Lida Farm Journal: Week 16

Well, this week we’ve come to the end of the line. I don’t know about you, but sometimes the produce season seems like it went by in a blur and other times it seems like a couple years. It was just like yesterday when I was weeding onions and planting potatoes. On the other hand, sometimes when I think about all the stuff which has happened between now and when I started seeds in March, the season seems pretty darn long. Sure, we have a number of chores to put the farm to rest for the winter, but right now I’m looking forward to sitting in a chair, just reading seed catalogs and dreaming of next season. That’s pretty much what growers do in the off season…dream about beautiful, weed-free fields of produce. Still, what I dream up in the off season and what actually happens typically doesn’t match up.

Lately I’ve been dreaming of a rustic little roadside stand at the end of our driveway just overflowing with produce…let’s see if it actually comes to fruition.

Lida Farm Journal: Week 15

I was talking to another vendor at the farmers market the other day about people stocking up on things in the fall. He sells beef at the market and was saying that he makes about ¾ of his sales in the last weeks of September and beginning of October, when people feel the winter coming on and choose to buy a quarter or half of beef. We agreed that’s it’s something like a squirrel complex we all feel, but, instead of burying nuts, we burying food in freezers. We certainly do this ourselves. After deliveries today, I’m going out to scour the tomato patch for the last of the tomatoes which survived the frost and do some extra canning.

So, if you’re feeling squirrly, consider buying a quarter or half of meat. Steve Worms is a full-time beef farmer from Mahnomen who raises Red Angus cattle under the name North Star Premium Beef. I have bought a quarter from him the last two years and I’ve been very happy with the meat. Good flavor and a good mix of stuff. Grant Langerud is a full-time hog farmer from Hawley who sells pork under the name of Grandpa’s Meats. I got a half hog from him last year and I was really impressed with the variety and quality. Both have the Ulen Locker do their processing and this guy does a good job, especially when it comes to smoking hams and bacon. It’s just so nice to go downstairs to do some shopping for dinner instead of going to town.

Both have websites you can check out or just give them a call if interested:

North Star Premium Beef (Steve Worms): www.northstarbeef.com or 218-935-2659
Grandpa’s Meats (Grant Langerud): www.grandpasmeats.com or 218-483-4195