Become a Member!

Hello all,
It’s that time of year again-time to sign up for Bluebird Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)! Our online CSA membership sign-ups are open.

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A subscription to Bluebird Farm allows you to share our harvest! Vegetable share members receive a "Farmer's Pick" assortment of seasonal, fresh, vegetables and herbs weekly for 20 weeks from mid–May to the end of September.   You’ll also receive weekly newsletters about the farm with special seasonal recipes.  You can add chicken shares and egg shares to your membership and enjoy more of the farm's bounty throughout the growing season.

The 2014 season weekly box of vegetables will be Wednesday May 14th- Wednesday September 24th.

 We usually sell out of memberships, so don’t delay!

>>>Learn More and Sign Up Here<<<

What types of shares are there? Vegetable Share-Prices are based on a full 20 week amount of vegetables. The amount of vegetables in your box each week varies depending on the season and the weather. >>See examples of vegetables included in a Large Vegetable Share box<< Large Share- $500. Vegetables and herbs, suitable for two adults and two children, average of $25/week                                                                                    Small Share- $400. Vegetables and herbs, suitable for two adults, average of $20/week                               Chicken Share-  Bluebird Farm pastured broiler chickens are fed certified organic grains.  We raise a hearty outdoor chicken breed outside on fresh pastures in clean air.  Meat from healthy, happy birds takes on a whole different flavor and texture-it tastes like chicken for a change!  Most industrial meat chickens are raised in crowded warehouses that produce an industrial food product and heaps of industrial grade waste. We raise more pastured broiler chickens in the spring and fall when they are healthier and happier in their pastures and fewer chickens in the intense summer heat. Bluebird Farm chickens fertilize our pastures, hunt grasshoppers, and taste amazing! Small Chicken Share:   $200 pre-paid member credit. This gives you a $40 credit towards 2 chickens at each of the 5 distributions.-  2 chickens approximately every 5 weeks starting May 22nd (10 chickens through the season.) Large Chicken Share: $400 pre-paid member credit. This gives you a $80 credit toward 4 chickens at each of the 5 distributions.- 4 chickens approximately every 5 weeks starting May 22nd (20 chickens through the season.) Egg Share-Eggs from Bluebird Farm’s outdoor pasture hens.  Our wonderful hens receive a diet of non-medicated grains and have plenty of space to hunt, scratch, take dust baths, and generally be real chickens.  Fresh eggs from our hens don’t even resemble the month old eggs that you can purchase at the grocery.  Purchasing an egg share is the best way to guarantee that you get our delicious free range pastured eggs. The hens' grain is not organic or GMO-free. Please see more feed information below. Small Share:  $52.50---1 dozen eggs every other week (10 dozen through the season) Large Share: $105---1 dozen eggs every week (20 dozen through the season)

Spring box....early June Early summer-late June mid summer- mid July  Late Summer Box...mid September >>>Learn More and Sign Up Here<<< Weekly Pickup Locations Pick up your vegetable, egg, and chicken shares at... Bluebird Farm (Wednesday, 4-6 pm) Come out to the farm and enjoy the seasonal changes of "your farm" week to week!  Morganton Natural Foods (formerly Nature's Bounty)(Wednesday, 4-6 pm) The shares will be dropped off at the location by 4 pm.   Morganton Natural Foods closes at 6 pm.  Please thank the kind people at Morganton Natural Foods for hosting our CSA pickup location every year! Wednesday Hickory Farmers Market (Wednesday, 10 am-3 pm) Pick up your box as early as possible during the market to ensure the freshest produce.  *Wednesday Hickory*  Don't want a vegetable share in Hickory?  Chicken shares, Chicken and Egg shares, and Egg shares are available. Sign-up online for these "protein" shares. *Saturday Morganton Farmers' Market*  Don't want a vegetable share in Morganton?  Chicken shares, Chicken and Egg shares, and Egg shares are available, but pickup availability is limited. Vegetables shares are not available for pickup at the Farmers' Market. Please email with questions and to sign-up for these "protein" shares.

January Winter Special Order is Coming Up.

Do you need to restock on our delicious pastured pork and lean pastured beef?

The January Winter Special Order is coming up!
We've got a great selection of Pasture Meats for winter cooking.
~Check out our Online Farm Store to order.

January Winter Special Order Dates and Locations:

Hickory Special Order
     Location: Youssef 242 Restaurant 242 11th Ave NE, Hickory, NC
     1/25 Saturday. 11 am-noon

Morganton Special Order
      Location: Morganton Natural Foods
     1/25 Saturday. 11 am-noon

Charlotte Special Order
Charlotte Regional Farmers Market- 1801 Yorkmont Rd
     1/18 Saturday. 8am-noon

 

Try out this beef pot roast recipe for chuck, arm, or shoulder roasts.
Beer-Braised Beef with Onions
Delicious, tender, and savory!

Slow cooked Pork Shoulder? Yes please!
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas- Beer Braised
Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas- Coca Cola and Milk Braised. Recommended by our customer Mike.

~Check out our Online Farm Store to order your pasture meats!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/08/beer-braised-beef-with-onions/

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas- Coca Cola and Milk Braised.
Recommended by our customer Mike.

Carnitas

Ingredients

1 pork butt aka pork shoulder (bone in, 3-5 lbs)
1 entire bulb of garlic, (cut the tops off to expose the garlic)
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/2 can Coke
2 cinnamon sticks (about 3" each)
salt (no amount given)

Cut off some of the top fat, then cut up the pork butt into about 4 pieces (leaving the bone in) and put the pieces in the bottom of a dutch oven.

Pour the canned milk, Coke, cinnamon sticks, garlic and salt. Add a little bit of water, not so much that the meat is covered, but so the liquid is 1/2 to the top of the meat.

Cover and GENTLY simmer on medium-low for 2 hours. Pork is done when the meat pulls apart with a fork- keep simmering until tender.

Remove pork from dutch oven and shred or chop pork.  Return pork to juices. 

Fill up some warm tortillas or top Mexican rice with the shredded pork. Serve with fresh salsa, cilantro, sour cream.  

Winter Critters Around the Farm

What's happening on the farm this winter?

The majority of our time has been tending to animal water and food, checking on new lambs, hauling hot water, and then taking some time off!  

We're getting seed orders together, doing taxes, and getting ready for the spring season. 

Whew... paperwork time.

Our handsome pasture ornament and entertainer, Davy Crockett the turkey.

Relaxed guarding. Tazi the Akbash livestock guardian.

What was that?

Show off! These guys like to impress us. And they are so gentle. So far.

It's 10 degrees. Arctic blasts and all. The sows and hens get warm water brought out to them since tap water just refreezes. Door to door spa time.

Triplets!

24 hour old lambs are a bit wobbly.