Hello and welcome to the September 2026 issue of the Laughing Duck Farm newsletter. I am so very thankful for all of you reading this. Can you believe we are heading into September already? It seems like so many people I talk to are telling me that they completely forgot to have a summer. It’s as if it were the beginning of June and then, suddenly, it was the end of August. They forgot to take a vacation or go to the cabin. They kept feeling like it was still the very beginning of summer until suddenly it was gone. Now they are trying to cram everything into these last couple of weeks of August.

I must admit I have done a bit of the same thing. My summers usually include a couple of days where I take a day off and go to the most beautiful secluded beach just south of Menomonie. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I can pretend that my family and I are the only people on earth. My husband and I also usually take a day once or twice a summer and drive up to Chetek WI where we rent a boat and spend a lazy day on the lakes. I did not see the beach even once this summer. I did get up to Chetek once, yesterday, with four out of my five children and their families. We celebrated family and laughed and talk together. It is such a busy, driven and motivated group of people that you literally need to strand us all on a pontoon boat in the middle of a lake to get everyone to slow down and relax at the same time.

I hope that you were able to embrace the summer and remembered to do all of the things you do to enjoy it. I hope that you were able to slow down and smell the flowers, feel the rain (as sparse as it was), and squeeze every ounce of summer out of these last few months. I also hope you are looking forward to a crisp and cozy autumn and all of the joy that goes along with it!

On the Farm

Tomorrow the turkeys go in to the butcher. This was not the plan. The plan was to raise turkeys until late October when they were big and fat. Unfortunately I made a huge mistake this year!

This year I decided to raise heritage breed turkeys.

Usually I raise the big white comercial turkeys. They, like the meat chickens we raise, are bred to grow fast and be rather lazy. Unfortunately it’s not a good breed for self reliance. They get so big and lazy that you will never really get them to breed. They will also get so big that they will be prone to heart attacks and broken bones.

Heratige breed turkeys are more like wild turkeys.

They are wily and curious. They are not at all lazy. I thought this would be okay because in the past I would end up with ginormous turkeys. Only one of you is really interested in serving a 40lb bird at your Thanksgiving dinner. I thought heratige breed turkeys would solve this problem. Also, I would be able to get them to breed, lay eggs and create more turkeys for the years to come. I thought I was creating my very own supply of turkeys.

What I actually created was a very annoying problem for myself and the neighbors directly across the street.

These guys were so wily, athletic and curious that they would end up in our neighbors trees (the neighbors were actually very gracious and thought it was kind of funny), the second story roof of my house, my car (which is now all scratched up) and they also enjoyed perching on the ladder rack of my husband’s work truck and pooping all over his tools. Finally we decided enough was enough and the poultry butchering place we use was able to squeeze us in.

The turkeys will be smaller this year. They will be much smaller. But at least we can get some sanity back and I won’t be contantly trying to round up turkeys to put them back in their fence.

In the Store

This month in the store, soups are back! We have a number of soup mixes for you to try. Some of them are of the just add water style, and others let you get more creative. We have cheddar broccoli, cheesy potato, creamy chicken noodle, and hearty bean. We are also all stocked up on your cozy season essentails like popcorn, beans, oatmeal, and baking supplies. Our store is located at 2482 170th Ave, Emerald, WI and is open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10am to 6pm. See you there!

Bulk Food Order

This is it, folks! This is the time of the year to start your food supply for the winter. You can tuck it away like little squirrles in your basement, closets, under beds, or, if you are lucky, in your fancy pantry. This will save you money and time and it will also be a source of comfort on those winter days where you do not want to go to the store. You can make food storage as easy or complicated as you would like. It can be as small as a five gallon bucket of oats or as big as huge jars containing every spice known to man. I’ve pretty much seen it all and I love how much peace it seems to bring to people.

This months orders are due Saturday, September 12 by 7pm and will be available for pick up on Friday, September 18 any time after 4:30. Your next chance to order will be in October with orders due on Saturday, October 10 and Available on Friday October 16.

Ordering looks intimidating but I promise it’s not. First, think about the things that your family uses regularly. Maybe it’s bread flour. Maybe it’s popcorn. Maybe it’s frozen peas. Whatever it is, we probably carry it and I can tell you how to store almost all of it long term. Did you know that if you have a food dehydrator (usually pretty cheap second hand) and not a lot of freezer space that you can take frozen vegetables, thaw them, put them directly in your food dehydrator with no other prep work and dehydrate them. Then you just put them in an airtight jar out of sunlight and store them for up to two years?! Then all you have to do is cover them in hot water for a couple of minutes and they’re ready for anything! They’ve already been blanched and cut into uniform pieces so all of the work has been done!

Butter and hard cheese are easily frozen, dry goods just need an airtight container, and can and jars are good as they are. You do not have to be a prepper to be prepared for things, and if you don’t like beans or rice, please don’t order beans or rice! Just store things your family enjoys!

Once you have thought about what you want to order, you can brouse the list below. I know, it’s long, but I’ve tried to alphabetize it and you don’t need to read every line. just look for the things you like. If you want something and can’t find it, ask me. I can usually find things pretty quickly.

Then send an email to me at northhaus@gmail.com . Put “Bulk Food Order” on the subject line. This will help me find it easily. In your list include the item number, a breif description, and the price. This way I can make absolute certain I am ordering everything you want exactly how you want it. Get this email to me by 7pm on Saturday, September 12.

Finally, on Friday, September 18, come out to the farm at 2482 170th Ave, Emerald, WI and pick up your items in the store. You can pay with cash or a check at this time. We can help you load up your car and then you take it home to divide amongst your friends or tuck into your storage space. Then you can enjoy them all winter while you stay snug and cozy!

Well, that is it for this month. I hope to see you over the next few weeks. Maybe at a farmer’s market, maybe at the store, or maybe on bulk food pickup day!

I send blessings to you and your family,

Kathy