We love writing these because we only get to do a few per year! This is when things really start taking off and before you know it we’ll have almost everything we grow ready at once. It’s an exciting time of year but also a crazy busy one.
So happy to get some good rain! The crops needed it and we think in general everyone needed it. Looks like there’s some more in the forecast so that will help everything get lush and green again. That might also mean you have to break out the lawnmower.
This week you can find the following crops available on our table for purchase and CSA Share:
Asparagus Garlic Scapes Kale Lettuce Peas Scallions Spring Onions Strawberries Swiss Chard
Storage Crops: Potatoes Onions Carrots Beets
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you this weekend at the Rochester Public Market and the Brighton Farmers Market. Enjoy the weekend.
The Brighton Farmers Market will be open this year, however it will be under a different set of rules. We are continuing our partnership with Flour City Bread and have partnered with K&S Bischoping Farms to bring you a one stop shopping Brighton Market experience.
Here are the 2020 rules:
-Pre-order only (SNAP and FMNP included)
-First hour (9am to 10am) is Seniors ONLY
-The it moves to alphabetical (A through H — 10-11; I through P — 11-12; Q through Z — 12-1)
-One person per family, please.
-No dogs
-Social distance rules apply
The Brighton Market officially opens THIS SUNDAY May 24th and the link through the online grocery store for Flour City Bread is open starting NOW!
If you would like more info about the Brighton Farmers Market and the other vendors that will be there please use this link: https://brightonfarmersmarket.org/
Don’t know K&S Bischoping farms? They are the tent that has been to our left the last few years at the Brighton Market. They sell apples, berries, and lots more. You can check out more info here.
We have some pretty big news that we’re super excited to tell you about!
Asparagus is getting close.
That’s right. You read that correctly. It’s up and looking healthy and we’re thinking that by next weekend we’ll have some at the market and by Mother’s Day Weekend it will be in full force. It’s going to be awesome to have some fresh green veggies on the table. Summer is nearly here!
Other news, we will have fresh chicken next week. We’re going to honest, it’s going to go really fast. We apologize in advance and we are working to make sure there will be more soon. They will be available at the farm store on Tuesday May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!) and we will have them with us Thursday and Saturday at the market if they last. You can also check the Flour City Bread Online Grocery Store and order them there.
If you don’t end up with a chicken, you should absolutely try our stewing hens. They aren’t meant for the grill, but they are amazing and versatile. We will post again soon a list of different ways you can use them.
Last, even though it isn’t a crop update, we started a YouTube Channel. We will start posting recipes, short videos, and other items throughout the summer. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!
We hope to see all of you soon, but please stay safe when you’re going out.
Thank you for reading our statement concerning COVID-19. Your health and safety is crucially important to our business. Please keep in mind that we are here to help in anyway possible. Thank you.
To our customers and Community,
We will continue to serve our customers while respecting the ever-changing recommendations from health authorities. We are confident we will be able to continue to provide the exceptional service you’ve come to expect. At this point we have no interruptions in our production or supply chain.
Please be assured that we are committed to keeping the supply chain open to everyone during these times of COVID-19. We have ample supply of vegetables and eggs that we will make available. At this time the Rochester Public Market will be our primary source of distribution. Farm pickup is an option by appointment only.
If the Rochester Market is forced to close then we will provide a new distribution system. Facebook and Instagram will be the best way to keep in touch. Updates will be made as changes come along.
Although we cannot predict the course of events or their impacts in the future, we are working to educate our employees and taking extra preventative measures. We are maintaining our production environments keeping them as clean and sanitary as possible and keeping close contact with all suppliers to be fully prepared to handle the potential consequences in both the short term and long term.
Rochester Public Market
Union Street, Rochester
Saturday 6am-2pm
Retail Stores with our eggs:
Pittsford Dairy
Leo’s Bakery
Flour City Bread
New City Cafe (Rochester)
Red Jacket Orchards (Geneva)
Monaco’s Coffee (Geneva)
If you would like to meet us on the farm for a pick up please use our website or social media to arrange a time that benefits us both. Thank you and stay healthy and safe.
We have three almost identical houses that the laying hens live in and they have a few key features that make them unique.
First they need a place to lay their eggs everyday. We use community style nesting boxes that are about four feet wide and one foot deep. They have a slanted floor that rolls the eggs to the front of the box where we collect them. The really nice part about these boxes is that the eggs stay really clean and the chickens can’t get to them. Once in a while you can get a hen that likes to eat eggs and not only does that hurt your production numbers but it makes a big mess.
Another advantage of this style nesting box is that the eggs are easier to collect and much faster. The red flaps on the front give the hens a little privacy and that encourages them to lay in the boxes.
Fisher Hill Farm – Local Chicken and Poultry
The house is also where the hens get all their food and water. The water will only freeze when the temperature falls in the low 20’s. All the chickens give off enough body heat that keeps it really cozy even in the dead of winter. The red waterers in a bell shape work off a low pressure system that keeps them full of fresh water all the time. Every morning the chickens get about six five gallon buckets full of fresh non-GMO feed. That works out to about a quarter pound of feed per bird per day. The goal is to give them enough so they don’t waste it and that the hens don’t get over weight. Also the feed formulation changes as the birds get older.
We work directly with a poultry nutritionist that comes up with the best formulation for their age and dietary needs.
Another key feature in the chicken house are the lights. Hens require sixteen hours of daylight every day to keep laying. In the summer that isn’t a problem. But come fall and winter when the daylight is shorter we have to supplement light on either side of the day. It doesn’t take much but just enough to keep them laying strong all year long.
Fisher Hill Farm – Local Chicken and Poultry
The basic structure itself is a greenhouse frame that a Mennonite in Penn Yan built for us. It is covered with a single layer of white plastic to help keep it cooler in the summertime. Also in the summer we remove the metal skirts on the lower three feet of the house allowing air circulation on all four sides. It can get hot in the summer so we have added a large fan for cooling.
Lots of pasture is available year round.
We can rotate fencing around the house giving the chickens fresh grass and letting other sections rest and regrow. We have portable fencing that allows us to move them to new areas as needed.
Fisher Hill Farm – Local Chicken and Poultry
This house has been empty since the end of November and while it was empty we made a few improvements. We installed a new water hydrant because the old one would no longer shut off. No fun having hard well water that wrecks all your plumbing! We rebuilt the door and added metal siding on it so hopefully it will last longer and looks nicer too!
Last, we made a huge door (5 foot by 10 foot) on the other end that serves a couple different purposes. First it will allow more air circulation in the summer and a nice shaded patio on the hot days. Second it will allow us to back the manure spreader inside so we don’t have to pitch the manure all the way across the house.
We are refilling this house next week with young hens to meet the early springtime demand of eggs. Once Easter hits and the weather gets nicer that demand just grows and grows.
I hope this was helpful and if anyone ever has a question don’t hesitate to ask.
