In this newsletter:

Online market update ~ Summer beef, pork + poultry ~ Rising Silo reopening ~ Lamb Shares via Sunrise Valley Farm ~ Our 10 year birthday!

What a whirlwind of two months! I sincerely hope you are hanging in there. Spring and nature keep trucking along despite our human lives, which is a good thing. We miss the face-to-face interaction we typically have with our customers so we really appreciate when you all reach out in the ways you have. Thanks for checking in on us- we are doing great ourselves and that is because of all your support! 

Please read this newsletter for all our spring news. Hopefully it will help uplift your day!
-Sally 

Online farm market update

You have probably heard by now that we are selling all our produce, meats, honey, duck eggs, and handmade soap through our online farm market. Basically, you order your items online, we pack your order within about a day, you get an email when its ready, and you pick up at our self-serve pick up. We are going to keep up this system and continue to keep our walk-up farm market closed for now. Do you hate online shopping? Me too, sometimes. That's why I'm happy to take orders over the phone (540-808-0672), through voicemail, or email. 

In all honesty, we're partial to the online farm market now. We feel like it allows you to see what all we have and reserve it before you make the trek out of town. It allows us to better organize our work flow to get it all done. The downside- we don't get to see you! Please do keep in touch. Send me any and all feedback, questions, commentary on Blacksburg weather, and what you're hoping to see. I am learning a lot of information technology, webstore troubleshooting, and phone customer service as I go. Thanks for all your patience as we work through it all! Know that spring is progressing and with each warmer week we'll have more products available in the  online store.

Pasture-raised proteins all coming on this summer!

Everyone's asking...where's the beef? We have lots of animals on the ground now and they will all be in our online farm market in due time. Here is a rough timeline of when we'll be restocking our meats. Dates with all our local processors have been hard to schedule due to the pandemic and may be subject to change.

• Hoof Hearted Beef- mid-July. Grass fed, grass finished beef raised here 
• Our pork-mid-August 2020 then January 2021 organic-fed and pasture raised heritage pork
• Our chicken- early July 2020 then late October 2020- pasture-raised, organic-fed Freedom Rangers
• Our heritage turkeys- November 2020. Limited supply available. Stay tuned for reservation!
• Our chicken eggs- July 2020. New this season! Our own pasture-raised and organic-fed hens.
• Our duck eggs- always available! These gals just don't quit. 
• Sunrise Valley Lamb Shares- June 13, 2020. Convenient pick up here at Glade Road Growing. Read more about the lamb shares below
• Hoof Hearted Raw Milk/Herd Shares - available now and this summer. The milk is A2/A2 certified, grass fed, rotationally grazed, and produced right here in Blacksburg. Cost is $40 per month for 1 gallon of milk per week (can also substitute yogurt if requested in lieu of milk).  For more information and how to sign up please contact Hoof Hearted Farm at info@hoofheartedfarm.com.

Lamb Shares from Sunrise Valley Farm with pick up here June 13, 2020

Our farmer friends at Sunrise Valley Farm are offering Lamb Shares! This is a great way to sample a variety of lamb cuts in one convenient package and pick up here at Glade Road Growing.
Payment is all made directly to Sunrise Valley Farm for $82 ($80 for lamb share + $2 Va food tax). Read on for all the details...

"Some of you may know us from the Blacksburg Farmers Market where Sunrise Valley Farm has sold a variety of items under the “All Things Sheep” banner.  Due to the pandemic, we’ve opted out of vending at the market this season, but want to still offer our meat products safely.  We are offering a monthly “lamb share”, a variety of cuts for a fixed price.  Your value will be better than buying retail.

This month: Lamb Sampler with 4 loin chops, 2 shanks, 1 lb stew meat, 2 lb ground lamb, 4 bratwurst-style sausages, and either a shoulder roast, small leg, or package of kebabs for about 7-8 lbs total.  That will give you grilling, slow cooking, and/or roasting choices. We’ll provide some favorite recipes and cooking tips. The share costs $80+tax, which is a 15% value over our retail (and even more savings than buying at Kroger, where you’ll find only ground and chops!)
First pick up date: June 13th, 9 am -11 am at Glade Road Growing, 2351 Glade Rd, Blacksburg, Va
To order, arrange payment or ask questions, please contact us at gailandharry@sunrisevalleyfarm.com. 
You can pay via PayPal, Square, or mail us a check.
 
We have 17 shares of the Lamb Sampler on a first come, first served basis.  We’ll offer other combinations in upcoming months.

All our lambs are born and raised on our farm, in the southwest corner of Montgomery County, near the village of Snowville; about 5 miles from Riner.  We raise two Conservation breeds listed with The Livestock Conservancy: Leicester Longwools and Romeldale CVMs.  All our lambs are raised on their moms initially, then moved to pasture.  They live on pasture with our livestock guardian dogs, with supplemental feed as needed. They receive no feed additives like antibiotics or growth hormones, but do have access to a mineral supplement free choice. We use Smith Valley Meats, a USDA inspected facility in Rich Creek, VA who provides us with well-trimmed, vacuum sealed packages."

Rising Silo Brewery easing into reopening

Rising Silo now is open for outdoor seating (available on a limited capacity) Thursday- Sunday 12 pm - 7 pm with light snacks available.  Please read about the social distancing guidelines while at Rising Silo. They are also filling to-go orders Monday-Wednesdays 12 pm - 5 pm.  Rising Silo appreciates your business! They are the only brewery in town using organic malts and their ginger beer is a hydrating probiotic flavor explosion.We share a parking lot and other common spaces with Rising Silo. If you are picking up your farm preorders and wanting to avoid other humans, I suggesting planning your farm order pick up either Monday-Wednesday or before noon when the outdoor seating is open to the public.

We're 10 years old!

We can't believe 10 years has passed since Jason and I founded Glade Road Growing! We were 26 years old and married just 6 months. Lucky for us Pat Bixler gave us a chance on a property he had recently purchased. We're so grateful for where it's all led and the people who have helped us! I posted some photos and captions from our establishment years on Facebook. I'll try to get more up this week. 

It takes two to small business!
Small business and small farms can't make it without customers. It's a two-way relationship that we're happy to be in with you! Here is just a brief shout out to the other small businesses helping out ours right now:

• Rising Silo Brewery is still keeping us hydrated through it all. 
• Baseline Solar and Bell Electric have been helping us with our fleet of farm carts and electric tractor troubleshooting.
• Hoof Hearted Farm keeps my kids calorie-positive with bona fide high quality grass fed raw dairy.
• Happy Hollow Honey honeybees on our farm are out pollinating it all right now so that we have chunky crops all season long. Thanks, bees!
• Lighten Up-Our friend Meredith has been helping out immensely with all the farm children and she is starting up Lighten Up, which in her words is a: Healing Place for EveryBODY! At my practice I specialize in heart-centered integrative massage and holistic healing. My location is convenient to VT campus & downtown Blacksburg with free parking. Rates are sliding scale. Call, text or email to inquire further 540-818-7181 lightenup.blacksburg@gmail.com.