, best of all, get one that does metric- Use sea salt or kosher salt, do not use table salt. Use your favorite sugar; brown can't do wrong, white will do rite, maple is able, in the raw is ahh have fun with it. Toss in some garlic and herbs, what ever you like. If you want to use a pinch of curing salt, AKA, sodium nitrates, go ahead, I do it, but you don't want to don't, it is a salt that keeps your final product from turning grey.

Once you have picked out you cure, pack your hocks in it for four days. After the four days wash your hocks under cold running water and allow to dry in the fridge for 3 days. When hocks have dried, smoke for about four hours at 145 degrees. Think about your wood, make it oakey like Charany, use maple if you like it sweet. Hickory for that bbq flavor.

If you want to dive deeper into it, join Farmer Pete for pig class. Session one is March 14th, and session two is March 21. In the two weeks we will cover raising Tamworth Pigs, and making bacon and sausage

The Tamworth Pig

2009-01-27T09:23:00.002-05:00

At the farm, we raise Tamworth pigs. The Tamworth is a heritage breed native to Ireland. Unlike many breeds of swine, the Tamworth has not been bread to live inside. It's dark skin and thick red and ginger hair make it the only pig not susceptible to sunburn, and keep him warm in the winter. Our pigs live outside year round, grazing, eating roots and bugs living the life a pig loves. Being aloud to eat there natural diet provides us with a meat that is leaner and more flavorful. Pigs that feed on pasture are also one of the few meat sources that provide omega 3 fatty acids. These pigs are not the other white meat!