Big Brother (or sister) is Watching

Every single move here on the farm is closely supervised, monitored, and recorded by a very specialized team. Nothing you can do goes without close scrutiny. There is not a single act, or instance that occurs outside of most of the buildings here at Stone Cross that is not closely followed by our resident flock of chickens.


For over fifteen years we have raised a flock of various breeds of hens. These birds were at first brought on for their superb egg laying ability and we launched our farmer's market career with a steady stream of all natural, free range eggs. With much modern suspicion placed on the term free range with the crazy legal loopholes and technicalities exploited by major factory farming practices I should stress how free these birds are. These birds are never caged, or quarantined. Though they do have a roost with laying boxes that are always open and available, they often prefer to lodge in the rafters of the barn and lay their bounty behind bushes and tool sheds. There is nothing to tie these birds down. They spend most of their time monitoring our cheese creamery hoping for dropped morsels or minding the small grain bin where we keep extra feed for the cow's when they have a sweet tooth and desire a change from there regular pasture salad. To be painfully honest they also enjoy rummaging through the pasture and picking through our herds droppings, a strange act for the non-farm initiated I'm sure, but none-the-less and natural act that provides wonderful egg laying nutrients.

They are constantly following all the human members of the Stone Cross staff around hoping a scrap or tidbit might fall from a bucket or hand into their waiting beaks. The bird with it's side mounted eyes has a strain judgmental look about it as it eerily watches you cross the lawns, fields, and pastures. Their propensity for constant chatter amongst themselves lends to the notion that they may be comparing notes about your activities amongst themselves.

They are odd creatures at times, yet still beautiful, and with a valuable place on the farm. They are always fun to watch, but just remember, they watch back.

Meet Percy Nacho...

On a recent visit to the farm sponsored by feed supplier Alltech, several of their international clients were surprised to discover Percy Nacho. Alltech was taking dairy farmers from Ireland, England, Germany, and Australia around to unique dairy farms in Kentucky to highlight different farm models. The Irish contingent was shocked to discover a dairy farm would have one lowly donkey in with it's Jersey herd. We had to explain that Percy was a vital part of our strategic farm plan. Here in Spencer county the influx of coyote to the area makes for a situation where the herd needs constant protection from intruders. Enter our handsome coyote alarm Percy. A "rescue" donkey from a neighboring farm, Percy sounds his loud honking alarm whenever danger is near, not to mention literally putting his foot down on any would be predators who may enter the field.



He lives and feeds amongst the herd as if he was one of them. Often staying close to the fence, he knows that if he let's you pet him he can be rewarded with an apple or carrot for his vigilance and long hours. Keep up the good work Percy!

Companion's Creek Farm Merger

We are really excited to have our good friend (and cousin) Lee Lafferty and his wife Pat take on the Stone Cross Farm name this year. Lee and Pat's Companion's Creek Farm, has been selling not only their own farm fresh goodies, but also our beef and pork for years at local farmer's markets. As we approach the 2011 market season and take on a third booth at the new Douglass Loop Farmer's Market we have all decided to unite under one banner! This exciting new step for the family will see the Stone Cross brand coming to more hungry mouths here in the Bluegrass while still bringing the great products and charming customer service from Companion's Creek Farm.

Also yours' truly, Adriel Gray (Louisville sales rep, cheese wrangler, head of marketing, web guru, and all around fun guy) will be heading off to the St. Matthews Farmers Market at Beargrass Christian Church to help expand our presence there. I'll be bringing our farmstead cheese for the first time to a farmer's market. It should be a lot of fun, and if you play your cards right I may give you a free taste!

Winter Work

The cold dark days of winter signal a slower pace here on the farm. The chickens spend more time in the coop, cow's huddle close in the field, the cats mound up in a little furry pile in the shed, and our giant farm dog, Bruce, stays close to his blanket draped bed in the back of the barn. This is the time when us old farmers move down to the basement and begin a Stone Cross winter tradition of making our herbal soaps.

We start by heating and stirring lye with rich natural oils like palm and coconut. This oil blend forms the cleansing base to all our soaps. Adding in the specific all natural ingredients that give each of our soaps their unique character we continue to stir mixture. Trust me it takes a lot of elbow grease to make soap, just ask our forearms!

 As the mixture cools and thickens we pour the taffy-like soap into large lined wooden forms. We add the subtle artistic touches here that, once cut, will give each soap a different color pattern and texture. The forms are left to dry and allow the new soap to solidify.

After a few days of drying we empty the large soap cakes from the wooden forms. The cakes are measured, scored and cut to increase the surface area and left for continued drying. The more air reaching the soap the faster the essential oils will dry and stiffen to the eventual bar of beautiful handcrafted soap.

So as you think of the snow covered fields here at Stone Cross this winter, just imagine us keeping warm over a hot pot of fragrant soap, stirring the chill away!

Mayan Cafe!

We are very excited to be selling pork to our good friends at the Mayan Cafe. Head Chef Bruce Ucan is known for his amazing Mayan-Mexican cuisine, and his love of local products. We are happy that Chef Ucan and the gang are featuring our favorite local pork, OURS!

Visit them the next time you're on Market!

Bon Appetit!

High on the Hog!

Here is a great article with Chef Joe Frase of the Blind Pig from this week's Velocity.

Blind Pig is a pork eater's paradise housed in the heart of Louisville's historic Butchertown. Exotic pork recipes, a killer wine and cocktail list, all mixed with a bare bones (pun intended) presentation makes BP the hot new Louisville meat eaters destination du jour. Not to mention it's currently featuring the best local pig's money can buy from right here at Stone Cross Farm!

Bon Appetit!

The Boar's Head!

We here at Stone Cross Farm were very excited to be asked to supply the guest of honor at Midway Christian Church's Epiphany Dinner. Our good friends at Holly Hill Inn did a fantastic job preparing this beautiful 150 pound beast for the celebration of the Boar's Head Feast. We love when our product is cooked perfectly and used for fantastic occasions. It's what good food is all about.