Brandywine Farm

11/17/2023

We have a few Brandywine Free-Range Turkeys still available for Thanksgiving this year. Do not delay!

Turkeys will be available starting late afternoon Sunday, November 19, and must be picked up by Wednesday afternoon.

These young broad-breasted birds will have nothing injected and be true weight. I recommend brining for up to two days for perfect roasting.

Weights do not include neck and giblets, since we found that most customers do not want these. Neck and giblet sets are available for $5 for those who want them.

These very large birds are currently feasting on fallen crabapples in their pasture, which I think has been adding some spectacular flavor in recent years.

We should have a few birds in each weight range

Send me a PM with your 1st and 2nd choice of weight class and your pick-up time. We will take a $25 deposit when your order is confirmed, balance on pickup. (Cash, Check, Paypal)

Weight classes:
23-29 pounds: $100
18-23 pounds: $90
14-18 pounds: $80

Pick up times:
Sunday 11/19: 5-7 pm
Monday 11/20: 3-7 pm
Tuesday 11/21: 3-7 pm
Wednesday 11/22: 12-4 pm

We will also have a good supply of fresh pastured eggs available ($6/dozen).

Ask about half and whole lambs, available any time pending butcher availability.

Location is Brandywine Farm, Harmony PA 16037.

04/20/2022

We will have limited quantities of heirloom tomato and possibly eggplant sets available starting mid-May.

Available cultivars:

Stupice
Brandywine Sudduth
Currant (red)
Ropreco Paste
Green Zebra

Very limited quantities—
Green Tiger
The Ukranian Heirloom Currently Known As Vladimir’s Favorite (watch for name updates)

Also limited quantities of Lacinito and dwarf blue kale and sweet basil. POSSIBLY some heirloom eggplant varieties available.

More info on availability, pricing, and pickup in about two weeks.

04/03/2022

Fingers crossed, we are expecting some outstanding puppies this spring.

Follow the instructions on the litter page if you are interested.

https://cynography.blogspot.com/p/english-shepherd-litter-2022.html

11/22/2021

LAST CHANCE: Some pre-order customers had to cancel their turkeys this year. If you are seeking a premium pasture-raised, humanely-managed turkey for your holiday feast, get your order to me via PM as soon as possible.

Very limited availability of Brandywine Free-Range Turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. I'm making this post friends-only at first to give our most loyal turkey fans first dibs on these fresh, pasture-raised broad-breasted birds.

Turkeys will be available starting late afternoon Monday November 22, and must be picked up by Wednesday afternoon.

These young broad-breasted birds will have nothing injected and be true weight. I recommend brining for up to two days for perfect roasting.

Weights do not include neck and giblets, since we found that most customers do not want these. Neck and giblet sets are available for $5 for those who want them.

They will be processed without transport and stress-free on-site at the farm where they chase grasshoppers and pluck the hair off the ram lambs. At the moment they are feasting on fallen crabapples in their pasture.

I do not think we will have the monster-sized birds that we've grown in previous years, mostly normal-sized turkeys in the middle weight range

Send me a PM with your 1st and 2nd choice of weight class and your pick-up time. We will take a $25 deposit when your order is confirmed, balance on pickup. (Cash, Check, Paypal, Venmo)

Weight classes:
23-29 pounds: $100
18-23 pounds: $90
14-18 pounds: $80

Pick up times:
Monday 11/22: 4-7 pm
Tuesday 11/23: 3-7 pm
Wednesday 11/24: 12-4 pm

I have limited capacity to FREEZE a few birds for Christmas or just later feasting, but the bird must be paid for in full, and I cannot store indefinitely.

Location is Brandywine Farm, Harmony PA 16037.

04/07/2021

Here’s how a sensible, experienced ewe bonds with her new children.

The firstborn ewe lamb was up and nursing, and her twin brother was a wet bloop when I came out to check on her. She neither minds my presence nor needs me at the moment. Emma talks to her lambs, licks their butts to memorize them, and cleans them up without assistance. It’s a fine dry night, so they don’t need to be brought in or jugged.

Katahdin genetics FTW

02/25/2021

I’ll be making a run into Pittsburgh tomorrow late morning.

Available farm products: eggs (EXCELLENT quality right now), broiling/roasting chickens, praying mantis egg cases, hand-made plague masks (see post from last week)

PM me.

02/09/2021

Mask Up, Sheeple!

These hand-crafted pleated full-coverage plague masks are resistant to dick-nose and jock-chin.

All masks are made of 2-layer dense quilting cotton. They have a strong, flat, comfortable moldable nose piece, and fasten with springy de-cored paracord and a leather slide around your head, to fit snugly, stay in place, and give your ears a break.

Masks in the first photo are complete, and do not have an opening to insert an extra filter layer.

Masks in the second photo will get their paracord and nosepieces added as they are sold (I’m a little short on both.) They have an opening in the bottom seam so that you can add a filter if desired.

These masks are excellent over a valved mask so that you protect others, or over a medical mask for the Full Fauci. They give you some room in there.

Some prints are in good supply, some very limited. See description in individual photo captions. I can make more of a design to order if I have the fabric, but it may take a minute. The sunflower nosepiece ribbon is limited supply.

Masks are $10 each or 3 for $25. Shipping is $7.95 via USPS priority for up to 6 masks. They can be picked up at the farm gate, and I make occasional drop-offs in Pittsburgh when I deliver eggs.

Add some masks to your orders of eggs (hens are back at work) and frozen roasting chickens.

Cash, check, PayPal, Visa and Mastercard accepted. I'm trying to get Venmo working.

PM to order.

06/17/2020

Thanks to Roxanna and the fam for this repurposed pasture meatbird shelter!

It provides shade, hawk protection and (with the addition of a solid tarp) rain protection for our Freedom Ranger broiler chickens. It is sturdy and will be easy to move every couple of days as these hungry chickies browse on our delicious weedy, buggy pastures.

04/22/2020

WHAT IF THERE WERE NO MORE EGGS?
— Divine

Not a problem this spring. The ladies are going gangbusters, pastures are up, and egg quality is extraordinary. These are the real deal, from pastured, unfenced hens who range freely under the watch of our diligent farm dogs.

We continue egg sales at the farm gate.

You may prepay by a variety of means and collect your egg order from the shed at the top of our lane in Middle Lancaster (Harmony 16037)

I will also be making a limited delivery run into Pittsburgh this Friday, April 24. Prepaid no-contact porch drops.

$6/dozen

PM to order for pickup any time or delivery in Pittsburgh this Friday.

02/29/2020

Praying mantis egg cases for sale.

These are egg cases I rescue prior to winter maintenance mowing. I can’t bear to run them over. These are the non-native Chinese mantis; if the Chinese species is not already present in your area, do not bring these in.

Tie their twigs to shrubs or fences to introduce these beneficial predators to your garden. These cool insects are natural predators of the invasive and highly destructive spotted lantern fly and brown marmorated stinkbug.

If you wish to hatch the little mantises in a terrarium (great class project!) you must have a supply of tiny prey (wingless fruit flies) ready. Keep cases outdoors or in an unheated shed on receipt.

$3/case (estimate @200 mantises per case). Order four cases, get a fifth one free. Flat rate shipping is $7.50 for up to 10 cases. Shipped from Zelienople, PA. Local customers can pick up at the farm gate.

Paypal, credit/debit card, or check. PM to order.

02/18/2020

I generally don’t mix business and politics, but he started it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zpaGx1yo_Y

02/18/2020

One of our egg-hatching challenges in this house is drafts and temperature fluctuations that challenge our very basic incubator. Another is low humidity in winter.

Making a tent over the incubator has helped in the past, but it was always an awkward kludge.

This large craptastic wire dog crate set on-end is the perfect tent frame. There’s room for the humidifier in there if we need to run it, and the sheet stops drafts and holds in some of the moisture without suffocating the eggs.

I’m waiting for a new thermometer to arrive before starting this hatch.

07/27/2019

We are having puppies this year.

Apply soon if you have a need for a Brandywine English shepherd.

http://cynography.blogspot.com/p/english-shepherd-litter-2019.html?m=0

We are expecting a superb litter of working English shepherd puppies from the long-anticipated cross of Proctor's Good Shepherd Sidney a...

07/21/2019

Available at the farm gate, in Harmony PA, or by arrangement in Oakland this week:

Eggs $5/dozen

Spearmint, chocolate mint, lemon balm $3/large bunch

GLORIOUS GREEN BEANS

Your choice of our two favorite cultivars: Cherokee Trail of Tears, an heirloom round-podded bean with a slight purple cast and the beaniest flavor of all, or Smeraldo, a flamboyant flat-podded Romano bean that grows *huge* without any deterioration of flavor or texture.

$2/pound

Sorry, not enough tomatoes to sell yet.

07/10/2019

Garlic harvest is in!

These fragrant beauties will spend a few weeks curing in the barn rafters and then be available for sale at the farm gate. Watch this space.

06/10/2019

Garlic scapes now available!

$4 for a dozen large scapes.

Cook like all the fanciest chefs.

PM to order your scapes.