As the saying goes "like one hog waits on another"!
We are working at ya might say “closing the loop” as much as possible when it comes to food. Saying that is one thing doing it is another. Not only do you have to be a savy marketer, you need to be a low cost producer to win it in the long haul.
This particular group of pigs entertained thousands of folks during the fall corn maze and pumpkin picking season running for Oreo’s, but now they are back on the home farm being the “Biggers Gainers”!
NASHOG race pigs at Maize Valley
We are trying to raise a great tasting product in an efficient and responsible way. We give these pigs lots of space, good food, and fresh air and sunshine. I hope to bale the crop in the picture about and the video below that we would normally just waste. I plan on using the sorghum/corn mix that was once a haunted corn maze for winter bedding and feed for hogs too.
Haunted Maze, Waiting on the "killing freeze"
In the summer time we raise 52 different crops on about 700 acres. Everyday during the growing season we have crops both harvested and left in the field that we cannot make use of that make great pig feed.
Concord grapes for jam and Red Neck Red!
From Grapes to Garlic, from Swiss Chard to Sweet Corn, ya never know what is coming up down on the farm.
Garlic Festival at Shaker Sq.
That is the efficient part, that is where you make your profit. Because “profit” is what makes a farmer, “sustainable”! Well this batch of “little piggies” has “gone to market” but we will be having more on the way fed right here on our farm where you can buy direct from this grower so give us a look! Take care.
2010 saw Maize Valley Farm Market and Winery go to its very first garlic festival. The very first Cleveland Garlic Festival was held in September by the North Union Farmers’ Market and were invited!
Size Matters! ?
Great food, live music, even “Miss Garlic”? Oh and garlic too.
Miss Garlic, uh she's on the right...
Did I say there was garlic there? We loaded our truck with about 300 lbs. of garlic, shallots, Red onions and a whole host of canned garlic products such as, galic stuffed olives and hot pickled garlic.
Tastes like garlic
Some of the Ohio Wine and More blog post from Maize Valley Farm Market and Winery focus on different things. We will put our wines up against any in the state from dry reds to sweet fruits. But we focus a great deal on the partnership with food too. Not only food you buy but what we grow too. It is important to us to be real. No we don’t do everything or raise everything we sell or produce but as much as makes sense to do we give it a shot.
Memories to last a lifetime
You are what you eat it has been said. No you don’t want to be a giant clove of garlic but just think about it. Doesn’t it make sense within reason to eat more foods that are closer to what our human bodies have become used to over the generations? In general less processed, whole foods eaten in a balanced diet of vegtable and animal protein are benificial to you.
Here is our garlic patch from 2010, about 10,000 set. For 2011 it is about twice as large. We sold all of last years crop and have added more as well as some new varities too.
At Maize Valley we make great wine fun. And We like to help you take that fun home too! Yes right now we are making plans for next years crop and event season but right now we are delivering the the goodies for the Christmas season.
So if it is a case of wine or a case of Pappy’s homegrown peppers we have you covered! Merry Christmas!
What coming up down on the farm? Just one more step for us at Maize Valley as we try and shift our crop production to what we see as new opportunities.
Just a few years ago we were farming over 3000 acres, milking about 150 head of Holestiens, and running a diverse ag supply business. What started as throwing some sweet corn seed in the 12 row corn planter on the last round of the spring planting season grew into a direct marketing enterprise and the rest is well…history.
This new greenhouse will join three others in helping us in our efforts to extend our growing season here in Northeast Ohio and produce a greater variety of crops.
We direct market these crops at area farmers’ markets but also serve them in our entrees’ in our winery cafe’ and also through our monthly “Vintner Dinner” series.
Raised Beds plastic after hole is punched and plant inserted
One row of about 50 acres
My father in law Kay running the John Deere 6400
Part of growing all the quality produce we do on the farm at Maize Valley is preparing a good solid foundation for our crops to grow in. Part of that involves what are called raised irrigated beds. We grow about 200 acres of “fresh market produce”. Of that about 50-60 acres is grown using this method. We still farm about a total of 700 acres including hay, soybeans, pumpkins, sweet corn and more.
That is what sets Maize Valley apart I guess as far as a retailer in this day and age. I guess we take pride in being the real deal in all aspects we can. The man on the tractor in the video is Kay my father in law. His family has farmed here since the 1800′s and today we are still trying to raise products and market them to stay current and of value to today’s consumers.
We don’t just haul something in repackage it and put it out we try and craft something from raw materials and add value as we do. In the process we employee people, like Galen who is in the video who has worked with us for over 20 years. We break stuff, buy parts, pay taxes, build things and just try and make it through to the next generation.
We appreciate you stopping by and visiting with us here. But we hope we gave you enough reason to stop by the farm market and winery and even spend some more time with us.
It has been a pretty warm and dry spring so far. You never know if that is a good thing or not. It is great to get out and get some work done early but also if it get too warm too early bad things can happen too. Such as an early bud break in the vineyard that leads to all sorts of problems. Last year we got frozen in late May and that pretty much killed the grape harvest for the year.
We have lots on tap this year in the way of locally produced vegtables, fruit, wine and good times at Maize Valley so keep in touch, and come and see why Maize Valley IS the place to BE!
From weddings at the “Ballroom” to raising greenhouse crops, and winter farmers’ markets and a record setting year in the winery tasting room and cafe’ It has been a busy winter! My father in law Kay is gearing up for a HUGE season at the farmers’ market where it looks like at least nine markets a week for us. Wine tastings from Geneva to Dayton to Sandusky and more will keep us occupied too. Plus all the great special events from years past plus a few more are on the horizon as well. You need to stop out and see why we say “Maize Valley IS the placet To BE!
I have been busy working our face book and twitter pages too so this blog sort of got the “hind tit” approach as they say in the world of raisin’ Hogs! But all in all it has been a good winter too. Not too terrible cold with lots of snow cover really helped the grapes and they are looking fine. Now we just have to get through the rest of the spring and past any late frosts in May and we will be sitting pretty.
The video below is just one small snapshot of what is coming this summer at Maize Valley. Thanks for stopping by!
Wines paired with the dinner are boxed and ready to go!
January 21 saw the first of our Vintner’s dinners at Maize Valley for 2010. They are reservation only dinners limited to 40 persons held on the third Thursday of every month. The menu and recipie for each dinner can be found by visiting our website. Reservations can be made by calling or e-mailing us in either case be sure to get a confirmation.
New wines, new food, new friends is how we like to put it for this event series. Our focus is on introducing guests to new wines and pair them with foods we feel are complementary. We hope our guests also meet new friends and enjoy learning more about food and wine along the way.
We try to feature items on the menu we either grow or source as local as possible while still maintaining high standard of quality. During the evening we explain a little about the pairings as well as some of the history surrounding our winery and family farm. Sometimes we just talk about the food other times we might even tell a story about how the Vaughan family has made a living with the land here in Marlboro township since the 1800′s. They have been school teachers, leather tanners, and farmers, you never know what might come to mind.
So please stop on by sometime, sit a spell, but no don’t take your shoes off, this is just a bit higher end than that!
A little clove all tucked in for a long winters nap
Planting garlic
I have to say one thing about my father-in-law Kay, when get tries something he tries it big. Almost a quarter acre of garlic, REALLY! Well at least we will have a “Vampire free zone”or is that Werwolf Free ?! I remember when we row covered almost 8 acres of melons years ago for our first go around with melons, whoops! Worked good till the wind blew it off and we had kites the size of football fields.
Anyhow the point is we are not afraid to try new things at Maize Valley. I got Kay started more on these crops a few years ago when I asked him “do you want to try some farmers’” markets and he said yes. Well we needed to learn to grow a whole new mix of crops to adapt and succeed at direct markets.
New crops, smaller plantings, wider varities all came into play as we moved forward in this are and the garlic is just one example. Stop in our farm market and winery next year, we are going to have PLENTY of garlic!
Under the road and to trail center to the farmers' market we go....
Approach to the Happy Days Trail Center
Tim and Brett selling the goods!
Lots of vendors to choose from
If you look at the last Maize Valley Ohio Wine and More blog post you could see the process that we use to grow some crops in the winter time in Ohio. Now don’t get me wrong I have no illusion we are making any money yet at this venture. This is still in the research and development phase, but you have to start somewhere!
We are learning experimenting trying new things that is what entrepreneurs do, it is in our blood! We have learned a great deal already and it is allowing us to make some future investment decisions based upon data collected. This is all we do, no off farm jobs, no retirement income, no gov’t support we run very tight and hard.
We are just practical producers trying to make a living with the land in a responsible manner that sustains our families and provides for future generations. My wifes family has been here since the late 1800′s and I don’t want to mess that up! So with my father-in-laws support we started trying farmers’ markets again a few years ago and this is the latest chapter in that journey.
If you take the time to look through past blog posts here in this Ohio Wine and More blog you will see it is quite a journey!
Thanks to Beth Knorr and Darwin Kelsey who are the main contacts we have the CVCC for their efforts in starting and helping to develop the farmers’ market.
Here are some pictures and videos showing last Saturdays market organized by the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservacy. It is held in the park at the Happy Days Trail center. There are links to learn more via the pictures above just hover and click.
