Thursday, November 20, 2014

Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Today, waiting for the milk man is full of much more anticipation than usual.  That's because there will be some Graeter's ice cream pints on the delivery truck today!  We have reordered Black Raspberry Chip, their most popular flavor!




Graeter's is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has been making gourmet ice cream using the "French Pot" process since the early 1920's.   According to Graeter's website, it is the only ice cream manufacturer in the world using French Pot freezers to produce its ice cream.   These batches are each only two gallons, which is also the smallest batch in the industry.  If you have not yet tried their ice cream, it is most delicious!  It is quite a bit more expensive than other brands of ice cream, but each pint is hand packed with high quality ice cream made in small batches.  You will notice the difference in taste and also the heft of the pint container!


Having spent about ten years in Cincinnati beginning in the mid 1970's, I have enjoyed eating Graeter's ice cream made locally. When I relocated to Columbus, it was several years before a Graeter's franchise location appeared on the scene.  I was thrilled!  Still nothing beats the fond memories of sitting at the little round marble tables at the Graeter's ice cream and candy shop in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati and enjoying a couple of scoops of double-chocolate chip ice cream in a hand-made waffle cone.


I hope you will stop by the Homer Village Market and pick up a pint of Graeter's ice cream!  Other flavors we sometimes stock include the Mocha Chocolate Chip, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip (formerly known as double-chocolate chip), and Coconut Chocolate Chip.  These "chips" are more like chunks of rich, dark chocolate.   If you visit Graeter's website, you can view the video of their French Pot process of making ice cream and you will see how the chocolate chips are introduced to the recipe!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Deer Hunting Season

Licking County, Ohio, is a favorite destination for deer hunters from all over the country. The deer population is large, and the rural landscape provides a great habitat.

Area farmers are still in process of harvesting crops, so the deer still have plenty of cover. This can be frustrating for hunters in their tree stands in the fence row along the edge of the fields. Sometimes it may seem as though more deer are crossing the highways than are seen in the fields and woods!

Serious hunters will set up their stands early and begin watching for patterns of the herds of deer. Some will even put a "trail camera" or "deer cam" near their tree stand to see when the deer are most active.

Here is a picture of the buck harvested in November 2013 on our farm by our friend Dave, an experienced, licensed deer hunter we permit to hunt there.



Dave monitored he activity of the herds earlier in the season.  To maintain a good population of deer for hunting, Dave will not target any female (doe) deer or young males (bucks).

The trail cameras this year have captured photos of some large bucks as well as young families of deer, some even still nursing.  We will post some photos of the herds as well as the harvest later in the season.

Happy Hunting!  We welcome hunters to stop by the Homer Village Market when they emerge from the woods!