Beginning this month, farmer Dean Carlson will open his Wyebrook Farm of Honey Brook to the public and offer one of his first groups of “Freedom Rangers,” his grazing chickens, for purchase.
Wyebrook Farm, a sustainable 355-acre oasis, strives to carefully chose animal breeds that will perform well on its pasture, and much of the raised products are limited by the natural, seasonal constraints of traditional farming, and offerings literally change with the seasons.
Carlson, a former bond trader, purchased Wyebrook Farm a year and a half ago in Chester County, to supply the area with hand-butchered, pasture-raised meats, and free-change chicken and eggs, 100% grass-fed beef and heritage breed pigs. The farm will raise two types of chicken: for meat and for eggs. The “layer hens” are New Hampshire Reds, Barred Rocks and Ameraucanas. They will move through the fields behind the cattle in a mobile henhouse, foraging for food, which results in a more nutritious and flavorful egg.
The “broiler chickens,” called Freedom Rangers, are raised in accordance to the prestigious French Label Rouge program, which enforces respecting animal welfare and environmental protection. The group of Freedom Rangers will be roughly 100, which will be sold at $4 per pound, varying in sizes. The average bird will be about four pounds. Guests may request for their order to be quartered or splatchcocked (butterflied by removing the backbone for easy grilling), before vacuum sealing. Eggs from the layer hens will also be available at $4 per dozen. Reservations can be made by emailing the farmer Carlson at [email protected].
Chicken and eggs will be also be available to the public at a first-come, first-serve basis. In September, another 400 birds will be processed. Throughout the fall, the cows and pigs will retail in quarter, half and whole portions. Much of the cattle, including Devon, Red Angus, Scottish Highlands and other predominately Devon crosses, come from Lakota Ranch in Virginia and are from the Certified Devon Beef program. Like the cattle, the pigs at Wyebrook are all heritage breeds (including purebred Ossabaw, Ossabaw/Tamworth, Ossabaw/Berkshire, and Ossabaw/Old Spot crosses.
For more information about Wyebrook Farm, visit www.wyebrookfarm.com, on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter by clicking here.
