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:
Friday from 12 - 4 pm
(or request an appt.)
Feeling Overwhelmed?
There are a few months of the year that I just hold on tight and trust the chaos will pass. December is one of them! After the blur of Thanksgiving we’re suddenly just three weeks away from Christmas, and the calendar is loaded with concerts, games, parties and year-end logistics – let alone getting Christmas presents and planning for those holiday meals. Most nights, it’s 6 o’clock and I’m trying to figure out what I feel like cooking. Nothing’s defrosted, nothing’s inspiring me – but then an idea will come, and I’ll suddenly feel hungry, and motivated to make something delicious. A good recipe – and good ingredients – can make all the difference! The key to making my lack of organization (and inspiration) work is ALWAYS HAVING SOME STAPLES in the freezer.
What are those staples? For our family they are:
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At least 2 packs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts – maybe 4
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At least 2 packs of chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in – you pick)
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At least 2 lbs of ground beef
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2 lbs of another ground (like pork or lamb)
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And eggs. Because everything good has eggs.
This week, as you start to think about what special holiday meals you’ll be hosting, don’t forget about filling your freezer with the basics so that you’ll have the core ingredients they need. Or make life A LOT simpler and pick up a chicken or beef pot pie so that you can simply heat and eat!
HOLIDAY ORDERS:
No time for a break – it’s another holiday!
Click on the button below for our holiday meat order form that highlights some of the most commonly requested holiday proteins – like beef tenderloin roasts (whole or center cuts), Prime Rib roasts (boneless, bone-in or standing rib roasts) or juicy half hams or fresh ducks or lamb racks. I realize this seems REALLY soon, but we’d love to get your orders by or before Sunday, December 14th in order to be sure we have what you need. (We’ll continue taking orders after as long as we have availability).
“POLLYANNA GIFTS”:
I always smirk when I see the request for a gift exchange and the recommended gift value is $15 of less. There’s not much you can get these days (that someone will want) for that amount, but we have an idea: homemade, farm-fresh pesto, organic ingredient jam, handcrafted soap or honey from our farm! This Christmas, we’ll pair these items with a little tag that tells about the care taken to raise and make these artisan goods so you’re your recipient can not only get something they’ll enjoy, but feel good about where and how it came to be!
PLAN AHEAD:
We do NOT attend markets the Saturday after Christmas, so get enough for New Year’s.
Quiches and breakfast meats often sell out. Consider ordering in advance.
Starting in January, we attend markets on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month (in Bryn Mawr and Chestnut Hill) for two hours: 10 am – noon.
We resume weekly markets in April.
With the exception of a rare Friday that we’ll give PLENTY of notice for – the farm is open EVERY FRIDAY in Jan/Feb/Mar from 12 – 4 pm – weather permitting!
CHRISTMAS KITTEN:
We’ve had a big kitten year. We have two PRECIOUS little boy kittens that are unbelievably friendly and loving (used to dogs, chaos and general torture). Kitten for Christmas anyone?
As always, shoot us any pre-order requests for tomorrow’s market as soon as you can: 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.
