Sunday at the farm

Hi there. I've been totally slack at posting this week and I'm sorry. Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about a fun little trip that Sal and I took today. We've been meaning to go up to Nature's Way Farm and Seafood for awhile, and today was the perfect opportunity. The weather was gorgeous, and we had finished all of our housework (raking pine needles for Sal; making pickled okra and apple butter for me), so we headed up to Hampstead for a tour of Nature's Way.
It was easy enough to find - Bill gave us good directions on Saturday. Take Sloop Point right off of Market Street/17 and then follow the signs. We were greeted with bounding enthusiasm from the family dog, and found Bill and Tina in the back by the sheep. Although I chat with Bill at least twice a week, I have never met Tina, so I was happy to finally shake hands with the woman behind Nature Way's delicious cheese. We spent some time talking while petting the sheep, then moved on to their large vegetable garden. Tina's jalapeno plants put mine to shame, and her still-producing tomato plants towered over Sal. Her secret - don't water anything. Seriously, it absolutely makes sense when you think about - survival of the fittest. She waters once when planting (she grows her veggies from seed) and then mulches with about a foot of hay. That's it - it's up to nature after that, and the results were amazing even in this draught. Tina and Bill were kind enough to let Sal pick his heart out in the pepper section. Let's just say he'll be stocked up for awhile.
But I digress. The crowning jewels of the Farm are the milk producing goats, and they are some lovely girls. They're so well cared for that Tina will sometimes put sweaters on them in the cold of winter so they don't get too chilly. Now that's love! Tina's cheesemaking room where she processes their milk is tiny, but efficient. We spent some time looking it over, and learned about the various processes for soft and harder cheeses. Finally, we checked out the storefront, Bill's walk-in seafood cooler and last, but not least - the billy goats. Those guys have some great beards!
By the time we left, I had a much better understanding for the cheesemaking process, plus a deeper appreciation for the time intensive nature of farming. We had a great time and plan on going back when the kids are born in February, if not before. Unfortunately, I have no photos to show for our day because I lent my camera to my sister this week... so, you'll just have to go visit for yourself!