January
A resolution for sustainability
In Scotland, the transition to the new year involves a custom called "first-footing", which maintains that the bearer of the first foot to cross a household's threshold after midnight on Hogmanay, or New Year's Eve, embodies the fortunes of the upcoming year. It is true that those who cross the threshold into our dwellings indisputably have an influence on both our intangible and physical fortunes.
Thank you all for the treats and sweets you brought us during the holidays! We invite you to first-foot at the farm any time your heart desires, and we thank you for your role in our community.
During your most recent visit to the farm, you may have noticed a new, big, and bright green addition to our farm store! We now have a reach-in freezer in which to display our grass-fed beef and pork! Available cuts will be listed in front of their corresponding spots on the freezer door. We also have approximately 5 lb bags of beef and pork bones and beef and pork offal in the back. Please ask if you have any questions or requests for items you cannot find!
Our beef and pork are raised on our vast, forrested ranch in Red Bluff, CA. Roughly 50 head of cattle at a time are able to freely roam the several-thousand acre property, where we also grow our nuts, fruit, and grasses. Its location at the base of Mt. Lassen provides a haven for our honey bees, which in turn polinate the nut and fruit trees and provide the delicious honey we feature in the farm store. Our meat production is also unique in that we harvest only 3 animals at a time, every 1-3 months. This means we rotate through and feature the full range of steaks, roasts, offal, bones, and grind that these animals provide for us before processing the next ones.
In other news, our orchards continue to receive much of our winter attentions. Interns are busy suckering trees, a process that involves cutting back the suckers, or root sprouts, that grow from the tree's root stock, which, if left to their own devices, can sap nutrients and energy from the tree and devastate the tree's productivity.
In the coming weeks you can expect to see more winter citrus--oranges, satsumas, clementines, grapefruits, and Bearss limes add color to our otherwise dewey green winter palate. Winter squash and heirloom bean supplies are dwindling! We encourage you to stock up while we still have them!
Public farm tours are held on the first Saturday of the month at 12pm noon. We will not be hosting private tours in the month of January. If you would like to book a private tour for February, please contact Green String Farm Store Manager, Lora Kincaid at lkincaid@greenstringfarm.com or call us at 707-778-7500
Green String Farm spring internship applications are due January 15th! For inquiries about our internship program and for information about the upcoming Spring 2016 intern program, please visit the internship page of our website: http://greenstringfarm.com/green-string-institute
Photographs below: Our very own grass-fed beef and pork; an establishes Leccino Olive tree with wild roses in a wine barrel; an assortment of store goods!