Growing up on my family's farm in Pennsylvania, I never would have pictured the life I live at Willow Haven farm. As a kid I spent summers in our large family garden we called, “The Truck Patch”. I helped mom every summer, picking beans, weeding, and cutting fruit and vegetables for the hundreds of jars of canned and frozen produce we put up. Now I spends less time out in the field and more time in the kitchen doing the same preserving for my own farm family. Farmer Reuben values my many hours doing much of the behind the scenes marketing, writing emails to cultivate customers and capturing the farm story each week. I'm always learning along the way in my quest to improve the farm experience for each of her current and future farm members in our 500+ member, year-round customized farm box delivery program. Reading our stories will connect you with your food in a way you never experienced before. Someday soon you will want to fit local food into your life and we'll be here to help you.
My 100 year old Swedish Farm Wife Grandma + How make Egg Nog like a Farmer
Hi Reader,
Will we have snow before the New Year?
Aren't you just waiting for that perfect winter day to go for a hike in the woods after the first snowfall? The snow silences the noise and brightens everything you see while you enjoy the crisp air.
We Are Open!
Market Hours:
Friday: until 6 pm
Saturday: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Be Inspired by Your Farm Community!
Come to the Farm for Gifts & Food!
Curling up in front of a winking fire with a warm drink or a good book is a just reward after that hike, or even after cooking all day to get ready for the holidays.
With a freezer full of ground beef, ham and ground pork, we are busy making traditional Swedish ham loaves and Swedish meatballs for our Christmas feast which we have on Christmas Day with my parents and my brother's family.
My mother is half Swedish and half Norwegian so since the farm wives are the ones who cook, we get to pass on our traditional holiday foods to our families.
This is my Swedish grandmother, Ruth, who lived one hundred years before she passed away peacefully last October, after receiving hundreds of 100th birthday cards and well wishes from friends and family around the country.
My grandmother in northern Illinois was an admirer of our farm business from afar.
She even replied to my Friday Farm News emails.
She wished she lived closer so that we could deliver our Market Boxes full of good farm food to her.
I think she lived so long for many reasons:
- good farm food
- hard work and perseverance
- long term goals, like seeing her great, great grandchildren
- her faith
- a loving, attentive family
We will miss her but we will continue our Swedish Christmas food traditions for many years.
Farming both changes and stays the same generation after generation. Many of the joys and challenges we have were familiar to my grandmother.
But she never made a farm video. Her generation was more connected with their food and familiar with this farm life.
Her farm life slowed down in the winter. That's when my grandfather would take apart and rebuild his tractors. Our farm life is a little different here in PA and she was always interested in what we were doing.
We've chosen to keep you connected with local food all winter long by sharing these short views into our farm life and making deliveries every week.
I'm sure you'll learn more than one new tidbit in this video.
Lots of milk, cream and eggs are needed for our Christmas celebration.
The highlight every year is our own homemade egg nog. We collect milk and cream for a couple days right before Christmas so we can use it in the egg nog.
This real farm egg nog is all raw which might make someone wonder. I can assure you that farm raised milk and eggs that we know we can trust makes the difference. We've never had a problem.
How to Make Egg Nog Like A Farmer
- Use real raw milk from grass fed cows.
- Add as much thick cream as you prefer.
- Use pastured eggs from a farmer you know.
- Age it. This egg nog is best when it sits overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Enjoy. This recipe make enough for our family to enjoy for several days.
I know my recipe makes a huge amount so I don't expect you to make it this way. But I wanted to share it with you as another peak into the life of our farm family.
If you'd like to see the recipe and modify it for your own purposes, go here to view and download. Use common sense when using raw milk and eggs. You can find plenty of recipes on the internet for cooked versions, if you prefer.
We support your desire to have a good healthy way of life and food on your table that supports that goal.
Happy New Year and Merry Christmas! from all the DeMasters and our staff on the farm:
Reuben, Tessa, Annika, Simeon, Britta, Blaise, Gwen, Isa, Mattias, Pippin, Kaatje, Andrés, Suzanne, Wray, Pedro and Lisa!
We'll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
P.S. It really helps our farm when you tell us that you've read this email, even if you just skimmed to the bottom.
| I read it! |
This will let me know that people are actually reading what I write and help me send you what you find worth while.
Resources for you:
Campaign For Real Milk - articles and raw milk finder tool.
Thinking of unsubscribing? current CSA members need to stay connected to our emails but you can limit them to just vital information about your membership by clicking here.
Tessa DeMaster
Growing up on my family's farm in Pennsylvania, I never would have pictured the life I live at Willow Haven farm. As a kid I spent summers in our large family garden we called, “The Truck Patch”. I helped mom every summer, picking beans, weeding, and cutting fruit and vegetables for the hundreds of jars of canned and frozen produce we put up. Now I spends less time out in the field and more time in the kitchen doing the same preserving for my own farm family. Farmer Reuben values my many hours doing much of the behind the scenes marketing, writing emails to cultivate customers and capturing the farm story each week. I'm always learning along the way in my quest to improve the farm experience for each of her current and future farm members in our 500+ member, year-round customized farm box delivery program. Reading our stories will connect you with your food in a way you never experienced before. Someday soon you will want to fit local food into your life and we'll be here to help you.
Hi Reader, What's the best travel food? Jerky, of course! Pioneers and American Indians used it and now its a manufactured convenience food with lots of plastic packaging and additives. I mentioned in our Farm Member Chat Group that I made Beef Jerky this week with our own ground beef. Calls for the recipe came quickly! Since we are traveling this weekend, I'm sharing the recipe and a list of our tried and true travel foods. Grass fed Ground Beef Jerky Recipe & More We Are Open at Willow...
Hi Reader, Even my jaw dropped. Did I forget or was this info SO SHOCKING that it's hard to believe? The head farmer at Rodale spoke at a Health Symposium for medical professionals in July. Reuben and I were the only other farmer attendees. When talking about food and health to the doctors, nurses, and students, he chose to make sure they knew that organic food is the only way to eat for health and sustainability. Over 70 crops are sprayed directly with glyphosate, most immediately before...
Hi Reader! Are you curious about the health benefits of fermentation but unsure where to begin? Do you find yourself fascinated by the idea of making your own kraut, pickles, kimchi, or kombucha but feel overwhelmed by the process? If you've ever wondered how to transform simple ingredients into delicious, probiotic-rich foods that nourish your body, you're not alone. Many people are intrigued by fermentation but are held back by the fear of the unknown or concerns about safety. But what if...