BN 20: Apples, DIY & Homesteading

written by

posted on

September 14, 2024

Hello from TF!!

[sorry, a bit long, since this is Tuesday & today's emails in one. 😬]

We originally purchased this property because we wanted to grow some of our own food and become self-sufficient.

As we tried finding ways to leave the day jobs and generate some income, we started selling some of the excess, like meats and soaps and then decided we much preferred bringing folks to the farm instead of the farm to the city and that's when Burger Night was born!

So while we may not exactly be homesteaders right now like we originally envisioned, we strongly encourage others that are interested in learning anything about anything and to do whatever they can!

Live in a tiny city apartment? Make sourdough!

Anyone can go to the farmers market and get to fermenting!

Make your own apple cider vinegar (seriously, nothing could be easier and Bragg's is no longer good, another food lost to corporate control).

We were crazy overwhelmed trying to learn every single skill (we even had a milk cow) so the more you can learn now, before you have the land or the farm, the better and easier it'll be!

Currently on your property and already doing it? Keep adding more and more skills to your repertoire! Maybe it's time to see if there are things you don't know....have you fermented your own hot sauce to enjoy on all those eggs yet?? Or, have you made your own mead from all your honey?? What do you know about knots?

And, no matter what, you can start compiling or growing your library of resources now.

Remember, the Internet is dead. AI has killed it - you can trust nothing your eyes show you on there now and forget googling for answers, the answers are all bought and paid for, it's a "good ol' boys club" now and finding answers will require some work.

Good ol' books. Knowledge and experience written down for you to learn from. By folks actually doing it (not an algorithm).

What do you want to learn?

(also, we're thinking about winter workshops so hit reply and tell me what you would prefer to learn in-person!)

The problem is that these authors are not you, we all have different resources, abilities, etc, but you don't know what you don't know, so you just gotta start. Kinda like how our steep hills throw most of the pastured pig stuff right out the window but we didn't really realize that until we started doing the things.

Just do it. (ugh, corporate even took "just do it".)

If you lose your house, the stock market crashes, your car is repossessed, you WILL sill HAVE your knowledge and your skills.

You can't lose what you know. Even if the wifi is off.

I mean, not that any of those things are going to happen but learning new skills is very empowering.

Even if you don't become a homesteading hero and never own a square foot of ground, it will help you appreciate the folks doing it even more!

Suddenly $10 for a loaf of sourdough is worth every penny, driving to get a gallon of A2/A2 milk in the afternoon? wow. how easy life is. $20 for a quart of health-creating sauerkraut? why so cheap? $10 for happy beyond organic eggs? I was paying more for artificial multivitamins I peed out! $20 for a lb of organically raised 100% gf/gf beef delivered to my door with a few clicks....I'm not sure life can get any better. 😄

Food making kits!
Not pictured: drink making kits: beer, mead, wine and more!
(Also, make an awesome gift!!)

Think you can't make your own loaf of bread? Wrong. Andy makes amazing bread with almost zero effort! (He got his recipe from Laos at Lazy Monk Brewing, so see? It's all about spreading knowledge and encouragment!)
You can definitely do it too. 🥖🤩

Farm Store Sales

For the readers or library-builders we've got books for sale on:

fermenting
chickens
canning
sourdough
raising bees
raising chickens
general self-sufficiency
homesteading how-to
and more!

For the doers, we've got the following kits and supplies on sale:

Sourdough
Seed kits: flowers, herbs, salsa, pizza, veggies
Quick pickles
Fermented pickles
Kombucha starter kit (will make enough for the rest of your life!)
Fermented hot sauce
Cheese making: Italian or Mexican
Wine making: pinot grigio or cabernet sauvignon
Beer making: IPA, Ale or Oak-aged ale
Hard cider
Hard seltzer
and more!

And finally, for the person who is a little bit of both and also wants to TRY what others have done, we have this week's Bundle of the Week! (Also great if you like saving as much as possible.

8 products homesteaders produce (pork sausage, sauerkraut, tallow skin cream, sourdough crackers, honey, beeswax candles, apple pie jelly, maple syrup
2 DIY kits (seeds & pickles)

Over 20% off at just $74!

Shop the Sale

Homesteaders Sampling Kit is the Bundle of the Week!
We would be able to ship or deliver this, just hit reply that you'd like to order one since it's not listed in the online store.

AVEnue Orchard is back on our farm Friday AND Saturday, slingin' their amazing homemade products and this week's BOTW will feature their Apple-Jalapeno jelly, along with fresh apple, pepperjack and more. 🍎🍏🍎🍏

Burger of the Week: Applejacks Burger

Avenue Orchards Apple-Jalapeno jelly
Apple slaw
Pepperjack cheese
Smoky bacon
100% grassfed beef patty
A toasted ciabatta bun

The Applejacks Burger is a another new one, so no picture yet, but check out how productive one of our little apple trees was this year! Not too bad for literally doing nothing except cutting off a branch every couple years. Well, we did plant that comfrey around it a long time ago, but that's it.
Don't know why there's comfrey everywhere? Ask me! (or grab one of those aforementioned books. 😉 Also, feel free to take some!)

Thursday, September 12

Save 20% on the Burger of the Week

Trivia is over for the year. :( :( :(

Andy still has that gosh darn day job and there is SO MUCH we want to get done this fall so I'll be bartending so he can work.

I'm always happy to ask you some questions whilst pouring beer though so maybe I should say "organized trivia" is over, the questions can go on.

Friday, September 13

Meet the Makers! 5ish-8ish

Bring your questions and get ready to try some unique products you didn't know you loved & needed! 💚

AVEnue Orchard

Try their infused syrups before committing to a bottle, be sure to try the savory ones too, like the black umami garlic and they have drink mixes!! (Reminder about upcoming holidays!)

LIVE MUSIC from "Q" aka Quenten Brown, 5-8pm

Singer, songwriter, art teacher, artist, and landscaper, ”Q”, aka Quenten Brown, has spent the last 20 years running the ridges, playing every bar, front porch, beer garden, private event that he can, and enjoying the experiences that each unique venue brings along the way.
The result is an engaging uplifting experience for both performer and audience. Songs are delivered with a wink and a nod, ensuring that all are ‘in’ on the curious experiment that is a live performance.

This is our first time having Q at the farm!
You can expect to hear music by the Black Crowes, Mellencamp, Stevie Ray, Tom Petty, and Springsteen and a few originals too!

Saturday, September 14

LIVE MUSIC from TravAce, 5-8pm

TravAce is a seasoned singer-musician with a voice that will warm your soul. He has kept the party alive across the Tri-State Area for 25+ years. He plays everything from Classic Country to Classic Rock and sprinkles Party Anthems in between. His voice and guitar will bring the energy wherever he plays solo or with his band.

Another first-timer! TravAce is a seasoned singer-musician with a voice that will warm your soul. Let's warm his with a warm welcome!

Sunday, September 15

Family Day! Buy one get one FREE kids meals all day!

Speaking of kids....

Save the Date

Family Fun Day, Sat, Sept 28

Every day is a family fun day, but the 28th will be a little extra special with some help from our friends. Hope you can join us!

UPDATES & REMINDERS

The "ish"s are back on Friday and Saturday night closing times since it gets dark early and can get very cold early. We may close at 8:30 if the weather and darkness lead us to believe no one else is coming, so if you are coming after 8pm, call or text to make sure the kitchen will be ready for you!

The bar and fire keep going until everyone's had enough though. So no hurry there. Just one more. :)

End of the season is coming ❄

Sunday, October 6th is our official last Burger Night of 2024.

We may do pop-ups on the weekends if the weather is nice, depends on how the pre-winter projects are moving along. Let us know if you want to help!

Now get out there and make something!! (and we'd love if you came to enjoy the music, food and beer others are making on our farm soon too.)

Your farmer & project-loving friend,

Stephanie Schneider

p.s. Only 3 more weeks after this one!

Burger Night Week 8 (of 23)

Burger Night is open, rain or shineThursday & Friday 4pm-9pmSaturday noon-9pmSunday noon-7pm Welcome to Week 8 of the Burger Night season and the official start of summer! The weather proves to be a formidable foe, but it at least looks like rain and cold are not going to be a major factor this weekend! In fact, the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction but the heat can be beet! We've got oodles of shade, TONS of natural air conditioning and lots of cold drinks (win slushies!) so we'd LOVE if you joined us on the farm for some summer fun! We are slowly but surely working on adding more shady spots! The Weeping Willow is growing crazy fast but we are an impatient bunch and I wanted something now. Note that I know some of the furniture is on it's last "leg" but holy smokes is outdoor furniture expensive, so we'll keep slowly adding and replacing pieces, in the meantime, be gentle with what we've got please. ------------------------------------------------ I'm also pretty excited for this week's Burger of the Week: Beet, Feta Have My Honey! We made this one a million years ago - during the first covid year I believe - but you asked for us to bring it back this winter and, being a sucker for beets, I succumbed to the pressure (I think it was one person 😂). Roasted beets for this weekend's Burger of the Week: Beet, Feta Have My Honey! 😋------------------------------------------------Beet, Feta Have My Honey 🌱 NEW Garlicky roasted beet spread🧀 Feta crumbles🍯 Honey drizzle🐮 100% grassfed beef patty🍞 Toasted, buttery brioche bun Even if you don't love beets (🤨) this is going to be one of those "the sum is better than the parts" type of burger and you're still just going to have to try it!! The young'ins that work here are not expecting very many of these to sell, but I think we should prove them wrong and give them something to think about when it comes to the deliciousness that is roasted beets. So, whaddya say? Wanna help me reshape young minds? It will NOT look very much like this.... This is a picture of the first Beet, Feta Have My Honey BOTW we made several years ago and now we think we can make it EVEN BETTER! Come out and try v2.0 and let us know what you think!------------------------------------------------But wait, there's more! NEW! Now that we are restocked with two different types of beet kvass's we thought we'd do shots of kvass at the bar!! Not sure if you're old? One clue: You do well at tonight's Bird trivia. Second clue: You are really excited for non-alcoholic gut-health-promoting shots of kvass. Third clue: You know what kvass is! 😂 In any case, I hope you're more excited for this than you ever were for jagermeister! 🤮 We just got a ton of brand new ferments in from the Wise Goat that we'll slowly be adding online, unfortunately, these will only be available for on-farm pick-up or local delivery (can't ship them). We're loving these new kvass's so much, you can now order shots of them at the bar! Tomorrow you're going to wake up HEALTHIER from doing shots the night before - how's that for a twist?!------------------------------------------------ Thursday, June 19 Tonight's trivia is all about birds!! Trivia at 7pm: Birds 🐦🕊️🦅🦆🐤 Remember, we give prizes to 1st place, 2nd place and Last place. Bring your friends! (probably the more mature ones. 🙃) ------------------------------------------------ Friday, June 20 LIVE MUSIC from Chris Herriges, 5:30-8:30pm Chris is a highly regarded singer, guitarist and songwriter based in the Twin Cities. Among accomplishments, most noteworthy is probably the large amount of airplay garnered via independent promotion, for a number of original recordings on commercial radio (Rock, Top-40) throughout the U.S., primarily in the 1990's. Also, glowing reviews in many national as well as local publications, also primarily in the early to mid '90's. Can currently be seen regularly in solo-acoustic and duo performances throughout the Twin Cities area and greater Minnesota and Wisconsin. This will be Chris's first time at Together Farms! Let's give him a warm welcome! Like, really warm. Too warm? Nah. We've got shade and fans and wine slushies and cold beer and a pond full of snapping turtles and leeches if we get really, really desperate.------------------------------------------------ Saturday, June 21 LIVE MUSIC from Olivia Maro, 5:30-8:30pm Just a few of the artists she covers... Miranda lambertMaren MorrisZach BryanZac Brown BandTaylor SwiftChris YoungLuke CombsMorgan WallenKelsea BalleriniJon PardiLauren AlainaCarly PearceJo Dee MessinaKacey MusgravesMaddie & TaeLainey WilsonDolly Partonkid rockLuke BryanZac Brown Band and more! Who are you most excited to hear?? Come and check out Olivia Maro, an up and coming country artist who is going to come an sing you some of your favorite tunes! Don't miss this one!I think this might also be Olivia's first time! So, let's give her a warm welcome too! You be the fans! We'll drop the beats....and also beets.------------------------------------------------ Sunday, June 15 1/2 off kids meals all day.3 - 5:30pm: Free Xtreme Bingo for the folks over 21 (deluxe prizes pictured below) and free Kids Bingo for the folks under 21!It's BINGO WEEK! That means they are adding an extra ball to each round to INCREASE your odds of winning!! Let's win something BIG this week!! 🎉✨ Remember, you can't win if you don't play! ✨ Let's giveaway some prizes! Every Sunday at 3p, we play 9 games and give out either a huge fancy prize (like 1,000s of $$s) or a practical and modest gift with every round! It's BINGO WEEK! Which means you get a bonus ball to try to win EVEN MORE big prizes this week!------------------------------------------------ Heads up: Surprisingly, the 2025 season is 35% over after this weekend. Plan accordingly. Farm Store Updates Don't forget to checkout the BEEF restock! We've already got a few items selling out and the Bundle of the Month will be very soon (so we may redo it - watch for an update). All BIRD stuff is on sale! booksRaising chickensEgg cookbooksBirdhousesAttracting birdsDealing with squirrelsBird triviaBird poemsKids board books all about farm animalsTurkey huntingBird dog huntingBird poop and still more!!StickersStuffiesReusable egg cartons for you DIY types with a sense of humorSauces & seasonings for chickenFelt bird ornamentsChicken & eggs themselvesand more ....will all be on sale, all weekend! ICE CREAM UPDATE: The equipment is all here and all the product we need to get started. The health inspector is coming this afternoon to see if we're good to go and then it's time to order ice cream and get to dippin'! Bird trivia tonight but all bird things are on sale all weekend!------------------------------------------------ If you can't make it here, let's meat online instead! Thank you for your support during what is probably going to be an unbeetable Burger Night Week! Love you lots! 💚 Steph & the TF fam------------------------------------------------ No dogs, carry-ins or reservations (please let us know about groups though). $10 min on cards, ATM on-site. 📍 w93 Norden Rd, Mondovi, WI 54755 See the menus and learn more: togetherfarms.com/burger-night I am extremely biased that TF, the only "Burger Farm" in the midwest is pretty awesome, so don't take my word for it, check out the google reviews to see what others think, here's an example from Deanna: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a darling place out in the sticks. Well worth the drive to enjoy the atmosphere, burgers 🍔 and animals. The pigs were my fave. 🐷 Will be going back several times with our family each season! Oh, and the fries….🍟 SO good.