Dear Friends,
Deep in January, I love to wake early and look at pictures from the year past. The pictures show much nature, from our discovery of endangered Running Buffalo Clover, to bees in the buckwheat cover crop. A couple of my favorites are below.
Buffalo Clover, found at Mt. Folly, was believed to be extinct from 1940 until 1985, when two populations were found in West Virginia. In 1987, it was added to the U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
One of the reasons it became endangered was the loss of bison, whose hooves scarified the seeds, which the plant needs to germinate. Perhaps Mt. Folly’s cow herd, systematically rotated through many pastures, has replaced the herd of bison!
Buckwheat is a summer cover crop Mt. Folly uses extensively for weed and erosion control. Bees love it! Not only are we creating pollinator habitat, but we were able to harvest buckwheat grain, which when ground, goes on the Wildcat Willy’s brunch menu as buckwheat pancakes.
OUR BIG NEWS
Our biggest news this January is that we’ve just opened Wildcat Willy’s Distillery in downtown Winchester. Not only are we distilling grains and sweet potatoes grown on the farm, but we’ve got a farm-to-table restaurant and bakery there.
Wildcat Willy’s is open! Distilled spirits are made from grains and sweet potatoes grown at Mt. Folly, and the beef and many of the vegetables are raised on the farm, too. Just like the hemp in Homestead Alternatives CBD and Laura’s Hemp Chocolates.
Right now, we are picking lettuce, spinach, radish, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and kale from a hoop house or protected by frost cloth. I’ve gotten back in the beef business, and we have pasture-raised beef on the menu. Our baker is using our turkey red wheat, which we mill here at the farm. Bloody butcher cornbread is on the menu, too.
HAPPENINGS AT THE HOMESTEAD
The CBD hemp is in the barn, at the extractor, or at the candy company, where we make our full spectrum CBD products. We are happy to mail these to you or you can pick them up at local brick and mortar stores. Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we are ready with several sweet CBD and hemp gifts for your Valentine, available online at Laura’s Mercantile. Finally, please let me hear from you. Email me at Laura@laurasmercantile.com or simply reply to this email with any ideas or concerns.
