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 from 9 - noon. 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.)
Flanks & Flowers
I started reading this book called “4,000 weeks” (all right, I’m listening to it…ironic, given its subject matter) because I was searching for some guidance on managing an overwhelming list of tasks. The source of the name? 4,000 weeks represent 80 years – the “average” life expectancy of us humans. That was a little sobering. And although I’m still in the very beginning of the book, I’m finding myself a little more conscious of how I want to spend my weeks, and I’ve noticed how restorative it is to my mood and well-being when I’m outside and in the garden. Both yesterday and today I began my morning cutting bouquets. Not only do we have some gorgeous, full arrangements to grace YOUR counters, but I come in feeling refreshed, and every glance at the different color palettes of varied blooms gives me a momentary pick-me-up that I very much need through busy days.
Flowers boost your mood.
Picking Flowers restores your soul.
Join us to pick your own bouquet during farm hours today (12 - 4) or tomorrow between 3 - 5 pm by emailing to reserve your 1-hour time slot: canterhillfarm@yahoo.com
PICK YOUR OWN FAQs:
Cut a gorgeous flower bouquet of THIRTY stems (most flower bunches sold have 18 – 20, so this one will actually FILL YOUR VASE when you take it home!) for just $28 at the farm during farm hours. We provide a container and cutting tools.
FIRST EVER “Evening at the farm” on Saturday, August 8th. You’ll get the “SAVE THE DATE” shortly!
Know what else makes people happy? Being with other people. And what better way to enjoy that than watching SPORTS! (Admittedly, I have neither athletic ability nor knowledge, but even I can thoroughly enjoy cheering on the underdog while munching on delicious food!) Get ready for your World Cup celebration with three great sales – all of which you can benefit from if you PRE
ORDER!
SALES:
FARM: Save $2 / lb on BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS (4 per pack, regularly $13 / lb on sale for $11 / lb)
BRYN MAWR: Save $3 / lb on FLANK STEAK (regularly $23 / lb, on sale for $20 / lb)
CHESTNUT HILL: (Apologies for my mess-up on your sale last week. We picked up tenderloins from freezer storage….except that wasn’t what was in the box!) Let’s try again: Save a HUGE $5 / lb on Pork Tenderloins (regularly $18 / lb, on sale for $13 / lb)
PRODUCE:
We have loads of
BlackBerries
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Delicata Squash (this is SOOOO good roasted and you don’t have to peel it!)
Garlic
Green Beans
Kohlrabi
Zuchinni
“CLEAR THE DECKS” SALE:
Sweet Italian 1 lb caseless sausage: many of you tried it and enjoyed it, but we’re not seeing it move as fast as we’d like to keep it on board – so rather than $12 / lb, it’s on sale for $8 / lb until it’s gone!
Don’t forget to pre-order to enjoy all the sales by emailing: 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.