local Archives - Page 2 of 2

Living Local: On Raising Chickens and Keeping a Garden

living local

Patti and Emily are both old* school Blue Mooners, with lots of experience themselves in gardening in agriculture. Patti, our seeding and watering specialist, has a BS in Horticulture from Penn State and a pack of chickens and 2 dogs in her backyard. Emily, who manages our market (and market garden) in Buckingham, in addition to working in the sales office, maintains a large kitchen garden with her boyfriend, Scott, in Ottsville.

Their advice on how to be a local citizen? Keep a garden and raise your own chickens.

harvesting radishes

If you are just getting started gardening, Emily advises, the best things to grow are things that you like to eat! “It seems so simple, but it makes gardening more fun.” What does this mean? If you don’t like kale… then don’t grow kale! If you like cucumbers, try planting some!

Tip from Emily on gardening: Look at your landscape. Do you have a shaded yard? Full sunlight? The amount of shade will affect what you are able to grow. Think before you dig!

chickens and a beet

And chickens? “If you can have chickens, have chickens! They are so easy to take care of, and you get the best-tasting eggs ever.” Patti gets a lot of enjoyment from her chickens- they’re fun to watch, pretty to look at, and, really, the eggs just can’t be beat.

Tips from Patti on keeping chickens: Always make sure their water is clean! Chickens are natural composters- have garden scraps? They love them! (Note- Chickens especially like Blue Moon lettuce.)

*as in years of employment, not age 😉

By admin|February 21st, 2014|News|Comments Off

Living Local: Recommendations from Food Producers, Marketers, Consumers, and Advocates on How to Live a Local Life

living local

I am excited to begin this next blog series, and share with you recommendations from some of Blue Moon’s partners and friends who exemplify the local life. We’ll read through suggestions on raising chickens, buying local, being flexible on price, supporting local farmers, gardening basics, and more.

Our first Living Local recommendation comes from Mike Hays, former Produce Category Manager at Kimberton Whole Foods, and current New York-based journalist.

From Mike:
In addition to shopping at farmers’ markets or purchasing a share from a CSA, as local consumers we need to shift our thinking on pricing a little bit.

Eat This Jams, produced by Gino De Schryver in Erwinna, for sale at Blue Moon Acres

It has been ingrained in us since we first started shopping with our parents to always look for the best deal. This pocketbook-friendly strategy is reinforced through advertising.

Although locally-grown produce travels a shorter distance and consumes less fuel, the growers often cope with variables that corporate conglomerate farms are insulated from. For example, adverse weather can spoil an entire crop for a small farmer, whereas corporate farms have crops located throughout North America.

The Manoff Family, farmers and proprietors of Manoff Market Gardens in Solebury

Also, the wages paid on family-owned farms are typically higher than those paid to migrant workers.

So by paying a bit more, you are supporting family farms and agricultural diversity in your community.

Is price one of your considerations in shopping? How so? Would you prefer to buy a cheaper item made thousands of miles away, or a more-expensive locally-produced option? Is there a middle ground?

By admin|February 7th, 2014|News|Comments Off

It’s a Banana Split Kind of Weekend

Maybe you’ve had a long week. I know we here at the farm have—big harvests, small harvests, sudden intense rainstorms, launch of a new database… we are just Spent.

Luckily for all of us- at least, those who live within a 50-mile radius of central Bucks County- our friends and neighbors and oWowCow have a weekend of wonders planned. It is Banana Split Weekend at “The Cow,” featuring a special homemade topping of local peaches and blackberries. Delicious (like, super-delicious) ice cream, formed into that awe-inspiring creation known as the banana split? I’ll definitely be heading out to oWowCow at some point this weekend!

banana split

With locations in Ottsville and Wrightstown, oWowCow is our go-to treat stop for Blue Moon employees here in Buckingham. We also carry pints of their ice creams at our Pennington Farm Market, so the farm crew there does not get neglected. (Banana caramel, cinnamon bourbon, kava strawberry sorbet? Definitely not neglected!)

John Fezzuoglio is founder, owner, and Chief Ice Cream Maker at oWowCow. He makes each batch- with flavors ranging from Chai Cream to Chocolate Jalapeno- by hand at the Ottsville store.

John is serious about the integrity of his ice cream and his brand, and takes incredible care in sourcing the ingredients locally. The dairy comes from happy grass-fed cows at Way-Har Farms in Berks County. Eggs come from Rick’s Egg Farm in Kintersville and Gail Hooker’s hens in Durham. The lavender (in my favorite honey lavender ice cream) comes from Peace Valley Lavender Farm in Doylestown. The peaches for the banana split topping this weekend come from Amy and Gary Manoff at Manoff Market Gardens in Solebury, and the blackberries come from a gentleman named Lamar in Kintersville, who has been growing organic blackberries for decades.

If you are out of town this weekend (because why else would you miss Banana Split Weekend?), next weekend is Bacon Weekend! John and his team will be making bacon ice creams and toppings using 36 pounds of organic nitrate-free bacon from Hendricks Farm in Telford.

Pretty impressive, right? Just wait until you try the ice cream!

owowcow ice creams

By admin|August 23rd, 2013|News|Comments Off