Salt Fork Farms

We would like to announce our return to the market.  On this Saturday, May 4th, Salt Fork Farms will be back in action in Iowa City.  Because of the slow, wet, cold spring, we will not have much to offer in the way of produce at this time, but we will have eggs and chicken and perhaps some rhubarb.  The good news is, we have lots of eggs and we are having a 1/2 PRICE SALE on all egg sizes we sell!  This is a one time only opportunity, so please come down and stock up on eggs!  Our CSA memberships will be valid starting at this time also.

Also, the Ralston Creekside Speakeasy will be returning to serve you breakfast!  We are very excited to start our breakfast stand up again this year as all restrictions to our menu have been lifted and we can serve you whatever we want!!  The menu for  this week will be posted tomorrow.

See you all soon!  Stay warm.  The 3 Cold Kings of May have arrived!

Please support these great women artists tonight!  Hear great music and support our cause.  The Emilees have graciously and generously offered to give a part of tonight’s proceeds toward our kitchen project!  Thanks Emilees!!

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Salt Fork will once again be privileged to be hosted by Deluxe Cakes and Pastries for one of the last ‘Winter Markets’ of the season. Please come down for eggs, chicken and a splendid array of confectionaries. As the Iowa City FM will commence in May, we will no longer be at Deluxe after that point until next winter, but you will still be able to find our eggs at the bakery. Jamie and crew have generously offered to sell our eggs for us while we attend farmers market for the season. Thank you Deluxe for this and a great winter market!!

As the thoughts of drought have been washed away by the recent rains, we sit waiting for a chance to plant.  The cool wet weather is a normal April reality, however, with the beginning of May as the starting point of the Farmers’ Market season, we are anxious to get our first crops in.  We have a few transplants in the high tunnel, but many of our plantlets are still in the basement waiting for a stint of moderate weather to permit their graduation into the bubble world of the tunnel.  It has just been too cold at night.  To go from 80 degrees to below freezing at night is a shock that the plants aren’t able to endure, so you need a few days and nights above 40 so they can handle the shock; even with double covers inside the tunnel.

It appears that without artificially heated greenhouses, we will forever be behind the trend of having produce for the first market of the season.  We’ll be behind, but we always seem to come into our own on the schedule of nature.  This delay in planting is a great reason to get everything organized, cleaned up and set for the real push of the season.  Today we spent all day cleaning the barn.  J was of course instrumental in orchestrating the clean-out and reconfiguration of the farm’s central hub.  Renee and Matt took every odd job we could throw at them and by the end of the day, the barn was about a day away from being a real work place again: a satisfying sight and thought.

I know that these types of stories aren’t that exciting for most, but running a farm has its little victories.  Today was a major one.  Thank you to this year’s crew.  I’m confident we will take on all challenges that lay ahead.

Tomorrow, we will have many, many eggs.  Please come for them.  Also, chickens and cheese.  Next week we will sell potatoes for planting or eating as well as shallots.

Hope to see you there,

Eric

Hello all,

We are busy, busy with preparations for out Easter Benefit Dinner.  There are still some seats remaining for a 5-course gourmet meal, for which the proceeds go toward our farm kitchen!  This dinner will mark our foray into local food events and will allow the community to see our style of cooking.  The farm kitchen will allow us to produce meals from produce we and other farmers raise in our local area.  Please get your place at the table by emailing me saltforkfarms@gmail.com

for an RSVP.

In other news: Easter also marks the coming of spring and renewal.  The egg is the greatest symbol of fertility and the coming of new life in the spring time.  What better way to celebrate than with pasture-raised eggs from a local farm!  See you from 9-12 at Deluxe Cakes and Pastry on S. Summit.  While you come to see us, you will also find a large array of fabulous sweets that Jamie and her crew have artfully baked fresh and designed to your liking.  Deluxe uses Salt Fork eggs in many of their products.  Please enjoy!

Please spread the word!  We are hosting our first benefit to raise money for our Community Farm Kitchen.  Tell everyone and hand out flyers.  If you want to attend, contact me directly for reservations and to buy tickets to the dinner.  Thank you for all of your support!

Devotay Benefit Dinner Menu-1