Seeing Red for the Fourth

Yep, we’re heading into tomato season. July is just the beginning of these local favorites in Kentucky.

Farm News: I asked my Amish friend Ellen, who doubles as a spiritual advisor, if it was proper to pray for rain. I feared the wrath of the Almighty if this might be asking too much in light of all that’s wrong with the world. A few inches of nature’s "Miracle Grow" for the heirloom tomatoes in the garden could seem a little self-serving. But Ellen said it was okay as long as you follow the request with "Thy will be done." Well I suppose it was finally the Lord’s will this week and let’s all give a big shout out to the big guy for easing the drought.

Hope to see you all on July 3rd at Midway’s Fourth of July celebration at the town park. We’re getting a large bin of watermelons for the occasion. Not local just yet (sorry) but they are fresh from a South Carolina farmer.

We got to spend some time with folks from Whole Foods Market today. Regional directors hosted a conference to assist local farmers in becoming vendors in the Louisville and the planned Lexington stores. We’ve been selling local produce (our own and that of about six other farmers) to the Louisville store since May and it’s been very gratifying to see the lust for the local produce take off. Orders have increased and I have a feeling will increase a great deal as Whole Foods has a strong commitment to local growers as well as those who create products and raise livestock. Ken, Jane, and Pedro toured Elmwood Stock Farm and then had lunch of local foods at Holly Hill Inn in Midway. We’d planned on touring more farms but the deluge prevented it. However, we did take a tour of the amazing thoroughbred farm, Ashford Stud, where our good friends Doc and Roxey also live. The group was impressed with the luxury accomodations of the stallions and enjoyed meeting many of the famed stallions, including Giant’s Causeway, a truly amazing horse.

Store News: This will be the last week of selling off the farm stand at Hurstland Farm, sad to say, as we plan on having the first sell at the new location at 208 Dudley Street in downtown Midway. We’ll still have some events in the children’s garden and you can always call me if you want to visit.

We’re opening the Honest Farm ‘Pure Kentucky’ Market with a wish and a prayer and appreciate all you can do to support the local farmers we represent. We’ll be adding more Kentucky produce, eggs, milk, and products during July and August so forgive our starkness at first as we will be filling the shelves as quickly as we can with homegrown Kentucky vegetation and products and we’ll be open to the public a few days a week to start out, and also running our farmer wholesale business on other days.

Down the road we plan to offer some great local freezer beef and burgers, Kentucky Bison products, poultry, lamb and pork and many Kentucky Proud products. We’re very excited about carrying a full line of Weisenberger Mill products as well and hope to be making some baked goods down the road with their fabulous ingredients.

Friends have been generous in helping us out. Ouita Michel, and Paige and Jared Richardson have been great customers and now they’ve offered a used deli case so we can sell some prepared foods, including some from Wallace Station and the Holly Hill Inn. In addition, James Neuman, who owns the independent supermarket chain, Valu Market in Louisville, has donated a couple of produce cases to us. All we need is a compressor if you have one in your garage!

The owner of the Midway Lofts, James Reynolds, and his crew did a wonderful job of finishing the space for us and added many creative touches using a good deal of recycled materials including some beautiful old doors to create a small cafe area.

Again, the  Honest Farm ‘Pure Kentucky’ Market will be located at 208 Dudley Street (behind the bank) in Midway. The store will feature local seasonal produce from area farmers as well as local eggs, milk, Broadbent bacon and hams, frozen beef, bison, lamb, and poultry  (these will be ASH-free, pasture-raised or certified organic products). In addition, we’ll have locally produced "Kentucky Proud" food products.

Directions: Follow the signs to the parking lot next to the white barn at Hurstland Farm, 484 Spring Station Road (aka West Stephens) .9 miles from Winter Street (Rte. 62), in beautiful Midway. If you get lost call (859) 533-0085. For more information or a map to the farm, go to www.honestfarm.org.

Pass this along: Word of mouth has been a great boost for our programs and the farm market. If you enjoy the food we grow please forward our menu and our website — www.honestfarm.org — to your friends and neighbors. Thanks so much for your support!

Honest Farm is in transition to becoming a certified organic farm and we don’t use any synthetic fertilizers or chemicals on our crops.