Spring On the Farm

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May 31, 2018

We thought it might be nice for you to know more about what is happening on the farm – so are going to try and do monthly updates.

In April we have done a ton of apple tree pruning. The trees on the property are OLD by any standards. Planted in about 1960, they were in their prime when Tony bought the farm in 1973. They have served the farm well and most of you are familiar with our signature Apple Butter made with the Northern Spy’s and MacIntosh apples from these trees. Originally there was an old orchard on the farm, which is where Fran & Tony got married, however almost all of those trees have died. Our upper orchard got a huge over haul and we got started on the lower orchard, but there is always more to do!!!

snowy orchard Last year we were so busy that we didn’t have a backlog of firewood, and the winter just kept dragging on, so we’ve been focused on getting a large stack of firewood ready for winter 2018-2019. Sadly, many of our ash trees are succumbing to the Emerald Ash Borer, so we have lots of trees ready to be salvaged into firewood to heat our home through the winter.

The weather in April has been chilly with lots of ice and snow, so we have been continuing to feed the cattle, who spend the year out on pasture, large bales of hay. This allows us to give the horses exercise, as they pull the sleigh with the hay, and lets us see how the cattle are doing. We aren’t expecting them to calve until May, so aside from sometimes making a muddy mess of the fields, they are doing great.

2013 05 04 133 We are deep into the Greenhouse work of pricking out, transplanting and seeding various items for the spring open house and our own garden. The greenhouse is a great place to spend these cool, grey days as it is warmed with the wood stove, and we listen to audio books while we work.

Hector Samuel, our Lowline Angus bull, has been growing his hooves out, so we ended up having to get in a hoof trimmer. The guys brought in an impressive rig that allowed them to do a quick and impressive job on his feet. Hector Samuel wasn’t sure about it, but he’s walking a lot easier now!

April is the month where we get the first meat chicken chicks of the season, which means that we do a ton of cleanup and prep for those sweet little day old puffballs of fluff. We have an old horse box stall that we use to house our home made brooder, which we set up with heat lamps, feeders and waterers, all on a bed of straw, covered with newsprint that we source from friends and the local libraries.

This year we only bred Jazmine, and on April 7th she delivered 3 beautiful kids. We’ve named them Hop, Skip and Jump. Hop must have been so twisted up around his siblings that his ligaments were stretched out and he was having issues keeping his front legs under him, so we used a SAM splint to get him back in line and it worked beautifully.

That same night, our Suffolk Punch mare, Song, delivered a beautiful stud colt with a little help from us. Finn is a stocky little guy with lots of spunk and curiosity.

We use a solar pump to pump all of our livestock and irrigation water up to the tank on the highest point of the farm, so that it can then gravity feed down to where it needs to go. Tony & Fran probably put that pump in about 15-20 years ago and Tony realized that we should probably replace all of the leathers and things on it for smoother working. So, we took it all apart, cleaned everything up and put in new leathers and rubber pieces, put it all back together and it is working like a dream.

We feed the chicks a 10 day chick ration before we switch them onto a 16% grower ration. So, we decided that this was the year to reinforce and rebuild the modified grain wagon that we use to hold the 5 tonnes of feed we buy in from another certified organic farmer. Tony worked incredibly hard and made the magic happen so that once it is painted, it’ll be like we have a new feed wagon!

We currently have 4 gilts/sows that we are breeding for piglet production. Hiccup, Twitch, Taggy Louise and Tatty. We also now have a Berkshire boar named Grunt. However, we aren’t confident yet in Grunt’s ability to service the ladies, so we are continuing our practice of doing artificial insemination, so over the course of the spring have AIed the ladies.

We always anxiously hold our breath when we are waiting on any animal to birth, but especially when we are waiting on Barb to foal. Unlike Song, Barb doesn’t ever look like she is super pregnant, so… finally Barb had a lovely little filly which we’ve named Frieda.

Andddddd… the calving finally started. Last summer Hector Samuel had an issue with one of his hooves and so was out of the breeding game for a while and we’d been worried that he hadn’t been able to breed the cows, but a preg check in November by the vet, assuaged our fears, but the proof is in the pudding as they say, so it was a huge relief to see one of our cows birth the first calf of the season!

Some of you may have followed our tiny piglet adventures that started in January… where we ended up with one, which we named Pickle, who hasn’t been able to re-integrate with his litter, and is much, much smaller than the rest of them. Well, we’ve finally just gone for it and moved him into the house as a pet. Crate and house training have gone well. Now, to hope that he doesn’t get bigger than the vet said he might.

On top of all the farming that we do, we also have non-farm interests, and this spring Tony has been part of a play – and we all got to go see it at the HAWK Theatre in Lucknow.

The final tidbit for this month is that on our one day off (Sunday), we were making breakfast when an Amish neighbour came over to ask us for help moving his down cow. It was a Jersey cow that had just calved and was in milk fever. We went over and helped move her into a position where she wouldn’t suffocate herself, but until he was able to source calcium, there wasn’t much we could do to help. He’d already called the vet and we called a couple times as well as were reassured the vet would be out. However, at dinner time, the neighbour showed back up, having been able to source calcium, and no sign of the vet. So… we went over to assist them in getting the calcium into the cow, which was a struggle, but happened. And… She survived! Not a restful day, but a good outcome.

Nose-to-Tail Eating: Buying Organic Offal and Traditional Cuts in Ontario

Nose-to-Tail Eating: Buying Organic Offal and Traditional Cuts in Ontario If you are searching for organic offal, traditional meat cuts, or pasture-raised nose-to-tail meat in Ontario, you are not alone. More people across the province are looking beyond steaks and chicken breasts and rediscovering how previous generations cooked by using the whole animal with intention and respect. At Meeting Place Organic Farm, nose-to-tail eating isn’t a trend. It’s how we’ve always approached farming and food. If you know Tony McQuail, you know how much he loves to cook beef tongue. We raise certified organic, 100% grass fed beef, pork, and chicken, and make a wide range of traditional cuts and offal available to customers across Ontario through our online farm store and delivery routes. What Does Nose-to-Tail Eating Mean? Nose-to-tail eating means using as much of the animal as possible including organs, bones, and traditional cuts rather than relying only on a small selection of popular muscle meats. This approach: Reduces food waste Respects the life of the animal Provides nutrient-dense foods often missing from modern diets When animals are raised on pasture, fed a natural diet, and processed carefully, these cuts are not only usable — they are deeply nourishing and flavourful. Organic Beef Offal and Traditional Cuts Available in Ontario Our grass-fed, grass-finished beef is certified organic and raised entirely on pasture. Alongside familiar cuts, we offer a range of traditional beef options that support nose-to-tail eating: Beef liver Beef kidney Beef tongue Beef cheeks Oxtail Beef bones and knuckle bones (with and without marrow) Nose-to-tail ground beef These cuts are ideal for bone broth, slow braises, stews, and traditional recipes from many cultures. Beef liver, for example, is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, while oxtail and cheeks create rich, collagen-filled meals when cooked low and slow.Here's a recipe to try for Jamaican Oxtail Stew. Pasture-Raised Pork Offal and Heritage Cuts Our pork is pasture-raised and certified organic, living outdoors where they are able to root and wallow. Pork is particularly well suited to nose-to-tail eating, and many traditional cuisines rely on these cuts. Available pork offal and traditional cuts include: Pork heart Pork kidney Pork tongue Pork trotters (feet) Pork tail Pork jowl and pork jowl bacon These cuts are prized for their flavour, fat content, and ability to enrich soups, stocks, and slow-cooked dishes. Pork jowl, has long been used as a flavour base in traditional cooking, while trotters are naturally rich in gelatin for broths. Organic Chicken: Using the Whole Bird Whole-animal eating is especially important with poultry. Our organic, pasture-raised chickens and only raised between April and September because our midwestern Ontario weather is too cold for them to pasture outside beyond that. They are processed with care, and we make a full range of nose-to-tail chicken cuts available: Chicken livers Chicken hearts Chicken gizzards Chicken feet Chicken backs and necks Chicken feet, backs, and necks are excellent for deeply nourishing broth, while hearts and gizzards are traditional staples fried, stewed or sauteed. These cuts are often overlooked, yet they are some of the most affordable and useful items in the freezer. Why Ontario Customers Are Choosing Nose-to-Tail Meat Across Ontario, customers are rethinking where their meat comes from and how much of the animal they’re actually using. Nose-to-tail eating appeals to people who want: Less waste and more sustainability Better value from high-quality meat A stronger connection to their food traditions Buying offal and traditional cuts also supports smaller organic farms by allowing the entire animal to be used, rather than only a small percentage of popular cuts. How to Buy Organic Offal and Traditional Cuts in Ontario Meeting Place Organic Farm offers online ordering and scheduled delivery routes across Ontario. Availability varies seasonally, as we raise and process animals on a small scale, in alignment with organic standards and animal welfare. The best way to stay informed is to join our email list, where we announce restocks, bulk beef, pork, and chicken availability, and delivery dates. If you’re new to nose-to-tail cooking, start small: Add bones or chicken feet to your freezer for bone broths Try ground meat blended with organ cuts, what we call our Nose to Tail ground beef Slow-cook tougher cuts like cheeks or tongue These foods don’t require complicated recipes just time, care, and good ingredients. Eating with Intention Nose-to-tail eating isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing food that aligns with your values, respecting animals, supporting organic farming, and reconnecting with how food has been prepared for generations. For customers across Ontario, we’re proud to offer certified organic, pasture-raised beef, pork, and chicken including the offal and traditional cuts that make whole-animal eating possible. To see what’s currently available, visit the farm store and join the email list at the bottom of our homepage for updates on upcoming deliveries.

Spring On the Farm

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Nose-to-Tail Eating: Buying Organic Offal and Traditional Cuts in Ontario

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Meeting Place Organic Farm