Threshing Day
NOTE: Please note that this event is in Wilmot OH on a farm. It is approximately an hour drive from downtown Cleveland. We are not providing transportation but if you are interested in carpooling, please consider posting something on the Fresh Fork Market facebook page to try to find other customers interested in carpooling.
Besides the farm tour, this was my favorite event we hosted last year. It provided a little bit of everything for everyone. Education for the adults, fun for the kids, and tasty food for all!
This year we hope to make the event another success and our friends at Wholesome Valley Farm are also opening this up to the general public. We have reserved a certain number of seats and secured special programming and opportunities for Fresh Fork Market members and attendeees. Please read below to see what we have included.
The focus of this day's activities is a traditional horse drawn reaping and old fashioned threshing. Threshing is where the seed (berry) is removed from the cereal grain (oats, corn, wheat, rye, etc). In this case, we'll be threshing oats.
At 10:00 AM promptly, our friends at Wholesome Valley Farm will start a short horse-drawn "reaping" demonstration, where the oats are harvested with a horse drawn reaper-binder. The oats will then be fed into a diesel powered antique thresher via forks. The thresher separates the oat berries (similar to harvesting and threshing wheat for flour).
Out the other end comes oat berries. We'll teach you the difference between berries and groats, the nutritonal value of freshly "cracked" or "ground" oats and other cereal grains, and demonstrate the process of putting that product on your table.
Following the threshing event, we'll have a traditional threshing day lunch (Noon) featuring chicken, potatoes, bread, desserts, and more, all prepared by the Amish families participating.
After lunch, various activities will be available for all to participate in at will, including:
- 1:15 PM - lacto-fermentation demonstration discussing what is lacto-fermentation and the nutrtional benefits
- 2:00 PM - a whole-wheat bread baking demonstration
- 2:45 PM - a short canning session, iincluding canned peaches and salsa
- Children's activities including the "pony train" ride, a horse drawn farm tour, and a corn box (similar to a sandbox filled with corn kernals)
Each family will also get to take some goodies home with them. The gift bundle will include a small loaf of freshly baked bread, a dozen eggs, and some fresh veggies from the farm. One gift bundle provided per family.
As for the eggs, the chidlren are invited to collect their own eggs. OK, I guess adults can do it to. Be sure to bring your camera.
Finally, in the afternoon guests are invited to walk the farm and meat some of the animals that are being raised for Fresh Fork Market, including meat chickens, laying hens (eggs), grassfed beef, and pastured pork. OK, sorry about the bad food pun above.
OH, and HERE ARE PHOTOS FROM PREVIOS YEAR'S EVENT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshforkmarket/sets/72157632832555853/