In Memory of Edwin C. Fry

He loved cows, farming, and all people especially Lorraine.

February 8, 1924- June 1, 2012

A Celebration of Life memorial will be held on June 30 at 11AM at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to The Presbyterian Church of Chestertown, 905 Gateway Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620, or the Maryland 4-H Foundation Edwin C. Fry Memorial, 8020 Greenmead Drive, College Park, MD 20740.

The Sweet Smell of Hay

The sweet smell of hay reminds us of Judy’s late father. For six decades, Bob Gifford took immense pride in “putting up” high quality hay.  Good hay has a unique and wonderful aroma.  We checked out why and found that the distinct smell of newly mown hay is the trademark scent of coumarin; sweet, herbaceous, with a spicy fresh top note. Sounds like the description of a fine bottle of wine!!

Coumarin is a chemical compound which is found naturally in some plants, although it can be synthetically produced as well. It has a distinctive odor which has led people to use it as a food additive and ingredient in perfume since 1882. It is among the most popular ingredients in perfumes and is included in almost 90% of them!

“The pliability and versatility of this fragrance note is legendary, accounting for a sweet and fresh facet that rises up from the bottom onto the heart of the fragrance, lingering on the skin for hours and enriching a perfume composition via its scent magic.”

Thanks to the four perfect haymaking days (sunny, breezy and low humidity) last week and the help of the Gary Miller who mowed, tedded and raked the hay as well as Chuck Hocking who baled the hay into the 75 big (755 lbs each!) square bales, we have a barn full of high quality orchard grass hay.

Kid's Day at St. Brigid's Farm

We practice relationship marketing which simply means we know the people who buy our meat – the chefs, the regulars at the farmers’ market, the locals who stop by the farm, the subscribers of our Medley of Meats and the members of the Annapolis Buyers Club.  Last weekend, our customers had a chance to get to know us.

On Saturday, about a dozen families came to the farm to see where some of their food is raised.   Kids Day on the Farm was a huge success. The weather was perfect for a picnic lunch on the lawn with singing Purple Martins and cows grazing in the background.  After lunch, the kids climbed under and over Mr. Farmer Bob’s straw fort and had a chance to pet calves Janet and Rosalita.  At the next stop, which was a favorite of many of the dads, we fired up Judy’s antique Case tractor.  Once all the kids had a chance to sit on the tractor and pose for pictures, everyone took a hike though the field where the calves were grazing and saw the muskrat houses and learned how to identify poison ivy. Then it was off to the barn to watch Frolic being milked.  Finally, all the kids helped bottle feed the two calves with the fresh milk.  As you can see from the photos below, a good time was had by all.

picnic on the lawn      

Wylee having fun with Rosalita 

 straw fort and secret tunnel

kids and calves 

  

So, How is Calving Season Going?

 We are often asked this question by many people this time of year.  February is our busiest month for calving. How busy?  34 calves were born during the previous 10 days!  For some very large farms that is no big deal but for a Mom & Pop sized dairy we can tell you it was busy!

        So how is it going this year?  Remarkably well for many reasons…

1.  Weather - The weather has been wonderful.  No snow, not cold and relatively dry weather leads to minimal stress on the babies. No risk of frost bite to the cow’s teats, and an easier work load for the caretakers. 

February 2010

February 2012

       

2.  Male:Female ratio - While we are happy to get a healthy, live calf at St. Brigid’s Farm the girls (heifers) are preferred because they are the future producers of milk that is the mainstay of our operation.  Last year we had 59% bullsL.  This year the heifers are out numbering the bulls 31 to 20!

3.  Nutrition - Last harvest season we stored some very high quality forage.  This coupled with a new feed delivery system enables us to more accurately deliver the prescribed diet to the pre calving cows as well as the milking cows which leads to healthier cows at a very critical time.

4.  Labor – In January we hired a full time worker to replace numerous dedicated part time employees who moved on last year.  Mike Vanhorn has been a welcome addition to our staff and has done a fine job raising over 50 baby calves born so far this season.

5.  Nurse cows - Three cows were designated as nurse cows to each raise 3-4 veal calves.  They are wonderful mothers and have taken to their foster calves quite well.

We are thankful it has been a great calving season but we are not done yet.  Thirty more cows are due in the next three weeks.

Active Labor

Done!

St. Brigid's Day - February 1st

Today as we celebrate the feast of St. Brigid, we reflect on her compassion and love for dairy cows.  In a world full of sound bites and superficial arguments, the thought of St. Brigid, her kindness  and dedication to the dignity of manual work among animals in the dairy and respect for the rural  land gives us pause and a chance to ponder what is truly important. 

To learn more about St. Brigid's Day read below.

February 1^st

St. Brigid’s Day

St. Brigid - was born in A.D. 451 or 452 to a pagan father and a Christian slave mother.  Her impoverished, enslaved mother did her best to raise her well, and a white red-eared cow is said to have provided all the food St. Brigid needed to grow, indicating that she was special indeed as white red-eared cows are rare in Ireland.  While still a child she was put in charge of the dairy by her mother. One day she had given away so much milk and butter to poor people that none remained for the family. She feared her mother's displeasure and so resorted to prayer. When her mother visited the dairy she found such an abundance of milk and butter that she praised the dairy maids for their industry.  Today she remains the patron saint of dairy maids and is the patroness of Ireland.

St. Brigid's Happy Cows

When our friend Pam calls, her first question is how are the happy cows?  While there are days when our cows are less happy – snow storms, torrential rains, high winds, excessive heat, we are usually more impacted by the nasty conditions than the cows.  In the winter, the freestall barn with the curtains closed provides a cozy space for the milking cows.  In the summer the same freestall barn with curtains opened and fans full tilt provides some reprieve.  However, the engineers who design barns can only imitate the environment where cows are happiest – outside on pasture.  Here is a capture of our happy cows on video before our grazing days ended last month.  

4th Annual Field to Fork Dinner

The morning of October 1 was chilly and windy. The weather forecast called for a 50% chance of rain. By 8 am, chef Dave Perry, Bob and I decided dinner would have to be inside. Time for Plan B! As much as we like to dine under the stars, we didn't want our guests to be
miserable so Bob converted our hay storage area/maternity pen into a dining room. Tuscan lights from Eastern Shore Tents and Events, straw bales and some giant mums added a festive ambience to the normally drab space. Bob made a door in the plywood wall for easy access by the catering team. We were ready by the time our 126 patrons arrived at 5 pm.

Guests enjoyed beer, wine, Chapel’s Creamery outstanding cheddar and blue cheeses on the lawn as Jim Stephanson and his band played a delightful mix of jazz and blues. The cows romped in the nearby pasture and eyed the party. At 6 o’clock, after the band’s customized version of “milk cow blues”, people began to claim their seats in the make shift ball room. Sweet cream of tomato soup with leeks and a dollop of cream and Against the Grain’s amazing artisan breads started the feast. Next, we showcased Colchester Farm’s beautiful arugula and radishes in a simple, yet delicious salad. The main entree, country meatloaf made with St. Brigid’s Farm ground beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans exceeded expectations with many diners exclaiming the meatloaf was better than their own! For those who had room for dessert, Dave made pumpkin and apple pies which he topped with fresh whipped cream. The long neck pumpkins for the pies weighed 25 pounds each. The pumpkins, tomatoes, apples and fresh pressed cider came from Lockbriar Farms. The toasted pumpkin seeds made a perfect garnish.In between courses, our farmers, cheese maker and bread baker shared the trials, tribulations and successes they have experienced growing their produce and making their products. Next, Chef John Keller from the Kent County High School Culinary Arts program and his student, Alexander Maas talked about the wonderful program that was the beneficiary of last year’s dinner. Alexander stole the show with his honest and inspiring impression of working with the caterer. Finally, Captain Andrew McCown described the life changing experience Kent County kids have during a camping/sailing trip on the Chester River as part of the Echo Hill Outdoor School Explore Program. Thanks to the tremendous turnout for the dinner and donations by friends who could not attend, we will donate $3,000 for scholarships to this remarkable program.