Tag Archives: Bull Brook Keep

Apple River Farm Tour, July 15, 10AM – 4PM Visit our Farms!!

Well, we’re just one day out from our first annual Apple River Farm Tour – yahoo!!

Pack your sunglasses, grab your insect repellent, and your sunhat for a great day of self-guided tours of up to 9 local regenerative farms. We’re beekeepers, flower growers, humane livestock stewards, chicken keepers, and mushroom growers, apple and berry producers, maple syrup producers, and lots more!

Brochure & Map

Scan the code or click here for your brochure and map.

And after the day of tours, there’s a relaxing event at Dragonfly Garden, just south of downtown Amery.

 

 

 

The participating farms include:

  • Blackbrook Farm
  • Bull Broom Keep (that’s Dave and me)
  • Northwood Mushrooms
  • Schoen Valley Orchard
  • Threshing Table Farm
  • Turnip Rock Farm and Cosmic Wheel Creamery
  • Two Bees and a Bud
  • White Pine Berry Farm
  • Z-Orchard

See you soon!!

Beautiful. Frozen. Blinding and brutal.

Bull Brook Keep

January 26, 2023

The glare off the pastures can send you into snow-blindness in just seconds. The entire farm is nothing but rolling white and blue shadows. It’s still. Snow crystals glitter. It’s a glorious view from this side of the living room windows. The bird feeders hang sad, nearly empty, nagging me to pull on hat, boots and coat, and do the right thing. In a bit.

Each dog has claimed a sunny patch and will remain inert for as long as the sun warms his coat. The only thing that’ll bring their heads up is the rustle of the plastic bag holding the raisin rye bread.

It’s 14 degrees, which means we’re already on the downward slope from today’s projected high of 19. My phone’s weather app forecasts a high of just 2 degrees in a few days; and that after a night crawling to -11.  Grrr.

Learning how to dress for the winters of the Upper Midwest was a life-changing lesson when I moved from New York City to the shores of Lake Superior. I was in my early 20s and landed in Duluth with one heavy wool coat. I loved that coat, but quickly discovered it would not protect me from snows off the lake, or the icy winds that blasted down the hills. One of the first things I did was find a local Army surplus store and buy a huge parka.  It was bright orange, had a massive fur-trimmed hood, and I  didn’t care that I looked like a highway worker. I felt invincible as crossed open fields, climbed into ore carriers, and visited local leaders to get interviews and film for KDAL-TV’s evening news shows. I came to appreciate why my newsroom friends had several coats and jackets to deal with the wide range of temperatures thrown at us throughout the year.

Siggy loves the snow

I left the newsroom decades ago, and I don’t know what happened to that parka. However, warm coats remain a priority as I tend to our small cattle herd. The deep cold freezes the brook. This year, episodes of rain, sleet, drizzle and fog are building layers of ice over dense layers of snow, over rock-hard sheets of ice on every field and road surface. Cars slip and skid. I wear cleats over my boots just to get to the mailbox. It’s awesome, and unforgiving.

But right this minute, I’m grateful for its beauty, the warmth of my home, and for the bright shafts of sunlight traveling across the floor. Time for another cup of chai tea.

Sylvia 

EagleSong describes a helpful, if thorny, tree in your neighborhood.

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EagleSong describes a helpful, if thorny, tree in your neighborhood.
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Hawthorn trees grow all across our farm, Bull Brook Keep. The ubiquitous Crataegus species is found all over North America and Europe, producing fragrant blossoms in the spring and firm red fruit — haws — in late summer and fall.

Buelingos and hawthorn

I came to recognize hawthorn – which on my farm grows as a tall, scraggly shrub – as I rotated my beef herd from field to field throughout the grazing season. My Buelingo cows shaded themselves under the scruffy trees and sometimes browsed on the lower leaves.  I simply enjoyed their lovely pale pink flowers, but eventually became curious about the small red fruit – the size of a small crab apple. As it turns out, they are in the larger apple family.

Thorns from 1-2″ long

As I continue my herbal studies, I’ve came to learn hawthorn flowers and fruit have been used in herbal remedies and tonics for hundreds of years. And here there were, growing all across my farm! Yippee! Since then, I’ve gathered hawthorn for making tinctures and teas that support heart health, and lots more.

 

 

 

Eagle Song

EagleSong Gardener is an herbalist who has come to know and use hawthorn deeply for decades. She’s a lovely woman I met at a Wisconsin herbalists’ conference in September 2022. EagleSong has traveled the world visiting hawthorn hedges and conversing with the many men and women who have come to appreciate this amazing woody gift on our landscape. Fortunately for me, she visited Bull Brook Keep on her way back to her home state of Washington.

 

I hope you enjoy this interview, the first in a three-part series with this knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher. You can also find EagleSong’s lessons on her website, Facebook, and many helpful videos on Youtube.

Sylvia

In between Thanksgiving, Christmas and beavers

We didn’t do a conventional Thanksgiving this year. No turkey, stuffing, or cranberry sauce. Thanks to Dave’s hard work, we had home-grown pork shoulder roasts done Puerto Rican style. Dave grew the pigs, I did the Puerto Rican. I took all the garlic cloves I could buy, smashed them with salt, pepper and oregano, and then rubbed this fragrant paste liberally into every nook and cranny of the roast.

The aromas took me back to noisy celebrations at my grandmother’s apartment in Spanish Harlem. So many aunts and uncles, cousins and laughter, and so much food: the pork, rice and beans, green beans, big salads, and pumpkin pie. My Wisconsin take was just a little different. I didn’t make rice and beans, but I added roasted smashed potatoes and an additional home-grown apple pie. We enjoyed family, laughs and great conversation. A real blessing.

That was last week. Now, we’re cruising to Christmas as snow accumulates and temperatures fall, farm equipment is repaired, and we worry about the beaver dam.

In the 13 years we’ve been on Bull Brook Keep, we’ve never had a dam threaten the brook that runs across the southeastern corner of the farm. For some reason, this fall beavers decided to build just downstream of the property.  This has caused two large problems: water backup on the farm, and, a dramatic reduction of the speed of water flowing in the brook. It is the strength of water flow that keeps the brook from freezing over. This is critical because the cows need open water from which to drink. They can’t break through ice.

The problem

Bull Brook runs just 8 or 10 feet from the road that forms the western boarder of our farm. I walked down the road to take a closer look last week, I quickly realized taking this dam down is not going to be an easy task. The beavers used hundreds of long and heavy branches, wedging them tightly to create a structure able to hold back hundreds and hundreds of pounds of water pressure.

Dave has reached out to local officials to hopefully get their cooperation in removing this blockage because the rising water not only affects us but also poses a threat to a public bridge that abuts the farm and to the nearby road.  We’ve got to do something sooner than later.

I’ll walk the road again today, while it’s still light.

Meanwhile, I’ve started pulling out cookbooks. What desserts will I make for Christmas dinner?  A spicy chocolate bundt cake? Maybe a cranberry steamed pudding with vanilla hard sauce? A frangipane dotted with honeyberries? Hmmm. This should be fun.

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving and are looking forward to lots of love, laughter and great food this holiday season. Oh, and no beaver dams.

Sylvia

 

 

July 16, 2022, 10AM – 4PM Come visit — Eat Local Co-op Farm Tour

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July 16, 2022, 10AM - 4PM Come visit -- Eat Local Co-op Farm Tour
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Bull Brook Keep is once again part of this Saturday’s Eat Local Co-op Farm Tour.

Save the date and time:  Saturday, July 16, 10AM to 4PM

It’s a high point of our summer and you’re invited to visit our cows and pigs, as well as the livestock and festivities at nearby farms. Make a day of it! At our farm, you’ll get a chance to meet the moos, sample our beef (and buy ground beef and delicious summer sausage), and learn about upcoming herb-hunting tours called Herbal Safaris.

21 farms from around the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and western Wisconsin are part of this annual event sponsored and organized by a collaboration of natural food coops. These are many of the sustainable and organic growers who provide food for co-ops, farmers markets, CSAs, and direct sales in our region.

In this Deep Roots Radio interview, organizer Jennifer Dean describes why the coops launched this event a dozen years ago, and how its gained in popularity.

Go to coopfarmtour.com for a downloadable guide and colorful map you can use for your self-guided tour.

I hope to greet you on the farm this Saturday.

Sylvia

Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week starts with a bang in Amery, population 2902

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Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week starts with a bang in Amery, population 2902
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Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week, Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2021

I grew up in Bronx, NY, in a city of 8 million, yet I couldn’t be more excited about Amery, Wisconsin’s launch of a special week dedicated to agricultural tourism. Agri what?

Looking for the Great Pumpkin

It’s a term that covers lots of things you’ve probably already done. If you’ve ever enjoyed an afternoon picking crisp apples or juicy strawberries, petted a little lamb or held a squirmy piglet, walked a corn maze or selected “just the right” pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, walked near grazing cattle, or sipped wine at a winery, helped gather eggs, or helped your farmer pick your CSA box — you’re an agricultural tourist. Maybe you’ve attended a wedding or special event at a repurposed barn, or fished at a trout or catfish farm, or cut down a Christmas tree.  That’s agricultural tourism, too.

Why am I excited? Because my husband Dave Toftness and I raise grass-fed-grass-finished just four miles from downtown Amery, and a major part of our mission is to welcome visitors to our farm, Bull Brook Keep. We chat with well over 200 people a year, every month of the year. We appreciate the opportunity for walks across our pastures, explaining why we’re committed to sustainable practices, introducing our moos, and learning about people’s food journey. It’s educational, fun and friendly.

Governor Evers’ Proclamation

In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Amery’s Mayor Paul Isakson describes how the city is marking the launch of this very special week set aside by proclamation by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. It runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 2021. Many thanks to the Governor and to Sheila Everhart, Interim Executive Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, for working for this recognition of the contribution agritourism makes to people’s lives and local economies.

Earlier this year, the Mayor established a new page on the City’s website just for agricultural tourism, making it easy to find an ag-based adventure in and around Amery, www.amerywi.gov/703/Agritourism.  To find agricultural venues across the state, visit wiagtourism.com.

Happy cows at Bull Brook Keep

I hope you enjoy this interview. And I hope you’ll come visit us. The trees are turning glorious, and the moos would like to meet you.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness

It’s mid-September – harvest season at Bull Brook Keep

Wasn’t it just Memorial Day? Yup, another growing season is coming to an end. Fog hangs heavy over the pastures in the mornings. The days are getting shorter and the evenings much cooler. Trees are turning on nearby hills. The sumac at the northern fence post is blazing red, as are the hawthorn berries. Bees are a loud cloud above the chive blossoms, and bright yellow heads of goldenrod sway in every ditch and fence line.

The herd has been grazing happily all summer and fall. As usual, they take a mid-morning lie-down from about 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. It’s a sign of a healthy, contented herd.

And that’s a major goal: healthy cattle raised on healthful grass. Another is to work in harmony with the season.

And so, it’s time: We begin the 2021 beef harvest in a few days. If you’d like to order, please do so early to secure your beef.

Please know that you don’t have to buy half a cow to enjoy the great taste and high nutrition of grass-fed-grass-finished beef. Our variety packages start at just 30 pounds. (A variety package includes ground, steak and roasts.)

Don’t hesitate to call, email or text with any questions. We’d like to be your farmers.

Sylvia & Dave Toftness

John Govin welcomes thousands of visitors to cuddle new lambs and farm babies every spring.

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John Govin welcomes thousands of visitors to cuddle new lambs and farm babies every spring.
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If it fits on your lap, we’ll help you hold it.

Is there anything cuter than a new lamb? Or softer than a day-old chick? Well, maybe it’s the curly tail of a tiny piglet, or the agile jumps of a week-old kid.

All will be on display, and ready for a cuddle, beginning this weekend on John and Julie Govin’s farm in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It’s their annual Lambing Barn and Farm Babies event . “Our motto is – If it fits in your lap, we’ll help you hold it,” said John during our Deep Roots Radio chat. An easy drive from the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metro area, the Govins have welcomed thousands of visitors – young and old – to this event for the last 16 years.

The Lambing Barn runs four weekends in 2021:  March 20-21; March 27-28; April 2-3, and April 10-11.  This spring, he’s taken extra COVID-19 measures to promote wellness and fun on the farm.  If you’re into agritourism, the Govin’s farm offers many activities through the summer and fall.

I hope you enjoy this interview  with John, and go online to purchase tickets to this spring time event.  I’m going Saturday, March 20th, and hope to see your there!

Sylvia

Grateful to farm for health of land, cattle, and customers. Reserve beef online now

I don’t know if there are any words to describe the 2020 virtually all of us are struggling through. Every day we’re assailed with news stories and personal accounts that feel more bizarre than the previous day’s reports.

Dave and I are really grateful for these months of relative peace on the farm —  working for the health of the land, our cattle, and ultimately, our family and friends.

Well, I’m not going to attempt deep philosophy, but I will offer one bright note — our online store is open again and you can now order grass-fed-grass-finished beef to suit your budget, freezer space and appetite.

A few of our grazing Buelingo beef cattle

Reserve 25 pounds of ground beef, or several packages of delicious summer sausage — made without artificial nitrates or nitrites.

Choose the size variety package that meets your needs. These packages range from 30 pounds to 200, and contain a selection of steaks, roasts and ground beef. All cuts are vacuum packaged, clearly labelled, and frozen to -20 degrees to preserve flavor and quality.

Boost your immune system by making bone broth with our grass-fed soup bones — lots of meaty bones as well as marrow. Our cattle never get hormones, subclinical antibiotics or grain, so you can be confident of the nutrition in your broth.

Quantity is limited and we’ve scheduled our last harvest. Reserve now.

Questions? Call 651-238-8525, or email, sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com.  Dave and I look forward to being your farmers.  Sylvia Burgos Toftness

In time of need: delish, nutritious pastured meats and veg from local sustainable farmers

Looking for nutritious foods? Meats and veggies that will boost your health – and just when we need it the most? Look to your local, sustainable farmers.

We’re here to help as we face today’s challenges, and as we prepare for a better future. Today, we can offer healthful, delicious foods – as supplies last.

If you’re in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, and in Wisconsin’s Polk and St. Croix counties, here are farmers ready to help with foods grown for health: of the land, of the livestock, and of the meats and vegetables themselves. Contact farmers directly. We deliver, or you can pick up at the farm. Our farms are clustered closely – you can visit two or more in a single trip. We’re an easy drive through beautiful countryside.

We’re the sustainable farmers of the St. Croix Watershed Midlands. We’re committed to great taste, quality and high nutrition. We use organic practice, livestock is pastured, and meats processed at nearby custom USDA facility.

BueLingo cattle graze lush pastures

Bull Brook Keep: grass-fed-grass-finished beef grown without grain, subclinical antibiotics or hormones. Available now —  #1 ground beef packages, soup bones, summer sausage (without artificial nitrates or nitrites), and variety packages of ground beef, cuts and roasts. Variety packages start at just 15 lbs. See my order page here. Call or text with questions, Sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com, 651-238-8525.

Blackbrook Farmstead: pastured pork and fresh spring spinach. Other products may also be available. Contact Ayla or James, 651-343-2595, blackbrook.farm.llc@gmail.com 

Whetstone Farm: pastured lamb and mutton, stored root vegetables, fleeces. Other products may be available. You can also sign up for their organic vegetable CSA. Contact Emily or Klauss: cell 612-354-6282, home 715-268-8454, whetstonefarmers@gmail.com

Turnip Rock Farm: pastured pork, and to sign up for their organically grown CSA. This farm also raises and milks a grass-fed herd that supplies the wonderful milk for Cosmic Wheel Creamery for fresh and aged artisan cheeses that are out of this world. Contact Josh or Rama, 715-268-9311, turniprock@gmail.com.

Additional farms and resources will be added. Check back often. Thanks.

Sylvia