This is our mid-summer newsletter. The links are not hot, but you can email and we can send you a copy that has hot links.

Mid-Summer Newsletter
I am always amazed when we get to July 1st and half of the year has passed.  Where did the time go and what did we accomplish is an annual question?  On the farm, you would think that little changes during each season, but each year we face different challenges and have different opportunities.   I know that a lot of things we did in the first half of the year will not appear again,  but many items on the list will not be accomplished by year's end.  Rather than a short update, this newsletter will be an opportunity to share with you what is happening on the farm and what you can participate in.  We hope you enjoy it and we always enjoy your comments and feedback.
The Alpha and the Omega: Our Berry Patch
We are still open for blueberry picking and taking pre-picked flat orders.
Since the first blackberry was picked around Memorial Day, this has been the most successful berry season we have had.  These photos were taken July 4th weekend.  The bushes are growing and many have reached maturity.  The special fertilization program we started last year allowed us to have berries that are abundant, large and very sweet.  While the blackberry season is pretty much over, a few gallons are still picked every few days by those with a keen eye for this succulent fruit.  We have had more blueberries than a small army could pick.  Many thousands of pounds have been picked and more are still waiting to be picked.
We are in the last few weeks of the season and our closing date will be determined by the condition of the berries.  At this time, they are at the peak of perfection. We anticipate not having berries after July 23, but we shall see how things go and how the weather affects the berries.    If you are coming far, please give us a call to check on availability before you leave home.
The end of the berry season does not mean that we just close the gate until next year.  The real work starts the day after the last customer departs. We have some issues with our blackberries.  The blackberries have been under stress all season and no one knows why.  We have had expert's advice and they tell us that all blackberries in the mid south have experienced early die back this year.  We are participating in research of the problem and sending in leaves for tissue analysis at the University of Arkansas and an expert from the university will visit us in August for a hands-on look at what is happening.  It could be as simple as that a hard winter triggered a larger than normal crop of berries and the plants were stressed trying to bring all those berries to maturity.  We also had a dryer May and higher than normal temperatures in May and June that affected the bushes.  Peach and apple orchards pick off part of the fruit to allow the rest to grow larger,  That is not possible with blackberries due to the number of berries that would have to be removed.  The new canes that emerge in the spring for next year's crop have not been as prolific so we do not know what that crop will be like.  In any case, we will be soon cutting out at ground level every cane that had a berry this season, removing all unwanted trash trees, weeds and such that are in each row and prune the new canes.  This is a very labor intensive process and one that can only be done by hand and often on your knees.  After this is complete, we will be able to evaluate the condition of our bushes for the 2011 season.  In all probability, we will plant some new varieties as a back-up, but they will not be productive for several years. 
While we are working on the blackberries, we are also pruning the blueberries in that narrow window of time before mid-September after which you do not want new growth on the blueberry plants.  For each of the 3,400 plants, we will prune by hand the stray branches that reached out into the row this season and top all of the plants that are under five feet tall so that they grow out evenly next season. The mature bushes will be trimmed to less than six feet tall.  We need to do this quickly as the plants will respond to the pruning with new growth that needs to mature before frost.  After we prune, we hand weed all of the blueberry rows.  That is about two miles of row.  Following this, we add pine bark mulch around each plant.  During all this, we continue to mow the 9 acre berry patch every 5-7 days, maintain the irrigation system and fertilize the plants almost every few weeks.  We are also planning on winter replanting as every year some plants die off for this reason or that. 
All of these after season activities make it possible for us to offer you next Memorial Day or a few days later a groomed berry patch where you can pick as many of our large sweet berries as your heart desires. 
As we near the end of the season, we invite you to come on out one more time and enjoy picking blueberries at The Greer Farm. 
Figs are Ready, Finally
Every year I think the figs are not ever going to get ripe.  But, as sure as the sun will come up in the east tomorrow, our figs ripen mid -July every year.  We are picking every few days and availability is by order.  We try to have several gallons on hand at all times.  The price is $4 per pound, same as last year.  Now is the time to enjoy figs straight off the tree.  
Farm to Fork:  Cooking Classes with Chef Eva
The old farm house kitchen has been full of those with an enthusiasm for a unique culinary experience all summer.  The July 10th class, Refreshing Mouth Watering Salsas, was so popular it is being offered again this Saturday July 17 at 11:00 am.  There is some availability for this class and we suggest you call early if you want to reserve a seat at the table.  I think that there is something special about cool salsas on a hot July day.  The menu for this class includes:

Watermelon mango salsa with marinated grilled chicken tenders 
Brie and pecan quesadillas with pineapple apricot salsa 
Bruschetta with garden fresh tomato salsa, spinach and homemade ricotta 
Grilled angel food cake with blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry salsa

I was in and out during the class Saturday, but tried to be there each time there was something to eat.  I was really impressed with the homemade ricotta cheese and how easy it appeared to make.  Hands down, my favorite was the angle food cake grilled on the barbecue grill and the salsa that had every fresh berry available.  The blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries with whatever sauce they were mixed with was heavenly. 
The August cooking class has been rescheduled to August 17.  Too Hot to Cook is a popular summer class with a different menu each year.   School has not yet started, the family is restless, and who wants to be stuck in the kitchen over a hot stove.  So to avoid being disappointed, please reserve early for this popular class.

Fresh Mozzarella, Prosciutto, Basil & Parsley Pesto Tomato Sandwich 
Chicken, Roasted Pepper and zipper pea hummus on pita bread 
Smoked salmon avocado spring rolls 
Blackberry sorbet in chocolate wafer cups

September normally has a class later in the month after things cool off a bit, but this year Chef Eva has a different idea.  What about a real old fashioned Labor Day picnic as the theme for a cooking class.  Picnic Fare for Labor Day is perfect for couples wanting to get away for a part of the holiday weekend and do something different.  This menu offers a lot of opportunity to learn to make new dishes and traditional ones differently.  Set aside Saturday September 4th as a day to have fun and eat well.

Watermelon salad with mint lime dressing 
Chili spiked grilled corn with cotija cheese 
Burgers with spicy mayonnaise, chipotle ketchup, sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions 
Beer braised hot dogs with sauerkraut 
Roasted peach crumble with Greek yogurt ice cream 
Burgers will be Greer Farm USDA inspected Grass-finished beef

The October and November classes adapt to the change of weather and season.  October 9th is a Fall Fest with Winter Squashes, October 23rd is more basic; Prepping for Winter with Savory Stocks and Healthy Breads.  November is seasonal themed, Getting Ready for Holiday Gatherings. Private classes can be scheduled most any day or time for groups of friends.
All of Chef Eva's Farm to Fork classes are unique.  make your reservations early and come to class with an appetite, a desire to participate, laugh and have fun. 
Jam, Syrup and All Things Savory
This berry season Chef Eva has kept the burners hot in her kitchen.  She is offering the very best of our berries and fruit canned so you can enjoy it later or give to a friend as a gift.  It has been hard to keep up with the demand.  Depending on availability, she is making blueberry jam, blueberry syrup, blackberry jam, peach-blueberry jam, chipotle - blueberry sauce and fig preserves with lemon and blueberry pie filling.  The chipotle sauces are great poured over a block of cream cheese and served with crackers, or used to baste chicken or baby back ribs on the barbecue. The blueberry syrup makes breakfast waffles or pancakes extra special.   Craving blueberry pie or cobbler with a large clump of ice cream on top?  Our whole fresh blueberries for fillings are perfect and easy to use. 12 ounce jars of syrup or jam are  $8, 8 ounce jars of chipotle sauce or jam are $5 and quart jars of blueberry pie filling are $10.
Greer Farm Beef
We appreciate the many of you that have re-ordered a split quarter of half of our grass finished beef, or are a new customer.  There are a lot of options available to those that do not want to purchase beef raised in a feed lot, but we feel that our breed of cattle, our production system and our standard of care for our cattle make our beef just a little bit different and a lot better. 
Our forage plan for this season has worked so far and our cattle are doing well on the new forages we planted.  Our grasses have been supplemented with clover and legumes so our cattle get a high quality of healthy forage.  We also used a blend of minerals based on soil analysis to help us grow more of the right kind of forage.  We have found that KMag is an important mineral to sustain grass growth.  Unlike ranches that buy hay from other farms or sell hay, our hay is harvested and consumed on our ranch.  In the cycle of things, the minerals we put on the land never leave us but the cattle redistribute it naturally.  We will start our mid summer hay operation in a few days. 
Our annual objective is to have enough hay baled to feed our cattle all winter and have an additional year of hay in reserve in the barns.  Some ranches just let the cattle eat the dead standing grasses after frost and supplement with little to no hay.  We feel stock pile grazing does not provide the nutrition needed for cattle and especially for cows with baby calves.  This year we will cut every pasture we have because of the threat of army worms.  It is better to have the hay baled than lose the grass. Last year we lost all of our grass in late September when it was at its prime to army worms.  Cutting a meadow when worms are moving will sometimes cause them to march around your farm for the next one down the road.  We prefer to not use chemical sprays to kill them and then have our cattle eat this grass. 
The beef steers we are preparing for fall harvest are looking good.  They are presently at our home place where we have some very good mixed grasses and acres of newly planted red river crab grass.  They are looking fat and happy here.  Especially inviting to them is their access to a lake where they take a swim in every afternoon. 
We still have some cuts of beef available at the farm, but steaks are out of stock.  We will have more in the fall.  By the second week of August we will have a good stock of our famous lean and tasty ground beef.  If you wish to place an order for a split quarter or half, we would appreciate receiving your deposit of $200 by August 15.  This will allow us to finish the steers properly on our own grasses and the alfalfa we bring in from northern Missouri to supplement our forages. Complete information our beef program is on our website.
Free Range Beef Veal: Are You Interested?
From time to time we invite your comment or an expression of interest in a new product off the farm.  It appears that enough of you will purchase free range pork that we are moving forward on this project (slowly).  There was little interest in a CSA style beef arrangement where you committed to purchase a split quarter, we store the frozen, packaged beef and you take deliver over a set period of time.  This reduces your up front cost to monthly payments and you are taking only a small portion of the beef each month. It was good idea that did not fly.
A local farmer has a dairy and we have discussed offering free range beef veal..  This would help him out during a depressed milk price cycle using female calves and bull calves that do not fit into the herd plan. Calf veal is the tenderest of all beef products and if you go to a high end grocery store, meat market or restaurant you are amazed at its cost.  We believe that we can raise calves on pasture, naturally, and offer a superior veal product at a fair price.
At the current time, these calves are sold at auction at a very young age.  One can only assume that they will not be taken care of on some large factory farm in the same manner as they are on a smaller farm.  Our concept is to keep them on the farm where they were born,  drinking mama cow milk several times a day, eating all the fresh grass they want and having companionship with other calves until they are ready for harvest.  These calves will be raised with tender loving care, hand bottle feeding, no hormones, no antibiotics and especially no calf crates that have been common and continue to be on factory farms.  We want to raise calves free range near their mothers. I have read a lot of terrible stories about the veal industry and was put off to the point I would never buy it.  I think our idea is a way to obtain veal raised naturally.
As with our other beef, this veal will be USDA inspected.  If you own a restaurant or meat market, this veal can be resold.  Not everyone will be interested in veal or may not have even tried it, but if you are, please send us an email (put beef veal in the subject line).  We will get back to you with more details once we see there is enough interest to do this.  We need 4-8 parties interested to make it practical. 
Free Range Animals
I get questions occasionally about what "free range" means in regard to how we raise our animals.  Born Free USA says Free Range or Cage free is an open subject without real criteria.  "No government laws or standards regulate the use of terms such as “free-range” and “free-roaming” on egg cartons. For eggs, these or similar labels generally mean that hens are un-caged yet confined indoors in crowded sheds. For animals raised for meat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture stipulates that free-range chickens must have “access to the outdoors” and free-range cows and sheep must be “grass fed and live on a range.” No other criteria — such as the size of the “range,” the amount of space individual animals must have, or animal care and handling — are required." 
You will have no doubt if you visit our farm and see all or our animals totally free range.  Everything is able to run free within the confines of fenced pastures and paddocks.  Our chickens have almost an acre of green grass to lounge in. but in the heat of the day they have a barn to retreat to and there they lay their eggs.  The only time they are confined is the first few weeks after they are born in the brooder and that is for their protection.  Before year end, we still have hope of having an egg trailer house in a 9 acre meadow for the chickens.  Our goats, sheep and cattle are pasture raised.  The only thing that has held us back in raising pork is the time needed to clear brush and build fence in an open area that will give pastured pigs access to acres of open ground. 
The next time you buy a meat product or eggs, take a look at the package and determine if the place it came from used sustainable, free range standards.  It does make a difference in the quality and taste of the product. 
Lakeside Cabins
We have had a very busy year with lakeside log cabin rentals and many of you have returned for one or more visit.  Some weekend rentals remain in August and weekdays are more available.  The fall is booking up now for those that prefer cooler weather, the change of season and our east Texas colorful fall foliage. 
Since Daingerfield State park closed for renovation, our cabins and the farm are attractive options for those that enjoyed this park for so many years.  It will remain closed until late February 2011.
This summer we refurbished our sand beach and added paddle boards to our inventory of water craft that can be rented.  If you have never been on a paddle board, it is not too late to start.  They bring a whole new dimension to fun on the water and are a great way to work out.
We are still offering 10% off for a four day stay any Sunday through Thursday until the end of August. We did this to give families a chance to have a more economical farm stay before Labor Day.  Most of our costs are fixed and the only variables are cleaning, washing linens and electricity.  We have maintained the same prices since we started renting the cabins three years ago.  Occasionally, we offer a discount like this one, but for the most part, it is not profitable for us to discount our prices.  I know this offends some that expect us to offer week day or off season deals, but we offer what we feel is a superior experience in a place difficult to replicate.  We hope that you feel you have received value for what you paid to stay on our farm. 
 If you desire a nice place to unwind, our farm is that place.
This and That
There is so much that goes on at the farm that we can never cover it in a newsletter.  We try to keep our farm blogs up to date on current activity, post photos and share other items we feel are interesting.  Check out Farmers Don't Blog when you have time.
From Our House to Yours
We are here because you are supporting our family farm.  We never loose sight of that and strive to meet all your needs when you visit us.
Have a great summer, come pick berries before they are gone, attend a cooking class, rent a log cabin or just stop by for a glass of iced tea.  We are always (for better of worse) here.
All the best,
Sid, Eva and all of us at the farm

Chef Eva's cooking class Saturday was a tremendous success. The topic was Refreshing Mouth Watering Salsas and it will be repeated this Saturday July 17.

The menu has a lot of variety and uses many local fruits, including Greer Farm blueberries and blackberries.

Watermelon mango salsa with marinated grilled chicken tenders 

Brie and pecan quesadillas with pineapple apricot salsa 

Bruschetta with garden fresh tomato salsa, spinach and homemade ricotta 

Grilled angel food cake with blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry salsa

One of the highlights of the class was learning to make fresh ricotta cheese. Once learned, this is something anyone can do in minutes.

These photos share some of the moments of the class and what you have to look forward to if you participate this Saturday, July 17. Chef Eva looks like she is having a good time.

To live is to be

uncertain.

Certainty comes

at the end.
"You Are There" by Erica Jong, from Love Comes Firs

Our grandson came for the weekend and was amazed at our sunflowers that line the fence in the berry patch. He was more amazed by the tasty blueberries.

Occasionally I find a poem I like and share it here. Today I found two and each is equally appropriate.

The Evening is Tranquil, and Dawn is a Thousand Miles Away
by Charles Wright

The mares go down for their evening feed

into the meadow grass.

Two pine trees sway the invisible wind—

some sway, some don't sway.

The heart of the world lies open, leached and ticking with sunlight

For just a minute or so.

The mares have their heads on the ground,

the trees have their heads on the blue sky.

Two ravens circle and twist.
On the borders of heaven, the river flows clear a bit longer.

The Farm Wife Sells Her Cows
by Shari Wagner

The cats gather by my kitchen door,

rubbing ribs against a box of overshoes

and spewing curses that waver

like an organ's vibrato. I've given them

every left-over in the fridge—none of it

seems to soothe them, though when we enter

the dairy room where a sour scent still lingers

they hush and assume places, calico

sphinxes against the wall.

I switch on the radio, wait for

the first ones to lumber through—black

and white boulders—larger than you'd imagine

watching them in the field. If only

we could call them back, but by now

they must be past the beltway of Indianapolis,

peering through slats with eyes bewildered

as on the day we pulled them from their mothers.

This past week we have had a few nice rain showers late in the day. They have come in the late afternoon and are not like those that come in the night that lull you to sleep with rain hitting the metal roof. Never-the-less, they are much appreciated. Normally, by this time of the year, we have more than half of the hay needed for the cattle in the winter already baled. Due to the lack of rain since February, and at first very cool nights and then very hot days, we are way behind on setting aside our needs. When this rain band passes we will cut two hay meadows. I do not expect great results, but every bale counts.

We weaned over 20 calves this past week and some had to be dehorned; some castrated. We kept back four bull calves to see how they grow out. All of the calves look pretty good. They are still in the corral for a few days until they stop crying for their moms. We moved the steers from Rock Branch back home where we have some really nice paddocks for them to graze. Many have ordered our grass finished beef that will be harvested in the fall. The heifer calves being bred at Rocky Branch are doing fine and look good. All the cattle are in good condition as we enter the hotter, dryer part of the summer.

The grasses we planted are taking hold, but no as fast as I had hoped. Every time you plow ground you bring up old weed seeds. The goat weed is a problem on the new grass land and we have sprayed in some cases. The most productive grass planted is at Rocky Branch and the cows are keeping it well trimmed. On the side where the grass was planted it is about 4 inches tall. Next to it is the established grasses and they are almost a foot tall.

Our blueberry patch is doing great this season. The blackberry did not do so well. The berries dried up fast in the excessive heat we experienced and the brambles dried early. Next year's shoots have also not come along well. We do not know if we have to replant or what we will do yet. After we remove the dead canes in late July we will know more. The raspberry we planted are also having a difficult time. Our blueberry bushes are growing and the die off in some plants we experienced early stopped. The bushes are loaded with huge berries and many green ones are still to ripen. There is not a better time to pick than now.

Every day brings new challenges, but during the first half of the year much was accomplished and we anticipate in the second half we will also be as productive.