Swallowtail Farm

Planning your visit

2011-08-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

A few hints about picking at our farm:

We suggest you come with sunscreen, bug spray and other things you may need to comfortable out of doors on a farm. We also recommend that you consider wearing closed toe shoes as we may have some pokey plants in the field.

If you are going for efficiency of picking you might want to think about bringing your own bucket or basket and rope you can tie around your waist to allow two handed picking.

We have pollinators on our farm (thank goodness), but many of them have stingers; if you are allergic please be aware.

We may not always be able to greet you and make change for you; please check in at our self-serve stand and bring check or exact change for the cash box. Our berries are 2.75 per pint, we provide pint containers and trays for the field.

Raspberries are Ready!

2011-08-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks as of today we are picking raspberries by appointment, please contact us at swallowtailfarm@gmail.com if you would like to set up a picking appt. We expect to open for general picking around labor day weekend.

Please note due to the August rains we have more mosquitos then usual. Please bring bug spray if you are planning on coming.

2011 Season is approaching

2011-08-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

We are getting excited to open for our 2011 picking season. 2011 will mark our fourth season serving the greater Lansing area (and beyond) with spray-free u-pick raspberries. We expect it will still be about 3 weeks from now that we'll open.

In mid-august we'll open by appointment for one or two picking groups per day and expect that closer to labor day we'll open for general picking.

We are not updating this blog as often these days but please let us know if you would like to join our e-mail interest list or you can look us up on facebook.

Thanks for your interest.

Preparing for the 2010 season

2010-07-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for the 2010 season. The berries are SLOWLY starting. Today we picked about 3/4 of a pint. Still, it will be several weeks before we can invite all of you to load up.

New this year we are also providing berry updates on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mason-MI/Swallowtail-Farm/299185864935

We'll keep you posted and look forward to seeing you soon.

2009-10-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks for a good season in 2009. We look forward to seeing you in 2010!

Send Your Friends: Clean out these Berries before Frost Does

2009-09-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

As we near October, we are seeing a decline in pickers and we have had plenty of tasty berries recently. We are starting to near a time in the season we called "borrowed time". This is the time of year when frost has not yet hit but it could any day so each additonal day of berries is a welcome treat. If you need to gather a few more tastes of summery goodness to enjoy fresh or bottle up in a jar stop on out. We are now open 7 days 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

2009 Picking Season Underway

2009-09-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

We are currently open Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. or until picked clean as well as Saturday from 8:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The berries are nearing their peak for the season. If you would like a field update please call (517) 980-6634. Also if we have had rain on one of our normal open days please call as we will probably not need our closed for ripening days (M,W,F).

Opening Soon for the 2009 Season

2009-08-13T19:44:00.001-07:00

We expect to open for the 2009 picking season just before labor day 2009. We will be doing some picking before that time by appointment --please contact us if you would like to set up an appointment to pick.

The berries are looking good we are hopeful for a good season.

Closed for 2008 Raspberry Picking

2008-08-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

We are closed for the 2008 u-pick raspberry season. We expect to reopen late August 2009. If you are not already on our update list please drop us an e-mail at swallowtailfarm@gmail.com for 2009 farm updates. We do offer farm fresh eggs year round.

Raspberry Picking

2008-07-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

We are open for u-pick sustainably grown raspberries from late-August through mid-October (depending on weather). We have just under 1 acre in raspberry production.

We provide pint containers for you to pick into and sell our u-pick berries for $2.75 per pint.

If we are not home, we operate on an honor system through our self-serve stand.

When you come to pick, please keep in mind, we are a real farm with bugs, bees, sunshine and bumps in the ground. We suggest you bring what you will need to be comfortable in these conditions.

Please call (517) 980-6634 or e-mail swallowtailfarm@gmail.com with questions

How to Find Us

2008-07-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

We are located at 1633 Hagadorn Rd Mason, MI. We are the second house on the west side of the road south of the "s" curve in Hagadorn, we are 9/10 of a mile south of Holt Rd. and 3.9 miles south of Jolly Rd. We are the first house on the west side of the road north of Lamb Rd.

http://www.mapquest.com/mq/2-38gfOONk

About Us

2008-05-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Swallowtail Farm is run by husband and wife team David and Anne and their sons (C0-Directors of Quality Control) Quinn and Zane.

2011 marks the fourth year that Swallowtail has been open to the public for spray-free u-pick raspberries.

We have about 3/4 of an acre of fall-bearing red raspberries. for more information about visiting see post on "planning your visit".

The Farmstead

2008-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Swallowtail Farm is located on a nearly 150 year old farmstead. Our research indicates that the house was here for the 1859 census and owned by J. G. Ryder a farmer. Judging by its Italianate style which became popular in the late 1850's it was probably built around 1858-1859.

We are happy to serve as stewards of this historical farmstead. We are also slowly working on updating the interior-- restoring features such as the original 11' ceilings and the heart pine floors that were under many layers of linolium and carpet.

Our Raspberry Varieties

2008-05-26T13:13:00.001-07:00

Our raspberries were planted in spring 2006. We have two differnt varieties.

'Autumn Britten' is a large fruited, beautiful, bright red raspberries that typically starts its season around the second week of august.

'Heritage' is an old standard for good reason, it is super prolific and tasty. It generally starts its season around Labor Day.

Both varieties will continue until hard frost -- which has been about the second week of October in the last several years.

Compost

2008-05-26T13:07:00.001-07:00

Our raspberries and other crops are fed with compost we produce on site. Our compost is made from kitchen scraps, coffee grounds from a local coffee shop, rotted hay, chicken litter and more. We just picked up a compost thermometer and are able to monitor our piles to ensure they are good and active.

Our Chickens and Our Eggs

2008-05-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

We raise several different breeds of chickens. One of the fun things is that they lay of a variety of different colors of eggs. Our eggs have deep rich yolks from the chickens healthy diet that includes grasses and grains. We currently offer the egg sales on a weekly, bi-weekly or on-call basis.

Corn Crib Gets a Fresh Coat

2008-04-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

We worked on getting a fresh coat of paint on one side of the corn crib this past weekend. The south side has seen so much sun and weather that it is really deteriorated. We are hoping a coat of paint will help hold it together as the wood is not in the best of shape. We hope to finish off the other sides as able.

The Peeps are here

2008-04-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

We have gotten in our first order of 2008 chicks. That's right first because we bought some locally through the Mason Elevator as well as a last minute order to get some chocolate brown egg layers through a mail order. But we could not order just a few through mail order, so we are getting a total of 32 peeps this spring. We'll see what it is like to have 32 chickens -- assuming the hawk does not take any more.