News and Blog

Oh, so adorable!!!!

Five new American Guinea Hog piglets were born today at Waverly Farms, bring the total piglets in residence to 12, plus 2 moms (sows) and a dad (boar).  American Guinea Hogs are on the American Livestock Breeds Conservation list as an important and endangered breed.  They get to no more than 250 lbs at maturity and are known for their exceptional meat and lard.  Waverly Farms is Animal Welfare Approved (www.animalwelfareapproved.org) for our pigs and they are fed soy-free organic feed with occasional table scraps of food grown at the farm.  Contact Patti at 214-914-0323 or patti_rosenberg@hotmail.com for more information and pricing. 

If you have not already, now is the time to order your Waverly Farms Black Angus steer calf, to be harvested October - December, 2012.  Our calves are harvested at about 1,000 lbs and around 1 year old to retain tenderness.  They live on pasture their entire lives and are even harvested in the pasture, which eliminates the stress and risk of transportation and stocking with other animals.  The majority of our calves' diets are lush farm grasses, and they are fed some grain (mostly organic) along the way.  We never use pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, growth hormones, preventive antibiotics or preservatives.  We only sell "on hoof" so that our local butcher may harvest them in our pasture and butcher them without soaking them in chlorine.  This also produces the freshest beef for you.  After dry aging for 2 - 3 weeks, they are butchered according to your specifications (we'll walk you through the options) and delivered to your freezer in vacuum-sealed, labeled, dated packaging in appropriate sizes for your family.  The price is $6.00 per packaged pound if you buy the whole calf (about 320 - 400 lbs of meat); $6.50 for 1/2 or 1/4 calf, plus delivery charges if you live more than 75 miles from our farm.  If you are interested, please Contact Us or contact Patti Rosenberg at 214-914-0323 patti_rosenberg@hotmail.com.  We anticipate that beef prices will continue to rise, so this is a good time to stock up.  You can't buy beef this fresh and healthy in any store at any price.  

Moo chas gracias!  Thank you dairy much!  We are udderly grateful!  Thanks heifer so much (I saw these on a card and had to share them with you). 

A New York Time editorial yesterday, 2/14/2012, described commercial egg production.  It was alarming.  It said that in most states, 4 - 11 hens are crowded into "battery cages" that are the size of a microwave oven.  Four to 11 hens in a microwave?  Are you kidding?  They can't even turn around, much less find a private place to lay an egg!  Califorinia, Ohio and Michigan have banned the use of battery cages.  Only California requires that hens be kept in cages large enough for them to stretch their wings.  

Even these improvements are a long, long way from how hens should be treated.  At Waverly Farms, and many other good small farms, laying hens forage in pastures all day long.  In addition to a bit of organic chicken feed, they eat the forage, insects and worms in our pastures which are never sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or other potentially harmful chemicals.  After the chickens go into their generously sized coups to roost at night, we close the door to protect them from predators, then open it again at daylight the next morning.   

Last year, Waverly Farms earned the very prestigious Animal Welfare Approved certification for our laying hens.  Studies have shown that the eggs from free range hens on pasture have lower cholesterol and a much better balance of Omega 3 (the good fat) to Omega 6 (can cause inflamation).  Vitamins D, E, C and other micronutrients that are bodies need are also more prevelant in correctly raised eggs.  They are richer, taste better, and make fluffier cakes for sure. 

The next big kidding at Wavelry Farms is in May/June 2012 and will feature both pure Valera Spanish and Spanish + Savannah crosses.  These are premium Valera Spanish does crossed with one of our best Valera Spanish or Savannah bucks.  The kids should be magnificent for their hardiness, meatiness and maternal capabilities.  We cull for parasite resistance and adhere to a strict multi-species rotational grazing plan for the management and prevention of parasites.  Please contact Patti Rosenberg at patti_rosenberg@hotmail.com or 214-914-0323 if you are interested in knowing more or to reserve your kids today.  Prices vary from $300 - $500 per kid.  

My sister asked me about eggs today and I had not realized how much I had learned.  Here are interesting facts from the Egg Board and USDA that you might also want to know:

1.  Eggs should be refrigerated within 36 hours of laying to avoid bacterial contamination.

2  Eggs could have Salmonella and there is really no way to tell.  When they do, it usually comes from inside the chicken.  Salmonella makes people sick, but not chickens, which is why it is recommended that eggs always be cooked.

3.  Eggs should not be washed.  During construction, the hen applies a coating to the egg which protects it from bacteria and other pathogens.  Once this film is washed away, the porous shell of the egg is more vulnerable to pathogens.  Of course, commercial egg houses wash their eggs, and so do I because some eggs are pretty dirty when they are laid, naturally.  A particular wash is required by the USDA that kills harmful bacteria, but the protective coating is lost in the process, which is why eggs should be kept at 45 degrees F immediately and forever after washing them.  

4.  Once refrigerated, eggs should remain refrigerated and never allowed to sweat, which opens the pores of the shell where bacteria might penetrate.  

5.  Eggs can last in the refrigerator for months.  They actually do not spoil, but they evaporate and eventually disintegrate.  

6.  To tell whether an egg is fresh or old, place the raw egg in a bowl of water.  If it sinks to the bottom, it is fresh.  If it floats, it is probably old and beginning to evaporate, which allows air to form between the egg and it's shell.

The best information I found about eggs is located at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/Focus_On_Shell_Eggs/index.asp  

We pushed the envelope and have completed our Spring garden with over 2,000 feet of vegetables.  Here's what's in store for our CSA members, possibly in early May:

Peas, turnips, carrots, beets, spinach, Swiss chard, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, collards, white and purple cabbage, garlic and onions.  Our vegetable garden contains no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.  We fertilize with natural means, including our own composted goat and llama manure t grow the healthiest food for families.