Fresh Fork Market Farm Tour 2014 - Homesteader Edition

Sorry for the late notice, but I was hesitant to do a farm tour this year because the cost of the bus doubled and I didn't want to repeat a lot of material from year's past. But with some last minute inspiration, it is on! This year we are running a smaller bus and will limit the tour to only 29 guests.

It's time to put your boots on, get up early, and go farm hopping with us! On Saturday, Oct ober 11th we will travel the Ohio countryside visiting a few of Fresh Fork Market's farms.

This year's agenda will be exceptionally fun - I'm calling it the Homesteader edition because we'll be doing a lot of hands-on demonstrations of work typically done on a small, sustainable farm. Here is what you can expect for the day:

7:00 AM to 8:00 AM: Light snacksdrip coffee, and some handmade ice cream to wake you up. Mike Mitchell of Mitchell's Ice Cream will talk to us about how Mitchell's sources local ingredients and how they make the tastiest treats in Cleveland. A short tour of their new production kitchen will follow. Ample parking is available behind Mitchell's.

9:30 AM: Edward Keim Dairy Farm. Here we can learn about dairying, including how to manage dairy cattle, feed them, and milk them. There will be an actual old fashioned milking demonstration and you will have the chance to milk a cow.

We will also meander over to a neighbor's farm and learn how feild corn is harvested the old fashioned way. There will be a corn picking and shelling, feed grinding, and silo filling demonstration. Guests can expect the opportunity to help here.

11:00 AM: Wholesome Valley Farm. Here we will load onto a wagon and take a tour of a mixed produce and pasture raised livestock farm. Expect to see chickens, pigs, and beef cattle. After the tour, guests may collect their own eggs and spend more time with the animals. Lunch will be served at Noon. Lunch will be a delicious (and large) traditional Amish meal made with ingredients from the farm.

While we enjoy homemade pie for dessert, the ladies at Wholesome Valley will talk a little about whole grain bread baking. A neighboring bee keeper will be present to do a short presentation about bee keeping and honey spinning.

1:45 PM: Stutzman Farms. Here Monroe will demonstrate how he makes flour. We will discuss how grains are grown, harvested, and processed. Monroe will actively be processing grains that day for you to see.

Guests can also expect to help harvest sorghum. Monroe will show how to strip the leaves from the stalk to harvest sorghum syrup and how to thresh the seed heads for making flour.

3:00 PM: Sauerkraut. We'll visit Raymond Jr and help shred some cabbage and pack it into barrels for fermentation. Guests can expect to take home a sample and taste some kraut.

4:00 PM. Jonas Hershberger, mixed produce farm. Here guests will have the option to participate in one or both activities. There will be apple picking in the orchards. There will also be an on-farm poultry processing demonstration by Eden at Pleasant Valley Poultry. Guests who help pluck, eviscerate, and cut up chickens can expect to take some meat home with them. Both activiites are voluntary, so if you are squeemish and don't want to see the chicken processing, you don't have to.

We hope to arrive back in Cleveland by 6:00 PM. With the smaller group I think we shoudl stay close to on time. Please allow some wiggle room on the return in case you will have a baby-sitter or pet sitter for the day.

Here are photos from previous farm tours: http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshforkmarket/sets/72157632837635620/with/8515044227/

This event includes the following for $50:

- bus transportation roundtrip

- sit down lunch (please bring a few dollars to tip the wait staff)

- snacks and drip coffee in the morning, bottled water throughout the day

- Edible Goodies to take home like eggs, kraut, and veggies (depending on weather)

- a day full of education and fun!

Be sure to register early. This event does sell out fast and once it is sold out, we can't increase the capacity of the bus.