Archive for the 'Triad Farmers Market' Category

Farmer’s Market Bound, Waking Up for Spring!

Published by
admin
at March 6, 2010 in Farm News and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

We plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 3:00. We have all cuts of beef, whole chickens, whole chicken legs, and fresh eggs. There will be some collards but other greens have not grown yet. >From the greenhouse we will have cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower plants.

With warmer and dryer weather forecast for next week we are going to get real busy very soon. It is time to plant some of the early season vegetables as soon as the ground is dry enough. We have already been busy in the greenhouse planting tomato seeds. So far we have seeded about fourteen varieties, mostly heirlooms.

Our first chicks of the season are arriving tomorrow so that will add another daily chore to our list. And there are still some winter chores to get finished. Looks like we are going to have to hire some help to get everything done.

One thing about it, there is no time to get bored. We enjoy what we are doing so it is rewarding. Example, it was sure nice to see plants growing in the greenhouse with snow just inches away this week. And it is always exciting to see the earth awake from the winter rest to sprout new life everywhere. And we like to grow good healthy food for you to enjoy!

One thing we have decided though, as soon as a few warmer days come I am going fishing!

Hope to see you at the market!

Offerings at Market Today, Spring Planting

Published by
admin
at February 27, 2010 in Sustainable farming and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

This winter will probably be remembered for a long time. Winter weather just keeps coming. And it is not just in our area. Some cities in the northeast already have record breaking snowfall.

The few warm days this week were too short lived. We did hear and see a mockingbird a couple of days and the spring toads began their chorus. But the return of winter weather and cold wind has temporarily halted spring’s progression.

We have been working in the greenhouse filling trays with soil and planting seeds. We plan to have a large selection of vegetable plants and a few herbs. Many of the varieties are heirlooms. All will be grown without synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilizers. In fact, we plan to have a few cabbage plants for sale this week.

The weekend weather is forecast to be dry but a little on the cool side. So we plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 3:00. We have all cuts of Pasture Finished Jersey Beef. In Pastured Chicken we have whole chickens and leg quarters.

Our hens are real troopers in spite of the adverse weather and are providing us with lots of fresh free range eggs and we will have them for sale. An article we read this week talked about in some areas people are willing to drive for miles to obtain fresh pasture based eggs. Prices ranged from 5 to 8 dollars per dozen. At around $4 per dozen our eggs are a real deal.

Collards have grown a bit so we will have a few for sale. Although the color is still bluish from the cold they are so sweet they taste like you added sugar. The other greens have not yet grown enough to harvest.

We hope you will put on your coat and hat and come visit us at the market!

Peterson Farm Featured, the Meadow Lark Returns

Published by
admin
at February 20, 2010 in Farm News, Nutritian and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments


Peterson Farm is featured in the March issue of Common Ground. Click here to view the article by Gwen Roland about the history of our farm and the benefits of grass fed beef. Or visit http://www.sare.org and search for article OS06-032 to read the research on the grass fed beef project.

The days are getting noticeably longer so it won’t be long until spring arrives again. After the persistent cold and snowy winter I think I will have an acute case of spring fever when warm weather arrives. It won’t last long though because it will be time to plant all the seeds we have been ordering for the past two months.

Something that has been missing for the past few years has returned this year. That is the meadow lark. I saw three today in the south pasture. The past couple of evenings I have heard them making their mating call. They fly high above the field and hover stationary while repeatedly making short shrill sounds often around sunset. Mid February is their mating season. It sure is nice to see and hear them again.

The last few days I have seen bluebirds around our bird feeders. They have probably already picked out their nesting places for the season.

The snow last weekend disrupted our market plans. It is supposed to be dry and a bit warmer this week so we are planning to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 3:00. We have plenty of beef, chicken, and eggs. There will probably be nothing yet from the garden except perhaps a bit of Savoy cabbage and collards.

We hope to see you at the market.

Happy St. Valentines Day

Published by
admin
at February 12, 2010 in Farm News and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

Our usual weekend storm is forecast to stay south of us this week so we are making plans to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Saturday from 10:00 until 3:00. If the storm changes course and there is snow our plans will change.

We are restocked with all cuts of Pasture Finished Jersey Beef. Items for sale include beef, Pastured Chicken, free-range eggs from pastured hens, and perhaps a few heads of Savoy cabbage.

Due to the cold temperatures our usual winter greens are not growing. I am sure we are all hoping it will warm up soon.

See You at the Farmers Market

Published by
admin
at February 4, 2010 in Nutritian, Sustainable farming and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

It looks like this year will be remembered as the year winter returned to North Carolina. The snow and cold temperatures remind me of winters several years ago. The last few years warm winters seemed unusual so maybe we are experiencing a more normal climate.

The cows are sure eating hay so we are running short. In fact, we hauled in a load today which makes the third load we have bought. And we will need another one before spring arrives. At least there is plenty available due to the timely rains we had last growing season. With it being so cold our winter forage is not growing much but the cows seem perfectly content to munch on hay. And they really get noisy if they run out!

The hens are still laying eggs like crazy even with the bad weather. Of course, we feed them the very best feed available and they have some protection from the cold wind at night. They seem perfectly happy and keep singing contentedly. But they do not like to walk on the snow. I guess it is too cold on their feet.

We have some cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower sprouting in the greenhouse. It will be a while before the plants are big enough though. Soon it will be time to sow lettuce, tomato, pepper, and other things to get those plants started.

We already have most of our greenhouse supplies and we are beginning to obtain seeds, etc., for our outdoor gardens. Spring and the growing season will be upon us before long!

The weatherman has slacked off a bit for predictions of another winter storm this weekend. For Saturday, one predicts a high in the thirties and another in the forties with a chance of rain. So we are making plans to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market from 10:00 until 3:00 on Saturday. If things change and there is ice and/or snow we won’t be there. But, hopefully, it will remain above freezing so we can make it. I am sure some of you need meat or eggs by now so we want to make them available for you.

We have chicken, beef, and eggs. It is doubtful if we will be able to bring anything from the garden.

If all goes as planned, we hope to see you at the market on Saturday.

our new greenhouse

Published by
admin
at January 22, 2010 in Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

Winter has returned after a few days of spring-like temperatures. After all, it is still January. But daylight hours are already getting longer so spring is getting ever closer. The land is taking it’s annual rest but will soon sprout new life. In fact, the heirloom star of Bethlehem flower bulbs are already peeking out of the earth underneath the fallen leaves.

Saturday is forecast to bring a break from the rain and a little warmer temperatures so we are planning to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market from 10:00 until 3:00.

We have most all cuts of pasture finished Jersey beef and plenty of pasture raised chicken except breast cuts. There are many dozen pastured free range eggs. We will have some red Russian kale and Savoy cabbage.

The construction of our new greenhouse is finally finished. We are planning to use it for vegetable and herb plants including many heirlooms. Our plants will be grown in a sterile medium without any artificial fertilizers or pesticides. You may view pictures of the greenhouse at http://www.flickr.com/photos/petersonrealfood/

We hope to see you at the market on Saturday.

Happy New Year! Fresh year, fresh food!

Published by
admin
at December 28, 2009 in Farm News and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

chicken soup in a bowl with spoon

Try this fabulous chicken soup recipe with pastured chicken -see our recipe page



We hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We certainly did only we ate too much! Of course, it was a rainy, rainy day with water everywhere so we got to rest most of the time. Jean cooked a huge chicken in our electric smoker and it was absolutely fabulous!! Then came the homemade cranberry sauce, potato salad, green beans, dressing, biscuits, pecan pie, coconut cake and supreme salad. (all homemade) Jean is a great cook and after 40 plus years she just keeps gettin’ better!

So, on to New Years! We plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market on Tuesday (29) and Wednesday (30) from 10:00 until 4:00: Thursday (31) from 10:00 until perhaps 2:00; then Saturday (Jan.2) from 9:00 until 3:00. I had told a few people we would not be there next Saturday but I was thinking it would be New Years Day. So I was wrong and we plan to be there. Remember, all dates are weather permitting.

We plan to have collards, Siberian kale, Red Russian kale, collards, curly mustard, and cabbage. We have lots of eggs, beef and chicken.

Happy New Year to everyone. Thank-you for your business with us this year. Although we have not reviewed all our records it looks like you have helped us make 2009 a successful year despite the recession.

Savoy Mates! The tastiest food is always local!

Published by
admin
at December 5, 2009 in Nutritian and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

cabbage savoy

This photo was taken from my new BlackBerry! It’s my new tool to help share the story of the great tasting food I grow on the farm. Doing my part so people in the Triad can buy natural, local food and stay healthy!

The Benefits of Grass Fed and Pasture Based Eggs

Published by
admin
at December 5, 2009 in Farm News, Nutritian and Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

Pasture based eggs have two times the Omega 3

Pasture based eggs have two times the Omega 3 than conventional eggs.



The recent rains have really interfered with farm work progress. The ground is so saturated we can hardly walk on it no less use field equipment. We have about five dump truck loads of chicken litter to spread on our gardens but can’t get over the ground. And we certainly can’t work the ground in preparation for early spring plantings. But this has happened before and there always comes a time to get it done though it might not be as optimum.

We keep discovering research into the benefits of grass fed and pasture based meat and eggs. Recently, we wrote that when beef cattle are moved from green forage to grain they lose around 82% of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids in 120 days. Now we have found research that indicates they lose about 97% of beta-carotene in just 60 days on grain. In addition, grass fed beef has 3 to 5 times more CLA and 4 times more vitamin E than grain fed.

Eggs from pastured hens are higher in quite a few nutrients. Recent research indicates pasture raised eggs have 3 to 6 times more vitamin D than conventional eggs. This benefit comes only from hens that actually are outdoors where they consume green forage and soak up the sunshine. Just because the store carton may say ‘certified organic’, ‘free range’, etc. does not mean they have ever been outside.

The vitamin D content is important because most Americans are low in this vitamin and there are few food sources for it. Another source is shiitake mushrooms.

Someone asked the other day if we added flax seed meal to our chicken feed to increase omega 3. The answer is we don’t need to since pastured chicken and eggs have double the omega 3 than conventional.

Please take notice of a change in market days. During the month of December we plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market on Friday (10:00 until 4:00); Saturday (8:00 until 4:00) and Sunday (10:00 until 4:00). We will not be there on Wednesday or Thursday.

We have a good supply of Pasture Finished Jersey Beef and Pasture Raised Chicken. All meats continue on sale at 10% off the regular price. Chicken leg quarters and whole wings are still on sale at 25% off.

Our hens are still laying lots of eggs so we are continuing $.50 off per dozen sale. Keep in mind we recycle one dozen egg cartons in good condition.

We plan to be restocked with shiitake mushrooms including fresh, dehydrated, and powder.

From the garden we have turnip and mustard greens, red Russian kale, Siberian kale, Tuscano kale, Swiss chard, savoy cabbage, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, collards, broccoli, turnip roots, and rutabaga.

We look forward to visiting with you at the market!

Piedmont Triad Farmers Market hours

Published by
admin
at November 27, 2009 in Triad Farmers Market. 0 Comments

We want to update you on our market hours for this Thanksgiving week. We plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Wednesday (10:00 until 4:00); Saturday (8:00 until 4:00); and Sunday (10:00 until 4:00). We will not be at the market on Thursday or Friday.

Also, we want to let you know we now have a page on Facebook. We would really like you to visit us there and sign up to become a fan. You may access our page at http://bit.ly/WP3PP or click on the link from our website (listed below). We will make postings to our page from time to time.

You might be interested to know Peterson Farm is featured in an interview on a podcast at www.GreensboroGreen.com. The specific podcast is “Farm Open Houses” and is currently first on the list. GreensboroGreen.com is devoted to environmental issues.

We want to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving season. And when you sit down for your ‘turkey day’ meal remember everything was grown by a farmer.