Canter Hill
Farm
WHY WE GROW
We grow because we care what we eat. We care even more what our children eat. And we think you care, too. We founded Canter Hill Farm in 2008 with the goal of growing our own food so that we knew exactly what was (and what wasn't) in it. We didn't set out to start a business - we had two full-time careers of our own. But then we started talking to people who read the books that we did and cared as much as we did - and we decided to try to grow for them, too. That's how it all began....
WHERE WE ARE
2138 Valley Hill Road
Malvern, PA 19355
We are open on Fridays from 12 - 4.
Email: canterhillfarm@yahoo.com
Phone: 610.827.1594
(For a quick response, email is best!)
HOW TO BUY
SCHEDULE
Bryn Mawr:
Every Saturday from
9 am - 1 pm
Location: Parking lot of the Bryn Mawr Train Station (Lancaster Avenue & Bryn Mawr Avenue)
Chestnut Hill:
Every Saturday
9 am - noon until Christmas
Location: in front of the Mermaid Inn.
Kennett Square:
Get on our "Kennett Dropoff List" by sending us an email
Media:
Email to get on the "Media dropoff" email list. I'll alert you when I'm coming to Media and we can meet up for a pickup.
Farm:
Farm hours are
Thursday from 2 pm - 6 pm
Friday from 12 - 4 pm
(or request an appt.)
NOW OPEN THURSDAYS
and
EARLY BIRD SALE
The farm is now ALSO open on THURSDAYS!
When we opened the store, everyone started asking – “will you be open more / longer?”, and we said: wait until late spring or summer, when there’s produce and flowers.
We’re there!
Starting June 26th, our new farm hours will be:
Thursdays from 2 – 6 pm
Fridays from 12 – 4 pm
(Note that next week, we will be open on Thursday, 7/3 from 10 am – 6 pm so you can grab what you need for the holiday. We will NOT be open on the 4th).
Kittens!
We have two ADORABLE, super friendly kittens looking for loving homes. They’ve just hit the 10 week mark and they’re more people friendly than most dogs! If you or someone you know is dying for a couple-ounce ball of snuggly fuzz, let us know!
Fresh from the Field:
Flowers have started to bloom – finally. Just a few right now, but loads more are opening every day. We’ll be STARTING bouquets this week, but expect LOADS more flowers to fill them in the coming weeks!
PRODUCE:
Cucumbers for everything! (salad, soup, salsa…you name it!)
Zucchini for roasting or marinating in basil or kale pesto over zoodles
Blueberries for parfaits and sorbets
A FEW Everbearing strawberries – catch these at the farm because there won’t be enough to make it to market
Last 5 bunches of Asparagus!
Baby Carrots (olive oil, salt and 400 degrees and you’ve got the BEST summer night snack!)
Cauliflower (check out the recipe for simple, healthy soup below!)
Herbs: dill, Sage, Tarragon, Mojito Mint and loads more….we’ll cut them at the farm when you come!
Romaine: Delicious, crisp and sweet full heads of Romaine just $3. Again – we’ll cut one for you when you come. You just don’t get fresher!
What about meat?
It seems far away, but NOW is the time to plan for your 4th of July!
If you’re going away, grab quiche, bacon and eggs and maybe some steaks to be everyone’s favorite guest or host.
Staying home? Baby back ribs. Meaty, juicy – an All-American favorite!
Don’t forget extra eggs for deviled eggs. Sure, it’s like a Jello salad – it feels like the 50’s - but put them out at a party, and they’re gone in minutes. Trust me. Everyone loves them.
EARLY BIRD SALE
I spent so much time weeding and supporting flowers in the heat this week, I’m a little light-headed. Since my creativity is gone, how about we go for an old favorite – the EARLY BIRD SALE! Here’s how it works:
SAVE 15%: Pre-orders, Farm purchasers and those at market between 9 am – 10 am get 15% off their whole order (we don’t also do the cash discount on this one, since this is the better deal – sorry – margins aren’t that big!)
That’s it. There’s no prize for being late or last minute this week. Early bird gets the…..
sale.
Remember to send your pre-orders to: canterhillfarm@yahoo.com
Our Mission:
We founded the farm on a simple premise:
Before chemicals, labs and factory farms got involved, God had created a perfect, workable system. We will learn about it, respect it, and we will naturally and successfully be able to be "beyond-organic" in our food supply.
New to farming, we had no pre-conceived ideas about raising animals or vegetables, and sought out farmers across the globe to learn what we did and didn't want to do. We quickly saw that most food systems raising just one type of offering needed external inputs - fertilizers, corn and sadly - sometimes chemicals and antibiotics. That's why we raise a variety of animals. Each has been chosen to serve a function for the others.
Over the last 10 years, we have grown and in addition to our home-base farm in Malvern, we lease 180 acres of grazing land from old family friends in Lancaster County. During the summer, we rotate half of our sheep flock through this land, and most of our steers call this land home. All of the land we graze is 100% free of any chemicals or sprays and we re-plant every other year to manage soil compression, erosion and to preserve a diversity of forage.
Canter Hill's beef and lamb is 100% grass (or hay) feed, and supplemented only with salt licks. We de-worm our sheep flock once annually, after lambing season (at the same time as sheering - typically the first week of June) and do not introduce any other chemicals or antibiotics. We have not experienced the same need to de-worm our steers. We have been migrating our sheep flock from Dorset to Katahdin, and therefore most of our sheep are now 50% or more Katahdin (a hair sheep), because we believe the meat tastes nicer! Our beef is both Black and Lowline Angus. We are shifting towards Lowline Angus which is more tolerant of 100% grass feeding and generally very hardy.
Canter Hill's poultry and pork is either pasture (for poultry) or forage fed (our pigs dig in the forest, and our turkeys also tend to roam!). They are supplemented with organic, soy-free feed. How much feed vs. forage do they consume? It depends on the weather. If it's raining or cold, more feed than forage. On warm days that aren't drenching, almost entirely forage. This is why we raise from March - November.
We STRONGLY encourage you to open your minds to frozen meat. If you're committed to pasture raising, recognize that you can't have fresh meat in the dead of winter, and purchase a great freezer!
We are committed to pasture-raised, antibiotic-free and chemical-free poultry, lamb and produce.