General farm maintenance is on the agenda this month, our farm needs lots of attention in the coming months to ensure all our animals are in a safe place ready for the spring.
Our ewes are brought indoors this month for pregnancy scanning whilst we wait patiently for dates and times in preparation for lambing season. Our visitors will be able to experience ‘lambing live’ in our farm barn next month with a hands on, educational feel. Tickets and more information will be available on our website soon.
In abundance this month are leeks, cabbage, turnips, parsnips, swede and kale along with blood oranges and forced rhubarb, giving a burst of seasonal colour to winter dessert dishes. Forced rhubarb is an ancient growing method which dates back to medieval times. This glorious pretty pink rhubarb is first grown outside for a period of two years so that exposure to frost toughens the roots. After the initial exposure to the frost, the rhubarb is lifted from the ground and placed into forcing sheds with false light, the taste is sweeter than later crops with a distinctive bright pink colour ideal for making desserts and preserves.
February may seem like one big chill out but it’s quite an action packed foodie month. We kick off with the Chinese lunar New year from 1st -11th February, our farm shop (although not traditionally known for Chinese food) has some super food available fresh from our butchery counter. Duck, chicken, pork and beef cut into strips make delicious stir-fry’s which are both healthy and nutritious, just add vegetables, noodles or rice. If you like marinades and rubs we have a variety of great flavours for meat, perfect for the oven or grill. Our butchers have deals on at this time of year on family packs, so do ask our butchers or better still try their tasting counter which has a selection of homemade sausages and meats ready for our lovely customers to sample every weekend.
If you’re in the mood for love and romance we have some delightful products for ‘Valentines Day’. Locally made chocolates, gin, beers, liquors, wines, cheese and cute cards make perfect gifts for your loved one. You can also create your very own bespoke ‘Valentines Day’ hamper, just pick out your gifts and our team will pack and wrap it for you, ready for you to gift. Our breakfast boxes and steak night boxes are very popular, each box is filled with fresh goodies to make any breakfast or dinner special. All the ingredients are included in the box so all you have to do is cook! Our butchery will have lots of home-reared beef steaks, tomahawk, sirloin and rib-eye steaks which are also very popular at this time of year. You can order in advance with our online shop or just pop in, all our beef is raised by ourselves to a very high welfare standard, producing the juiciest steaks in Hertfordshire.
Fair trade fortnight kicks off from the 19th February highlighting the determined and ambitious work of fair trade farmers whilst dealing with the climate crisis, awareness is key for both retailers and farmers alike. This is a system of certification that ensures a set of standards are met in the production and supply of products and ingredients with local sustainability, being farmer’s ourselves this means high quality and ethically produced products. Look out for our fair trade products on the shelf and discover the benefits of fair trade and what it means.
Pancake Day (although later this year on 1st March) means our shop will have all the ingredients you need readily available. As a local farm shop our shelves are constantly stocked up with fresh eggs, milk, artisan flour, fair trade sugar, fruit and local honey to make the best pancakes.
Note for the diary…
Mother’s day is Sunday 27th March. Book in advance. We will be serving High Tea’s in our indoor/outdoor seating area from 11.00am to 3.00pm. Price is £29.95 for two people. Please call our team to book on 01992 552900.
So if you’re a Valentines lover, a fancy foodie or a fair trade fan, shop at Foxholes Farm this month for a truly unique experience!
