Pumpkin . . . Fall 2011

Pumpkin . . . Fall 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

New Icelandic Shepherd Group in the US

I am thinking about forming a new Icelandic Shepherd group based in the US with breeders that are comitted to marketing our breed to Chef's, meat to consumers, Fiber Artisans and potential new breeders who are dedicated to furthering the genetics and marketing of our sheep breed. . . .I am sorry, but this group will not be open to hobbyists or homesteaders . . .you must have recently registered and sold sheep either as meat or breeding stock to join.

keep a look out for your Yahoo group invites . . . this will only be on an invitation only basis . . . Please E-mail me privately at violetjwillis@yahoo.com if your are interested in joining. . .

Buy local . . . eat well . . . .

Friday, November 11, 2011

Icelandic Lamb Pelts now in . . . just in time for the Holidays!!!!








I am so excited . . . the first batch of our lamb pelts have just arrived . . . they are very, very beautiful and BIG this year.

We have 10 pelts which range from black/grey, white, black and white spotted (very graphic) solid black and black mouflon. We still have one Moorit Mouflon(brown pelt left from last year). These pelts are machine washable and are great for rugs, lap rugs, upholstery, fashion (would make some wonderful coat collars, cuffs and hems, And I can see some of these made up into knee or thigh high boots!!!! Wow, what a fashion statement that would make this winter:) Price per pelt is $165.00. Maine residents please include 5% Sales Tax.

Please phone me at (207) 726-4765 or send me an e-mail at violetjwillis@yahoo.com to reserve one. I accept a personal check, money order, cashiers check and Paypal.

Enjoy the photo's!

Buy local . . . eat well . . . .

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Raw Icelandic Fleeces For Sale . . . Part 1

We started shearing our sheep over the last weekend . . and are doing something quite different with our shearing technique.

Mark went to the shearing school at Cornell in March of 2007 and learned how to shear "New Zealand" style. He was really good at it but our sheep just hated being shorn this way. Most of them would fight after a while while in certain positions and it got to be a battle and after a while not only Mark would become frustrated but the sheep would as well.

This year we decided to shear them standing up. No more struggling. Our sheep are quite calm and they are very good when I am handling the shears . . . Mark has been holding them for me as I shear . . 16 more sheep to shear next weekend and then all of our ewes will be done:)

Breeding groups will be formed up the following weekend. I will be listing which ewes go with each of our rams at that time . . . after the groups are posted we will be accepting reservations for breeding stock. A $100 deposit is requested and you will be put on a list for either ewe or ram lambs. Just like last year, only our very best lambs will be available for breeding stock and we were so fortunate to meet so many new Icelandic sheep breeders . . . thanks so much everyone!

We sold out of all of our breeding quality lambs this past year. It is strongly encouraged that you visit us and spend time with our sheep to see for yourself the quality that is produced at Kilby Ridge Farm.

Below are photo's of our raw Icelandic fleeces . . .I will post prices . . . typically for raw fleeces we charge $1.00 per ounce for adult and $1.25 per lamb. We can only sell the entire fleece. (For pricing examples: Daisy's fleece would be $51.60 and Cookie's lamb fleece would be $21.25).

Photo's show fleeces right off the sheep but I will be skirting them heavily before they are sent to you removing all second cuts (unless you wish to keep them), dung tags, vegetable matter and belly wool. We ship all fleeces via US parcel post with delivery confirmation.














Buy local . . . . eat well . . . .

Monday, October 17, 2011

Open Farm Day . . . October 15th, 2011



Around 100 people joined us for a sunny day of touring the farm, listening to music, taste testing our lamb and turkey, cider pressing, and most importantly hearing from our three speakers all talking about the the local food movement, and government crackdowns on buying clubs and raw milk, food choice and food sovereignty. The farm store was open and customers were able to purchase our full range of fiber products and produce.







Our first speaker at our Open Farm Day was David Gumpert . . . I am so honored that he was a guest on our farm. I discovered David's blog: The Complete Patient . .http://www.thecompletepatient.com., over five years ago. I wanted to know what the big deal was about drinking raw milk since we had just started drinking raw milk from a nearby farm. Our son was thriving on it and I just loved the taste . . . so much different from pasteurized milk. Our family has enjoyed very good health from drinking raw milk . . .I began posting on David's blog a few years ago and promised him a lamb dinner if he ever decided to visit our farm . . . as it turned out this year I was planning on having our open farm day the weekend of his visit so I asked him to speak at our event. Here is David's Bio:

"David E. Gumpert reports and writes about health and food issues. He writes for a number of online publications, including Grist.org and Huffington Post. He is the author of The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights, which includes a preface by Joel Salatin. His popular blog, The Complete Patient (www.thecompletepatient.com), has over the last five years aggressively covered a number of health and food rights issues, focusing heavily on regulatory excesses involving raw milk and food safety. It has been instrumental in launching a national discussion about restrictions on the availability of unpasteurized dairy products, and in highlighting an emerging debate over food rights."



David's speech was the highlight of our day . . .




Next up as speaker was Scott D'Amboise who is running for US Senate against Olympia Snowe. Scott and his wife have become very good friends. We gave them some of our chicks to start their own backyard flock a few months ago . . . Scott comes from a farm background and I know that he will be the next US Senator for Maine:) All of us farmers and independent minded Mainers must get behind his campaign . . .he is a real person . . . we know that all his hard work will pay off and that Scott will be the first US Senator with a backyard flock of chickens for many generations . . .



Bob St. Peter was our final speaker . . he is the head of "Food for Maine's Future". . . . and is a leader of the food sovereignty movement in Maine. Bob and other farmers were instrumental in the passing of Local Food Ordinances in Hancock County. I am hoping that this movement will take off . . . if we get over 50% of Maine towns adopting this ordinance . . . the state will have to listen to us! Bob is a small sustainable farmer like we are and Mark and I hope to visit Hancock county soon for a promised Farm Tour.



A Maine Seafood Paella dinner rounded out our day. We hope to do our Open Farm Day again next year. . . .

Buy local . . . eat well . . . .

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Icelandic Sheep Husbandry 101

. . . Coming soon for all of the owners of lambs that were sold this year and last as well as for those who have Icelandics but have come across some problems or if you have any questions . . . I am here if needed!

We have been raising these sheep for six years and have been hugely successful with them. From the six gorgeous ewes and two fabulous rams that were purchased from the Lavender Fleece in Michigan . . . We are now up to 70 sheep (33 adults and the rest this years lamb crop. Our flock is now permanently closed as we now have 13 bloodlines to work from. We will do AI in the future if semen from proven North American rams become available.

These sheep are healthy, smart, milky productive moms, finely fleeced and that gourmet quality lamb is the best tasting lamb in the world!, . . . this breed is just as advertised.

The only problem is . . . all those run of the mill sheep raising books out there are not applicable to this breed. The Icelandic sheep has it's own unique requirements and I will be writing up my husbandry manual over the next week or so . . . and posting it here soon. These are all the tips I have learned from my own experience . . how to keep your Icelandic Sheep healthy and productive. keep checking back . . .

Buy local . . . Eat Well . . .

Availabilities for 8/26

Please phone in or e-mail all orders by tomorrow evening . . . pick up will be on Friday between noon and 5pm.

Kilby Ridge Farm:



Basil, Flat leaved Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savory, Dill, Chives, Tansy, Feverfew, Tarragon, Mint, Rosemary: $2.00 bunch
Bag of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme: $5.00
Rainbow Carrots: $2.25 Bunch
Baby Beets with Greens: $3.00 Bunch
Beet Greens: $2.50 1/4 lb bag
Winterboor Kale: $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Ruby Red Chard $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Purple Globe Top Turnips w/tops for braising: $2.50 Bunch
Fennel: .75 each bulb
Young Onion bunches of mild red and yellow chippoline style (flattened end) with substanial top greens: $2.00 bunch
Red Cabbage 75 cents per pound
French beans (very slender) $3.00 pound
Brandy Wine Tomatoes $3.00 Pound (very limited)
Basil Bunches for Pesto $3.00 1/2 lb
Sorrel $2.50 Bunch
Patty Pan Squash 50 Cents each
(New Price) Italian Romanesco Zucchini 75 cents each
(New Price) Saffron Summer Sqaush 75 cents each
Eggs: $3.00 Dozen
Duck Eggs: $5.00 Dozen

Olde Sow Farm:

Jersey Milk
$3.00 per 1/2 gallon
$5.00 per gallon

Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is a delicious creamy spread made from yogurt. It can be
substituted in any recipe calling for cream cheese or chevre but is
lowfat and very high in protein, as much as 25 grams of protein in a
cup!
$5 per 5 oz

Choose from plain or any flavor that I offer my yogurts in.

Yogurt
16 oz jar $3.75 plain
16 oz jar $4.50 Flavored

Flavors offered are:

Plain
Blackberry Peach
Blueberry Lemon
Boysenberry
Raspberry-Peach
Blackberry
Lemon
Fig
Strawberry Pomegranate
Strawberry Rhubarb
Blueberry
Peach
Black Cherry
Raspberry

Olde Sow Farm Artisan Sausage

These are made according to my recipes, with spices that I grind and mix for the butcher, with pork from our Heritage pigs! $8.00 per lb
Sausage in appoximately 1lb packages

Dante's Hot Italian
Chorizo
Bratwurst

Please return all glass jars and lids so they can be sterilized and reused!

Tide Mill Creamery:

Yogurt
Lowfat Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Whole Milk Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Cheese

New! Green Flame Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Garlic Dill Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Smoked Paprika Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Dreamy Onion Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz

Tide Mill Organic Farm:

Certified Organic Produce

Seasonal Mixed Veggie Bag $10.00
Salad Mix $3.00 per bag
Summer Squash $2.00/pound
Cabbage, specify red or green or crinkly $2.00 per lb
Zucchini $2.00/pound
New Potatoes from Levesque Family Farm $2.50 per lb
Kale$2.50/bunch
Large Sweet Onions $2.00 per lb
Sweet, Green Peppers $3.00 per lb
Hot Peppers .50 each
Basil $1.50 1/8lb bag
Parsley $1.50/bunch

Certified Organic Pasture Raised Dairy

Ricotta, Made by Garden Side Dairy with TMOF milk...NOW AVAILABLE FRESH UPON REQUEST
$6.50 per lb
Order your whole milk yogurt from Tide Mill Creamery!
Whole, raw milk in 1/2 Gallon Glass Ball Jars $3.50 per 1/2 gallon
Whole, Raw Milk (in a Recyclable plastic pint) $2.00 per pint
Whole, Raw Milk in Recyclable Plastic Gallon Jugs $5.50 /gallon
Whole, raw milk in Recyclable Plastic 1/2 Gallon Jugs $3.00 per half gallon

**NEW**

Chocolate Milk Pint~~~$3.00
Ingredients: organic Tide Mill whole milk, organic evaporated cane juice and organic chocolate
Certified Organic Meat
Certified Organic. Fresh Chicken~Beef and Pork frozen
For our meats: If you buy 25 lbs or more you get a .25 cents per pound discount. Buying 50 lbs gets you a discount of $.50 per pound.

CHICKEN:

Whole Chicken,~ 3.25 - 4.5 lbs $4.50 per lb
Boneless, skinless breasts. Usually, two breasts per package ~ 1.0-.1.25 lbs $10.00 per lb
Whole breasts, ~1.5 - 2.5 lbs $7.50 per lb
Half Chickens, one per package, ~1.75 -2.75 lbs $4.75 per lb
Drumsticks, 6 per package, ~ 1.75 - 2.25 lbs $4.00per lb
Wings, 12 per package, ~2.0 - 3.00 lbs $4.00 per lb
Leg/thigh Quarters: 2 per package, ~1.75-2.50 lbs $4.75 per lb
Thighs:
Two or four thighs per package. 2 Thighs weigh ~ .50 - .75 lbs $5.50 per lb
Backs, 4 per package, ~ 4.00 lbs $1.00 per lb
Necks, ~2.0 - 3.0 lbs per package $2.00 per lb
Chicken Liver, ~1.00 packages $5.00 per lb
Chicken hearts, ~.75 lb packages $5.00 per lb

BEEF

Ground beef $5.25 per lb
Tenderloin Steaks $15.00 per lb
NY Strip Steaks $14.00 per lb
T-bone Steaks $15.00 per lb
Ribeye $13.00 per lb
NY Sirloin Steaks $11.00 per lb
Sirloin Tip Steaks $10.00 per lb
Beef Liver $3.00 per lb
Prime Rib Roasts, approximately 3 lbs $13.00 per lb
Beef Roasts (top round, sirloin) $6.00 per lb
Beef short ribs $5.00 per lb
Bulk beef bones (large bones with little meat) $1.00 per lb
Suet (Beef Fat) Great for feeding birds and for making soap $1.00 per lb
Soup Bones 1/2lb---1 lb packages of a cross section of marrow bone and meat $3.00 per lb

PORK

Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Boneless pork chops $10.00 per lb
Thick Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Pork Rack of Ribs $6.00 per lb
Pork Sausage (please specify breakfast, hot or chorizo) $8.00 per lb
Pork Country Ribs $8.00 per lb
Pork Shoulder Roast $6.00 per lb
Pork Loin Roast $8.00 per lb
Boneless Pork Loin Roast ~3lb $9.50 per lb
Ground pork $7.00 per lb
Ham Hocks $3.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Roasts $8.50 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Steaks $9.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Bacon $11.00 per lb
Fat back $1.00 per lb

Buy local . . . . Eat Well . . . .



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Buying Club Availabilities For 8/12

Lots of new produce available on our farm this week. . . . Here is our list:

Basil, Flat leaved Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savory, Dill, Chives, Tansy, Feverfew, Tarragon, Mint, Rosemary: $2.00 bunch
Bag of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme: $5.00
Rainbow Carrots: $2.25 Bunch
Baby Beets with Greens: $3.00 Bunch
Beet Greens: $2.50 1/4 lb bag
Winterboor Kale: $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Ruby Red Chard $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Heirloom Lettuce Mix $2.50 1/4 lb (very limited right now)
Purple Globe Top Turnips w/tops for braising: $2.50 Bunch
Pasture Raised Eggs: $3.00 dozen
Fennel: .75 each bulb
Baby Zucchini and Saffron Summer Squash: $1.25 each
Young Onion bunches of mild red and yellow chippoline style (flattened end) with substanial top greens: $2.00 bunch

Tide Mill Organic Farm:

Certified Organic, Maine Raised Produce
VARIETY MIXED VEGGIE BAG $10 / BAG
Salad Mix $3.00 per bag
Beans, green $3.00 per lb
Beans, burgandy $3.00 per lb
Brocolli $2.50 per bag
Summer Squash $2.00/pound
Pickling Cucumbers $2.00 per lb
Zucchini $2.00/pound
New Potatoes from Levesque Family Farm $2.50 per lb
Kale$2.50/bunch
Swiss Chard $2.50/bunch
Young Onions $2.50/bunch
Parsley $1.50/bunch

Certified Organic Pasture Raised Dairy

Ricotta, Made by Garden Side Dairy with TMOF milk...NOW AVAILABLE FRESH UPON REQUEST
$6.50 per lb
Order your whole milk yogurt from Tide Mill Creamery!
Whole, raw milk in 1/2 Gallon Glass Ball Jars $3.50 per 1/2 gallon
Whole, Raw Milk (in a Recyclable plastic pint) $2.00 per pint
Whole, Raw Milk in Recyclable Plastic Gallon Jugs $5.50 /gallon
Whole, raw milk in Recyclable Plastic 1/2 Gallon Jugs $3.00 per half gallon

**NEW**

Chocolate Milk Pint~~~$3.00
Ingredients: organic Tide Mill whole milk, organic evaporated cane juice and organic chocolate
Certified Organic Meat
Certified Organic. Fresh Chicken~Beef and Pork frozen
For our meats: If you buy 25 lbs or more you get a .25 cents per pound discount. Buying 50 lbs gets you a discount of $.50 per pound.

CHICKEN:

Whole Chicken,~ 3.25 - 4.5 lbs $4.50 per lb
Boneless, skinless breasts. Usually, two breasts per package ~ 1.0-.1.25 lbs $10.00 per lb
Whole breasts, ~1.5 - 2.5 lbs $7.50 per lb
Half Chickens, one per package, ~1.75 -2.75 lbs $4.75 per lb
Drumsticks, 6 per package, ~ 1.75 - 2.25 lbs $4.00per lb
Wings, 12 per package, ~2.0 - 3.00 lbs $4.00 per lb
Leg/thigh Quarters: 2 per package, ~1.75-2.50 lbs $4.75 per lb
Thighs:
Two or four thighs per package. 2 Thighs weigh ~ .50 - .75 lbs $5.50 per lb
Backs, 4 per package, ~ 4.00 lbs $1.00 per lb
Necks, ~2.0 - 3.0 lbs per package $2.00 per lb
Chicken Liver, ~1.00 packages $5.00 per lb
Chicken hearts, ~.75 lb packages $5.00 per lb

BEEF

Ground beef $5.25 per lb
Tenderloin Steaks $15.00 per lb
NY Strip Steaks $14.00 per lb
T-bone Steaks $15.00 per lb
Ribeye $13.00 per lb
NY Sirloin Steaks $11.00 per lb
Sirloin Tip Steaks $10.00 per lb
Beef Liver $3.00 per lb
Prime Rib Roasts, approximately 3 lbs $13.00 per lb
Beef Roasts (top round, sirloin) $6.00 per lb
Beef short ribs $5.00 per lb
Bulk beef bones (large bones with little meat) $1.00 per lb
Suet (Beef Fat) Great for feeding birds and for making soap $1.00 per lb
Soup Bones 1/2lb---1 lb packages of a cross section of marrow bone and meat $3.00 per lb

PORK

Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Boneless pork chops $10.00 per lb
Thick Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Pork Rack of Ribs $6.00 per lb
Pork Sausage (please specify breakfast, hot or chorizo) $8.00 per lb
Pork Country Ribs $8.00 per lb
Pork Shoulder Roast $6.00 per lb
Pork Loin Roast $8.00 per lb
Boneless Pork Loin Roast ~3lb $9.50 per lb
Ground pork $7.00 per lb
Ham Hocks $3.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Roasts $8.50 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Steaks $9.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Bacon $11.00 per lb
Fat back $1.00 per lb

Olde Sow Farm:

Jersey Milk
$3.00 per 1/2 gallon
$5.00 per gallon

Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is a delicious creamy spread made from yogurt. It can be
substituted in any recipe calling for cream cheese or chevre but is
lowfat and very high in protein, as much as 25 grams of protein in a
cup!
$5 per 5 oz

Choose from plain or any flavor that I offer my yogurts in.

Yogurt
16 oz jar $3.75 plain
16 oz jar $4.50 Flavored

Flavors offered are:

Plain
Blackberry Peach
Blueberry Lemon
Boysenberry
Raspberry-Peach
Blackberry
Lemon
Fig
Strawberry Pomegranate
Strawberry Rhubarb
Blueberry
Peach
Black Cherry
Raspberry

Olde Sow Farm Artisan Sausage

These are made according to my recipes, with spices that I grind and mix for the butcher, with pork from our Heritage pigs! $8.00 per lb
Sausage in appoximately 1lb packages

Dante's Hot Italian
Chorizo
Bratwurst

Please return all glass jars and lids so they can be sterilized and reused!

Tide Mill Creamery:
Yogurt
Lowfat Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Whole Milk Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Cheese

New! Green Flame Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Garlic Dill Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Smoked Paprika Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Dreamy Onion Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz

Please either phone in or e-mail your order by noon tomorrow. Thank you so much for your orders!

Buy local . . . . eat well . . . .