09/18/2024
IYKYK ❤️
Slow Turtle Farm LLC
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- Slow Turtle Farm LLC
We are retired from being a grade A goat dairy in Florida, raising large breed goats, making cheese from their milk.
(23)
We still provide youth goat training for FFA and 4-H programs.
09/16/2024
Interesting morning on and off the farm. Dubba being her silly self and the owner of Martin's Larsen Farms, Eustis sent a special bundle of 3rd cut alfalfa just for "Goat Lady"! The goats are happy!
09/03/2024
I've spoken about this ad naseum. It's not a matter of if, but when it happens again. It's not something you can "fix", but be aware that custom mills in Florida have zero checks and balances. If the big companies are trying to get the lowest prices, how do you think the mills are operating with much smaller margins for profit? These people are a business. They make and sell feed. They don't test. No proof. You have zero recourse in restitution and that won't bring your animals back.
This was posted on one of my lists.
"Just a note of warning. The corn in the midwest is not performing well this year. It is severely stressed from drought. While that means that feed prices are sure to go up, it also means that once the crop starts hitting the market this month and next, aflatoxins are going to be a huge possibility. The US food supply is SUPPOSED to be tested and not used, but when big AG purchases grain on the market at the lowest price possible, it sometimes makes its way into livestock feed. It would be wise to invest in an inexpensive blacklight now so you can check your feed before feeing it. It will show up as a bright greenish-yellow color under blacklight.
It is sad to say, but one of the biggest companies in the USA allowed aflatoxin infected grains into their Goat Chow back in the late 1980's and many goat herds were really hurt by this. Goats can not handle even a small load of Aspergillus Flavus Toxin". ~Jennifer Herold Smith-Stanton
08/21/2024
It's been a while since I've posted. Everything is fine here on the farm. I'm doing physical therapy and have 3 different doctor appointments coming up. Let's see if one or all of them can help fix me.
I had this video come across my personal feed tonight and thought I'd share it with you.
I had that same chart recorder for my bulk tank. While we did not have a transporter pick up our milk, we did have to sample every tank full of milk prior to sending thru the hose port into the cheese plant for processing into cheese. The transfer pump was similar to the one on the truck.
The samples were used to test for antibiotics. The state came to sample our milk for somatic cell count, bacteria, etc monthly.
08/03/2024
It’s , a celebration that didn’t exist in 1979, when this prize-winning Central Florida goat and its proud young owner were photographed. Although goat cheese has been consumed for thousands of years, culinary historians tell us that it only became popular in the United States after Laura Chenel of Sonoma, California, began introducing it, using techniques learned in France, about the same time this picture was taken. (The special month began in 1998.) By 2012, the Tampa Bay Times reported that the artisan cheese movement had hit the Sunshine State big time. Bon appétit, y’all.
07/11/2024
Reflecting on where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Lots to regret, lots to be thankful! Happy with the journey! ❤️
07/04/2024
Happy 4th of July!
Be safe and happy!
Pictured is Salsa when she was much younger. Salsa has been retired now for a couple of years.
05/31/2024
Well, this is difficult to write and at the same time joyous.
I've retired.
We plan on our ability to do certain tasks for a number of years and sometimes those plans go awry. It was time to find a new plan that was not as hard on the body, but we needed to find a buyer. That took over a year, and then it literally occurred overnight. We knew we finally had a potential buyer for the equipment and goats (still local), but were not sure on dates of transfer. A payment was made, and the next day goats were being loaded.
I was packaging cheese the morning the trailer came to start loading goats.
I will be advising and consulting with the new dairy to get them up, licensed, and running as fast as they can.
It has been a rough year without my ability to somersault around the farm, doing everything that needed to be done. Some days were hard to even walk. Carrying anything has been out of the question for months. It is beyond time to start healing my body. I want to be able to enjoy moments with the few goats that remain here, mostly other retirees like me.
I have valued our relationship and your support. I hope that the new dairy will be able to supply you with excellent products soon.
05/24/2024
It's Friday and Memorial Day weekend!
We are not going to be at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market tonight.
We have had this weekend scheduled for John to see family! I'm holding down the fort and it's hot out!
I have most of our chevre flavors available for pick up at the farm gate if it's an emergency! 😁
05/17/2024
It's been a non-stop day and I've not stopped, I've overdone it, and there is no way to I'll be at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market tonight.
Sorry folks. I'll see you in 3 weeks.
05/10/2024
I'll be there tonight from 6-9pm.
Rain or shine, our friendly community gathers to celebrate the beauty of local produce, the craftsmanship of talented artisans, and the joy of coming together. We can't wait to see you there 🌈🍎🥦
05/04/2024
Well, we're off again!
Artisan Acres Upick Blueberry Farm in Eustis opens for picking in a few minutes!
It's an absolutely fabulous morning to be outside!
Stop by and see us!
05/03/2024
Ready or not! Here we come!
John will be helping me set up tonight at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market from 6-9pm so you can sample and buy the best of what Central Florida's spring growing season can do for our gourmet goat cheese.
This week we offer freshly picked peaches from Graham's U Pick Peaches, finely chopped, then added to a light glaze to top our freshly made chèvre.
We have a Blueberry topping with berries from Artisan Acres!
We have Sage and Honey from Wild Honey Bee Farm and all our other classic flavors!
Stop by and see why we are not just another goat farm!
04/30/2024
Good Afternoon!
I think we're finally adjusting to the new for us "normal".
We've been in a conundrum with my inability to run circles around the farm lately and so we are contracting how far out we can travel to markets so that John can set me up, then return to tear the tent down.
That's right! I'll be at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market this Friday and at Artisan Acres again on Saturday. Our products that we have available can always be arranged during the rest of the week from our gate.
Due to the distance going back and forth, we'll be ceasing going to Audubon Park Community Market for now.
Look at the pretty peaches I picked up yesterday at Graham's U Pick Peaches! I also found a spot of Elderberry! While the plants are only flowering right now, I'll be back to check on them in later weeks for harvesting the berries. There may be a peach elderberry flavor on the horizon, so at least 1 batch of peaches will go in the deep freeze until then.
04/26/2024
Let's try to make this post again because the first one failed....well, this is a fine how diddy do.
Time flies, set backs happen, slow start to our morning, a necessary run to town, and realizing that there is not enough time to get necessary work done before John was supposed to head to DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market.
Some days you just need to take it in stride, don't let it spoil the rest of the day, and keep trudging forward.
Got back from town and found another 3 sets of hens with chicks that have come out of hiding with their broods, John had a smile on his face, the peacocks are in serious strut mode, and we're making plans to make up a much bigger batch of cheese today so we'll be ready for Sunday at Artisan Acres.
04/19/2024
It's HAPPENING!!!!
Tonight at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market from 6-9pm! John will be back with a limited amount of our cheeses!
Where have we been?! Right here, milking, feeding babies, and catching up with our restaurants.
Stop by the market tonight and let John know how much you've missed him!
04/12/2024
We are partnering with Artisan Acres again! Fabulous U-Pick Blueberries and this year we will be there beginning Feb 20, so you can pick berries and pick up your cheese in the same place!
We source as many fresh products as we can for our specialty toppings and you can taste the difference!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ERzXzb7tKtJQriot/?mibextid=xfxF2i
Our FL blueberries struggle to compete with southern hemisphere berries, mainly Peruvian and Chilean product that is shipped here during the same season.
Stores looking to snag customers wanting a deal will put out $1/pint imported berries not understanding or maybe not caring what that does to our farmers here. Standards for care and inputs can vary in products coming from outside the US.
Please help our blueberry industry thrive against such dire odds. Some farms have a TEN DAY WINDOW where packing houses will accept their crop, with maybe a couple days notice.
Grown, cared for, and thought about all year, just to get ten days to harvest at market rate. There’s almost no way to anticipate that as a small farm who has to call in harvesters to pick their acreage.
It’s better in recent years for the farms to appeal to locals to make the drive and buy direct than it is to depend on the early US blueberry market in its current status. Some have switched ONLY to upick.
There’s changes coming. New & sweeter varieties will hopefully stretch the crop availability, earlier and later production means increased market share.
Try local first! If you need help finding a blueberry farm to upick, let us know in the comments what county you are in and we will do our best to respond to everyone.
If you have a favorite blueberry farm, shout them out with a tag and a city or county so that new friends can take part in your favorite annual tradition.
Ask the farmer if you can pick a bucket for prepicked to help them out.
For the record Blueberry Bunch Farm in Labelle is the most southern. My apologies to our friends who live below Lake Okeechobee.
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34745 La Place Court
Eustis, FL
32736
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It's been crazy busy on and off the farm. Making cheese, prepping stalls, blood testing, and all the related housekeeping for a fresh, new season. It's never a good time to be under the weather, but John will not be loading up for DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market tonight. He's going to tag team with me the best he can before he loads up on some soup and goes to bed. I need him at 100% for the holidays! We will be returning to the Friday market on December 29th. Pictured is Jaelle having a nice scratch in places she cannot reach right now. She is due on Jan 5. #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
It's Friday and a lovely day! Come out tonight and join us at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market from 6-9pm. I have to head in to the cheeseplant to package fresh cheeses for tonight. I cannot lie, I'd rather just sit and watch my girls scampering around. 😊 #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
It is officially Friday...well, barely. This was yesterday morning. The youngest (a few months) and oldest (15.5 years😮) of our herd, the "old goat", and our livestock guardian, Lady. Put this video on repeat every day, day after day, rain or shine. Shine is better, but we are so lucky to experience this life. John and I will get up later this morning, begin again, then John will load up for DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market from 6-9pm with all our artisanal cheese flavors and meat. I hope you know how truly blessed we feel with your support! Thank you! #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatlove #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Humidity down Monday! Join us at Audubon Park Community Market from 5-8pm to celebrate an August day that does not resemble close proximity to the surface of the sun! John will be loading up with all our goodies while I enjoy the lovefest that my yearling does are bestowing on me. Front and center is a doe out of Lomasi, who up until yesterday has not had human hands laid upon her lovely self since she was a kid. Wild child does not even come close and yet here she is, demanding head scratches and love. Who am I to say no to that face? 😍 #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #goatlove #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Monday, Monday! It's going to be a hot one! We've been up to go get kibble and start watering the herd earlier than normal to ensure that neither man nor beast becomes parched. John will be loading up for Audubon Park Community Market from 5-8pm with our cheeses and meat before I know it. It would be good to be done with all the heavy work before it becomes brutal. Pictured are the Zebra Longwing butterflies that return to our yard every year. We allow their nectar and host plants to grow wild and they gift us with viewing their beauty. They sleep at night in large clusters on our oak tree branches. #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Busy, busy Monday! It is the start to a busy, busy week. I'll be packing John up for Audubon Park Community Market before I know it. He'll be there from 5-8pm, rain or shine, and since it's July in Florida, assume that it will do both. 😁😉 I will be headed to the processor tomorrow for pick up. It's been a hot minute since we've been able to get out there. I know there were some specific cuts ordered last month. Please pm by 9am tomorrow if you'd still like those cuts. I'll be here, listening to the chorus of boys and girls that have suddenly decided they like each other....a lot. I am NOT ready for their teenage antics. #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet #2023breedingseason #itstoohot
It's Friday! Ran out to Publix real quick for more sugar because I need to make up more Blueberry topping for our cheese! Came out of the store to this. It's going to rain all day, but the forecast says that the skies will clear in time for us to have a lovely night at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market tonight from 6-9pm! If you've been cooped up all day, why not unwind with John and the other vendors. They will be glad to see you! #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet #JuneInFlorida #UmbrellaMonth
Friday! Or is it Monday in disguise? This week has flown by and I'm with Godiva, I want to stick my head in a bucket and pretend I don't exist....😆 Instead I've gotten set up for next weekend's last dairy goat show of the Florida season and gotten our stock set up for John to head for DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market tonight from 6-9pm. Mother's Day is Sunday and food gifts are wonderful additions for Moms. Bottles are heated and now I'll be feeding the babies their lunch snacks and beginning the day's chores. #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Loafing in the baby pen Slow Turtle Farm LLC DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Happy Monday! John will be loading up for Audubon Park Community Market fairly soon. I have Plain, Garlic Chive, Rosemary Fig, and Ginger Turmeric for tonight! Market is from 5-8pm. First he's putting out four 500lb blocks of alfalfa for the girls. Final birth for yesterday evening! Count for the month? 111! We have nubian, alpine, and saanen bucks available. Pets and herdsires. We also have alpine females available. #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Won't be ready for tonight's Audubon Park Community Market 😪😪😪
Good Friday, Everyone! John will NOT be at DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market tonight. We just don't have enough product to sell right now. We are focusing our efforts into farm cleaning and getting the commissary licensed. 2022 will be behind us, with all it's ups and downs. I want to thank our supporters; 1921 Mount Dora, Cress Restaurant, JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, Genuine Bistro & Lounge, Claire's Creperie, Audubon Park Community Market, The Artisan Alley Market, East Lake Green Market, Central 28 Beer Co., Florida Farm Finder - Small FL Farms are Kind of A Big Dill, Seminole Springs Herb Farm, Graham's U Pick Peaches, Hertaberkschweinfarms, Artisan Acres, Momma G Farms, Black Dog Blackberries, Wild Honey Bee Farm (forgive me if I forgot anyone), and all the many customers that support us by gracing our products on your tables or patronizing the places that do. We love you and will be back, hopefully stronger than ever for 2023! #slowturtlefarm #goatmilk #goatcheese #babygoats #goatmeat #makeaconnection #buildtrust #supportsmallbusinesses #supportlocalfarmers #shopfresh #militaryveteranfarmer #womeninfarming #farmher #communityovercompetition #Eustis #LakeCounty #goatfarmflorida #audubonparkcommunitymarket #Delandartisanalleyfarmersmarket #freshfromflorida #GradeA #homegrownbyheroes #floridacertified #FLMooJuice #onemainstreet
Many customers that pick up at the gate ask me about selling eggs. Well, that would entail finding them. Our poultry free range. There are "family groups" throughout the property. They roost in trees, in the baby area, etc. "Don't predators get them"? Occasionally a hawk will swoop down and make the attempt. Once in a blue moon they will succeed. The livestock guardians and the chickens themselves do a great job of thwarting predation. This is what we usually find instead of eggs. Come out to do chores and there a bunch of newly hatched chicks scratching in the dirt with their moms. They do a pretty bang up job of keeping nasty pests at bay.
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