In the meantime, here is some kidding trivia for you to ponder:

• Goat gestation is 150 days.
• Goats usually give birth to twins or triplets, although first-time fresheners typically have only 1 kid.  Last year one of our does gave birth to quadruplets - a first at Asgaard!
• Kids can stand up as quickly as 15 minutes after they're born.  Sometimes their legs are crooked and wobbly due to their position in utero.  After a day or two, the tendons and ligaments tighten up and the legs are perfectly normal.
• Kids are born with teeth, but you may be surprised to know that a goat's mouth has no upper front teeth - just a hard dental pad.

2012 SEASON

Asgaard Farm & Dairy is recruiting up to 4 apprentices/interns for the 2012 season.  There are opportunities at this diversified family farm to work either on the general farming side of the business or in the creamery making Asgaard's award-winning cheeses.

Farming:  Apprentices/interns will participate in a broad range of activities, including multi-species rotational grazing (goats, cattle, layers, broilers, pigs); feeding, monitoring, and caring for the animals; milking the goats; on-farm chicken processing; egg production; grain and hay production; helping with farmers markets; maintenance and repair of buildings and equipment; and working in the garden.

Previous farm experience and familiarity with farm equipment are desirable, although not required.  Individuals will be working mostly outdoors in variable weather conditions and must be able to lift 50 pounds.

Individuals may seek latitude to research and employ new farming practices with guidance and approval from the owners.

Cheese Making:  Apprentices/interns will be involved in all aspects of the dairy, including cleaning and sanitizing equipment, milking the goats, transferring milk, pasteurizing milk, producing pasteurized and raw milk cheeses, caring for aged cheeses, packaging finished cheeses, and managing the creamery environment.  Individuals may also be called upon to help with farmers markets and work in the garden.

Previous food science training or culinary experience (including familiarity with cheese/cheese making) is desirable, although not required.  A high level of attention  to detail is crucial. Individuals must be able to lift 50 pounds.

Individuals may seek latitude to research and develop new cheese/dairy products with guidance and approval from the owners.

This could turn into a permanent position for the right person.

All apprentices/interns will be involved in regular staff meetings to set priorities, establish work plans, and discuss/solve problems.  Visits to other farms and agricultural enterprises will be encouraged and facilitated.

Hours: The workload and schedule will fluctuate according to seasonal variations in farming activities and market demand for cheese. Hours will sometimes be long and irregular.  Late spring, summer, and early fall tend to be most demanding; the rest of the year less so.  Preference will be given to those who can commit to working a minimum of 10 weeks during the height of the summer season.  An assignment running from May 1 through November 30 would be ideal.

Compensation:  Comfortable housing on the farm (if required) in a charming, pastoral setting.  Two dwellings, each featuring 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, eat-in-kitchen, and living room with shared laundry facilities.  Access to food raised on the farm (chicken, pork, beef, chevon, eggs, goat milk, goat cheese, vegetables).  Hourly wages based on experience.

All apprentices/interns should possess a strong work ethic, cooperative nature, and positive "can do" attitude.  This is a chance to work at a well-regarded farm with a cohesive and highly motivated group of people who are passionate about healthy, delicious food that comes from sustainable, local agriculture.

Please email your resume along with a statement of why you are interested in one or both of these opportunities to rhonda@asgaardfarm.com by March 15, 2012.

The Emerson House at Asgaard Farm & Dairy is available for your next Adirondack vacation.  Come experience life at the historic estate of Rockwell Kent, well-known artist, writer, adventurer, political activist and farmer.

The Emerson House was designed and built by Kent in the 1930s, originally for his son Rocky. It eventually became the home of Gladys and Tink Emerson, who managed Asgaard for more than four decades and raised their family here. In recognition of their years of hard work and devotion to the farm, we have carefully renovated their house, so it can be appreciated and enjoyed well into the future.

Today Asgaard is a diversified family farm with a goat dairy and creamery at its core. Revolving around these activities are grass-fed and grass-finished beef together with pastured pork, poultry and eggs. You may be able to help with some of the farm work during your stay in The Emerson House, or you may choose to relax and watch from a distance. In either case, you will surely gain an appreciation for the sustainable agricultural practices that lead to healthy, delicious food. Kent devotees may also soak up the magic of the stunning landscape that inspired many of his paintings as well as the ambiance of his secluded studio, still on the property in its original condition.

Beyond the boundaries of Asgaard, the Adirondack region offers a wide variety of year-round recreational and cultural pursuits. Options range from world-class fly fishing on the Ausable River, Olympic skiing at Whiteface Mountain and spectacular hiking in the High Peaks to current and classic movies at the Champlain Valley Film Society, concerts at the acclaimed Meadowmount School of Music and tours lead by Adirondack Architectural Heritage. The area also boasts several fine restaurants with cuisine featuring local ingredients.

The Emerson House is fully equipped and available throughout the year for weekend and short-term rentals. Accommodations include two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, a spacious entrance, sunny kitchen, open sitting room and half bath on the ground floor and a full basement with laundry facilities. There is a barbeque grill next to an outdoor dining area. Cheeses, meats, eggs and vegetables produced on the farm can also be provided.

Call or email farmstay@asgaardfarm.com to reserve The Emerson House for a vacation unlike any other.

You know you're farming hard when your summer newsletter doesn't go out until the first day of fall!  Here's a belated update on the happenings at Asgaard Farm & Dairy this past season.

Premier: Small Farm Rising

Mountain Lake PBS presents Ben Stechschulte’s exciting new look at small farms in the Adirondacks, with a focus on Fledging Crow, Essex Farm and Asgaard Farm & Dairy.  The movie will premier on Saturday, October 1^st at The Golden Arrow Resort in Lake Placid.  RSVP TODAY to attend the event, or catch the movie on PBS at 9 pm on October 6^th or at the Willsboro Central School on November 12^th under the auspices of the Champlain Valley Film Society.

We're Animal Welfare Approved!

It's official - we've been certified through Animal Welfare Approved for our goats, cows and laying hens.  The AWA program holds the farms it certifies to high standards for the humane treatment of animals.  We are very proud to be recognized for the quality of life we provide for our livestock and know our customers can tell the difference.  Check out AWA’s website for more information at www.animalwelfareapproved.org.

Goat Update

Here at Asgaard, we know that healthy goats make the best cheese, so we stop at nothing to ensure the wellness and happiness of our milking herd, which is largely a function of what the does eat.  Goats are browsers, so in addition to grazing them on our organic pastures, we take them into the woods every day to eat branches, bark and all sorts of leaves.  Just to take our efforts a step further, we worked with a livestock nutritionist this summer to create a custom organic grain blend for our girls when they come into the milking parlor.  This supplement is specifically designed to compliment the pasture and browse our goats consume, so they can have a totally balanced diet and produce the very best milk.

New Calves

Our herd of Devon, Red Angus, and Hereford beef cattle continues to grow with the arrival of 9 calves this season.  The addition of these cute little guys is all the more reason to come take a tour on either Thursday or Saturday at 1 pm.  Kids, especially, love to see the baby animals so feel free to bring any little ones along.

Au Sable Valley Tomme is ready!

Rounding out our selection of farmstead goat cheeses is the return of Au Sable Valley Tomme – an Alpine style cheese made with fresh, raw goat’s milk and aged a minimum of 60 days.  It has a natural, straw-colored rind and delicious nutty flavor.  Our tomme is lovely served on its own with either a soft Pinot Noir or a bright Riesling.  Furthermore, it’s guaranteed to make your mac ‘n’ cheese elegant and unforgettable!

Meat Season Approaches

As the summer season comes to a close, we can heartily enjoy the fruits of our labors, including lots of delicious, pasture-raised meat.  We still have two more batches of chickens to harvest, one on September 29^th and the last at the end of October.  Contact us to reserve your broilers, as we will not have chickens available again until June.  However, the first pork from our heritage-breed pigs will be coming back from the butcher at the beginning of next month.  We worked very hard to ensure our pigs had everything they could desire: meals of sprouted wheat (grown here on the farm) mixed with whey from the creamery, mud-pits to lounge in and huge parts of the woods to root up (although every so often the pigs managed to escape their fences and take a stroll down to visit the neighbors).  The payoff will be exceptional pork, which will be for sale during our store hours here at the farm.  In addition, as we did last year, we will be offering a winter meat CSA beginning this January.  Monthly shares will consist of pork, 100% grass-fed and finished beef, chevon, and pastured eggs.  Keep your eyes and ears open for more specific information in the next couple of months, but if you know you definitely want a share, send us an email since space is limited and it will be first come, first served.

Rent the Emerson House

If you’ve come to take a tour this summer, you may have gotten to see the red house adjacent to the back pasture with stunning mountain views.  Known as “The Emerson House,” this beautifully restored 1930s farmhouse will be available for weekend and short-term rentals beginning November 1^st.  If you have friends or family coming to visit for the holidays, consider putting them up here.  They will not only enjoy comfortable accommodations in a gorgeous setting, they will also get to experience a real working farm.  It will be an unforgettable vacation!  Email farmstay@asgaardfarm.com for more details.

Last Farmer’s Markets

The farmers market season is coming to a close, with the Au Sable Forks market already ended and Keene Valley, Lake Placid and Saranac Lake concluding on October 9^th, October 12^th and October 15^th, respectively.    However, your chances for getting farm-fresh food are far from over.  The Lake Placid market will resume on Saturday, October 22^nd inside the LPCA annex and will continue through December 17^th.  In addition, our farm store will remain open on Thursdays from 2 to 6 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm all year round.

Thanks to everyone who made this summer great!

We had quite a busy and successful summer, which we never could have survived without the assistance of some wonderful interns and hired hands.  Although they have left us in order to return to school, both Garth Benway and Trevor Sheehan were a tremendous help, and we are fortunate to have Jenna Burgess, Claire Dilworth, and Caleb Ducharme on board until the end of the year.  We couldn’t have accomplished all that we did this season without the efforts of these awesome, hard-working people.  We also couldn’t have made it through endless hours in the creamery making cheese, or on the tractor getting up hay, or in the barn mucking out pens, or bent over the garden pulling weeds without the support of our customers!  Thanks for your ongoing commitment to local agriculture - we hope it’s as fun and delicious for you as it is for us!

YOU CAN FIND OUR PRODUCTS AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS.

Farm Store:

Thursdays 2pm - 6pm

Saturdays 9am - 1pm

Every other Wednesday beginning January 11, 2012

Plattsburgh Winter Farmers Market

Order online at http://plattsburgh.locallygrown.net:

Products delivered to City Recreation Center, 52 US Oval, Plattsburgh, NY  12901

Every Thursday beginning January 12, 2012

Retailers:

Green Goddess Natural Foods

183 Newman Road

Lake Placid, NY  12946

(518) 523-4676

Green Point Foods

1888 Main St

Keene Valley, NY  120943

(518) 576-9717

Nori’s Village Market

68 Main Street

Saranac Lake, NY  12983

(518) 891-6079

North Country Food Co-op

25 Bridge St

Plattsburgh, NY  12901

(518) 561 5904

Restaurants:

Eat 'n' Meet Grill and Larder

139 Broadway

Saranac Lake, NY  12983

(518) 891-3149

Generations

2553 Main Street

Lake Pacid, NY  12946

(518) 837-5052

The Interlaken Inn

39 Interlaken Avenue

Lake Placid, NY  12946

(518) 523-3180

Lake Placid Lodge

144 Lodge Way

Lake Placid, NY  12946

(518) 523-2700

Left Bank Cafe

36 Broadway

Saranac Lake, NY  12983

(518) 354-8166

Liquids and Solids

6115 Sentinel Road

Lake Placid, NY  12946

(518) 837-5012

Mirror Lake Inn

77 Mirror Lake Drive

Lake Placid, NY  12946

(518) 523-2544