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Suncroft Free Range Eggs

@suncroft.eggs

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Local small scale free range egg farmer. True free range pastured eggs. Supplying to Townsville and surrounds, restaurants, cafes and retail outlets.

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Breakfast at the @pedlar_project this morning.

After an early 4:30 rise to knock a few jobs out and load up eggs for town, there’s nothing better than being able to sit down to a gorgeous, delicious, soul satisfying breakfast. Food is comfort and and the Pedlar delivered👌

#pedlarproject #suncrofteggs #freerangeeggs #foodiscomfort #townsvillecoffee #townsvillesmallbusiness

#townsvillefood # by @suncroft.eggs

Happy 2023! Here’s wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable one in the months to come!

This page (and the farm somewhat) has been all but stalled - I’m sorry guys, truely!.. Whilst I’ve been wanting to get it up and firing on all cylinders once again, I’ve also felt conflicted with wanting to share Suncroft as a whole.. the personal aspect, muddy, messy chaos.. and most importantly some of the new things I’m starting to do these days!

So the thought to set up a sibling page, one where where it’s not so much chook related or business like has been bubbling along.. the more dirt I turned over the more I wanted to share what I was starting to see as a journey towards something.

Think of it as I’m standing in the middle of the paddock with a desire to grow things.. to share kindness, goodwill and to document the journey as a means to give back to others who have helped me along the way. My tools are what I have at hand, my knowledge is limited and I’m to some extent making it up as I go along.. and in that is the adventure I hope. There’s so much I don’t know but I desire to create something more here at Suncroft, something that brings me joy and allows me to share it with others too.

And that is where I’ll start this journey into 2023.. enough knowledge to try but not enough to make goodness knows how many mistakes. It won’t be perfect, picturesque or strictly planned but I hope wholesome.. goodness only knows what direction this may go, somewhere in the realm of flowers and edibles is the intent, but the finer details are still coming along. 😂

With that.. I’ll get to updating this page and get it updating once again. If you’d like to follow along what else happens at Suncroft, I’ll get a link up to the shiny new page here or in another post.

Happy Wednesday! X

Sarah. by @suncroft.eggs

Following up on the latest post as the second half is in the comments!

I’m taking my time posting on socials but have thought about doing email subscription / blog kinda thing where I can write and explain and put in photos as we explore new things in the farm.. weekly, fortnightly or whatever works for where I’m at!

Let me now your thoughts (and/or suggestions!) on wether you’d be interested in that sort of thing? Or you’d just like to see a post here and there on socials with a photo? by @suncroft.eggs

Heya!

(Post continued in comments!)

Long time no postings sadly.. we’ve been quite busy and rather understocked which is why we’ve been away from markets and unable to keep up with much of our wholesale. We raise our own hens and had difficulties getting day olds for a while there.. then when we did it takes 6 months to grow out to laying.

Otherwise, on the coins flip side is just that I needed a well overdue break from socials.

In regards to mental health and burn out, without going into depth here and now, I’ve noticed quite a bit more awareness specifically around people in my field - farmers, owner operators, primary producers, growers and so on. It’s something much in my thoughts of late.. but all I’ll say here and now is check in on your local producers.. a smile, a hello or nod of the head can speak volumes.. a quick message on their socials or a conversation in passing might not seem much but in same cases it’s enough if their morning, day or week hasn’t been good. If they’re in a good place, it just boosts the reserves more or results in a rather good (educational??) convo!

Now, socials here.. I’ve rather enjoyed my time stepped back.. I’ve missed sharing and whilst I’m feeling like paddling back into it again, I’m acknowledging my love of slowing down, savouring a warm cuppa or coffee whilst thinking and creating.. I also love writing long pieces (already having to cut this in half!) and am easily carried away describing, explaining and musing over things. by @suncroft.eggs

Alright guys.. so this heat hasn’t taken its foot off the gas whatsoever. Sadly it’s catching up to us very fast! One trailer alone is down almost half in production.

We’ve been busy putting out sprinklers, spreading water, treating water with minerals etc to help minimise heat stress, putting feeders closer to / in the trailers and so on but we’re experiencing a decline in eggs and a drop off in quality. Right now I can’t blame them thus very likely we will be light on supply for the next few weeks. I’ll be spreading the word around our stockists and we will asses market supply as we go.. by @suncroft.eggs

Boy oh boy it’s just a tad warm!

As my much loved uncle would say… ‘it’s just about warm enough to go fencing’ with dry humour! Those who are experienced with fencing undoubtably are shaking their heads just now.. those who haven’t - think direct sun, sweat soaked, long clothes, endless water, scalding hot pickets, driver, wire and goodness forbid you put your pliers down on a flat surface for more than a second 😩😂

Unfortunately I’m not made of his mettle and instead I’m enjoying a quick iced coffee now that I’m home from deliveries..

Trying out beans from @wisemonkeycoffeeroaster in a beautifully earthy, hand turned mug from @drillhallstudio. I’ll track down the artist in another post because I’m in love it that much that it’ll feature again for sure.

The yarn you ask? Well it’s for me next weaving project - hopefully a pretty tabby weave scarf for myself. If you want to see what it turns into pop over to @fibre_art_farmer and I’ll get some updates up one day very soon!

#wisemonkeycoffeeroasters #homebrewedcoffee #handmademug #drillhallstudio #townsvillehandmade by @suncroft.eggs

So many plants of all shapes, sizes, texture, colour and description - Description being ‘weed’ or not a weed… weeds I feel tend to be colonisers, the first occupants to less than ideal conditions which with time actually assist in improving conditions for other plants to come though afterwards without intervention like poisons. We don’t use herbicides on any way.. I hate the thought, especially as chickens are omnivores who graze plant foliage.

Chickens are notoriously destructive if left in one place too long. The truth? We have patches in our paddocks when trailers haven’t moved for too long, haven’t moved fast enough, far enough or quickly enough. We’re human and with time we’re getting better.. do I like seeing the bare patches, the weedy areas and the like? Nope.. not at all! We’re only human unfortunately.. or so I keep telling myself.

We have some plans this year to start turning that around.. I’m keeping my cards (plans) close so I won’t put the pressure of expectation onto myself as I always do. But instead of mentally hating on myself for the colonising weeds and bare patches in the paddocks… for not having done more, I’m trying instead to focus on how we can now use them to speed up the process of improving pastures, observing how the chooks and trailers affect, researching why and how… seeding and adding diversity to the paddocks in the bare patches.. mulching and more. I’ll dig out some photos of past areas where trailers have been that have come back really well.. and share some images of plants too as I ID them. Should be fun hopefully 🤞

#suncrofteggs #freerangechickens #pasturedpoultry #pastureimprovement by @suncroft.eggs

Thinking just now that I have truely wonderful brothers-in-law! They’ve added many touches to the stall over the years and here is yet another in the form of custom signage. Absolutely love it! 🥰.

#handmadeinaustralia #suncrofteggs #lasercutting #customsign #amazingfamily by @suncroft.eggs

And it’s a wrap folks.. another week done, another Sunday market completed. Here’s my recap for the dedicated readers out there with the second half in the comments because apparently I typed too much? Xx

I’m that tired just now that all I could be bothered to do is something I almost never do these days - slice some sourdough from @bakerdnorth , slather it in butter (thanks for the bad habit/genes Dad, but much love regardless!) and top it with Grandma Coleman’s exquisite mango chutney.

To accompany it, a glass of AMAZING cassis port crafted by Hartzview Winery all the way down in Tasmania.. I may make some people disapprove with the ice 🙈 but welcome to the world of a farmers quirky habits!

I went to bed this morning around 1am.. The first alarm went off at 4am.. the second at 4:05 and I’m sure you get the picture from there.

4 drop offs before markets.. then once there, numerous comments (friendly digs I promise) from fellow stall holders about my grumpy look - ‘I’m just tired I tell you!!’ Was the retort all day because goodness knows I was only firing on one cylinder.. or maybe I was grumpy? Apologies if I came across that way first thing 😂. Definitely not my intention!

Solo again today as my wonderful brother in law continues to look after Gma Coleman post surgery. I survived in many ways.. from not dropping a whole box of eggs, not falling asleep and all the way through to accepting with gratitude a kind offer from a customer to deliver my coffee cup to @thepiccolopedlar for my second brew of the morning with a ‘it’s all good, he’ll recognise the cup and knows my usual.. just say it’s for the egg lady otherwise’ and then having it delivered back - thank you to amazing customers and stall holders 🙏.

(Continue reading in comments…) by @suncroft.eggs

Evening egg grading. Normally we do it of an evening when other work has taken priority.. or of late, where it’s been so hot during the day.

Tonight I’m at it as we had no power earlier so it wasn’t able to happen.

Many of these eggs will be going to Cotters Markets this Sunday. For those that use our eggs - will we be seeing you there or do you look for our eggs elsewhere? by @suncroft.eggs

Hoping everyone had a truely wonderful and relaxing Christmas break.

If you’ve been looking for our eggs and not seen them at a couple of stores.. it’s thanks to a gremlin in my phone. So sorry guys!! I had 40+ messages come through to my phone last night dating as far back as last Monday.

Needless to say it’s now onto some catch up and egg deliveries asap! by @suncroft.eggs

On the to do list is an update of where you can find Suncroft eggs over the festive season.. BUT here and now I can confirm for a short time the boys from My Fruit Shop (our awesome neighbouring stall from Cotters!) have kindly agreed to put our eggs on their table until they wrap up on Friday. They’re located on the bitumen pad next to Officeworks and are loaded with plenty of delicious fruit! An awesome selection.. especially if you’re a bit of a fruit bat as the saying goes. by @suncroft.eggs