Ovis Hill Farm Specials

Charlie Caldwell of Ovis Hill Farm (1501 Weaver St., Timmonsville) let us in on the following specials

BEEF WINTER SPECIAL For the remainder of January the price of hamburger, stew and roasts will be reduced by 10%! In addition, the price of a ½ or whole cow will be reduced from $3.25/LB to $3.00/LB carcass weight.

LAMB WINTER SPECIAL This week the price of all lamb cuts will be reduced by 10 percent.

If you can't stop by the farm but are in Florence, Charlie has partnered with Naturally Outdoors for a twice weekly farmers market at Naturally Outdoors, 2519 W. Palmetto St., from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

One more reason to eat local

This article is an excerpt from a book I would like to read.

Shopping for apples. At supermarkets in North America and Europe, the choice is restricted to half a dozen varieties: Fuji, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and perhaps a couple of others. Why these? Because they're pretty: we like the polished and unblemished skin. Because their taste is one that's largely unobjectionable to the majority. But also because they can stand transportation over long distances. Their skin won't tear or blemish if they're knocked about in the miles from orchard to aisle. They take well to the waxing technologies and compounds that make this transportation possible and keep the apples pretty on the shelves. They are easy to harvest. They respond well to pesticides and industrial production. These are reasons why we won't find Calville Blanc, Black Oxford, Zabergau Reinette, Kandil Sinap or the ancient and venerable Rambo on the shelves.

Our choices are not entirely our own because, even in a supermarket, the menu is crafted not by our choices, nor by the seasons, nor where we find ourselves, nor by the full range of apples available, nor by the full spectrum of available nutrition and tastes, but by the power of food corporations.

Makes me want to hit the Pee Dee Farmers Market for some local food selections. The food will be fresh, fragrant and tasty, plus the money will stay in our economy to help our community.

How about you?

Ovis Hill Farm/Naturally Outdoors Farmers Market

Saturday we finished the first round of shearing (the woolliest of the woolies) and of course had a cold rain that night. Jonathan left enough wool so that the freshly shorn did OK, even though they no doubt were a little chilly. Jonathan and his son Ben will be back in several weeks to finish up and we will let you know when so that you may visit. We are grateful for the many kindnesses shown by our customers to us and to other customers. We feel very Blessed. We do need help setting up and/or running our farmers market as well as the farm store, so if anyone has time and interest for helping please let me know. Helping with set up takes about 30 minutes and is a huge help. Please share any ideas you may have on ways to improve the way we serve you.

Come visit us Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at NATURALLY OUTDOORS, 2519 W Palmetto St., Florence
We will have an even better supply of wonderful fresh green and yellow vegetables!! There should be a good selection of beef, free range chicken, and lamb. There should be a good supply of eggs, milk and cheese. Grains and raisins are back!
“SCRATCH AND DENT” SALE: 25% off marked price! Please look for a cooler with chicken and beef packages that have lost their vacuum. The cause is usually a hole, usually so small it cannot be seen, that allows in air and moisture. Because the packages are stored at zero there is no freezer burn and even though there is nothing wrong, their appearance is not good. Our family has used them for years with excellent results.
NEW VEGETABLES: We’ll have a limited supply of new yellow squash and zucchini as well as good supply of greens although some are still in limited quantities: black seed simpson lettuce, spinach, tendergreens, baby collards, onions, baby garlic, maybe baby onions and garlic. There will be a few bags of shelled sweet peas, and lots of sweet snow peas that you just eat shell and all!
MILK and EGGS: We have a good supply of white and chocolate milk, buttermilk, and eggs!
COFFEE: Aroma Underground has closed but with Wes Andrews help we will continue to offer Larry’s fair trade and organic coffee by the bag. As last week, we plan to brew an urn of coffee for a complimentary cup. Last week we used Larry’s Costa Little Ricky. Please come have a cup of coffee with us.
PET FOOD: We have a supply of the Oaklyn Plantation (David White) ground chicken pet food at $2.50/LB. Please let me know if you want me to bring it to market.
BEEF, LAMB AND CHICKEN: We have a very good selection of hamburger, roasts, stew, flanks, and a few steaks! This week we will have a very good supply of lamb! The mutton sausage did very well and we will produce more. We have a few chicken breasts and plenty of drumsticks, wings, maybe some other cuts, whole birds and cut up whole birds
FARM VISIT: You are welcome to visit our farm store. Hours are 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Tuesday through Thursday, and 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Friday and Saturday. To visit at other times, please call 843-992-9447 for appointment.