Farmers
Introducing GroundWork Farms’ Farmers!
*Produce*
–Shady Locust Produce–
Benuel and Sarah Lapp of Rebersburg are pleased to participate in this year’s produce CSA. The Lapps are entering their second season of commercial vegetable production, and their produce can be purchased at their farm stand as well as through a CSA share. The Lapps have never used chemicals on their vegetables, and are considering organic certification. They also raise and sell pastured poultry.
–King Family Farm–
Jonathan and Bina King of Rebersburg are experienced vegetable growers who have been selling sweet corn and other produce direct from their farm. They are pleased to be able to expand their production to supply a number of families with a weekly box of produce through our CSA program. Jonathan and Bina are committed to using organic methods of production on their farm.
–Byler Family Farm–
Rufus and Elizabeth Byler raise vegetables and pastured poultry on their farm outside of Aaronsburg. The Bylers have been selling their produce direct from the farm and also to Stone Soup Market in State College. They are now pleased to offer a number of CSA shares to customers who would like to receive a wonderful variety of organically raised produce each week.
*Eggs*
–Spring Bank Acres–
Raymond and Mary Fisher are innovative farmers who live along route 445 North of Millheim. Their flock of laying hens are raised on pasture and are free to roam about and eat whatever grasses, broadleaves, or insects catch their fancy. These eggs are incomparable in color (bright orange yolks!), flavor, and sponginess (should you bake with them) because of the variety present in the chickens’ diet. And as with all pastured animal products, those beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) are surely high in these delicious eggs.
*Herbs*
–Spring Bank Acres–
Mary Fisher will be supplying our herb shares this year. Herb share customers will receive a variety of fresh herbs delivered to a convenient location each week from June to October. Gallon bags full of bunches of fresh herbs will at times be augmented by a bulb of garlic or edible flowers. In the fall, herb share customers may receive jars of dried herbs or home made pesto for the freezer. If you’ve never cooked with fresh herbs, you’ll never go back after sampling the basil, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, dill, parsley, and other flavorful herbs grown using organic methods at Spring Bank Acres!
*Dairy Products*
–Spring Bank Acres–
In addition to producing egg and herb shares, Raymond and Mary Fisher are also dairy farmers. Their mission is to produce quality dairy products in harmony with nature for their community. Spring Bank’s farm and herd of approximately 32 Holstein and Jersey cows are:
~Grass-fed
~Grain-free
~Chemical-free
~Antibiotic-free
~GMO-free
~Not treated with rBST
The Fishers offer a number of raw milk products, including bottled raw milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, and sour cream. Their dairy CSA is unique in that each week you can put in an order for which specific products you’d like to receive. Visit our dairy page for details and a product list. The benefits provided by raw milk dairy products are too numerous to list here, but suffice it to say that the pasteurization process destroys innumerable beneficial enzymes, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and bacteria. A strict system of sanitation combined with stainless steel containers and holding tanks make pasteurization an unnecessary and even detrimental process. Here in PA we are lucky to have licensing for raw milk dairy farms where rigorous inspections ensure that quality and safety remain high. For more information about the benefits of raw milk, check out realmilk.com
*Bread*
–Eunice Lehman–
Dairy farmer Eunice Lehman has agreed to bake bread for the CSA this year. Eunice has been selling her bread and other baked goods at farmers’ markets for a number of years, and has developed a loaf that will please many GroundWork’s customers. It’s sweetish, a bit soft, baked in stainless steel baking pans. It’s not a coarse artisan-type bread-more like the bread your grandma might have baked, if she was ever into that sort of thing. It’s great for sandwiches, and as French toast it’s unsurpassed. If you’re trying to get your children to eat whole grain bread, this would be the place to start!
Ingredients: Prairie Gold whole-wheat flour, water, honey, olive oil, Redmond salt, and yeast.
The Prairie Gold company sells wheat products from farmers who use no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides, and do not use any GM (genetically modified) seeds. They have their wheat tested by an independent lab for chemical residues. The only non-organic practice used by these farmers is that they use synthetic fertilizers rather than animal manure.
*Pastured Chickens*
–Tastes Like Chicken Acres–
Amy Taylor and Jim Baughman will be providing one or more chickens, fresh or frozen, every other week for 3-month intervals, beginning in May and ending in October. CSA members can choose to order fresh or frozen birds, whole or split in half. If your family eats chicken on a regular basis, the chicken share could be a good option for you.
Raised on pasture from the get-go, Jim and Amy’s chickens are confined in a large fenced in area, but moved around regularly to ensure a good diet of fresh grasses and insects. Pasture raised chickens have been shown to have a number of benefits over conventionally raised birds, including higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and CLAs, both of which provide for healthier meat.
*Organic, Fair-Trade Coffee*
–Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe–
Webster’s has been serving Organic, Fair-trade coffees since 1999, when they first opened their doors. Since then, they have expanded to two full-service cafes and now offer catering of delicious, local, organic foods. Through GroundWork Farms, Webster’s provides a coffee share comprised of weekly deliveries of coffee beans. CSA members can choose from a variety of options, including 2oz bags of ground beans, ready for the coffee maker, or several size bags of roasted whole beans. A number of varieties are available, including their House Blend, Italian Dark, and Decaf. And all of Webster’s coffee comes from farmers who are treated and compensated fairly for their products, which are grown in an ecologically sustainable manner.
*Meats, Fruits, and Berries*
In addition to weekly CSA share deliveries, GroundWork’s CSA members will have the opportunity to order other products from local farmers, including strawberries, blueberries, apples, pastured chickens, beef, pork, and lamb, canned goods, baked goods, and more! We keep our ear to the ground for new items and are pleased to deliver them with your share boxes or sometimes (as in the case with meats) on other days of the week. CSA members can find out about these extra products in our biweekly newsletter and through email announcements.
