We’re excited to announce that all of our pasture-raised, scrumptious Red Ranger chicken parts are now back in stock! This includes boneless & skinless breast, thighs, drumsticks, wings, feet, liver, etc! All parts (including whole birds) are now available to all customers for purchase—not just our CSA folks.

Also this week, we’re offering a special sale on our stevia plants: buy 2, get 1 free! Regularly priced at $5 each, you’ll get 3 plants for $10 instead of $15.

Stevia is actually a pretty cool herb, and is commonly used as a sugar substitute. When you grow your own stevia, you use the the leaves directly from the plant rather than the ultra-processed version that’s now popular in stores. It has 0 calories and adds excellent flavor and sweetness to any teas or other recipes. In fact, it can be ground up and added to baking to mimic the flavor and sweetness of sugar without any of the negative side effects of sugar!

So swing by the Corner Farmers Market tomorrow from 9am-12pm to stock up on your favorite cuts of meat and to grab your 3 stevia plants! If you’d like to ensure that any of our products are saved just for you, email us today by 5pm to reserve. Can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!

Reflections on Processing Our Own Birds

Processing one’s own meat is a well-rounded homage to humanity. It honors our ancestry as big-brained scavenger/hunters and our current status as self-reflective stewards of the earth.

It requires physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual stamina.

It requires a love for science, a love for animals, a love for food, a love for those you plan to feed, and a love and respect for the life/death/life cycle that evolved humanity and all other creatures.

It’s difficult and tiring. It’s wonderful and absolutely fun. It’s a family affair. It’s a skill. It’s a day that always ends well when your nearly 3-year-old son spends the entire day catching chickens with you and still says “let’s keep working!” after the work is over and all is cleaned up and put away. It’s a family culture and a little legacy.

Plants & Animals Living Together on the Homestead

Summer is nearly here, and this often means that our edible plants and our pasture raised animals spend a lot of time in close proximity. Ducks and chickens often graze and forage under the shade of both small and large trees, and we use the ducks for weeding the garden edges and chickens for eating the seeded grasses that grow in open spaces.

Pictured below: Our layer ducks enjoying time weeding/mowing the grassy areas surrounding our garden and the greenery beneath the peach trees growing in the nursery.

Those of you with both plants and animals, how do you encourage this symbiotic relationship on your own properties? Let us know! We love to hear more about how your fruiting plants and animals mutually benefit each other!

Strawberry Time!

Did someone say strawberry? We did! Come on by The Corner Farmers Market tomorrow from 9am-12pm to grab enough strawberries to get your strawberry patch going!

We mentioned this last week, but due to increased ordering, our inventory is getting lower than it usually does this time of year, before our first chicken processing. Never fear, June will bring a big growth in our offerings—and we’ll have chicken breast, thighs, drumsticks, and whole birds back in stock! The reason we can be sure to bring you increased meat options in June is because we process all of our birds on farm. If you’ve heard of the recent poultry plant shutdowns or long waits at existing processors, just know that these terrible circumstances don’t affect our farm operations at all. Once our baby birds arrive in early spring, all processing and handling happens with the two of us at our small homestead. The reason birds won’t be ready until June is because our first batch isn’t old enough yet—but they will be in a few more weeks. 🐓

It’s during times like these that we all get to eat like a farmer! Farmers often eat the weirder edible bits, the less popular cuts of meat, or the larger or older birds. One thing that we often find ourselves eating is organs—meaty hearts, shreddable gizzards, and nutrient dense liver. These bits are called offal—pronounced “awful”— but they sure don’t taste that way. They’re amazing when you know how to prepare them, and we always offer these bits for sale to you, but you may not have known that! Check in with us on Saturday about cooking technique and how you can really make the most of “eating like a farmer.” 👨🏻‍🌾👩🏼‍🌾

What else do we have plenty of right now? We’re still stocked up on duck breast, chicken wings, whole ducks, chicken & duck liver, and many of the essential parts for making your own chicken broth like bones, necks, heads, etc. We also have plenty of available duck eggs since this is the season where the ducks are really laying! 🍳

As usual, you can find us at the Corner Farmers Market every Saturday morning from 9am-12pm with both poultry and edible plants! If you plan to preorder any items for pickup in our free market drive-thru or at our table, please get your order in by Thursday at 5pm—via email. 👍🏼

Make Memorial Day Great With Chicken Wings!

Chicken wings are still in stock for the next few weeks, and we know how you love wings, especially if you’re grilling out for Memorial Day! Wings can be the centerpiece of your celebration, even if it’s just with immediate family, and a food you know the whole family will enjoy—kids and adults alike.

Chicken Necks? How Delicious!

Chicken necks may not be the first cut of meat you imagine when you think of chowing down on some delicious chicken, but they really make an excellent addition to any weekly food prep! Chicken necks make a pulled chicken dish super easy. Simply pressure cook the necks until your meat is soft but still adhering to the bones, and then peel your meat pieces and “toss” the bones. We often use the already-shredded meat for making BBQ chicken or a flavorful taco dish, complete with rice, beans, avocado, and our favorite other additions.

After peeling the meat from the bones, you can either “toss” the bones back in the broth you’ve made while cooking them (to cook them down further for any pets you have), or save that neck broth to use as a base for any sauces or soups you’re making. Chicken neck broth is rather gelatinous, because of the spinal cord and other good bits inside. It’s a nutrient dense addition to any recipe!

Everything You Need to Know About the Homestead Orchard Plant Bundle

Weeks ago gave you an overview of the Plant Bundles we’ve recently begun offering! Some Bundles are better suited for a homeowner with an average sized yard, and others fit well into a budding homestead with lots of space. Here’s a look at one Bundle that is perfect for your homestead or for folks with lots of property to work with… The Homestead Orchard Bundle! With this Bundle, you get 4 apples, 3 peaches, 2 pears, 2 cherries, & 1 nectarine for $295. This saves you $70! You can select the varieties you’d like, or ask our plant expert, Jason, to pick out his favorites or those that are self-fertile. Here are your variety options for each plant:

Apple Trees (limited availability on some of these, so check in with us as you begin narrowing down your options)—Liberty, Gala, Arkansas Black, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Stayman, Roxbury Russet, American Golden Russet, Aunt Rachel, Smokehouse, Holstein, Redfield, Amere de Berthcourt, Grimes Golden, Goldrush, Cox Orange Pippin, Newton Pippin

Peach Trees—Surecrop, July Rose, Redhaven, Challenger, Nectar, Winblo, Intrepid, Contender, Cresthaven, China Pearl, Carolina Gold, Victoria, Desiree

Pear Trees—Pineapple, Potomac, Shenandoah, Ayers, Moonglow, Orient, Warren (European Pears) & Chojuro, Shinko, Korean Giant (Asian Pears)

Cherry Trees—Black Gold, Rainier, Lapins, Emperor Francis, Gold, Schneider, Montmorency

Nectarine Trees—Bowden, Arrington, Avalon

Reach out to us if you have any questions, or shoot us an email if you’re interested in ordering this Bundle for your property!

May 30: Our Last Drive-Thru Pickup Day

We wanted to give you a bit of a heads up, friends! As Emma gets bigger and being pregnant with twins gets more tiring, we’ve decided to take a break from offering our products for pickup in the Corner Farmers Market drive-thru beginning in June. Emma manages the drive-thru orders and the packaging, labeling, and invoicing is getting to be a bit tougher on her as her lungs decrease in capacity and her energy level drops (this twin pregnancy has been no joke, compared to her pregnancy with Uhtred!). 🤪

This means your last day to pickup at the drive-thru is Saturday, May 30. We will continue to welcome preorder pickups at our table, and we’re able to process payment in advance to make the exchange as contact free as possible. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate you for bearing with us during these big transitions of 2020. If you have any questions or considerations feel free to reach out to us! 😊

Red Ranger Chickens on Pasture

The last few weeks have been pretty interesting for farmers out there! We want to shout a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us during this strange time… We’ve been pretty busy and right now, it shows in our meat availability: 🦆

Currently, we’re sold out of chicken breast, chicken thighs, and chicken drumsticks. Also, we aren’t able to offer whole chickens to folks who aren’t members of our Chicken CSA. We will, however, be processing this year‘s first batch of Red Rangers in the next month and each of these products will be available again after that time! We’ll be sure to make an announcement when that happens so you’ll know that you can come and grab your favorite cuts of meat! 🐓

So, what do we have plenty of right now? We’re still stocked up on duck breast, chicken wings, whole ducks, chicken & duck liver, and the essential parts for making your own chicken broth like feet, bones, heads, etc. We also have plenty of available duck eggs since this is the season where the ducks are really laying! 🍳

As usual, you can find us at the Corner Farmers Market every Saturday morning from 9am-12pm with both poultry and edible plants! If you plan to preorder any items for pickup in our free market drive-thru, please try to get your order in today by 2pm—via email. Thank you, friends! 👍🏼

Big Savings with Plant Bundles!

We’re now now offering a collection of unique Plant Bundles—some for folks with smaller yards and some for folks with larger spaces and larger dreams. We have fruit tree Bundles, berry bush Bundles, interesting edibles, and even Bundles meant to serve wildlife which includes native fruits! Read on for more details and to check out the savings! Each bundle includes free delivery (this applies to locations within the Greensboro area) and does not include planting and installation.

Backyard Orchard Bundle: 2 apple, 1 peach, 1 pear, & 1 cherry = $125 (save $30)

Homestead Orchard Bundle: 4 apple, 3 peach, 2 pear, 2 cherry, 1 nectarine = $295 (save $70)

Apple Package: Buy 4 apples, get 1 free = $116 (save $29)

Peach Package: Buy 4 peaches, get 1 free = $116 (save $29)

Basic Berry Bundle: 4 blackberry, 4 raspberry, 2 blueberry = $95 (save $13)

Native Fruit & Wildlife Bundle: 1 mulberry, 2 elderberry, 2 juneberry, 1 aronia, 2 wild plum, 2 hazelnut = $95 (save $48)

Permaculture Package: 3 paw paw, 1 Asian persimmon, 1 fig, 2 goumi berry, 3 sea berry, 2 chestnut = $295 (save $56)

Interesting Edibles Package: 1 pomegranate, 1 hardy kiwi, 1 tea plant, 2 pineapple guava, 2 Egyptian walking onion = $115 (save $24)

Groundcover Bundle: 6 alpine strawberry, 6 everbearing strawberry, 6 pineberry, 7 herbs of your choice, 2 wintergreen, 2 Egyptian walking onion = $115 (save $22)

More details will be coming this week on our Facebook and Instagram pages, so follow us there if you haven’t already! Find us at @kwhomestead and @kwediblelandscapingnursery. Email with any questions!

It’s Just Mint to Be!

We’ve talked a bit about our herb availability, but we haven’t shared our specific mint offerings! Right now, we have Kentucky Colonel mint, mojito mint (you know what that’s for!), orange mint, chocolate mint, peppermint, pineapple mint, and spearmint! Each is $5. 🌱

Mints are natural spreaders, and will colonize and take over a space if you let them. Be sure to choose your planting location accordingly. 🌿

They add fragrance to any garden and a refreshing flavor to any beverage or meal. They’re lovely when made into teas, mixed drinks, and more! They can also be grown in pots for folks who are working with container gardens. Message us with any questions or email us at kwhomestead@gmail.com to reserve your mints today. ☕

Attention All Saxapahaw, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, & Durham Folks!

This week we’ll be making a plant delivery to the Triangle area (likely to Saxapahaw) and can include your order in our delivery as long as you send in your order via email by 12pm on Monday. We haven’t yet set the date and the time of the delivery, but it’s sure be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, likely in the middle of the day. So, let us know what you’d like folks! Our Spring 2020 plant availability is seen below! 🚚

This week we’re featuring 3 unique berry bushes that you’ve probably never heard of! Sea berry, goumi, and goji are the trio you’ll read about in this email, so scroll down for more details and a special sea berry sale! 🍒

And don’t forget that we still have some spots available in our Duck Egg CSA (which begins tomorrow) and our Chicken CSA programs, so if you’ve been thinking about getting more eggs and chicken in your life, there’s no time like now! 🐓

This newsletter finds you a bit late this week, and we have a pretty good reason why… Of course it’s been busy on the farm but we also have an exciting (and shocking) announcement to make that may just surprise you! Scroll to bottom of this email for a peek at the surprise! 😉

As usual, you can find us at the Corner Farmers Market every Saturday morning from 9am-12pm, both operating our table and sending out items through the free drive-thru. If you’d like to preorder any products (either poultry products or plants) please do so via email by 5pm today. Also include your pickup choice (table or drive-thru pickup), your phone number, and your full name. Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you!

Sweet and Ornamental Goumi!

Goumi is a semi evergreen shrub that can grow to be quite large, and has nitrogen fixing qualities in almost all soil types. Not only can it be considered ornamental, but it yields lots of small and juicy sweet-tart fruits as well! The goumi is partially self-fertile, but when two varieties are planted together the fruit yield is higher for both. They’re excellent when eaten fresh but they also stand out in jams and jellies! Plants are $28 each.

Here We Goji!

Goji berries are another unique fruiting plant, which are both cold and drought tolerant. They’re really popular in Chinese medicine and the berries can be eaten fresh but are usually dried, and leaves are used for tea. Fruits are sweet-tart and have have more carotene than carrots! The plants grow to be 5-6 feet tall and wide and have a long ripening and harvest period during midsummer. They’re self-fertile and $12 each.

The Amazing Sea Berry!

The fruit that Emma is the most excited about is the sea berry! They can grow to be quite large and grow lots of golden/orange fruits which are pretty tart/sour! Some folks like eating them fresh and others do not. The most amazing thing about sea berry (also called sea buckthorn) is how unique the plant is—providing unique nutrients and health benefits found in no other fruit. They’re nitrogen-fixing and high in essential fatty acids (which is unheard of among fruits). The fruit is used for unique anti-cancer and anti-radiation purposes and used in some skin products. Also, the leaves are leaves are high in protein and can be used for animal forage or made into teas. They’re really the superfood you’ve never heard of! Sea berry plants need both a male and a female for pollination, and the male does not make fruit. Each plant is $30 or you can grab 3 sea berries for $75 ($15  off).

Duck Egg CSA Spots Are Still Available!

Don’t forget that we’re accepting new CSA members for our Summer Duck Egg CSA which begins Tomorrow, on May 2! Duck Egg CSAs are offered for both dozens and half-dozens, and mean that you’re guaranteed eggs every week for 6 months (26 weeks). CSAs make picking up your weekly eggs super easy and convenient for everyone. Space is limited, so sign up now! Once available CSA spots are filled, no more will be available until next year!

Dozen and Half-Dozen CSA members save a dollar each week, and Dozen CSA members save 11% during the CSA period, while Half-Dozen CSA members save 18%! Plus, all CSA members get first dibs on our Winter Duck Egg CSA which runs from late fall through early spring when the ducks lay more infrequently.

If you’d like more info about our CSAs, swing by the Corner Farmers Market this Saturday to talk to us about sign up or go ahead and sign up for your CSA right now via our website! You can select the Dozen CSA or the Half-Dozen CSA.

A Special Homestead Surprise!

You may or may not know, but we’ve been expecting our second kid in August of this year. 🌱

Earlier this week we learned that instead of one kid, we’re getting two! Yes, it’s twins! It’s quite a shock since Emma doesn’t have any twins in her family (a variable which makes twins much more likely) and because we just never imagined two babies at once. 🦃 🦃

Also, what a funny time in our world to hear this news, right? It’s going to be a wild ride, and we’re pretty stoked. We’ll be continuing business as usual, except now both of us will have a baby strapped on our backs throughout all of it! 😆

This week, our regular Saturday market (the Corner Farmers Market at 2200 Walker Ave, Greensboro 27403) will offer advance ordering and “drive-thru” style pick up during their Saturday market hours (9-noon). The market will also be sharing  a listing of the vendors who are able to take pre-orders so you can plan to restock without leaving your vehicle!

As of now, the market will continue to be set up this Saturday so you can still get the fresh produce, bread, eggs, meats and other items you need. They will continue to modify our layout to be as open, safe, and easy access as possible. They are monitoring the regulations for grocery providers and will adapt their set up and crowd flow to meet all recommended guidelines!

If you would like to participate in the drive-thru pickup for KW Homestead and/or KW Edible Landscaping Nursery poultry products or plants, please email your order to us at kwhomestead@gmail.com. We will respond with a confirmation and then send you a PayPal invoice for the products so that you can pay in advance.

For drive-thru pickup on Saturday, March 21st at the Corner Farmers Market (2200 Walker Ave, Greensboro 27403) orders must be placed via email by 5pm on Thursday the 19th, invoices will be sent out Friday morning, and all invoices must be paid by 5pm on Friday the 20th.

Our poultry and plant pricing sheets are seen below… Please be aware that we are currently SOLD OUT of chicken breast, duck legs, duck wings, duck liver, duck fat, and duck heads. Thanks!

We are so excited to introduce KW Edible Landscaping Nursery’s spring 2020 plant availability! It’s more extensive than last year’s selection, and all edible! Yes, every plant we have is edible in some form. This year, we’ve including pricing on this list, to help you in your purchase and landscape planning!

We’re super excited about this spring’s Tea Plants, Pomegranate, Almond, Pineapple Guava, Box Huckleberry, and Figs! And these are just a few offerings this season—we’d also like to draw your attention to our Perennial Vegetables & Native Wildflowers (see below) with loads of unique and quirky edibles and medicinals including Echinacea, Daylily, Prickly Pear Cactus, and more.

Many of our plants have limited availability so if you’re interested, go ahead and reach out to us to place an order so you can grab them before our supply is out. If you can’t make it to the Corner Farmers Market (2200 Walker Ave. Greensboro, 27403) this week, shoot us and email because we can deliver meat, eggs, and plants to you in the coming weeks!

Plant Spotlight: The Amazing Tea Plant

Check out these BEAUTIFUL tea plants, an amazing evergreen and type of Camelia that’s used most commonly for—you guessed it—making tea! If you buy any black, green, or white teas, this is the exact plant that imparts the classic tea flavor and caffeine profile that’s found in teas around the world. We’re so excited to have these plants for the first time this year—email us for reservation and pickup details!

Let these blooms be a reminder to us that after winter, always comes spring! Springtime brings fresh air, and if you’re feeling ready, your hands in the dirt! Both of these are sure to make you and your family feel good—and enjoying the sunshine is an extra bonus!

After Winter, We Welcome Spring!

We have some great, cold hardy fruit trees and bushes that can be planted now, since it’s not quite time to plant most vegetables. Come by and ask us about the different plant options we have that can go in the ground now (hint: there’s a lot of options so you can allow that green thumb of yours to get excited).

Dozens Are Back!

It’s official, the ducks are back in business! Their egg production has nearly doubled in the past few weeks (welcome spring!) and we’re back to offering both dozens ($9) and half-dozens ($5.50). Come meet us in the fresh Saturday air at the Corner Farmers Market from 9am till noon. There will be plenty of eggs to go around! 🦆🍳👍🏼

Also, did you know—if you’re looking to stock up for a few weeks—that duck eggs store well in the fridge for at least 3 weeks? Eggs are a complete meal, easy to cook, and simple to store!