The directory is a comprehensive list of local food suppliers. It was a project of Virginia Tech’s VT Earthworks program and the Virginia Cooperative Extension, To see the electronic version go to http://www.roanokevalleylocavore.com/2010FoodDirectory-LR.pdf

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Pennie, our new saleswoman has a family that comes to sample from the apple tree in her back yard.  Pennie will be helping us get the work out about our products and improve our customer service.  While she does her main job, I hope she continues to supply us with more interesting wildlife pictures.

We are excited to announce that we have two interns working with us this summer, Hannah Dubit and David Tilson.  Mind you, interns are not a new phenomenon on the farm, in fact, my grandfather and his friend Roger Mudd were some of the first interns back when Broadview was a dude ranch run by my Great-Grandad Tex Tilson.  Even Josh and I spent a summer working on the farm together a few years back.

Hannah Dubit

Hannah hails from right down the road and has been a frequent guest at our pond parties.  She is a rising senior at Mary Baldwin College and is interested in learning the business of farming and managing large livestock.  Hannah once had an egg business of her own and is experienced in animal husbandry.

David Tilson

David lives on the farm and is the son of Alan Tilson.  He has been working his whole life around the farm but this is the first time we are paying him.  David has been working mainly with the chickens before and after school.  Now that he can work full time over the summer we are looking to get him more involved with the cattle and pigs.

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David took some great shots of a cicada molting out of its old skin.  Click on “View with PicLens” to see larger shots.

Josh and I  love to work in the big garden at the farm- 33 tomato plants plus squash, asparagus, zucchini, chard, peas, and more. But on our last trip out to the garden, we found our squash plants were getting decimated by squash bugs. So we set loose five chickens in the garden for the day and those ladies had quite the feast!

I was cruising eatwild.com this evening and came upon this cookbook. Haven’t read it yet but it certainly looks interesting. For most folks the most challenging aspect of switching to naturally raised products is learning how to cook meats with less fat. This cookbook seems to offer some direction on doing just that and so I’ve ordered a copy for the farm, stay tuned for the results.

For any of you that haven’t seen this fascinating series about chef Jamie Oliver and his effort to change the broken eating habits of America, I highly recommend it. It is truly sad to see the detrimental effects that a broken food culture can have on health, education and communities. Its a six episode series available to watch on Hulu. http://www.hulu.com/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

My lovely bride was feeling a bit under the weather this evening so for the first time since our marriage began two weeks ago I got to cook. Jane has been showing off her skills in the kitchen this last week with home made cinnamon rolls and granola topping it off this past weekend.

I had some Broadview filets that I set out in the fridge on Sunday so I coated them in some olive oil, kosher salt and fresh black pepper and fired up the grill. On Saturday at the farmers market I acquired some fantastic fresh spring greens including my favorite pea shoots, so I tossed them in a little olive oil and balsamic along with some farmer’s market goat cheese and some freshly picked arugula – our first harvest from the Brooklyn garden. I grilled the filet – highest heat, just a few minutes per side – and sliced it over our salad. The outcome was fantastic. So good that I was forced to open a bottle of Napa Cabernet to enjoy along with the steak. If you’re looking for a great healthy spring dinner look no further.

The readers of Edible Blueridge Magazine have voted and given Broadview Ranch a Local Hero Award in the Best Farm category.  Each year, Edible Communities publications recognize outstanding contributions to the local foods movement through the Local Hero Awards which are voted on by readers. We are really excited to have received this award and we would like to thank our customers for their support!

http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,62898783001_1955966,00.html