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Great Country Farms

Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, Produce Farm, U-Pick, Field Trips in Loudoun County, VA

Farm Market & Play Area

Bakery & Play Area Open Daily

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Pickling Time~ It’s Kind of a Big Dill!

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Fresh tomatoes, beets, zucchini and cantaloupe grace the shelves in the Farm Market at Great Country FarmsIt’s Market Monday and as the end of summer arrives, now is the time to preserve some of the bounty of this peak harvest time to savor all winter long.  We are excited to have okra, green beans, onions, beets and more available in our Farm Market. We are pleased to introduce you to our latest line of pickling support products from Pearl and Johnny to help you attain pickling perfection and “Think Outside the Cucumber.”  

Who are Pearl and Johnny?

Pickling perfection cucumber on a fork with Johnny and Pearl pickling spice boxes and jars on display in the Farm Market at Great Country FarmsPearl and Johnny is a small, family-owned company located in the Missouri Ozarks. Inspired by their grandmother’s cellar shelves after a good harvest at their family farm, they decided to continue on the art of preserving, pickling, and admiring that real food is beautiful. It’s no secret that today’s lifestyle is a lot different than the past. Everything seems to be high speed, digital, and processed. At Pearl and Johnny, they understand this and so they’ve created a healthy, fun, and simple way to bring out the natural flavors in produce without the extra added mystery ingredients found in stores.

This sounds great, but is it realistic for me?

Pickling perfection cucumber on a fork with Johnny and Pearl pickling spice box in the backgroundDo you wish you had time to make your own pickles? Well, you do! When you use a pickle kit from Pearl and Johnny, you can make your own pickles in just 10 minutes. Each of their pickle kits come with a reusable jar and seasoning packet. The steps are quite simple and can be a great activity for the whole family to get involved. By using only organic and non-GMO ingredients, Pearl and Johnny make pickling fun, easy, and dill-icious!

                                                                                     How it works:

  1. Fill a clean jar with veggies. 
  2. Combine seasoning packet with 1/2 cup vinegar and 3/4 cup water.
  3. Bring water to a boil and pour seasoning over veggies in the jar. 
  4. Cap jar with lid and ring. Cool. Refrigerate. Enjoy!

*Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.*

 

Why do we love them?

Pickling perfection cucumber on a fork with Johnny and Pearl pickling spice boxes Pearl and Johnny is a company that supports family, nature, and keeping things simple. Their company brings light to the idea that homemade doesn’t have to be complex and time consuming. On their website, they state “Most people’s reaction to pickling is that it looks way too hard, too time consuming, too confusing, and requires a bunch of equipment. Plus it seems like all of the recipes and products out there make huge batches! For us, the most shocking discovery we made in our journey to finding the perfect pickle was that none of the “dill” pickles at the store actually had dill in their ingredients.” Pearl and Johnny transport their customers to a simpler time by “keeping the memory of a slower time alive, without slowing down at all”. If you’re interested in pickling and learning simple recipes to pair with your pickles, check out their blog here!

 

How can I try their pickling kit?

Pickling perfection cucumber on a fork with Johnny and Pearl pickling spice boxes and jars on display in the Farm Market at Great Country Farms At Great Country Farms, we are inspired by the story of Pearl and Johnny and are proud to feature their products for sale in our farm market. If you aren’t local to us, be sure to check out the store locator to find a location near you! You can relish in more fun by giving them a follow on their social channels or sign up for their newsletter to get the lates Be sure to share your experiences pickling and tag them for a chance to be featured on their Instagram!

Whole-life Nutrition for Life-long Wellness

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As the Holiday eating season gets underway, Zach Bush, a great explorer of the microbiome, reaches out to remind us that well-being involves every aspect of our person. In the video linked below, he reminds us that nourishment is not merely a matter of consuming the necessary vitamins and minerals; it requires full engagement of our senses — sight, smell, touch, and taste. Each of those sensory systems processes information in ways that make our bodies more ready and able to use the food we eat, and those systems are most engaged when food is close to its own life source: the soil it grows in. Dr. Bush explains that as soon as a food item is detached from the mother plant, its nourishing properties begin to degenerate. The best way to eat a tomato, he suggests, is to take it off the vine with your teeth. And the best way to eat a meal is to sit at a table suffused with the spirit of gratitude toward the source of all nourishment, in the company of people you love, for the disposition of your body cannot be separated from the disposition of your soul.

Enjoy this holiday invitation to wellness.

Knowledge: Nutrition

We are Here ~ Farming for your Family!

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Loudoun Local farm fresh produce starts in our Greenhouse

Farmer Mark Dewey gets some help from farm dog, Sandy, watering the green house.

We are all finding new ways to shop, cook, entertain, connect and cope in the light of COVID-19.  One colleague encouraged, “Put down the phone and write.” That has inspired me to pick up the pen and share with you, our Pick your Own and CSA Community, the latest from Great Country Farms.

First and foremost, we are HERE and thankful to be able to support our community with wholesome, nutritious, food grown on this land that we are blessed to steward here in Loudoun County, VA.  This time of uncertainty is challenging for all of us and something none of us anticipated.

As farmers, we regularly have to cope with the uncertainties Mother Nature sends our way – be it frost, raccoons eating all the corn the day before we pick it, too much rain, too little rain or beavers cutting down 300 apple trees overnight as the tireless engineers they were made to be.  COVID-19 is one uncertainty we didn’t see coming but we are steadfast in our planting and plans to grow food for our community and we are here for you and your family. 

Here’s a quick snapshot of how we are pivoting to provide:

  •         We have purchased more seed, more onion sets and more potatoes to step up our spring plantings to help meet the needs for local food. 
  •         Our farmhands are coming into work each day to build our soil, plant the seedlings and nurture the seeds in the green house.  Our regenerative farming is in high gear!
  •         We have stepped up our creativity and computer savvy and are now offering online market ordering and curbside pick-up at the Farm Market. 
  •         We are working with other local farms such as Audley Farm and Baker’s Pork, to bring in more eggs, ground beef, pork and chicken for online purchase.
  •         UPDATE 4.15.20:  GCF Harvest Box CSA Shares are SOLD OUT!  Thank you all for your support. We are evaluating the demand to offer more shares.  If you would be interested in purchasing a 20-week subscription, please join our wait list and you will be the first to know if we open up more shares for the 2020 season.

It is our goal to ensure that the time after this crisis is filled with good food, family fun on the farm, and deeper connections with our community & neighbors.   When your family savors a meal from our farm at your table, you connect with the soil, the seeds, the environment, our farmhand team and our family.  We are honored to be your farmers! We thank you and send you a big “KALE YEAH!”

Peace & Pick Your Own,

Kate Zurschmeide, Founding Family

Kale for Dinner!

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Here are two easy ways to use the green kale you just brought home.

Braise it.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot. When it starts to shimmer, add one diced yellow onion. Fry the onion for three or four minutes while you prep the kale. Note: this kale is clean as a whistle, so there’s no reason to wash it, and if you’re braising it, there’s no reason to take the ribs out either. Just chop it into bite-sized pieces, and then add about four cups of it to the stock pot. Add a teaspoon of salt, and then stir it around with the onion until it starts to wilt. Put the lid on the pot and let it steam for three or four minutes. Then serve it as a stand-alone side. It’s delicious with pinto beans.

Make a fresh kale salad.

Hold each leaf from the bottom of the stem and strip off the curly part. If the stem breaks half way up, you can leave that part. When your salad bowl is mostly full, sprinkle about half a teaspoon of coarse salt over the kale and massage it with both hands. Squeeze it about 25 times. Then add a stalk of chopped celery, a couple of chopped green onions, half a cup of dried cranberries, and half a cup of toasted almonds. For dressing, whisk together two tablespoons olive oil, two tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar (the kind that’s dark and thick and costs enough to not be cheap), one tablespoon real maple syrup, half a teaspoon of salt, and a little black pepper.

Many variations are possible, in both the dressing and the salad. I just try to strike a balance between bitter and sweet.

Why Drink Apple Cider Vinegar?

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Why Drink Apple Cider Vinegar?

  1. It lowers your blood sugar, decreasing your risk for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
  2. It turbo-charges the energy centers in your cells, your mitochondria.
  3. It nourishes the bacteria in your microbiome.
  4. It helps you think better.
  5. It boosts good cholesterol.

Learn more here from Dr. Mercola.

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