Asparagus Spelt Salad

This Asparagus Spelt Salad is a delightful combination of hearty spelt berries, tender asparagus, and fresh chives, all tossed in a bright lemon dressing. Topped with creamy feta cheese and optional chive blossoms, it’s the perfect light yet filling dish for spring. The nutty spelt pairs wonderfully with the crisp, savory flavors of the vegetables,…

Wool 101 and Shearing Day

(Read all the way to the end for information about our annual Shearing Day open house!) When it’s cold outside, my thoughts turn to wool, and what a great resource it is. Here’s a quick Wool 101 class. Wool is renewable. Sheep are shorn once a year, providing a good supply of new wool all…

This is Soup Weather

This morning as I am typing this, snow is falling. Mike is working on buttoning up the farm a bit—he put away the hay equipment this morning, and is changing the combine head over from grain to corn. The corn is still too wet to harvest, but it’ll get there. I’ll bet you’re busy buttoning…

Summer Refresher Salad

The Summer Refresher Salad is a light and nutritious dish featuring spelt berries, Lina Cisco’s Bird Egg beans, pears, and dried cranberries or raisins. Tossed with a simple balsamic vinaigrette, it’s a refreshing cold salad perfect for warm weather. Summer Refresher Salad Salad: 1/2 cup uncooked spelt berries 1 cup uncooked Lina Cisco's Bird Egg…

Lamb Meatballs | Shady Side Farm | Holland Michigan

Cook from Scratch

One of the things we’ve learned from people at the farmers market is how few people actually cook anymore. It might be a dying skill. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Let me guess—you don’t have 60 minutes each day to spend in the kitchen? Neither do I. Let’s try one or two…

Forever a Farm

Article by Rich C. Lakeberg, Ottawa County Department of Strategic Impact (posted with permission) The West Michigan growing season may not have started yet, but the Ottawa County Agriculture Preservation Board is celebrating a bumper crop after officially protecting its sixth property, Shady Side Farm, with the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. This agreement guarantees…