Lone Oak Farm

While the fog rolled in this morning, the farm kitchen was full of movement and life. We have lots of fresh baked treats for you today, plus a full store with most of your favorites restocked. Open 10-6, see you soon!

Our Valentine’s Day menu is now up on the website and in hard copy at the farm store!

Chicken pot pie soup is almost ready! Tomorrow is cream puff and eclair day, plus we will have everything bread, chocolate raspberry muffins, and plenty more. Meals are in the process of being restocked- including mini cheddar meatloaves, meatballs, baked oatmeal, and cinnamon roll French toast bake. NEW CHEESE CURD FLAVORS: Dill and sriracha plus lots of new and restocked cheeses as well! We will be open 10-6 tomorrow as usual- we hope to see your smiling faces!

Hey! Hey you! Is there something you really want to know about what we do or how things work on the farm? Let us know in the comments and maybe we will answer your question or give you an inside look the next time we make a post! It could be about anything- baking, milking, the cows, the garden, our family, the list goes on. Tell us what you want us to feature or show you more of!

We have some delicious extras this week for your New Years celebrations: cheesy pull-apart sourdough loaves and snack trays (with pretzel nuggets, cheese curds, & dippers)! Available to order for Thursday (NYE) and Saturday. PLUS we have plenty of pork, pierogies, and sauerkraut for your good luck meals! We could all use some good luck in 2021 so eat up. Open tomorrow, Thursday, and Saturday 10-6! Closed Friday (New Year’s Day). See you soon!

PLEASE READ! RE: 2021 Produce Box/ Lone Oak Farm Memberships 2020 MEMBERS: As always, you will have the first opportunity to secure a spot for 2021. You will be receiving information soon about the upcoming season via email, mail, text!... IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED for a spot in our 2021 Produce Box Program / Farm Membership please send us a direct message containing the following information: Name E-Mail Address Phone Number Optional but helpful : Address # of people you feed on a weekly basis Anything else you may want to include! WHAT IS THE Produce Box Program?? A weekly or bi-weekly share of vegetables right from Lone Oak! From approximately May through September you and your family will receive a portion of our harvest! Please send your contact information for more details! We will be in touch with each of you over the next several months!! Happy 2021 folks!!

After many months of us assuring you it was coming eventually: Heavy cream is finally here! Thank you for your patience through all of the delays over the past year. This bottle full of deliciously rich cream has been a long time coming and we are thrilled. Quantities will be limited until we perfect our process and get a better feel for our new equipment. Plain yogurt is also back in stock! Honey and vanilla will hopefully be back in stock some time next week. (Other new dairy products will be coming soon too- we are working on introducing one thing at a time for now. Bear with us!)

And that’s a wrap! Thank you for all your support over this holiday season. We appreciate all of you more than we could ever convey! We are yawning as widely as Fluffy and looking forward to the next few days of family time. Don’t forget- we are closed tomorrow and Saturday. We do have a few treats in store for your New Years Eve celebrations next week- keep an eye out! We hope you all have wonderful, safe, and restful holidays filled with yummy food! See you again soon.

Check out this video to learn more about one of our newest partners: Pleasant Lane Farms! These are the lovely people who have been working to turn some of our milk into cheese, and providing us with some of their own delicious cheese for our store as well. PLF is a family farm that has made a huge pivot over the past year to get their cheese plant started. We personally can’t wait for the delicious year to come!

We have some extra baked goods for your holiday celebrations! Pies, cinnamon rolls, cookies, scones & more- plus some last minute gift options from awesome PA small businesses. We are open until 6 tonight! We will be CLOSED tomorrow and Saturday, so stop in to stock up before then!

We are OPEN tomorrow: 10-6 as usual! We will be baking blueberry buckle, Texas sheet cake, & magic bars plus the usual cinnamon rolls and bread. Plus we have squash & carrots, milk, cheeses, and a whole lot more. We hope to see you in this new year!

Sometimes life is hard, so just take a break for a wee nap and some scratches.

2020 was... really something. We saw plenty of ups and downs, as we’re sure all of you did. In the end, we couldn’t have made it through the past year without all of you. You supported us through all of the pivots and transitions and just general craziness- from curbside pickup to the new store, through a hard growing season, and many other things. We are looking ahead to 2021 with the hope that it brings a little more joy- even if that is just as simple as remembering to stop and listen to the sounds of the cows chewing or appreciating the beauty of a new morning. Wishing you all a happier and healthier new year! Thanks for being here!

Happy Winter Solstice! From here on, the days will be getting longer and lighter and we will be that much closer to seeing growth and this beautiful view again.

A quick video on how to change your pickup day for Christmas ordering!

We have a half beef or two quarters available ASAP! The meat will be ready for pickup within the next couple of weeks. Contact us now if you’re interested!

How my hair really looks when I wake up vs how I think it looks Some of our heifers have wild hair days every day.

We ended our 2020 produce box membership on October 3rd at 21 weeks this year. Check out the pictures below to see what was offered in the 2020 membership! From COVID19 changing our entire business model to a drought expanding several months, 2020 was hands down the most challenging growing season we've had so far. As young people from a long line of farmers we know the potential challenges we face. Some years will be prosperous and some won't. This is the risk every farmer... everywhere takes. YOU. Our wonderful and supportive customers made 2020 a success despite the road blocks we faced. A special thank you to each and every person who signed up for the Produce Box Program this year. Your support, ability to adapt, understanding, and dependability is the foundation that supports and allows the small scale natural vegetable production to continue at Lone Oak Farm. We hope you enjoyed your produce and thank you again for sharing in the risk and reward of our farm.

This plus some pie crust crackers sounds like the perfect dinner for tomorrow’s cloudy and chilly weather!

We were so busy on Wednesday, we forgot to make a post for our anniversary! On October 21st 2017, we opened our small farm store not sure what to expect. Here we are three short years later with a newly expanded store! We could not be more grateful to all of you- from those of you who have been with us since the beginning when we were dipping milk right out of the milk house, to the new faces who are quickly becoming old friends. Thank you for all of your support so far! We can’t wait to see what the next three years bring. #eatlocal #localfarm #marioncenter #indianacounty #supportlocal #supportsmallbusiness #knowyourfarmer #localfood #papreferred #pafarm

No words needed

We are looking for someone to join our team! If you like working with people, have a sense of humor, and an appreciation for great snacks, you’ll love this job! Your main responsibilities will be to greet customers in our farm store, answer their questions, operate our Square register, clean & organize, and assist in the kitchen as needed (dishes, basic food prep, etc.). The most important qualities we are looking for are an attention to detail, great communication skills, a...nd a friendly attitude. Passion or an interest in learning more about farming or local food would be a huge plus. Full Description: 20-32 hours/week Possibly more through the holidays if desired Wednesday through Friday, Saturdays possible Responsibilities: Assist customers Run cash register Store upkeep & restocking Answer store phone General cleaning and organization Dishwashing Food preparation assistance as needed Other duties as needed Skills & Qualifications: Excellent attention to detail Good communication skills Friendly & positive attitude Basic math skills Excellent customer service skills Ability to think on your feet in a fast-paced environment Efficient self-starter Comfortable with handling cash and making change Must have reliable transportation Must be able to regularly lift 40+ pounds Must be trustworthy and able to work independently Experience not necessary. Willing to train but must be a hard worker.

Greenhouse life on a dreary day. Enjoy. #babybumblebee #belladonna

Don’t forget- today is the last day to place your Christmas orders! They are due by 9pm tonight. Order through our website or by phone (leave a voicemail). Pickup will be Thursday, 12/24, between 10am and 6pm! We will have some extras available on Thursday but they will be limited, so be sure to place your order if you want something specific. We will be closed Friday and Saturday this week, so be sure to stop by Wednesday and Thursday to stock up!

Ollie and Meda loved playing in the snow yesterday!

Sausage tortellini soup with yellow and orange carrots, sweet peppers, kale, sweet potatoes, and fresh herbs- delicious!! You still have time to snag some of this for your dinner tonight. If you can’t make it over, we will have some in the freezer for next week!

LIKE, COMMENT, & SHARE for a chance to win one bag of each of our new cheese curds! We have plain, taco, and onion & garlic with chive this week. If you’ve never tried cheese curds before, don’t worry- we wouldn’t offer you anything that wasn’t delicious. The plain curds have a mild cheddar flavor (or some compare it to a strong mozzarella). They are great for snacking on their own, as pizza topping, in a salad, fried, made into traditional poutine, and so so much more. COM...MENT: Tell us what flavors you want to see next! The winner will be able to pick up at the farm next Wednesday or Thursday. *Jessica Blake is our winner- congratulations!*

There is beauty to be found in everything, but especially the change of seasons. This morning’s frost was gorgeous, and it marked the end for most of this year’s field crops in the garden. Fall is one of our favorite seasons here- a great way to wind down from a nonstop summer. Winter is usually a quieter time on the farm, especially for outside work. Now with the store, we stay busier with baking and milk processing, but we still get to savor just a little more quiet time without hay and huge garden harvests to worry about. Do you look forward to the cooler weather, or are you already counting down to next spring? Let us know in the comments!

This was the first thing that caught my eye this morning while I was taking in the winter wonderland we woke up to. Is it just me or has it really been forever since it has snowed like this!?!? Its just so beautiful! Share your favorite snow pictures with us, we would love to see them!! #indianacountypa #loneoakfarmpa #winterfarming

Tomorrow’s soup special: Sausage tortellini soup with kale and root vegetables, all from the farm! Half an hour left to place your orders for tomorrow! We’ll have plenty extra available as well. See you in the morning!

Welcome to a winter wonderland! We are open today. The parking lot and roads are plowed (thanks to some hard work by our tractor and skid steer operators). We won’t blame you if you want to stay in for a snow day though- we will also be open all day tomorrow and Saturday as usual!

Beautiful morning

In case you missed the announcement in our stories, we are now working with @pleasantlanefarms in Latrobe to turn our milk into cheese curds! We will eventually be offering other sorts of cheese as well. This video is a quick look into the curd-making process that has gone on over the past two days! Curds are available now!

Part Time Cashier & Kitchen Assistant We are looking for someone to join our team! If you like working with people, have a sense of humor, and an appreciation for great snacks, you’ll love this job! Your main responsibilities will be to greet customers in our farm store, answer their questions, operate our Square register, clean & organize, and assist in the kitchen as needed (dishes, basic food prep, etc.). The most important qualities we are looking for are an attention to... detail, great communication skills, and a friendly attitude. Passion or an interest in learning more about farming or local food would be a huge plus. Full description in the comments. **Application available at the bottom of our website homepage!** www.loneoakfarmpa.com

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas! A little holiday cheer for your Saturday evening. Thank you to everyone who stopped out today!

It’s been a lazy Sunday for the cows!

Happy Friday from our fabulously fat and fuzzy teenagers!

Butternut squash soup, coming right up! First, we’ll be roasting all of the squash and other veggies to deepen the flavor and remove some of the moisture. While that’s happening, Aaron is going to start the stock with a ham bone, fresh herbs, and the pieces you see in the bowl. I can’t wait to smell the kitchen in about an hour!

We are OPEN! Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 6pm (with a few changes around Christmas). Thank you for your patience through last week’s closure! We have LOTS of new items for you this weekend- along with our tasty baked goods! If you haven’t already, sign up for our email newsletter to get the full details later tonight. Just head over to our website and scroll to the bottom. We hope to see you at the farm soon!

Thank you Zeke and Courtney for the beautiful tree!

The last 2020 carrot harvest! Winter carrots are so sweet

Local pasture raised beef available in halves and wholes! Contact us ASAP for more info.

For all you Christmas shoppers, we have a sale this week! For virtual gift cards (link in comments), use MERRY25 for $5 off any gift card $25-$49 or MERRY50 for $15 off any gift card $50 or more! These are a great option for anyone you won’t be seeing soon- send the gift straight to their email. Physical gift cards will be on sale in the store next week when we reopen, as our thank you for your patience with us!

ATTENTION: Due to short staff and milk system overhaul, we will unfortunately and unexpectedly be CLOSED THIS WEEK. We are not currently able to process any milk due to system malfunctions. We will be upgrading our entire system this week. We apologize for any inconvenience our closure causes. We are planning to reopen next Wednesday as usual. Keep an eye out for exciting new dairy products in the coming weeks as we finalize recipes and work with our new equipment!

Cold, rainy, muddy days are for ordering seeds and supplies!! What kind of produce and cut flowers do you want to see at Lone Oak in 2021?? What did you like/dislike about what was available in 2020?... Leave us some suggestions below! Customer feedback is a great help and we would appreciate hearing from you!

REMINDER: We will be CLOSED tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday for some much-needed rest! We will reopen next Wednesday at 10am as usual. Enjoy your weekend!

Charlie woke up from his nap to say, Happy Thanksgiving! (We promise he has much softer options for sleeping on than gravel. ) We hope you are able to make the best of the day, even though it will look a lot different for many of us this year. Despite the incredible challenges this year has brought, we still have so much to be thankful for.... Most of all, we are thankful for our customers! We truly could not have made it through this year without your patient support! You continued to show up for us, even as we had some bumps along the way. (Easter Pickup 2020, anyone? ) From the customers who have been with us since we were dipping milk out of the tank in 2016 to the new customers who we just met yesterday, each of you supports our small family farm and we can’t say thank you enough! We are also thankful for our families, our health, our creatures, and the beautiful farm we have the privilege of working on every day. We hope you have as much to be thankful for as we do. Our hearts are full. Happy Thanksgiving!

Still available: Pumpkin pies Pecan pies Lemon meringue pies Coconut cream pies... Cheesecakes Cherry pies PLUS cookies, some sticky buns, and a few other odds and ends! We are open an hour later than usual tonight, until 7! REMINDER- We are CLOSED tomorrow through Saturday! We will reopen next Wednesday as usual. See more

When we say from scratch, we mean it! We make our own pie dough, roll and pan it, fill it with all sorts of homemade fillings (using as many local ingredients as possible), and bake it until it’s perfect! We wouldn’t have it any other way. We WILL have extra pies, cheesecakes, and cinnamon rolls available tomorrow. First come first served, open 10-7!

This is why it’s always important to drive slowly on back roads- you never know when you’ll come across a stray cow! #countryroads #drivesafely #watchforcows #slowdown #goingforawalk #grasslooksbetteracrosstheroad #40acresofpastureisntenough #dontforgettoclosethegate

Thank you all for a great Saturday despite the grey weather! Aaron and Fallon are heading home for the night to rest up for next week’s Thanksgiving baking marathon. If you want some of the homemade goodness for your holiday, be sure to get your order in by 9pm TONIGHT! We will have extras on Wednesday, but quantities will be extremely limited and we’d hate to make you settle for store-bought freezer pies.

Good morning! Smoked ham stock is in progress and ingredients are being prepped for Italian wedding soup in this beautiful morning sunlight. Happy Friday!

COVID Reminders & Thanksgiving Info Ahead: Our store remains open, but we are still offering curbside pickup as well. Just order ahead then call when you come and we will bring your order to your car! When in our store, we ask that you wear a mask and practice social distancing as much as possible. We are continuing to clean and sanitize frequently. Help us keep our doors open and the community healthy!... Thanksgiving orders are due by this Saturday, 11/21, at 9pm. Pickup will be next Wednesday 11/25 between 10am and 7pm. We will have some extras available day-of but orders are highly recommended to be sure you get what you need. We have a variety of baked goods available, along with chickens, mac & cheese, stuffing, and a selection of fresh produce! Some of this was just updated this morning, so if you have already placed your order be sure to check back. Orders cannot be edited after they are placed, but you can place additional orders for more items or contact us to remove items from your order. We will be CLOSED 11/26-11/28 (Thanksgiving Day through next Saturday)! We will reopen on Wednesday 12/2 as usual! **This Saturday is GOB DAY to make up for the missing Saturday- the menu is live on our website now!** Our soup special this weekend will be Italian wedding soup. Thank you all for your support! We know this Thanksgiving will look different for many of us, but we hope we can help brighten your holiday with good, homemade food!

Today’s surprise scone: gingerbread apple! Made with fresh ginger & spices + fresh local apples = delicious

Cards, mugs, and candles (all from Pittsburgh!) are just some of the new things in store! Lots more will be arriving in the coming weeks- we can’t wait. Today’s baked goods include savory scones, cupcakes, cookies, eclairs, & cream puffs. PLUS we have a fresh spring mix harvest available and lots of loaded baked potato soup. A little something for everyone (& every meal)!

Today’s Lesson: Why Dairy Farming is So Expensive We have an exciting partnership in the works that will require us to transport our milk so we bought a tote to do so. This little plastic piece is necessary for us to be able to use the tote and is only manufactured by one company. Any guesses as to how much this one piece costs? Tell us what you think in the comments!

Hope you are enjoying this weather as much as we are!!

Good morning everyone

Kombucha and water kefir are restocked as of 20 minutes ago! Thanks, @mountnitaneekombucha!

VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION- answer for a chance to win! What is your favorite sort of fall flavor? Savory (think soups, casseroles- anything with those delicious fall herbs!... OR Sweet (think pumpkin, apple, maple- all of the good comfort flavors!) We personally can’t choose! We have apple butter and chicken noodle soup both cooking today and the combination of smells is amazing. Just imagine: warm chicken noodle soup followed by a bun with apple butter on it! We will have both available in the farm store tomorrow- so long as we don’t eat it all first. Tell us your favorite kind of fall flavor in the comments and share this post (or add it to your story) for a chance to win a quart of soup and a jar of apple butter tomorrow!

We have a special surprise for you tomorrow: Leap's Farm will be joining us with a table set up outside all day! They will be bringing their flours, eggs, and honey. What are you most excited about??

WE SEE YOU peeking! Notice this view? The deck adjacent to the store is getting cleaned and stained this week. Any idea what will be happening out here in 2021??!? Give us your best guess!... Hope you're enjoying this beautiful November weather!

Working on fixing one of the roofs from the wind earlier in the week

Ellie is here to say: YES, we are open year-round! Thanks to our lovely cows, we always have at least milk through the winter- and these days we have a lot more! Produce will hopefully continue to grow for several more weeks (though variety will start to be limited). We will continue to have plenty of meat, meals, canned goods, and local items, and we will be baking Wednesdays and Saturdays as always! We try to give as much notice as possible for any miscellaneous days closed... due to weather or family needs. **That said, we will be closed 11/26-11/28.** Thanksgiving ordering is now open! Those orders can be picked up on 11/25 between 10 and 7. We are always here for you- whether it’s June or January!

Appropriately foggy this morning- Happy Halloween from our crew! It’s gob day and we are stocked up. Don’t forget- anyone who stops by in costume gets a free chocolate chip cookie!... We can’t wait to see you!

We ended our 2020 produce box membership on October 3rd at 21 weeks this year. Check out the pictures below to see what was offered in the 2020 membership! From COVID19 changing our entire business model to a drought expanding several months, 2020 was hands down the most challenging growing season we've had so far. As young people from a long line of farmers we know the potential challenges we face. Some years will be prosperous and some won't. This is the risk every farmer... everywhere takes. YOU. Our wonderful and supportive customers made 2020 a success despite the road blocks we faced. A special thank you to each and every person who signed up for the Produce Box Program this year. Your support, ability to adapt, understanding, and dependability is the foundation that supports and allows the small scale natural vegetable production to continue at Lone Oak Farm. We hope you enjoyed your produce and thank you again for sharing in the risk and reward of our farm.

Greenhouse life on a dreary day. Enjoy. #babybumblebee #belladonna

What is your favorite thing about fall? For us, fresh pressed local apple cider definitely tops the list! We are super excited to be partnering with Kistaco Farm this season to bring delicious cider to our farm store. Tell us your favorite thing about fall in the comments then like and share for a chance to win a half gallon of cider this weekend!

TODAY: Hot spiced apple cider by the cup and quarts of from-scratch chicken noodle soup plus biscuits for a delicious dinner! And of course, all sorts of cozy baked goods! Cheese, beef, and mini cheddar meatloaves have all been restocked. We also have freshly made pizza sauce on the shelves! Lots of produce and milk available as always. Open 10-6! We hope to see you soon on this gorgeous fall day!

This may not look like yogurt yet, but it hopefully will in about 8 hours! It takes about 24 hours for us to make a batch of yogurt. We start with our milk, heat it up to a certain temp (usually over the course of 2 hours or so), cool it down to around 110 degrees, then add in the yogurt cultures. From there, we pump it into containers and clean the vat. The yogurt containers then go back in the vat to culture for 8-10 hours at 110 degrees, before being moved to a fridge to be cooled down entirely prior to selling. Check the comments later to see how we can tell when the yogurt is ready to be cooled!

Good morning! Fallon here. I don’t know about you, but I love every kind of fall morning- bright & sunny or chilly & foggy like today. Ollie and Meda don’t care one way or the other, so long as their hay arrives in the rack on time! ... I hope you get to start your day by taking a moment to appreciate the small things that bring you joy. Happy Friday!

Shop Local Story Contest Any time between now and October 31st, post a story to social media featuring your trip to our farm or a creative use of our products PLUS 3 of your favorite things about shopping local! Multiple entries (from different visits) are allowed. Don’t forget to tag us! We will post an example in our stories tomorrow.... The prize will be a gift basket full of local goodies, and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 2nd. We can wait to see what you share with us! Good luck!

It was great weather today and we were able to get all the corn stalks baled and wrapped. We use them for bedding under the cows in the winter. Hopefully 94 bales will be enough.

Cupcakes are coming together nicely! We are open 10-6 today with fresh baked goods (feat. gobs & cupcakes), produce, milk, & lots more!

Since we haven’t had much rain, our pastures are about done growing for the year. When this happens, we feed the cows extra hay, spread out in the pasture so they can still enjoy the fresh air. Any time they hear the tractor coming, they race to see who can get the first (best) bite. Daisy (the black cow towards the end of the video) is usually one of the first in line- and she’ll follow us until the bale is totally spread to make sure she hasn’t missed out on any particularly good mouthfuls.

Lena says good morning! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather!

Who else is looking forward to the smell and warmth of fresh baked goods on a cool fall morning? Pumpkin coffee cake muffins will be back tomorrow!! Along with: Banana sheet cake Pumpkin sheet cake Chocolate raspberry cheesecake muffins Peanut butter pies... Chocolate chip cookies Apple craisin oatmeal cookies Biscotti + our usual cinnamon rolls, bread, & soft pretzels! Produce is being harvested as we post this and it is beautiful as always. Lots of lettuce, squash, and peppers in the lineup for this weekend- along with the last of the tomatoes and eggplant. We are open today til 6 (no baked goods but lots of milk and produce) and tomorrow (fresh baked goods!) 10am to 6pm! If nothing else, stop by to appreciate the smells in the morning! See more

Weekend temperatures are dipping low, so, we made the decision to strip the garden almost 3 weeks early this year in case of frost. This is not a one man job. All hands on deck big and small!! #farmbaby #firstfrost #bye2020