Welcome!
Gilcrest Natural Farm is dedicated to producing delicious, high quality foods. We specialize in pasture raised chicken and beef, free range eggs and some occasional heirloom vegetables. We do not use any synthetic pesticides, growth stimulants, hormones or antibiotics on our pasture, gardens or for our livestock.
We grow great food in nature's backyard.
This page contains:
FAQ's about our farm
We grow great food in nature's backyard.
This page contains:
FAQ's about our farm
Sticky Crockpot Drumsticks - a favorite new crockpot recipe!
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 lbs. chicken drumsticks, skinned if desired
1 chopped onion
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine salt and all the spices. Rinse drumsticks and pat dry with paper towel. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, skin side and bone side, making sure it is evenly distributed and pressed down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal, place in a baking pan to catch any drips, and refrigerate overnight.
Place the onions in the bottom of a 4 quart crockpot and top with
the chicken and spices. Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours until very tender. Serves 8-10. From busycooks.about.com Enjoy!
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 lbs. chicken drumsticks, skinned if desired
1 chopped onion
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine salt and all the spices. Rinse drumsticks and pat dry with paper towel. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, skin side and bone side, making sure it is evenly distributed and pressed down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal, place in a baking pan to catch any drips, and refrigerate overnight.
Place the onions in the bottom of a 4 quart crockpot and top with
the chicken and spices. Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours until very tender. Serves 8-10. From busycooks.about.com Enjoy!
Our farm: farmers, kids, animals, plants, and fun.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This list is compiled from questions we have been asked over the years. It is sorted in to General Questions, Beef, Poultry and Eggs, and Produce. If you have another question, please ask.
General Questions
How long have you been farming? Gilcrest Natural Farm is in its fifth growing season although we’ve been backyard gardeners our whole lives.
How did your farm get named? The farm is named for my husband Gil.
Why do you farm? The short answer is joy. The long answer would involve long discussions about food quality, sustainability, job satisfaction and education of the next generation.
Do you farm full-time? Amy farms full time, Gil works off-farm as well as on the farm.
How do you supply your farm labor? Our family supplies the majority of the labor. From time to time we will hire a contractor to help us with things we do not have the equipment or expertise to do ourselves.
What is special about your farm? It’s peaceful. I call it the animal spa. Living in natural surroundings and in collaboration with nature creates a balance we have been striving for, well forever.
What is your long-term vision for your farm? This is a continually evolving vision. We close our eyes and picture content, pasture raised animals, bountiful and sustainably raised vegetables and fruits, and we’ve got to get those pecan trees planted…
Beef
How many head of cattle do you have? At any given time we have between 12 and 25 cattle on our pasture. It varies with the season, age of cattle, and customer demand.
Where do you get your animals? What age are they when you get them? We obtain our cattle as young weanlings from local farmers. We certify their methods to meet our standards (a 30 point checklist). We will purchase an animal at the post-weaning and then bring them to our farm to finish raising them for 9 -18 months.
How do you raise these animals? How much access to pasture do these animals get? We raise our beef in a sustainable manner – rotating pastures, using only natural methods to seed and fertilize the pasture, and monitoring their growth and welfare. The animals are on pasture 24/7.
Do you “finish” cattle on a feedlot? For how long? Ish, no way.
How many acres of pasture do you have for your cattle? Our cattle graze 30 acres of pasture and woodlands. We practice rotational grazing on our five (soon to be six!) pastures. Cattle are rotated pasture to pasture depending upon the amount of forage available, weather patterns, and the health and condition of the pasture’s soil.
What do your cattle eat? Our cattle’s diet is pasture based. The grasses on our pasture and hay make up 90-95% of their diet. We also give our cattle limited grain each day, an average of 2-3 lbs per animal per day. We give them some grain for four reasons: 1) it enables us time to check each animal’s health each day as they are eating, 2) it creates a fine marbling in the meat that provides great flavor and ease in cooking, 3) some people detect a “gamey flavor” in strictly grass fed meat and this amount of grain negates that taste, 4) it serves as a delivery system for diatomaceous earth – a natural de-wormer and fly control. Our pasture grasses include fescue, orchard, Bermuda, switch, Johnson grass, red and white clover and the inevitable weeds. By giving the cattle a “salad bowl” of choices they are able to balance their diet and produce flavorful meat.
By feeding a small amount of grain consistently their rumen and digestive system is able to handle this and we do not compromise their health and believe we enhance the end product.
What, if any, hormones or antibiotics are the beef cattle given? We do not give our cattle any hormones or antibiotics. That said, if an animal needed antibiotics to save its life we would administer them. This animal would then be sold at auction and not become part of our salable inventory.
What are the ages of your cattle sent for slaughter? Ideally our cattle are 18-24 months old when they are ready for slaughter and weigh between 1,000-1,200 lbs.
How frequently during the year do you slaughter beef? In order to keep our supply fresh and offer a variety of cuts, we slaughter one to two times per month.
Where are your cattle slaughtered and packaged? Our cattle are slaughtered at Chaudhry Halal in Siler City, NC.
Why did you choose that slaughterhouse? We choose to utilize Chaudhry as our processor for several reasons: We receive a consistent, quality product. We see the same workers there each time we visit – low turnover contributes to well trained staff. Chaudhry maintains a good working relationship with their USDA inspectors and encourages us to interact with them. Any questions or issues we have are readily answered and addressed – they realize they are part of our end product and respect their role in our success.
Who/what company owns the slaughterhouse? Chaudhry Halal is privately owned and operated by Abdul Chaudhry.
What cuts of meat are included in your ground beef?
Our ground beef consists of parts of the sirloin, top and bottom round, shank, shoulder.
What type of testing is done on your meat and at what points in the processing does this occur? The USDA tests each carcass and performs random tests looking for bacteria, toxins, and residue from the animal and in the processing plant. From the USDA website: the FSIS conducts tests for chemicals—including antibiotics, sulfonamides, and various other drugs, pesticides and environmental chemicals—in meat, poultry and egg products destined for human consumption. FSIS also conducts studies to determine presence of contaminants such as dioxin.
Poultry and Eggs
How many animals do you raise? In 2011 we plan to raise 2,500 broilers. We typically have 50-70 laying hens of various ages and two well behaved roosters, Pretty Boy and Willis. Superman, the third rooster, is not behaving and may actually be Lex Luthor.
Where do you get these animals? What age are they when you get them? We get our day old poultry from a hatchery in Pennsylvania. They arrive at our local post office and the workers are always glad I show up at 6am to get them. Peep, peep from 500 chicks can be loud!
How do you raise these animals? How much access to pasture do these animals get? We raise our broilers on pasture and our laying hens are free-range. Each group has five acres of pasture dedicated to them. When we have heritage broilers, these birds also are allowed to free range. We find the older, “true” breeds have better instincts that protect them from predators.
What are these animals fed? What supplements do you use? Each group is fed chicken feed formulated for their growing stage in addition to their pasture diet of grasses and bugs. As chicks, a vitamin supplement is used to supplement the nutritional content of their feed. The layers also receive crushed oyster shell to ensure proper calcium intake.
When are these animals given antibiotics? Never.
When are hormones, steroids, or growth promoters given to these animals? Never.
Are the laying hens force molted? Never. Molting is a natural process that we do not interfere with or manipulate.
How long do the layers stay in your flock? Layers are kept three years, however we have a few pet chickens that will be with us as long as they wish.
Produce
What practices do you use to control pests, disease and weeds on your farm? We use organic methods (we are not certified organic) that include trap crops, companion planting, crop rotation, compost and mulch, organic fertilizers, and we remove plenty of weeds and bugs by hand. (The chickens are happy to help with bug disposal!)
What do you use to rejuvenate soil to keep it healthy and fertile? In times of drought soil fertility is a special challenge. We use compost and aged manure along with crop rotation, cover crops, and rest periods.
What are your thoughts about growing organically? We find growing organically a welcome challenge. We are stewards of our land and want to preserve its viability for generations to come. We specialize in heirloom vegetables and search for varieties that are suited to our climate in order to give them the best chance to succeed. We prefer the taste and nutritional content of organically grown foods and hope our customers do too.
General Questions
How long have you been farming? Gilcrest Natural Farm is in its fifth growing season although we’ve been backyard gardeners our whole lives.
How did your farm get named? The farm is named for my husband Gil.
Why do you farm? The short answer is joy. The long answer would involve long discussions about food quality, sustainability, job satisfaction and education of the next generation.
Do you farm full-time? Amy farms full time, Gil works off-farm as well as on the farm.
How do you supply your farm labor? Our family supplies the majority of the labor. From time to time we will hire a contractor to help us with things we do not have the equipment or expertise to do ourselves.
What is special about your farm? It’s peaceful. I call it the animal spa. Living in natural surroundings and in collaboration with nature creates a balance we have been striving for, well forever.
What is your long-term vision for your farm? This is a continually evolving vision. We close our eyes and picture content, pasture raised animals, bountiful and sustainably raised vegetables and fruits, and we’ve got to get those pecan trees planted…
Beef
How many head of cattle do you have? At any given time we have between 12 and 25 cattle on our pasture. It varies with the season, age of cattle, and customer demand.
Where do you get your animals? What age are they when you get them? We obtain our cattle as young weanlings from local farmers. We certify their methods to meet our standards (a 30 point checklist). We will purchase an animal at the post-weaning and then bring them to our farm to finish raising them for 9 -18 months.
How do you raise these animals? How much access to pasture do these animals get? We raise our beef in a sustainable manner – rotating pastures, using only natural methods to seed and fertilize the pasture, and monitoring their growth and welfare. The animals are on pasture 24/7.
Do you “finish” cattle on a feedlot? For how long? Ish, no way.
How many acres of pasture do you have for your cattle? Our cattle graze 30 acres of pasture and woodlands. We practice rotational grazing on our five (soon to be six!) pastures. Cattle are rotated pasture to pasture depending upon the amount of forage available, weather patterns, and the health and condition of the pasture’s soil.
What do your cattle eat? Our cattle’s diet is pasture based. The grasses on our pasture and hay make up 90-95% of their diet. We also give our cattle limited grain each day, an average of 2-3 lbs per animal per day. We give them some grain for four reasons: 1) it enables us time to check each animal’s health each day as they are eating, 2) it creates a fine marbling in the meat that provides great flavor and ease in cooking, 3) some people detect a “gamey flavor” in strictly grass fed meat and this amount of grain negates that taste, 4) it serves as a delivery system for diatomaceous earth – a natural de-wormer and fly control. Our pasture grasses include fescue, orchard, Bermuda, switch, Johnson grass, red and white clover and the inevitable weeds. By giving the cattle a “salad bowl” of choices they are able to balance their diet and produce flavorful meat.
By feeding a small amount of grain consistently their rumen and digestive system is able to handle this and we do not compromise their health and believe we enhance the end product.
What, if any, hormones or antibiotics are the beef cattle given? We do not give our cattle any hormones or antibiotics. That said, if an animal needed antibiotics to save its life we would administer them. This animal would then be sold at auction and not become part of our salable inventory.
What are the ages of your cattle sent for slaughter? Ideally our cattle are 18-24 months old when they are ready for slaughter and weigh between 1,000-1,200 lbs.
How frequently during the year do you slaughter beef? In order to keep our supply fresh and offer a variety of cuts, we slaughter one to two times per month.
Where are your cattle slaughtered and packaged? Our cattle are slaughtered at Chaudhry Halal in Siler City, NC.
Why did you choose that slaughterhouse? We choose to utilize Chaudhry as our processor for several reasons: We receive a consistent, quality product. We see the same workers there each time we visit – low turnover contributes to well trained staff. Chaudhry maintains a good working relationship with their USDA inspectors and encourages us to interact with them. Any questions or issues we have are readily answered and addressed – they realize they are part of our end product and respect their role in our success.
Who/what company owns the slaughterhouse? Chaudhry Halal is privately owned and operated by Abdul Chaudhry.
What cuts of meat are included in your ground beef?
Our ground beef consists of parts of the sirloin, top and bottom round, shank, shoulder.
What type of testing is done on your meat and at what points in the processing does this occur? The USDA tests each carcass and performs random tests looking for bacteria, toxins, and residue from the animal and in the processing plant. From the USDA website: the FSIS conducts tests for chemicals—including antibiotics, sulfonamides, and various other drugs, pesticides and environmental chemicals—in meat, poultry and egg products destined for human consumption. FSIS also conducts studies to determine presence of contaminants such as dioxin.
Poultry and Eggs
How many animals do you raise? In 2011 we plan to raise 2,500 broilers. We typically have 50-70 laying hens of various ages and two well behaved roosters, Pretty Boy and Willis. Superman, the third rooster, is not behaving and may actually be Lex Luthor.
Where do you get these animals? What age are they when you get them? We get our day old poultry from a hatchery in Pennsylvania. They arrive at our local post office and the workers are always glad I show up at 6am to get them. Peep, peep from 500 chicks can be loud!
How do you raise these animals? How much access to pasture do these animals get? We raise our broilers on pasture and our laying hens are free-range. Each group has five acres of pasture dedicated to them. When we have heritage broilers, these birds also are allowed to free range. We find the older, “true” breeds have better instincts that protect them from predators.
What are these animals fed? What supplements do you use? Each group is fed chicken feed formulated for their growing stage in addition to their pasture diet of grasses and bugs. As chicks, a vitamin supplement is used to supplement the nutritional content of their feed. The layers also receive crushed oyster shell to ensure proper calcium intake.
When are these animals given antibiotics? Never.
When are hormones, steroids, or growth promoters given to these animals? Never.
Are the laying hens force molted? Never. Molting is a natural process that we do not interfere with or manipulate.
How long do the layers stay in your flock? Layers are kept three years, however we have a few pet chickens that will be with us as long as they wish.
Produce
What practices do you use to control pests, disease and weeds on your farm? We use organic methods (we are not certified organic) that include trap crops, companion planting, crop rotation, compost and mulch, organic fertilizers, and we remove plenty of weeds and bugs by hand. (The chickens are happy to help with bug disposal!)
What do you use to rejuvenate soil to keep it healthy and fertile? In times of drought soil fertility is a special challenge. We use compost and aged manure along with crop rotation, cover crops, and rest periods.
What are your thoughts about growing organically? We find growing organically a welcome challenge. We are stewards of our land and want to preserve its viability for generations to come. We specialize in heirloom vegetables and search for varieties that are suited to our climate in order to give them the best chance to succeed. We prefer the taste and nutritional content of organically grown foods and hope our customers do too.
