Our Farm

Our farm grows produce like tomatoes and melons naturally, without chemicals. We are located in Lake Country, southeast Wisconsin.

Eggs From Our Hens

We sell pasture raised eggs. You can find us at contact us to reserve your eggs for pick up at the farm.

What Is So Special About Our Pasture Raised Eggs?

Pasture raised eggs are healthier than regular eggs because hens that roam outside produce eggs with more nutrients. These eggs contain up to two to three times more omega-3 fatty acids, three times more vitamin E, and four to six times more vitamin D. The hens get sunlight and eat natural foods like grass, bugs, and worms, which makes their eggs more nutritious.

Better Nutritional Content

These eggs have twice as much omega-3 fats and a better balance of fats with less omega-6
Sunlight helps hens produce eggs with six times more vitamin D
They contain up to seven times more beta-carotene and twice as much vitamin E
B Vitamins: These eggs provide more choline, which is good for brain health and memory.
Less Inflammatory Fats: They usually have about one-third less cholesterol and a quarter less saturated fat
They get good, healthy food, including organic natural scraps from the greenhouse
They get good exercise
They love sunflower seeds as special snacks, especially in the winter
They are cage-free, and free range and move from one pasture to another as weather permits
They have plenty of space in the chicken house which keeps them safe at night
In the chicken house they have a wonderful nesting box from which the eggs roll out into a clean trough for gathering them. The nesting box has red curtains (according to some studies, the color red attracts them)
Their chicken house is moved periodically to give them closer access to fresh ground, which improves their diet and our land
They always get clean water
They are happy chickens and love their care giver. They follow him around when he is outside
They eat bugs and worms outside for additional nutrition (“They eat bugs, not drugs.”)
No antibiotics or hormones are given to them. (We keep our flock under 150 chickens so that legally we aren’t required to give them antibiotics or hormones.)

Better Cooking Quality

Bright Yolks: The diet makes the yolks deep orange and creamy instead of pale yellow.
Firmer Whites: The eggs are fresher and have dense whites that are good for cooking.
Better Flavor: The eggs taste richer and more savory because the hens forage naturally.

Barred Rock and Gold Star Hens | Eggs | Aquaganix Depot — No partridges in pear trees here. Instead we have hens in the apple tree.

Want to know more about the breeds of hens on our farm?

Our Barred Rock hens have large, vaguely triangular-shaped bodies with “sharply defined barred black and white feathers.” These easy to raise and friendly chickens are excellent egg layers, and come from healthy stock. This reliable breed gives us great eggs from our hens.

The Gold Star breed is a hybrid, designed to give us great egg production. Because these chickens are cold hardy and resilient. They have an even-keeled temperament for farm life.

We Grow Watermelons

We grow, harvest and sell watermelons seasonally. We planted several varieties this year which will be available end of summer. Check with us in August to see when our watermelons are ready.

Crimson Sweet – our most popular, the green striped melon that everyone recognizes from their youth

Sugar Baby – smaller personal-sized melons, solid dark green in color, thinner rind, red inside, and sweet, too

Orange Tendersweet – These orange flesh melons have a flavor that is reminiscent of honey. It mild but sugary flavor makes it perfect for pickier eaters who might not love a stronger taste. The fruit itself has a nice crunch is plenty juicy

Jubilee – These are large, elongated melons known for their finely-textured, bright pink-red flesh and deliciously sweet taste. The tough rind has dark green stripes on a light green background.

What Goes Into Our Melons

Sandy soil is a plus for growing melons. However, fields soaked from melting snow and the possibility of late frost (here in SE Wisconsin) prevent early Spring planting.

Planting

The greenhouse helps us get a head start. We plant approximately 2/3 of the melons indoors. When they grow to 4-5 inches tall, they are transplanted into the field, 3 or 4 plants in each mound depending on their variety and relative size. (By this time, usually, the field has been dry enough to plow under once more to accommodate these transplants.)

The other 1/3 of our total melon plants, sown directly into the field at the same time the transplants are introduced, will help stagger the ripening time of the melons. We only risk seeding 1/3 directly into the field, as it is impossible to predict how long our summer weather will last. We can’t count on them, but if we experience more hot and sunny days at the end of August into the beginning of September, this third will provide us with a “bumper crop.”

Cultivating and Nurturing without Chemicals

We cultivate each transplant by hand with organic fertilizer and/or manure, and water individually. We tenderly care for each transplant with no chemical pesticides or weed killers. To minimize the weeds, we carefully hoe close to the baby plants, and use a tiller in the larger aisles until the vines are too long to move out of the way.

Protecting without Chemicals

Deer trampling throughout melon season is destructive to the vines. Also, as baby melons appear, they attract more deer who love to munch on them (while they are still small enough to get jaws around them), and crows who enjoy dive-bombing larger melons for a watery refreshment on a hot day. We install electric, solar-powered fencing which intimidates (but does not harm) the deer, and two plastic bobbly-headed owls which we move every two days to convince the crows that they must be real and dangerous.

When we observe spots or other plant damage, natural remedies and organic fungicides come into play. Many new, natural organic-certified products have come on the market, making this task much easier than in the past.