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Spring in the Air!

3/27/2013

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Tulip and cherry trees are already blooming--a sure sign that spring is here!  
The seedlings at Green Cow farms are poking out of their blankets of soil to take a peek at the warm sun, especially the wheat.  Just a bit of fuzz right now, but come June, it will be ready for the Little Red Hen to take to the miller's!  And our garlic, planted in the fall, has already sprouted 6 inches!  Look for fresh garlic in May--roast them, stir fry them, put them on pizza.  Delicious and flavorful! 

Not only are the plants growing...please welcome our new baby calf!

All of this calls for a Spring Celebration!
Just in time, we are bringing you some new and seasonal items:
 
Artisanal Honey Smoked Ham
A debut of our brand new Blueberry Muffins
Hot Cross Buns
Roast Suckling Pig
Goose ready for roasting
 
And in late April, our organic strawberry patch will be ripe with fresh berries.  We will open our patch Sunday, April 28, from 10-11am, for children to taste test and learn about growing berries from Mr. Huang, our farm expert.  Since we only have a small patch, strawberries will not be available for sale or take away, but you will find them in your upcoming CSA baskets!  The strawberry event is limited to 8 children, so sign up soon!
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Happy New Year!

1/11/2013

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亲爱的会员朋友们!
Wishing You Happy & Healthy Holidays!
亲爱的会员朋友们!
首先祝您及家人节日快乐!
同时有个好消息要告诉您。

● Pork CSA memberships now available!
● Rupert the pig has found a new home.

 
Rupert 去猪天堂
Rupert Goes to Hog Heaven
在这里我们要先告诉你一个不好的消息,(Rupert 我门农场寄养的胖胖猪)不幸于近日因年老体衰逝世。Rupert
生前体态魁梧性情温和与人为善。常以闻脚的方式迎接观赏它的客人。五年多来吸引了众多慕名而来一睹其芳容的客人,我们时常怀念与其共度的那段美好时光及带给我们的快乐我们非常想念它。
Rupert, our foster pig on the farm, passed away of old age recently.  While we are going to miss him dearly, we are glad to remember the moments we had with him. He was a pig of great character; he would often greet us by sniffing our feet and could always eat treats in his sleep.  Rupert was a popular attraction and a constant host on the farm for over 5 years.  We will all miss him!

有机山黑猪肉-10个CSA会员资格的开放!Organic Pork—10 CSA memberships opening up!

你们是否还记得四年前我从内蒙古带回来的3头小黑猪。如今已繁殖大小黑猪50多头有棕色的、黑色的、还有花猪。其中有一头叫威猛的还健在如果会员感兴趣可以订购我们的有机猪肉我们可以同蔬菜一起送给你、我们可以接纳10位有机猪肉会员。

On another front, we have some good news!  Remember the three little pigs that I found in Inner Mongolia almost 4 years ago?  They have now multiplied to over 50 pigs; large and small; black, spotted and brown; and is making it possible for us
to include weekly pork deliveries along with your Vegetable CSA basket.  One of the original three, Wilma, is still alive and well on the farm.  At the request of many members and customers at the cafe, we are finally ready to offer 10 memberships to our Happy Pigs' Pork CSA.
 
众所周知我们的猪饲养在活动空间极大的绿牛农庄里面它们只吃玉米及农场种植的有机蔬菜从不给猪打针吃药夏天它们在农场吃大量的野草及天然调味冬季我们把晒干的紫苏拌在饲料里给它们吃。农场有固定员工每天精心饲养它们它们生活的很快乐。这些猪同时受到动物保护协会的监督,阮林和阿什蕾布莱特每年至少来农场参观两次。我们的农场的有机猪是在自然的环境下生长的,每头猪至少要生长到18个月以后才能屠宰。而纯商业的猪饲养是靠吃大量的激素、抗生素以及限制其运动空间来加快其生长速度。所以大概6个月就能出栏?但是它们的肉为什么会瘦肉多呢?是因为它们在生长的过程中除了吃大量的抗生素和激素外!它们还要吃大量的盐酸克伦特罗(又叫瘦肉精)一种β2-受体激动剂,90年代初国外曾用于饲料添加剂,后因人的不良反应而被禁用.在饲料中掺入瘦肉精。猪食用后在代谢过程中促进蛋白质合成,加速脂肪的转化和分解,提高了猪肉的瘦肉率,因此称为瘦肉精。而我们的猪、瘦肉量也很高但是它们是通过一年多的大量运动而形成的,在肉的质量上两者截然不同。所以我们的自制肉肠肉质很瘦没有很多的油。

质量好的猪肉在口感上与其他猪肉有极大的不同我们的猪肉肉质好、肉味纯正、营养价值更高。

我们的猪在宰杀前要在兽医检查站经过严格的检查才能发放屠宰证明同时宰杀过的猪肉也要经过严格的检测发放合格证明,我们的员工将同时参与全部过程以保证宰杀与检测的是我们的猪,屠宰后的猪肉将由我们进行分割、加工、包装,其中一部分我们用于加工成自制肉肠及培根等。

Most of you already know that our pigs lead a pretty happy life on the farm. They are fed corn and the extra organic vegetables from the farm. We have never had to give our pigs any medication, instead we make sure that they get plenty of wild weeds and herbs and we even dry purple shiso for mixing into their 
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feed in winter. They have plenty of room to play and root for treats. They are raised with much care and dedication from our farm staff and consistent oversight from the WSPA (World Society for Protection of Animals) animal welfare program.  Ron Lane and Ashleigh Bright from WSPA's FAI (Food & Animal Initiative) visit our farm at least three times a year.  Our pigs are raised for at least 18 months before they are mature enough to be harvested. Commercial pigs are raised under 6 months and rely on growth hormornes, antibiotics, and restricted movement and space to speed up their growth. Our pigs are naturally in shape and you will find that there's a higher ratio of lean meat to fat. In fact that's why our sausages ar so lean. We just don't have enough fat to make them juicier.  The commerical pork and beef relies on a drug called Clenbuterol (a drug to slim down the pigs before slaughter so that there is more lean meat to fat.)  Click here to see this article:  Pig Progress.
 
 
That is why there is a marked difference in the taste and quality of the meat.  You will find that our pork has better texture, natural pork flavour, and higher nutrition value.
 
Before a pig gets turned into pork our our farm a vet from the local vet station inspects the pig to confirm that it's healthy and then issues a permit for the pig to be slaughter.  Our staff oversee the slaughter and make certain it's our pork before bringing it back to our factory for packaging and processing into ham, sausages, bacon and lard for pies.
 
您将通过email了解到更多的猪肉会员消息。欢迎来我们农场参观,以便更深入了解我们的有机猪是如何快乐的生活和品尝到我们上等的猪肉对你们是何等的重要!
You will find more information about our Happy Pigs' Pork CSA in a separate email. Please come and visit the farm and see why our pigs are so much happier and why our pork is so much better for you.
                                   致以节日的问候
                                   Happy Holidays !
 
礼贞 单恩及农场全体员工
Lejen, Shanen and the Green Cow Farm Staff
                   
2012年12月28日
点击这里查看这篇文章:猪进展
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Cows up front and Close

5/29/2012

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Green Cow Farm News
 
 ● Meet the newest calves on the block.
● Mamma mia!  Time to get out those recipes with garlic, onions, and soup peas!
● Herbs and Poisons—what to eat and what NOT!
● Weasels v. Chickens.  Winner is…(find out by reading below!)
● Sizzling bacon and pork chops—hurry, hurry, before they run out!
Ever tried roasted garlic and carmelized onions?  Slather some on crispy French bread, mix it in with some pasta, or flavor your quiche with these earthy alliums.  You are invited to come harvest them on the farm and take them home for a lovely meal.  
In addition, separate the weeds from the potatoes—those potato fields are waiting for you to free them! 

Go on a treasure hunt while weeding—you will learn to identify the tasty, edible wild amarath, and purslane while also learning to avoid at all costs the toxic cocklebur weed which no mammals should ever eat.

Garlic Harvesting: Sat., June 2, 8:30 to 10:30 am
Onion Harvesting: Sat., June 9, 8:30 to 10:30 am
Upcoming harvests will be soup peas (about two weeks) and wheat (one month). Let us know if you would like to participate.
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2011 Harvest Festival Fun

10/14/2011

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Fall on the farm is a magical time.  The last summer tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are barely hanging on to squeeze the last drop of nutrients from their drying stems. Pumpkins and corn beg to be harvested before frost set in.

Napa cabbage, carrot, Jerusalem artichokes and turnips brave the cold in the field and plump themselves up before they are dug and stored in the ground root cellar.

The animals seem to feel the winter coming and some always find a way to sneak into the greenhouses to stock up on extra greens for the long winter.  Chickens will fly over their fences to eat the tender napa cabbage hearts.  Piglets will finagle their way out of the electric fence to steal spinach and just about anything.

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Bees hover over the fall chrysanthemums  before their winter hibernation.  A slight gust of wind will rain down crisp golden leaves. Morning dew keeps the ground moist and farm glistening in the morning hours.

It is this backdrop, that we held our 2011 Sixth Annual Green Cow Harvest Festival.

After six years of luck with dry weather, we decided to play it safe and set a rain date.  Most Beijing farmers will tell you that it doesn’t rain much during this season.   And when it does, it is quick and light–almost like Seattle rain.

The forecast had predicted rain for the five days leading up to the fest.  But it never rained.  On the morning of the Fest, there was heavy fog but no rain.

So we charged full force ahead. But as we neared opening the gates, light rain felled.  It came, it went.  Then it came back.  It danced with our nerves and it chilled our feet.  But it never took away the spirit of the harvest celebration.

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I think that the photos captured that spirit.

It reminds us that nature is unpredictable.

And makes us appreciate that farmers work in all types of weather conditions to grow our food.  It did make for a very different and wet festival.
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And as a result, we decided it was only fair to hold another festival on the rain date.

Thus on Oct. 30th we held the Seventh Green Cow Rain Date Harvest Fest.



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And luckily there was no rain !

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Rain Date Harvest Fest丰收节2011

10/7/2011

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On Sunday, October 30th, join in the festivities of The Green Cow Farm’s 7th Harvest Festival, from 11 am to 4 pm.

Don’t forget to buy your tickets!!!  You need tickets to attend.  Make sure you purchase them ahead of time so you aren’t disappointed.  Tickets are available at Mrs. Shanen’s Restaurant(8046-4301).    Group tickets can be purchased by e-mail two weeks prior to the event at thelovelygreencow@gmail.com, or lejen@mrsshanens.com

For further inquiries call the Green Cow Organic Farm (13501136920) or stop in at Mrs. Shanen’s shop in Shunyi, down the street from the International School of Beijing.

Highlights include:

  • games and activities for kids
  • hand-crafted artisan foods
  • fun and games include: a pumpkin rolling contest, coffee-sack race, corn relay, three-legged race, and tug-of-war.
  • traditional agricultural craft demos include broom making, thread spinning, cloth weaving, stone grinding, and corn shelling
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Harvest Fest Rain Date

10/5/2011

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The 2011 Rain date Harvest Fest is on. Same place, same time, Oct. 30th, 11-4 pm.
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Green Peas Rescue!

6/13/2011

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Eating Fresh Peas!Eating Fresh Peas!
During this past Monday’s Emergency Pea Harvest, we managed to rescue about 10 pounds of fresh green peas for this week’s CSA delivery ! Due to the drought and excessive heat, our CSA member planted pea field collapsed overnight and needed immediate harvesting.

We made a slight dent in the pea field, and will invite members and friends to return this Saturday, June 11th, 8:30 to 10:30 am, to continue the pea harvest. The rest of the peas are dried and will make great seed for next spring and pea soup this winter.

We are also asking everyone to submit their favorite pea recipes to share with each other. So far everyone’s favorite way to eat them is to simply boil or steam them in their pods, sprinkle on some sea salt and eat them like an Edaname ! Tim promises to send us his Mashed Pea recipe!

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Feed the Animals and Weed the Crops!

6/2/2011

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At the Pea Planting session, I received many requests from kids to feed the animals. But since the animals had been fed earlier that morning, we couldn’t feed them again. But then the idea was born that a Green Cow Animal Feeding session should be organized. This Sunday, April 17th, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. we will be holding a Green Cow Animal Feeding session.

We will be feeding the cows, pigs, chickens, and worms and learning about what they like to eat. The session will begin promptly at 8:30 am.

After the feeding, we will also be demonstrating how to make Rosemary Sea Salt and learning about the many uses for spring herbs that you are receiving in your CSA boxes.

Next Sunday, April 24th, 8:30 a.m. to !0:30 a.m. we will be holding a Green Cow Weeds and Weeding session. We will harvest edible weeds and also weed the pea, potato, and peanut fields. Please bring gloves and a hat !

The farm is also calling for donations of dvds or cds to use in natural pests control. We tie them up to a scarecrow and have found it to be most effective in preventing birds from eating our planted seeds and sprouts.

In addition, please bring over any kitchen scraps for our new bamboo worm box. And if you’ve got any old grains or past the shelf-life but still edible foods you need to clear out, we can use it for the chickens. If you have any non-edible, but better for the compost piles than the landfills, please bring and feed to our compost piles. If you cannot make these sessions, but have items to contribute, please give it to our driver when he makes your weekly delivery. Please RSVP by signing up by Friday April 15th for the Sunday, April 17th session ; by Friday, April 22nd for the Sunday, April 24th session.
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What do Honeybees and Terracotta Warrior Have in Common?

6/2/2011

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Honeybees ‘entomb’ hives to protect against pesticides, say scientists.

By sealing up cells full of contaminated pollen, bees appear to be attempting to protect the rest of the hive   Honeybees are taking emergency measures to protect their hives from pesticides, in an extraordinary example of the natural world adapting swiftly to our depredations, according to a prominent bee expert.

Scientists have found numerous examples of a new phenomenon – bees “entombing” or sealing up hive cells full of pollen to put them out of use, and protect the rest of the hive from their contents. The pollen stored in the sealed-up cells has been found to contain dramatically higher levels of pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals than the pollen stored in neighbouring cells, which is used to feed growing young bees.

Read the rest of the article at:

Honeybees ‘entomb’ hives to protect against pesticides, say scientists

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Spring Planting 2011

6/2/2011

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We want to give a special thanks to those who came out for our March 20th Pea Planting ! You can now see that our own pea seeds saved from last year were fertile and are growing well.  We will have to monitor it carefully since we did have a problem with leafminers last spring.  Depending on weather conditions we should be enjoying fresh peas at the end of May !   Yum!

Pea Planting: Sunday, March 17th, 8:30-11:30 am.

Complimentary coffee and bagels from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.    (directions and map are now on Greencowfarm.com)

This event is outdoors so please dress appropriately. Bring along pair of work gloves and a hat !  And be prepare to get your hands dirty !   We encourage you to also bring along your kitchen scraps to contribute to our compost making effort. (our kitchen composting site is right by the parking area)

RSVP: please email Lejen with the number of people attending by  March 18.

Upcoming vegetables:
Look for Chinese Broccoli and Pea Sprouts in your basket this week.  Strawberries will be in season in about 2-3 weeks.

Green Cow items are now available with your CSA delivery: 
Place a standing order by email or call Denise (8046-4301). Please order 3 days in advance to allow us time to make your order.
fresh low-fat or whole-fat milk   (500g) 20 yuan
low-fat or whole-fat yoghurt   (200g) 20yuan ; 400g 35 yuan
cultured butter    (112g) 45yuan
fresh ground peanut butter    (220g) 45 yuan
sour cream or greek yoghurt   (250g) 45 yuan
free range eggs    (one dozen) 60 yuan
organic bagels: plain, wholewheat, or honey-sprouted wheat (frozen package of 3pcs) 40 yuan

All of our dairy products hormone-free, antibiotic-free, low-temp. pasteurized and  are not homogenized!   Please contact us if you would like to try our fresh raw milk.

Learn more about raw milk issues from around the world: http://hartkeisonline.com/food-politics/raw-milk-around-the-world/

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    Mrs. Shanen

    Hi! Good food--raw and cooked--is my passion.   Greencow Farm was started because I believe that no matter where you live, wholesome, fresh, and organically grown food should be readily accessible.  Our farm supplies ingredients for Mrs. Shanen's cafe, our family, and CSA members.  Spread the goodness!

    Contact us

    for more info:
    6435-9561
    136-0123-0321
    thelovelygreencow@
    gmail.com

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