Growing Things Farm

Growing fresh organic veggies, eggs and meat since 1991.

Our Animals

The poultry (both our egg-laying flock and our pastured chickens and turkeys), pigs, and cows on the farm are an integral part of our system; they help us maintain our sustainability and we love them. Keeping our animals healthy and happy is not difficult because we consider them to be our partners on the farm and on the planet. Each species has its own psychology and needs, and we strive to provide an ideal environment. We recognize that life and death is a natural cycle, and our animals have a happy life on the farm until they no longer exist. Great care is given to them during the processing procedure to reduce their stress.

egg-laying chickens at Growing Things Farm

Our Egg-Laying Flock

Our egg layers are a special commercial breed designed to lay one egg a day. However, rather than being confined in laying houses where they would be subjected to a rigid lighting schedule to force an egg every 23 hours, our hens are free to roam their pastures and lay their eggs in nests we provide whenever they choose. They are fed organic grains (which are a food chickens would naturally eat in the wild), but also spend the day grazing on the rich forage their pasture provides and scratching the soil for insects. They choose whether they want to be inside or out, whether they want salad with their entrée or not.

Raised in this manner, our chickens do not provide one egg a day, but they are happy, healthy, and stress free. That's why we can say that — without a doubt — we have some of the best tasting eggs around.

You can purchase an egg share along with a vegetable share, but we do not provide egg shares alone. You can also purchase our eggs at the farmers markets. However, since our CSA customers have first priority for eggs, we aren't able to keep up with the demand; if you wish to purchase eggs from us at the market, please come early. We sell out quickly.

Pastured Chickens and Turkeys

Our birds don't taste like the ones you get from the store, even the free-range organic ones. The reason? They are raised on pasture, allowed to eat the grass and other forage that nature intended them to eat. We use them to help fertilize our vegetable fields, moving their pens twice a day to insure they have fresh greens and insects to eat and to keep them clean. This method of raising poultry produces large, healthy, and nutritious animals with a taste and texture that can't be beat.

Our chicken requires very little seasoning when basted in its own savory juices. One large chicken can serve 6-8 people. We also have smaller sizes available. They make a wonderful meal.

Birds are available June–December and are sold frozen. Use our order form and mark the months you wish to receive your chickens. We recommend 3 chickens a month for a family of four. Once ordered, we make arrangements for pick-ups at the market (we can make other arrangements if necessary). We often offer chickens at the market, but do not always have them in stock. Your best bet for a continuous supply is to use our order form. We begin taking orders in February.

Turkeys range in size from 9–20 lbs. Specify the weight you'd like on the order form, and we will try to accommodate you. We can't promise the exact weight, but we will get as close as we can. We grow Standard Bronze and Broad Breasted White Turkeys. Both are delicious. Order early — we always sell out! We begin taking orders in February.

Pastured Pork

Our pigs arrive at our farm at six weeks of age. We get them from a farmer who raises her sows on pasture and, from the moment the piglets are able, they are allowed free access to their pastures alongside their moms. They get nice, warm, straw-filled homes and access to pasture, where they can run, root, wallow, and play. They spend their lives in hog heaven, basking in the sun, sleeping in the shade, and eating all of what nature intended a pig to eat. That's why our pork products taste so good!

We offer bulk sales of pork at $4.50 lb. hanging weight. The average hanging weight for a pig is 200 lbs. Please remember weights will vary season to season. Our pigs are generally available in the early fall. You make the arrangements with the butcher on how you want your pork cut up, and the price for the cut and wrap is generally .50 lb, with curing a little more. Below is an example of what an average order will look like, but, of course, it's all up to you. We do not put estimated weights for the types of cuts, as that is determined on how you decide you want your pork to be cut. A side of pork is cut up the same way, it is just half the amount.

Ham boneless or bone in
Ham steaks
Bacon
Pork chops
Top loin roast (boneless)
Tenderloin roast
Spareribs
Country style ribs
Ground pork or sausage
Ham hocks

We begin taking orders in February. Please before you send in an order for pork.

Grass-fed and Finished Beef

What does this mean? "Grass-fed and finished" means that once a calf is weaned off its mother, it eats what it is supposed to eat: only grass and other forages. We do not feed our beef grain to fatten them up. They are finished on live pastures to reach their desired size. Since we don't finish our beef on grains (like a forced feedlot operation), we are subject to each year's growing season. Animal weights will vary year to year, depending upon the amount of rainfall, sunshine, and other factors.

Since you are paying by the hanging weight, these factors do not affect you, except in the size of the animal. We, of course, are affected, because the size of the animal determines the amount of money we receive for the animal. Some growers use forced feed lots to maximize the size of their animals — and their profits — but we feel animals grown and fed the way nature intended are the best for your body, and we won't sacrifice the good health of our customers to make a few more dollars. Our animals are processed between July and November, when the grass still has all of its nutrients and the grazing animal receives all of its benefits. An animal grown in this manner is turned into wonderful, lean (with a little bit of the right fat), tasty, tender, and nutritious meal.

We sell beef by the split side (a quarter of a beef), by the side (half of a beef), and a whole beef at $3.50 lb. The animals are ordered ahead of time. Once slaughtered, the meat is hung in a locker to age for flavor and tenderness. You make arrangements with the butcher on how you want your beef cut.

Below is an example of a whole beef with the hanging weight of 750 lbs. Please remember, this is an estimate only to give you an idea of what you might recieve when you order. Also, you can tailor your order to your own specifications. You can divide this example by two or four to fit a split side or a side order.

Price	Est. hanging wt.	Est. retail wt.
$3.50/ lb.	750 lbs.	420 lbs.

Type of cut		Est. retail weight
Porterhouse/T-bone		32 lbs.
Sirloin Steak		35 lbs.
Rib Roast or Steak		23 lbs.
Top Round Steak		23 lbs.
Cube Steak		23 lbs.
Chuck Steak		14 lbs.
Pot Roast		55 lbs.
Short Ribs		140 lbs.
Hamburger		18 lbs.
Stew Meat		35 lbs.
Soup Bones		22 lbs.