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.)
Cool Rabi
(Kohlrabi, naturally)
Plus get your 4th food this weekend!
SCHEDULE ALERT: We will NOT be attending markets on Saturday, July 4th, so PLEASE plan and purchase THIS WEEKEND for your grilling spectaculars. The FARM will be open on Friday, July 3rd from 12 – 4 as usual.
Kohlrabi, the BEST veggie you never tried
We belong to a CSA (huge shout out to Rushton Farm!) Why? Because growing things for farmer’s markets is VERY different than growing for “foodies”. We focus our acreage on the most popular, colorful veggies, rather than pushing the envelope to press for palette expansion. That means that I get my “taste of adventure” by trying the creative mix of greens and veggies that Rushton grows, and if something REALLY wins me over, I’ll brave it here at the farm. Kohlrabi did just that.
For years, I looked over all those root veggies at markets and assumed they were great to roast and add to gravy at Thanksgiving, but had the misperception that they were largely pretty bitter and bland. I also really had no idea how to cook them, so the combination of the two thoughts meant I passed them by and moved right on to the potatoes and pasta. Boy, was I missing out!
My favorite three ways to prep Kohlrabi are easy, delicious and MUCH healthier than utilizing their potato counterparts:
ROAST: Really simple. Peel the Kohlrabi (skin is super soft, so this takes about 1 minute flat). Slice it (I used the Cuisinart so that it’s fast and slices are the same thickness). Lay them (try not to overlap/stack too much) on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil and drizzle over the top and sprinkle with salt. I use Maldon Sea Salt because I love a coarse salt that isn’t too salty. Bake at 400 degrees. When the edges are starting to turn a golden brown – about 15 – 20 minutes, turn them over. The 2nd side takes less time – about 8 – 10 minutes. That’s it. They are like vegetable chips. Nutty, rich and WAY healthier than potatoes. Want to make anyone eat them? Sprinkle with fresh, grated parmesan.
MASHED: Treat them like potatoes. Peel, cut and boil until soft (doesn’t take long) and then mash or mix them with butter and cream (or whole milk). They give the exact feeling of mashed potatoes, but with a richer and slightly more elegant feel.
SLAW: I love to watch cooking shows, and I’m always a little intimidated by gourmet “slaws”, but Kohlrabi makes it easy. I tend to go pretty simple – peel, slice and thinly julienne (it’s easier than it sounds), and do the same to a granny smith apple and mix together. You can use your favorite salad dressing to give a tasty kick to this mix, or go light with a shallot vinaigrette (1 diced shallot, 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar or white vinegar, 4 – 5 Tbsp of olive oil, ½ tsp of sugar if desired and salt & pepper to taste). This pairs BEAUTIFULLY with seafood or a carmelized pork chop or lamb chops. It’s light, zesty and super fresh for summer.
TRY THEM THIS WEEK! (For 3 – 4 people, 2 bulbs of Kohlrabi will make enough of the above dishes). $4 each.
I know – I’ve forgotten we’re a meat and poultry farm.
FREEDOM FOOD:
We have two great sales this week to entice you to plan ahead:
ON THE FARM (or if you pre-order): Save $1 / lb on Chicken Wings (whole or Party):
Party Wings: regularly $6.50 / lb, on sale for $5.50 / lb
Uncut Wings: regularly $5.50 / lb, on sale for $4.50 / lb
AT THE MARKETS: Save $1 / lb on BOTH when you buy the combo:
Burger Patties (regularly $14 / lb, pay $13 / lb) AND
Hot Dogs (Pork & Beef are regularly $13 / lb, on sale for $12 / lb and All-Beef Dogs are $16 / lb, on sale for $15 / lb)
What else?
We’ll have fresh STEAKS, fresh CHICKEN, loads of SAUSAGE and gorgeous LAMB CHOPS and PORK CHOPS to make for a meat masterpiece for the 4th.
Heading to the beach? Grab some bacon and breakfast links so breakfast is pan-ready in moments.
WATCH THE WEBSITE:
PRODUCE: We’ll be updating our produce picks (we know there’ll be snap peas, green beans, blackberries, salad greens and cauliflower). Today is picking day, so we’ll update availability on the website.
FLOWER PICKING EVENTS: July welcomes the Flowers, Friends and Food at the Farm events….first date is FRIDAY, JULY 10th (6 – 9 pm):
Join us for a BYO farm evening of flower picking, friends and food in the garden and grounds at Canter Hill. We’ll welcome you at 6 pm with a little snack and light beverage, provide a large mason jar and some guidance about the flowers and greens in the garden and set you to selecting 30 stems of your choosing (Dahlias and roses may be up to 6 of those stems) and provide the space to nibble while arranging your artful bouquets amidst the garden (and alongside the peacocks).
Cost: $60 per person or $50 per person for groups of four or more.
RSVP to: canterhillfarm@yahoo.com
(Registration site is coming!!!)
As always, pre-orders are welcome and appreciated. Email what you’d like to: canterhillfarm@yahoo.com
HOURS:
FARM: Friday, 6/26 from 12 - 4
BRYN MAWR: Saturday, 6/27 from 9 am – 1 pm
CHESTNUT HILL: Saturday, 6/27 from 9 am – noon
FARM: Friday, 7/3 from 12 – 4
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.