Fresh News from the Farm

March 25, 2022

FARM UPDATE: SPRING 2022

- Proctor Farmers Market: Regular season starts this Saturday! Find us at Proctor on Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Pre-order by 4pm Friday each week for quick market pickup.
- Olympia Farmers Market: Join us this Saturday and every Saturday and Sunday starting in April from 10am-3pm. Pre-order by 4pm Friday each week for easy market pickup.
- Bellevue Farmers Market: Sadly, we will not be attending the Bellevue Farmers Market this season. We love this market but it is just too far for us to travel from our farm this year. Thanks to all of our dedicated customers, we will miss you!
 

RAISING PRICES

Like many businesses, we have unfortunately had to raise some of our pork cut prices. Feed prices have almost doubled in the last year and processing costs are rising. We know it is getting harder and harder for consumers to choose clean, healthy meat and we really appreciate everyone who is able to support our farm.

• Pork Chops Box* - Thick cut pork chops - extra 10% off bulk price - $10.49 per pound, boxes vary from 12 - 18 lbs.
• Boneless Roasts - Sirloin and Leg Roasts - 25% off - $7.49 per pound
• Roast Sampler Box* - Try all three of our roasts (shoulder, sirloin and leg), approx. 16 pounds of roast - extra 25% off bulk price- $110 per box
• Shoulder Blade Steak - 25% off - $8.24 per pound
• Shoulder Blade Steak Bulk Box* - 10-11 lbs of 1" thick shoulder blade steaks. 5-6 steaks per box - extra 25% off bulk price - $75 per box
• Half Hog Share Package* - 70-75 lbs of our premium pork cuts (including chops, steaks, roasts, ground, sausage, belly and ribs) plus 35-40 lbs of offal (including hocks, trotters, bones, skin and fat) - extra 10% off bulk price - $680 per share
• Premium Cuts Box* - 70-75 lbs of our premium cuts (including chops, steaks, roasts, ground, sausage, belly and ribs) - extra 10% off bulk price - $629 per box
• Essential Cuts Box* - 26-27 lbs of our premium cuts (including chops, steaks, roasts and ground) - extra 10% off bulk price - $234 per box
• Fresh Jowl - 50% off - $6.49 per pound
• Leaf Fat - 50% off - $1.49 per pound

February 8, 2022

JANUARY WAS THE LONGEST YEAR YET

Just kidding, but only kind of. We and all of the animals survived those ridiculous, stress-filled days of flooding. We moved most of the pigs to another piece of property to be safe. Luckily, we didn't have to move the boars or the two sows with their new piglets. The big metal poultry pens with their many hanging feeders and waterers didn't fair quite as well. Many of the feeders and waterers got banged up as they floated up and crashed into each other and the support beams of the pens. A lot of work is needed to get them back in shape but it could have been a lot worse so we are thankful for that.

We have been spending a good deal of time reviewing the successes and failure of 2021 and making our production plans for 2022. Thank you to everyone who showed up for us at markets and came out to the farm, as well as those of you who purchased our products from other outlets including Beast and Cleaver and both Marlene's locations. Thank you for choosing better meat and supporting your local and regional farms.

November 1, 2020

Celebrate the holidays with local, pasture-raised turkey!

Pasture-raised turkeys are now listed on our website! We have large whole turkeys as well as a variety of turkey cuts available. Our turkeys are raised in a large fenced area where they spend their days in the open air, on grass with access to bugs and seeds and are protected from predators at night. Their forage is supplemented with non-GMO, corn and soy-free grains. If you love our chicken, you are going to really enjoy our turkeys!

We are offering three options for PICKUP this year. Unfortunately, we are NOT offering delivery of turkeys and we will NOT be at any more farmers markets this year. Please confirm that one of these options will work for you before purchase. 

• On-farm pickup in Elma available every Friday from 11am - 4pm through November 20
• Olympia area pickup on Saturday, November 21 from 4pm - 6pm (Olympia Farmers Market parking lot)
• Tacoma area pickup on Sunday, November 22 from 2pm - 4pm (Proctor Farmers Market area, where we were set up for Saturday market this summer)

Please note that the turkeys are FROZEN. 

November 1, 2020

Just Brine it!

If you are looking for a change from the usual roasted turkey this season, you should consider serving a brined turkey. Brining is the process of submerging meat in a salt water solution. The meat absorbs some of the water and salt, resulting in meat that is not salty but juicier, more tender and more flavorful than traditional roasting or cooking. 

We dissolve approximately 2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water and add some or all of the following: fresh or dried herbs (oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, etc.), coarsely chopped onions, garlic and celery, citrus and whatever else sounds good. Results from brining can be seen in as few hours but we usually try and plan for at least a 2-day brine. 

We have found that a cooler makes for a great whole turkey brining vessel (make sure to add plenty of ice) and a gallon jar holds 2 turkey legs and still fits in the fridge. 

Whatever you serve and however you prepare it, we are grateful for our loyal customers and your dedication to supporting local foods and farms. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday!

November 1, 2020

What Happened to All the Chicken and Pork?

You may have noticed that we haven't been to any farmers markets the last few weeks and that there hasn't been much listed on the website. We have found ourselves out of both chicken and pork much earlier than we thought we would be this year. We apologize that you weren't given notice but it was a bit of a shock to us once we realized out situation. We will be maintaining our website and anything listed can be ordered for pickup on the farm in Elma on Fridays. We have lots of bones for making stock and plenty of fat for rendering as well as a few other items. While we finish up the last of the turkeys and ducks for the year, we are beginning our farm planning for 2021. We are looking forward to raising more of everything and striving to keep you stocked with great pasture and forest-raised meats next year. We will try to keep you informed of our planning and progress over the winter through this newsletter. Thank you to all of our loyal customers, we will see you all next Spring! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at info@chehalisvalleyfarm.com.

October 24, 2020

South Sound Fresh is an online marketplace of locally grown and produced foods where you can find our seasonally available products. Available to customers in Thurston and Mason Counties.

MilkRun curates pasture-raised meat boxes which include our half chickens, available in the Seattle area. 

October 24, 2020

Our market season is done for the year. It’s been a strange year and we are finished earlier than we had expected on the retail side of our business. We are grateful for our local markets and the opportunity to sell directly to supporters of local foods. It’s been encouraging to have so many new conversations at markets with shoppers who want to know more about where their food comes from. Busy planning now for 2021, we will be back in the Spring with more pasture and forest-raised meats.

For those of you who have been put on the turkey reservation list, we will be in touch next week with details..

September 2, 2020

Celebrate summer by pairing our bacon with local tomatoes, lettuce and bread for a delicious BLT, all sourced from your local farmers market!

Chicken cuts are restocked and available in our online store now for Olympia and Tacoma area delivery on Friday. Pickup also available on-farm and at three farmers markets this week. 

The bones from our pasture-raised chickens make for the best bone broth, stock and soup. Large packs contain the backbones and ribcages from multiple chickens. We like to roast our bones at 425 degrees until golden, pull the remaining meat off of the bones and save for soup or chicken salad and then add the bones to water for a delicious and nutrient-rich broth. Order now for delivery and pick-up at our farm and at farmers markets.

August 25, 2020

Pork for the Win!

Our unseasoned ground pork is back in stock at markets and in our online store. A customer favorite, ground pork is super versatile and can be used as a delicious substitute for any ground meat in your favorite recipes. Recently we made oven-baked meat balls, topped them with red sauce and ate them over a bed of steamed chard from the farmers market. They were delicious!

Bacon! Bacon! Bacon! Thick-cut and delicious, we have our regular bacon as well as our jowl bacon available now. Both are cured and smoked, with jowl bacon coming from the pig's jowl (rather than the belly). Plus jowl bacon has lovely pieces of dark red jowl meat that we just can't get enough of! Pre-order now or stop by one of our markets to pick some up this weekend!

Did you know that chicken livers can be a great way to get more iron into your diet? Great on their own or made into pate, we think you are going to really taste the difference in livers from healthy birds raised on pasture. We also offer chicken hearts and pig livers, kidneys, tongues and hearts. 

LAST WEEK FOR THE FREEZER SALE!
 

This is the last week to save 50% off of the cost of pork bones, fat and trotters. Pre-order on the website and stock up now! Beginning in September we will return to pre-sale pricing but will offer discounts on bulk orders. 

August 11, 2020

The Chehalis Valley Farm team is super busy, like most farms in August, taking full advantage of the long days of summer to care for lots of animals and work on a never-ending list of projects including building more mobile poultry pens, organizing our freezers and rearranging the poultry processing house to make processing days more efficient. More day-old chicks arrive today and the holiday turkeys are growing fast. Details coming soon about reserving birds for the holidays. 

Our online store is loaded with a lot of great stuff, available for local delivery, farmers market and on-farm pickup.

July 22, 2020

Our website is stocked with forest-raised pork and pasture-raised chicken!

Skin-on pork belly is back!

We have lots of rib and center loin pork chops and shoulder blade steaks, all available now! We also have shoulder roasts, boneless sirloin roasts and Danish collar roasts.

How to Get Our Meats this Week

Use our online store to pre-order for on-farm pickup, local delivery and quick farmers market pickup.

Local Delivery: Order online by noon on Thursday for delivery to the Olympia/Tacoma area on Friday. Check our website to see if we deliver to you. Order online, leave a cooler on your porch and we will do a contactless meat delivery on Friday between 9am and 4pm. 

Bellevue Farmers Market: Reserve your cuts online today by 2pm for pickup at the market on Thursday from 3pm-7pm.

Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market: Make your order online by Thursday at noon for quick and easy pickup at the market on Saturday from 9am-2pm.

Olympia Farmers Market: We will be selling on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-3pm. Make an online order by Thursday at noon and choose either Saturday or Sunday for quick market pickup.
 

On-Farm Pickup: You can choose to pickup your order at our farm in Elma. Get your order in by 12pm on Thursday for on-farm pickup on Friday from 11am-4pm.

June 23, 2020

Bellevue Farmers Market this Week!

We are headed back to Bellevue Farmers Market this week!!! 🎉🐷🎉🐥🎉 Thursday from 3pm - 7pm. We will be bringing whole chickens, lots of chicken cuts, pork steaks, fresh and smoked sausages and more! Make sure to check out our freezer sale where we have pork bones, fat and skin on sale for 1/2 off!.

June 23, 2020

Home Delivery Resumes this Week!

Home delivery to the Olympia/Tacoma area is back this week! Order by 12pm on Thursday, leave a cooler on your porch and get contactless meat delivery on Friday. If you are outside our delivery zones, you can still pre-order on the website for quick and easy farm and farmers market pickup each week. Thanks to everyone who used the new website last week for farm and market pre-orders!

June 20, 2020

Happy summer solstice from the farm!

June 18, 2020

We've launched a new website and online store! 

We are really excited to share the look of our new website and online store! We apologize that delivery and pre-order options have been suspended while we have been renovating the site. We have made the pre-order option for farmers markets and on-farm pickup available for this weekend (order by 2 pm Friday) and we will be resuming local home deliveries soon (tentatively planned for next week along with more pre-order dates).

Whole chickens, chicken livers and chicken feet are available for pre-order online now through 2 pm Friday for quick and easy pick-up this Saturday and Sunday at the Olympia Farmers Market and Saturday at the Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market. You can also choose on-farm pickup for Friday between 11 pm and 5 pm. Our freezer sale items (pork bones, fat and skin) are still half off and are available for pre-order as well. 

We will be bringing whole chickens to the Olympia Farmers Market and Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market this weekend along with a nice selection of chicken cuts, including boneless skinless breasts, whole legs, wings and tenders. Unfortunately, we were unable to get these listed in the online store for pre-order this week. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about product availability as well as stories about our farm and cooking suggestions. 

Thank you to our loyal customers for your dedication to our farm and patience while we updated the website! We are looking forward to providing you with a better and easier shopping experience with our new online store and more information about our farm and practices with the new website.

June 11, 2020

Whole Chickens Available this Weekend!

Whole chickens will be available this Saturday at the Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market and Saturday and Sunday at the Olympia Farmers Market*. We will also have chicken livers and hearts and a few chicken cuts available. Pork inventory is low at the moment and we will bring what we have to the markets including some bacon, smoked sausage links and ground pork, along with plenty of our freezer sale items (see below).

We apologize that delivery and pre-order options are still suspended on our website. We had hoped that the online store would be ready this week but we are still working the bugs out. Stay tuned, we think it's going to be great! 

*The Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market is open Saturdays from 9am-2pm. The Olympia Farmers Market is open 10am-3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. We will not be attending Fridays at the Olympia Farmers Market at this time. 

June 6, 2020

FREEZER SALE!
- Pork Fat, Bones & Skin all 1/2 off -
Forest-raised pigs make the best lard, bone broth and cracklins! We are bringing lots to markets and will have these items available for pre-order and delivery soon. 

Back & Leaf Fat
Back fat has a subtle pork flavor and leaf fat has a neutral flavor that is prized for pastry baking. Easy to render, simply grind or cut the fat into pieces and cook on low on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Once melted, strain and cool. Keep some in the fridge for everyday use and freeze the rest. $1.50/lb for back fat and $3.00/lb for leaf fat.

Pork Bones 
Pork bones make excellent bone broth, stock and soup. Roast them in a hot oven with carrots, onions, garlic, salt and pepper for extra rich flavor and a darker broth. Once cooked, you can add them to water to make broth, cook with beans or soup for extra flavor or freeze for future use. $1.50/lb.

Pork Skin
Make your own pork rinds or pork cracklins with skin from our forest-raised pigs. Raised in the forest without added hormones and antibiotics, these can make a great low-carb/keto snack! $1.50/lb.

June 5, 2020

Bacon & Smoked Sausage Links Available This Weekend!

We will have belly and jowl bacon, smoked kielbasa and smoked bratwurst sausage links available at the Olympia Farmers Market from 10 am - 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday and the Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market on Saturday from 9 am - 2 pm.

Make sure to also checkout our freezer sale! We have pork bones, fat and skin on sale for 1/2 off. 

We have made a new website but our online store isn't quite ready yet. We apologize that delivery and pre-order options have been temporarily suspended but we look forward to providing you with an easier and better shopping experience with our new online store. It should be up and running soon, we'll keep you posted. Thank you for your patience!

May 24, 2020

We are launching a new website very soon with a brand new platform for online ordering. The new website will be live with online ordering resuming shortly. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news from the farm including available inventory, delivery and pickup options and recipes.

May 23, 2020

Chicken will be back in-stock soon! With several butcher dates scheduled for early June, we will have whole chicken and chicken cuts back in stock by mid-June which will be available for local delivery, on-farm pickup and pre-order for quick pickup at the Olympia Farmers Market and Tacoma Proctor Farmers Market.