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.
"I hope he's not a psychopath!" + New Healing Bone Broth Recipe
Hi Reader!
Grubby looked like any old Pennsylvania dutch guy sitting by a campfire in the woods that chilly November night.
The steaming cauldron that he was stirring and was full of bones from our five pastured pigs.
You'd never know he was a successful corporate trainer during the week.
Reuben and I drove to Grubby's backwoods cabin in remote area of the Poconos to learn how to butcher our own pigs in his immaculate home butcher room stocked with all the fancy tools.
As we drove through the winding wooded roads for more than hour, Reuben commented that he sure hoped we weren't following the directions of a psychopath luring us to his hideaway.
It was worth the "risk"!
There's more to the story so continue reading here:
| Making Bone Broth in the Woods |
You'll see in the blog post a traditional process for making bone broth, the benefits of bone broth and NEW RECIPE for Making Bone Broth with Any Bones!
This week's farm video is my explanation of how the scrapple you grew up eating was meant to be a SUPERFOOD!
Traditional homestead scrapple was
- family raised pork, outdoors in the sunshine
- naturally fed from what the land produced and scraps from the table
- a multigenerational family experience
- slow cooked bone broth over a fire
- included organ meat for added nutrition
| Read Here |
As Always...
We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and food on your table that supports that goal.
We'll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
P.S. The Farm store is open on Saturday to help you stock up on eggs, milk, cheese, vegetables, natural cleaners, home remedies and more.
Open this weekend!
Market Hours:
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Be Inspired by Your Farm Community!
Come to the Farm!
One way kids learn about life is by fostering chicks from the farm.
You can find out about the Foster a Chick Experience and get on our waiting list HERE.
Thinking of unsubscribing? 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, Do you wish you could have all the benefits of raising your own food even though it's not possible for you right now? If you find yourself worrying about what is fed to, shot up or added to the food you buy - I can help. Farmer Reuben is raising pigs in our pastures, orchard and vegetable fields. This is the pork we will fill our freezer with to feed our own family. Our half pigs are available to reserve today, an exclusive option for you as a part of our email list family. Reserve...
Hi Reader! Have you ever had a hobby that started small and grew into something worth sharing? Back in 2018, Eric and I decided to try our hand at winemaking directly from the fruit. Our first Merlot turned out so well that we just had to do it again. Fast forward to today, and our third collaboration—made from PA sour cherries—is something truly special. This wine is not too sweet like many cherry wines—but you’ll have to taste it to believe it. The best way to enjoy a special, unique wine...
Hi Reader, Lisa wasn’t part of the sourdough craze during the pandemic, but when she took a workshop at Willow Haven Farm, her journey with “Frank” (her sourdough starter) began—and it’s been anything but ordinary. From near-disasters (like baking “Frank” by accident) to delicious wins, Lisa’s experience proves that sourdough making is far more forgiving—and rewarding—than you might think. Her story is full of humor, resilience, and tips for turning starter into something special. Curious to...