View from the Farm: May 2025

Spring is symbolic period of rebirth and new growth, and that has been true around here so far this year. Lots of baby animals are growing into roles that older ones are headed out of, new plants are filling in spaces after the old ones are cleared out of the way, and our vision for the future is evolving and taking shape.

We made a very long day trip to Western Pennsylvania for a great deal on this bale wrapper.

Easy Steak Burritos

From: Noah Langford

Ingredients:

1 (or more) packet(s) Hill Place Signature Taco Seasoning Blend

1 large steak, such as a Hill Place sirloin

Favorite burrito toppings/veggies (tomatoes, onions, cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, lettuce, salsa, etc)

Directions:

Several hours before you want to eat, prepare your steak. Trim off any silver skin or excess fat. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat, covering both sides. Place in a covered container and put it back in the fridge until you're ready to cook. If you meat is especially tough, adding an acid to this step couldd be helpful as well. 

Cook your meat on a hot griddle or grill, until it is your desired doneness (though rarer is usually better for this application). After meat is done, let rest and then cut into thin 1/2 inch or so) on the diagonal. 

Get out your tortillas, and place all your fillings in. To close the tortilla, fold one side over, then both ends. Wrap the other side around the whole thing. Take your assembled burrito and place it seam side down on the hot griddle. Flip if after a few minutes, this should give you a finsihed product that is toasty on both sides, and melt any cheese you might have put in. 

They're easier to eat if you cut in half first!

The Future of Hill Place Farm

We've been keeping a secret about a pretty massive project that has been underway at Hill Place for the last year and a half. As you all know, one of our primary long term goals for the farm is to harvest and sell Christmas trees. We've branched that goal out a bit, and after much research, we're set up growing baby fir trees from seed. This is a slow process, as trees don't grow very fast, but we're really happy with our early results.

Not only will this let us fill our own land with more future Christmas trees, but we also hope to sell the baby trees to other farms and businesses needing a stock of baby trees.

In Memoriam

We are very sorry to say that our daughter's pony, Newt, died suddenly a few weeks ago. Although he was old, his death came as a surprise, though we are relieved that it was nearly as peaceful as ever could have been. 

Newt was the very first large livestock animal we ever bought, way back when we were still busy clearing space in Bennington. He'd been with our family since he was a year old. Not only was he a riding and cart pony for our girls, he also mowed the lawn on a picket, helped us set up our original sugar place by hauling tubing rolls up the hill, and almost gave our sheep a reason to stay in the pasture.

We can't say that he always had a good attitude, he usually didn't, but we can say that we're all going to miss him around the farm.

Derry Hill Clearing

If there is one thing we are not strangers to, it is land clearing. We've never had an excavator to do it with before though! Currently clearing of the Derry Hill side of our property, adjacent to our current horse pasture, is underway.

Chickens in Progress

Our new pullets and our broilers are both growing more every day. It won't be long before we have to add on to our chicken coop to accommodate the newer flock of egg layers. We don't have exact dates yet, but if you would like to put your name in for a whole meat bird, contact us. They're likely to be ready to process early summer.

Say Hi to Leonard when you come for eggs