Tom and Beth O'Toole


farmers/producers

Welcome 2021

It is a new year! We have been so grateful to all of our JDLF customers for helping to make this on-line local market a success. We have been pleased to be working with all the amazing vendors since JDLF started in 2018. We have restocked our beef supply for January 2021 and our new pullets should be laying the first chicken eggs within a month or so! Tom is also building a new hen house on wheels for better access to the pastures this summer and we plan to try some of the electric net fencing to keep them safe from predators. We are planning to raise more meat chickens this summer and I may add some new food and gift items. May the Lord bless each and every one of you in this New Year!
Tom & Beth O'Toole and our new puppy, Ziva!

Thank you, thank you to our loyal customers!

Tom and I are especially grateful to all of you who purchase our beef and eggs through JDLF. We strive to provide you with healthy, quality grass-fed beef and eggs from our organic-fed chickens. We are so thankful to sell to you, our JDLF customers and friends. A side benefit is the financial compensation, as Beth left her off-the-farm church secretary position in March when COVID-19 changed how we all lived. The multiplied sales from JDLF has been a huge help in providing financially for us. However, the increase in sales means that we are not able to keep our beef in stock. There will be a few months without O'Toole beef but Arnold's Farm is adding more beef choices to his listings. We hope everyone had a chance to view the video that Tom Arnold made about his meat chickens. It was really excellent! We also are raising some chickens that we will be offering on JDLF this fall. Like our hens, these chickens receive organic grower feed. Today, the chicks moved outside.

Southwest Sirloin Dinner Salad

I am always on the look out for quick meals in the summertime. My latest go-to is the Dinner Salad with variations. Today, I used Chicago Steak Seasoning, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, and Red Pepper to one side of a Bone-In Sirloin steak and let it rest in the fridge until time to cook. Then, I heated the grill to HOT, cooked for 4 minutes on one side, flipped the steak and cooked another 4 minutes. We like a little pink in the middle! I brought it inside and while the meat rested, I arranged two kinds of lettuce and some spinach from the garden onto two plates. I added some new onions, bell pepper slices, and cherry tomatoes. Next, some warmed black beans and blackened corn kernels. Now, time to slice the meat into strips across the grain and place on the greens. I added some shredded cheese and a homemade Lime Ranch dressing. The only thing missing was the avocado! For future meals I would change it up by using chicken instead of beef; adding hard boiled eggs, additional veggies, nuts, dried fruits, or fresh fruit. There is no right or wrong and Tom loves these salads. In other news, our beef should be back in stock again soon!

Hens are on the move!

Moving Day 2020!

We know that spring is finally here when the chicken flock can leave the winter fenced garden "quarantine" and head to the pasture! They made the move on Monday morning. The hens had plenty of space in the garden to look for bugs and run around but they had cleared the garden trash all the way down to the dirt and they were not happy. After moving, their chirps and sounds are different- softer and calmer. Since they have been let out onto fresh grass, they are giving more eggs than usual. They sound and act much happier. Probably like most of us will sound and act when we can leave our homes and enjoy some freedom and green spaces again.

Crazy Times!

We are living in historic times with the efforts to contain and slow a rampaging virus. This has caused some folks to become anxious and fearful, some to buy out the products in the stores, and some to welcome the slower pace of being home bound. Whatever your reaction is to this national crisis, there are still meals to be created. We have almost sold out of ground beef so I am listing some new products that are less expensive cuts. Short ribs have meat attached to rib bones and are delicious but should be roasted or put in a crock pot. Beef heart is high in minerals and antioxidants. I cube the meat and add it to stews. Speaking of stews, a Round steak can make several meals from one package - use it in Stroganoff and Swiss steak.

Eggsizing News!

Tom and I are pleased to be Local Egg Producers for JDLF. It starts, of course, with purchasing day old chicks and raising them to an adult chicken. Tom feeds organic, non-antibiotic, commercial feed to our chickens. Young female chickens are called "pullets". When pullets begin laying eggs, the eggs are usually a small size - either peewee or smalls. As the chicken ages, her eggs typically become larger. The size of egg is also determined by breed genetics. We have hens that are large egg layers by breed. Our Buckeye chickens began laying peewee eggs this winter and within a few weeks were laying some small eggs. This week we did not get even one small egg - they are now medium-sized! After collecting the eggs, Tom puts them in older cartons and stores them in the egg fridge in our basement. On Monday nights, the fun begins. All the eggs some out of the fridge, they are washed in a natural solution to remove any dirt and manure. Then, they are rinsed in warm water and laid out to dry on towels. Beth attempts to arrange the rows of eggs by size. When dry, Tom candles each egg by holding it up to a special light that shows the interior of the egg. We are looking for an egg sack and for any imperfections - like a yoke that rolls around or cracks in the shell. The size of the egg sack determines the Grade and the Grade of egg determines the Sell By Date. As Tom determines that the eggs are good, they are put in new cartons. When all the eggs are candled, we weigh each carton to determine the size of egg that we are selling. The State of Illinois provides guidelines for egg size by weight. Then, we attach the labels that are required, the eggs go back in the fridge, and Beth updates the website.

Winter Changes

As I write this news story on January 1, 2020, I am thankful for our mild winter so far. This latest dusting of snow is so pretty but it isn't keeping me at home. Deeper snows a few years ago made negotiating our driveway a real challenge. The challenge our family is facing as we begin a new year is the health of my father, Walter, who lives with us. He has been able to be so active and a very important part of our farm enterprise for 13 years. We have seen a change in his health this year and he is starting the New Year in the hospital. We hope he will be back with us very soon.
Another change is taking place in the hen house. In the summer, we move the chicken coop around the pasture to follow the rotation of the cows. We move the chicken coop down to the fenced garden near the house in the winter. For some reason, our chickens are very distracted out in the pasture and their egg production is less than we would like. However, in the winter, their production picks up and we have more eggs to sell. We have a few older Buff Orpington hens and they lay mostly extra large eggs. The middle-aged Barred Rock hens and the Black Australorps, that started laying earlier this fall, lay most of the medium and large eggs. Our newest layers, the Buckeyes, just began giving us perfect, tiny Pee Wee eggs. Another nice thing about our mild winter is the chance to graze the cows on hay ground that couldn't be cut this summer due to the wet. Saving us baled hay is a nice change. What changes are you experiencing in 2020?

Fresh Pasture

Tom has a daily routine with the cows in the pasture. He sets up new wire lines and takes down the electric wire back fences to move the cows to fresh pasture daily. Cows like routine. I was able to go along one evening to watch. The cows watch Tom's routine too and when he reaches the point of spooling up the dividing wire to allow them to enter the fresh pasture, there is a lovely ritual as the lead cow, Adora, begins to move toward the opening. With little pushing and shoving, the whole group begins to flow onto the new grass, noses down, tails flicking. The only sounds are the movements of the hooves on the ground and the munching noises of contented animals. Big and little, they seem to pour into the new pasture, respecting Tom as he rolls up the wire and walks past them.

Spring

I think we all look forward to spring. We long for the warmer breezes, the greening shoots of grass and the hardy flowers that pop up so early in the season. It is a cheerful time. The O'Toole farm is rejoicing over new calves and welcomed 25 Black Australorp baby chicks to the brooder in the barn. Tom and I are people of faith. We believe in the Biblical teachings of Christ and his willingness to give his life for ours. He took our punishment and gave us his righteousness. Easter time has a special meaning because of his death, burial, and resurrection, and the movement from the death of winter to the new birth of the spring is a lovely reminder of the root of our faith. If you would like to come out to the farm and see the calves and chicks, give us a call or send an email.

Beautiful Snowy Scenes

This weather can be very challenging but oh, so beautiful. The challenge for us is a long, steep driveway. I often need chains on the front tires of my car to make it it to the top. We do not receive many visitors after the snow falls. Frigid temperatures should be respected and care needs to be taken to provide for the livestock and for the farmer. Tom adds layers of clothing, as needed, in order to safely get out in below-zero temps to feed and water the cattle and chickens. He also shovels a path and exercise area in the garden for the chickens. When there is little wind and the sun is out, they are in and out of the house frequently. Oddly enough, the hens seems to be laying more eggs now than during the summer months. This photo was from a few years ago but it is one of my favorites!