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April Showers & May Flowers

Cornell's Country Store ~ Newsletter 5/1/25

garden goodies ~ gifts ~ grandkid updates

Well, somehow our newest granddaughters are already six months old — time really does fly when you're having fun! Hattie Claire and Riddy June are growing fast! We will all meet up later this month for a family vacation. We can’t wait to have all NINE grands together! Before that we’ll be heading to Tennessee for a quick visit mid-month. Holly and her crew are counting down the days to summer — aren’t all teachers and kids at this point? Swayde and Hartlyn keep asking “is it summer day yet?” And speaking of summer vibes... our grandson Finn (of Finn’s Tackle Co fame) is cooking up something new for his fishing lures. Big things coming from our 9-year-old CEO and his trusty assistant, little brother Cru — stay tuned! (ps they’ll be available at the store!)

Meanwhile, the garden center is in full swing, and let me tell you — it’s bursting with beauty. We’ve stocked up on stunning plants, eye-catching garden décor, and even some truly gorgeous trees that are ready to find their forever homes. Whether you’re planting for the first time or have a yard that’s the envy of the neighborhood, we’ve got everything you need for a successful season. My #1 tip? Amend your soil! Trust me, your plants will thank you. By the way, can you believe all this rain? Glorious rain!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and if there’s one thing we know for sure — moms love plants. We’ve potted up some beautiful combos that are gift-ready and guaranteed to make her smile. Next up, it’s graduation season, and we’ve got you covered there too — think thoughtful gifts, fun finds, and keepsakes for every grad.

And before we go — let’s not forget the other members of your family... your cattle! With all that lush, green grass popping up, now’s the time to make sure they’re getting the mineral support they need to stay healthy and productive.Don’t forget the FLY CONTROL!

Come see us — there’s always something blooming at Cornell’s!

Kindly, Bill & Deanna

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Cornell's Country Store

Newsletter April '25

Hey friends,

Happy Spring! We know the wind’s still being dramatic most days—but we’re holding out hope for calmer winds and warmer days ahead. We just got back from Nashville! It’s always good to see the grandkids, and our kids too! We were just gone for a week, and lo and behold I had flowers blooming when we got home! That makes me happy!

We’re getting things rolling around here and wanted to give you a little update on what’s coming up at Cornell’s Feed Store!

🌿 Garden Center Opening Week! We’ll officially open the garden center the week of April 7—and we’ve got fresh plant deliveries landing on April 9 and April 14 to kick things off. So if your green thumb is itching, hang tight—it’s almost go time.

🐥 Chick Alert! Our last chick delivery of the spring arrives on April 11! If you’ve been on the fence about adding a few fluffy additions to your flock, now’s the time. And if you already grabbed some from us, we’d love to see how they’re doing! (Photos encouraged. Chicken names optional but appreciated.)

🌸 Familiar Faces & New Friends We’ve got some fresh energy joining our crew, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Tammy Brinson, Karli Fields and Taylee Ehlert will be helping out in the store—make sure to say hi!

And yes, the legend herself, Di White (aka our garden center goddess), is BACK to run the show out in the garden center.I don’t know anybody that works harder in that garden center than Di!

🌱 Yard Tip of the Month: Don’t forget to get your Weed & Feed down now for that lawn of your dreams. Your grass will thank you—and so will your bare feet come June.

Whether you’re swinging by for feed, fashion, ferns, or fertilizer—we can’t wait to see you soon. And seriously, send us chick pics or post on our socials FB & IG. They make our day.

See you soon, Bill & Deanna

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February 2025

Cornell's Country Store ~ Newsletter 2/1/25

Hello friends,

Hope you're all doing well! I’m ready for warm weather to quit teasing us and stick around! I will be headed to St. Louis Tuesday for a Purina training. Everything Purina does is top notch, so I’m very excited!

🐄🚜 Buzz Off, Flies! 🌿☀️

We know it’s still winter, but believe it or not, now’s the time to start thinking about those pesky little troublemakers—FLIES! 🪰 They may not be bugging your cattle yet, but by the time you see them, it’s too late. Get ahead of the swarm by putting out fly control cattle tubs with IGR this month. Your herd will thank you, and your future self will too!

And while we’re on the topic of things that drive us crazy… weeds and stickers. 😡 Nobody wants a yard full of those spiky little nightmares when summer rolls around. February is the perfect time to start your pre-emergent program so you can enjoy lush, green grass instead of a battlefield of burrs.

The Beginner Beekeeping Workshop was full! 30 future beekeepers (and some current beekeepers) were here Saturday, Feb 1 learning the basics. Judy Thomas and Amanda Askew put on a great program (and the food was amazing!)

💖 Galentine’s Charcuterie & Wine Night! 🍷🧀 Ladies, let’s take a break and have some FUN! Grab your best gals and join us for Galentine’s Charcuterie & Wine Night on February 11. For just $45, you’ll enjoy delicious bites, great wine, and even better company. But hurry—registration closes February 7! Don’t miss out on this fabulous night of laughter, snacks, and sips.

Swing by the store and let’s get you set up for a fly-free, sticker-free, and FUN February! 🌞🐮See y’all soon,

Bill & Deanna

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Cornell's Country Store ~ Newsletter 1/1/25

Hello friends and happy new year,

Wow! December was both busy and wonderful! We celebrated Christmas with our daughters and their families, which is always a lively time! Celebrating with the little ones is such a joy. My sister also came up from Galveston, and that was a treat as well! Then, we made a quick trip to Nashville to celebrate with Zach and his family. I always look forward to the holiday season, and I’m equally relieved when it comes to an end! Now, we're ready to return to our regular schedule and get back to work!

Reflecting on the past year is always a great opportunity to express gratitude for all our blessings and to consider areas for improvement. We’re so grateful for our health, our family and our business. God has blessed us in so many ways. We’re continually striving to enhance our store's service and products! In just a few days, we’ll head to market to place orders for the year. Can you believe we purchase holiday items in January?! It’s quite mind boggling, but it’s an important task!

We have some exciting events coming up:

Lexie will be traveling to St. Louis next month! She is set to participate in a Purina training program at the Purina Farm just outside the city. We’re thrilled for her and can’t wait to hear all about her experiences. Lexie has been with us for four years, and we’ve loved watching her grow; she is truly an asset to our team.

We will be hosting a Beginner’s Beekeeping Class at the store on February 1st. The class will be led by Judy Thomas, starting at 9 am and wrapping up at noon. The fee for the class is $50, and one lucky participant will win a free colony of bees! Sign up at the store or give us a call for more details.

That’s all for now! We wish you a healthy and happy new year! We hope 2025 brings you everything you wish for

Take care friends,

Bill & Deanna

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Cornell's Country Store ~ Newsletter 12/1/24

Here's what's happening....

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with joy and delicious food! We sure did—our home was bustling with six of our nine grandkids, and it was loud, lively, and absolutely fabulous! My aunt joined us from Houston, making it even more special. Now, we're gearing up for all the Christmas festivities. We'll be taking a quick trip to Nashville to celebrate with our crew there, and then we'll enjoy more holiday cheer with all our Texans!

November was a whirlwind—busy enough to make our heads spin! Christmas Roundup in Amarillo was absolutely spectacular, and I want to give a huge shoutout to Lexie, Laura, and Kaysea for managing that enormous task while I was busy being Grammy. They handled it flawlessly, as always!

The Charcuterie Workshop was an absolute blast! We had 30 participants, and the laughter filled the room—it was such a joy to see everyone having a great time. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Our 14th Annual Ladies' Night Out Event was another smashing success. Seeing you all lining up more than an hour before we opened truly warms my heart. Your loyalty means the world to us, and we can’t thank you enough. A big thank you as well for your amazing support on Small Business Saturday—it’s because of you that we’re able to do what we love. As we wrap up the year, we want to express our deepest gratitude for making it such a memorable one. Here’s to an incredible year ahead, and we wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎄❤️

Take care friends,

Bill & Deanna

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The Hopeful Master Gardener - Shrubs & Evergreens

I hope you've all been enjoying some of this lovely weather and have been able to work on getting your beds ready for spring! I've got everything cut back that needed it and I've worked some compost into my beds. I have high hopes for so many pretty things!

Recently one of the lectures was all about evergreens and shrubs. I didn't think I would be all that interested in this session, but boy was I wrong! Master Gardener Andi Wardlaw was the speaker and she certainly made a believer out of me on why I need to add evergreen trees and shrubs to my current landscape.

The main reason she stated was that these things "spruce" up the drab winter landscape around here. See what I did there?? Anyway, all corny jokes aside, she has a very valid point.

I've only ever thought of evergreen trees - junipers, spruces, cypresses and the like - as windscreens. As a matter of fact, when we built our house in 2016 the first thing I planted the following spring was a row of Leyland Cypress trees and a row of junipers in front of them to block the ever-present southwest wind off of the dog run. I just know the dogs appreciated it. But, my windscreen is now very lovely and I do enjoy the evergreen trees. The birds seem to hang out there in the winter, and I love watching them - nothing prettier than a cardinal in a snow dusted Leyland Cypress.

She also talked about how shrubs should be the anchors of our landscape and taller trees were perfect as backdrops to our flowers and shrubs (much like your walls inside your house). According to landscape design experts we should have all different heights and textures in our landscape while creating a "funnel" to the main focal point of our home (I'm talking about home entry - front door - here). So our taller evergreens should be on the outside corners of your home, but not hiding any architectural interest. We've all seen homes that were literally covered up by huge evergreens, and while that's ok if you like it like that, it's not necessarily the best aesthetic for the overall landscape and it hides your beautiful house. So, picture your front door then to the far left and the far right should be the tallest part of your design. Then, work your way toward your door with lower shrubs and flowers in different textures. I hope this is making sense. I created a drawing to try to explain. I'm no artist, but hopefully you can see what I mean by funnel and I think you can also see how important shrubs are. There are several blooming shrubs depicted in my drawing (if you use your imagination). Worth noting - if you like something tall to flank each side of your front door, that is pleasing to the eye as well, just make sure they're narrow and don't hide beautiful detail of your house.

Andi named several evergreen shrubs that she had really good luck with in our alkaline clay soil. So I made all sorts of notes - cotoneaster for its beautiful, unique foliage and red berries in winter; abelia for its fragrant blooms; red yucca for its texture and showy blooms; euonymus for its foliage and narrow upright growth habit . These are all Earth Kind - meaning low water requirements. That's what I remember off the top of my head. You can find tons of information on the TAMU earth kind website It's worth checking out.

Right now I plan to add Sky Rocket Junipers at the ends of my current front flower beds because I currently have a "reverse funnel" of sorts. I will also add some abelia and baby boxwoods. My front flower beds are all pink, purple and white and I intend to stick with that color scheme. I do throw a little yellow in, but I may move all of it to another red and yellow bed and add more purple to the front! I'm tempted to add more Leyland Cypress trees or Afghan Pines somewhere as I've had really good luck with those - but they get way too big for the spot I have in mind! As a side note, I planted 4' tall Leyland Cypress trees in 2017 and they're now at least 10 - 12' tall, and my Afghan Pines were planted in 2019 at 6 - 8' tall, they're also 10 - 12' tall now. So those are some winners for sure.

That's all for now - go play in the dirt! (and be sure to check out the earth kind website)

Deanna

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The Hopeful Master Gardener - Onion & Potato Planting

Hey y'all!

Well, as I've stated I am a definite flower garden lover but I'm trying my hand at veggies this year. In an effort to be transparent - I've tried before but, I've failed miserably. I'm hoping with a little help from this program that I'll be successful this time.

One of the recent lectures was on raised bed vegetable gardening and since it's time to plant onions and potatoes that's what I did. I also used a yard stick, in a way that I would have never thought of. I love great little hacks!

I prepared my 4' x 4' raised garden bed by removing last years' dead weeds. This raised bed was formerly my cutting garden. I then added some soil and some compost for good measure. I also cleaned three cattle mineral tubs and drilled holes in the bottoms. Then added 6" soil. We shall see if any of this turns out right!

I'll attach a photo below. I thought the yard stick hack was pretty clever! Use a yard stick to dig a little trench. This makes it super easy to know how deep 1" is, then you've also got a great guide for your 4" spread markers. Then I used the yard stick to just push the dirt back in the 1" trench! I thought it was very clever and I planted 50 white onions in a very, very short amount of time. I should be able to harvest those in 100 - 120 days or so, but I also planted some onions to harvest in 3 weeks or so because I love green onions as well.

In addition to onions, I planted three tubs of Red Pontiac potatoes. I placed my cut seed potatoes, eyes up, and covered them with about 2 - 3" of soil in my prepared tubs. Once the plants are about 6" tall I will mound soil around the plant leaving 2" exposed and repeat once more. I will keep them moist but not soggy. I fertilized these with dry molasses and yum yum mix 2-1-1 (it was a freebie from the sweet master gardener that gave the lecture!) Hopefully I get a tub full of 'taters!

In a nutshell here's all I have to share so far about taters and onions:

Plant onion sets 1" deep and 4" apart.

Onions are heavy feeders so fertilizer is important; I plan on fertilizing with a 10-10-10 in about 3 weeks and again once bulb enlargement begins.

Onions are ready to harvest after 2/3 or more of the tops have fallen over.

I will keep the soil moist but not soggy (they say onions do not like wet feet and they also don't like competition from weeds).

After harvest they'll need to dry before storing. I'm going to harvest green onions in 3 weeks; I hope, anyway!

Potatoes were cut and had at least two chits (sprouts and a new word for me).

Potatoes were placed chits up on 6" of soil, then covered with 2-3" of soil

When the potato plant emerges and has grown to 6", I will mound dirt around the plant only leaving 2" exposed.

This mounding process will be repeated twice.

Harvest in 90-100 days when tops die back

That's all for now! Next time I want to talk about shrubs - which I'm way more comfortable talking about!

Now, go play in the dirt my friends!

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The Hopeful Master Gardener

I'm so excited to share with you that I've FINALLY begun my journey to becoming a Texas Master Gardener. I kind of consider myself an accidental gardener or a lucky gardener. Because if it worked - it was either an accident or a complete stroke of luck. My mother could grow anything - but we also lived close to the coast with lots of rain, humidity and sunshine. I think she could've grown anything anywhere. She definitely had a very, very green thumb.

You might ask "what exactly is a Master Gardener?"

"The Texas Master Gardener program trains and supports a network of volunteers to provide horticultural-related information within their communities.

The Texas Master Gardener program’s strength lies in its ability to meet the diverse needs of the individual communities it serves. By combining statewide guidelines with local direction and administration, the program offers the flexibility necessary to keep it a vital and responsive organization that serves all of Texas.

Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in their lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers and gardens. They are enthusiastic, willing to learn and to help others, and able to communicate with diverse groups of people.

After completing special training in horticulture, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through their AgriLife Extension office to provide horticultural-related information to their communities."

Quoted from the Texas A & M Agrilife Extension Service.

There was an application process, a fee, a background check and a phone interview to get into the program. I'm in! Classes started in early January and so far my head is spinning with all this new knowledge. I'm so grateful to be learning and happy to share. There is 3 hours of class time and 3 hours of Zoom meetings each week (January through April). Then we will have to perform 100 hours of volunteer service to be certified.

The first thing I can say is what we all actually already know - foundation is key. As in SOIL. If we don't start out with the right foundation (insert your favorite cliche`). You get the point.

So I will be very busy (if the wind ever stops blowing) amending my soil in my flower beds as best I can. I worked in them yesterday, which happened to be a beautiful day, and there are a bunch of perennials making their appearance already. That is always so fun to discover.

The first lecture was given by a lovely woman by the name of Mrs. Harrington and the title was Yes, You Can (garden in the panhandle). She was a fount of knowledge. She does a lot of container gardening, hence she has perfect soil. She also had absolutely stunning flower beds. I plan on adding some containers in my flower gardens and paying special attention to what grows well in our heat and wind. My favorite in my flower beds right now is Gaura. I've called it whirling butterfly flower for quite some time, but it hasn't held it against me. Other names are Beeblossom, Whirling Butterflies and Wand Flower. Wand flower is so fitting because they grow tall and wispy and "wave" in the wind. They are super hardy and have spread and performed beautifully for three years in my less than desirable soil. That's Gaura below - the beautiful white, wispy flower. They spread as well! There is also a dwarf gaura variety that has a dark red leaf and pink flowers. It grows well here also.

What can we do right now while we wait for the weather to play nice?

Start working on your soil (cotton burr compost is your friend)

Plant onions and potatoes.

Start some seeds inside and you'll be way ahead of the game!

Put down pre-emergent grass and weed barrier on your lawn

That's all for now. I hope you'll follow along and in the meantime go play in the dirt!

~ Deanna

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Cornell's Country Store

Newsletter 8/1/23

AT A GLANCE

On the road again...

Gift a teacher

Friendly reminder

Howdy folks! Seems like we've been on the road a lot this year and here we go again. But, I'm not complaining because this trip is an actual vacation. For some unknown reason I've always wanted to visit Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. So, that's where we're headed for a little R&R. We know it's hot, but it's hot everywhere! As you may have guessed, we will make a three day pitstop in Nashville to see the grandbabies and go to the George Strait / Chris Stapleton concert (tickets were Bill's Christmas gift last year!)

Gift a school employee...

We think teachers are the real MVPs and, as a matter of fact, we think all school employees deserve some extra special TLC this time of year. We will have a special sale during tax free weekend - August 11 - 13 just for school employees. But, we're taking it a little further and offering up gift cards at a 10% discount so you can GIFT A TEACHER or school employee! It's super easy, just call or come by the store and tell them you'd like to gift a teacher / employee with a gift card. Give the name and the school they work for and we'll do the rest (or you can deliver it yourself). Gift cards are available in any amount you choose and they'll be 10% off from now until August 15. Let's send them back to one of the most important jobs in the world looking good and ready to conquer the year!

Friendly reminder...

This one is for the feed customers. We don't mean to sound like a broken record here, but it is very important for inventory control (amongst other things) that you call or come in the store prior to pulling up in the warehouse or to the bulk bins to be loaded. One of the main reasons is so that we make sure someone is in the warehouse or at the bins to load you. Nobody likes to wait! When you come in first the sales clerk will radio the warehouse and the guys will be there waiting for you instead of you pulling in and being frustrated that nobody is in there. They guys have many jobs to do in different parts of the property and are not always in the warehouse. But if we can radio ahead, they will be right there. I could go on and on about all the reasons that we've implemented this system but that's annoying! The bottom line is we take our job very seriously and customer service continues to be our top priority and loading you quickly is of the utmost importance to us.

all our best,

Bill & Deanna

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Hot Ruby Cranberry Cider Recipes Bubbly Ruby When the night calls for a little bit ‘o bubbly, Hot Ruby adds the perfect twist to turn the same old champagne you always drink into something extraordinary. It’s homemade with a sophisticated side. Equal Parts Hot Ruby and Champagne or Spumante Mix and serve chilled Fireside Ruby When it’s time for a night out, or you need a little more fire in your life, grab a bottle of pecan whiskey or bourbon and a jar of Hot Ruby. It’s like they are made for each other. 1 Part Pecan Whiskey or Bourbon* 2 Parts Hot Ruby Mix and serve warm or over ice. *Try Revel Stoke Pecan Whiskey or Select Club Pecan Praline Whiskey. Both are amazing Paloma Rojo (Red Dove) Tequila fans love this refreshing cocktail! 3 oz. Hot Ruby 1 oz. Tequila 1 oz. Pink Grapefruit Juice Mix and serve over ice with a lime garnish. Saint Ruby’s Punch Headed to a wedding shower, baby shower or luncheon? Mix two 2-liter bottles of chilled orange sparkling water and 1 gallon of Hot Ruby. Miss Ruby’s Mule Equal parts Hot Ruby and Ginger Beer 1 oz. vodka or rum Squeeze of lime Marga Ruby Mimosa Mix 1/8 cup tequila, 1/4 cup Hot Ruby 1/8 cup fresh lime juice Garnish with a lime wedge Add ice, top with Prosecco or Spumante

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You Have Chicks, Now What?  First Day Chick Care 1.  When you take your chicks home, give them access to room temperature drinking water as soon as possible.  You can gently dip their beaks in the water, so they know what and where it is. 2.  Chicks should have a brooding arear with a heat lamp.  The temperature should be between 90 and 98 degrees for the frist week.  Then you can gradually lower that to around 70 degrees. What to watch for regarding temperature - too cold (chicks crowding under heat lamp); too warm (most chicks spread out away from heat lamp); just right (some chicks are under the lamp, others are near it and a few are spread out) 3.  Chicks need at least a 1/2 square foot of space per chick to be able to adjust to the heat. 4.  If chicks appear weak, mix about two tablespoons of sugar into one quart of warm water and give to them for about 16 hours. 5.  Feed chicks a Chick Starter. 6.  Use wood shavings for bedding.  Do not use sawdust, sand, cedar chips or newspaper.  You don’t want them to digest dust or sand, and newspaper can be slick.   ********************* Growing chicks need a starter/grower feed until they lay their first egg, then switch to an egg layer ration. Chicks will start laying eggs between 16 and 24 weeks old. Tips - Chicks will use their beaks to groom or peck themselves.  Sometimes pecking amongst chicks becomes a problem if the brooding area is too hot or too crowded.  We suggest using a red heat lamp to reduce brightness and the tendency to peck at each other.  Occasionally, the rear end of a chick will get manure stuck to it “pasting” up.  If you see this happen, very gently wash the “paste” off with a cloth and warm water.   Pasting should last no more than a few days and can be caused by stress from shipping.   information adapted from Hoovers Hatchery

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2021 VENDOR APPLICATION FOR PRODUCERS

The Donley County Farm 2 Table Farmer’s Market will be held on Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm starting July 10 and ending September 25th at Cornell’s Country Store in the Garden Center. (beginning and ending dates are subject to change)  

This market is intended for home grown products, and products made in your home kitchen; including but not limited to:  fresh produce, fresh fruit, fresh flowers, butter, eggs, cream, cakes, cookies, breads, salsa, sauces, jams & jellies.   This application does not guarantee you a booth at the Farmer’s Market.

VENDOR FEES

Vendor fees include one 10 x 10 space.  At this time we will be providing our wood and cinder block “tables”, this is subject to change and you will be notified of said changes.  

Full time vendor – Every Saturday (12 dates) $150

Part time vendor – Every other Saturday (6 dates) $90

Fill in vendor – Pre approved individual dates $20 per day

APPLICATION TIMELINE

Application deadline:  June 15th

Application notice of acceptance: June 30th

Fees due July 1st

Vendor Name ________________________________________________________________

Company Name (for advertisement if different than vendor name) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cell Phone: _______________________ Alternate Phone:_________________ 

Email address:  __________________________  

Website:  ______________________________

How many 10 x 10 spaces are you requesting? ________________

Please check one: 

 Full Time Vendor (all 12 dates) _____

 Part Time Vendor (6 dates) _____

Fill In Vendor ____

To participate, all vendors must be “local” meaning Donley County, and surrounding areas within a 50 mile radius.  Products must be approved by the Market Manager before they will be allowed to sell at the Farmer’s Market.

Allowable Merchandise

All items sold by Vendors at the Farmer’s Market must comply with this list. 

* Produce defined as fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey and mushrooms 

* Dairy defined as locally produced eggs, pasteurized milk and cheeses, butter and cream.  

* Cut flowers loose or bundled. 

* Canned goods defined as highly acidified canned goods, as well as jams and jellies. 

You may label or place a small sign on your table to define your method of growing or making:  conventional, chemical free, organic etc.  Dishonesty and/or failure to follow these principles and rules will not be tolerated.  

Please describe the products you will be offering.  If you change or add to these products during the growing/selling season please email Deanna@CornellsCountryStore.com 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your space must be kept tidy at all times, any signage must be approved prior to Market Days. Email photos to Deanna@CornellsCountryStore.com.   You are responsible for your own trash and depositing it behind the Farmer’s Market in the dumpster.  You may have up to 3 workers in your booth at one time.  Booths may never be left unattended during market hours.  You may also bring 2 chairs to your booth. Children under 16 may never be left unattended during Market. All items are to be paid for at your booth, no payments for goods shall be made inside Cornell’s Country Store. You may not sell outside the hours of 9 – 2.   There will be no refunds for inclement weather.  If a Market Day has to be cancelled due to the weather, we will make every effort to add a make-up day.  ________ vendor initials

I do hereby agree to release, defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Cornell’s Country Store and the Donley County Farm 2 Door Farmer’s Market, its organizers and committee members from and against any and all loss, expense, and claims for damage or injuries incurred to persons or property resulting from acts or omissions by exhibitor, its agents or employees. 

By submitting this application, I agree to abide by the rules of the Farmer’s Market, and guarantee that all work for sale at the Farmer’s Market has been personally handcrafted and homemade by me, the applicant. No resale items will be allowed for sale. The Donley County Farm 2 Door Farmer’s Market, reserves the right to select vendors based on quality of product and the needs of the event. This application does not guarantee a vendor space at the Farmer’s Market. If I am selected to be a vendor, I will receive notification of acceptance along with additional information regarding the event. 

Reasons you may not be approved to be a vendor:  Too many of the same type product, not being specific on products to be offered.

If you are unable to be at your space for any reason, please notify Deanna@CornellsCountryStore.com or call 806 874 6773 at least 24 hours before market opens.

I agree with the application agreement and understand the rules of the Farmer’s Market. 

____________________________________                

Signature of Vendor

_____________________

Date

_____________________________________________________

 Printed Name of Vendor

For additional questions, please call 806 874-6773 or email Deanna@CornellsCountryStore.com

You may mail completed applications to:

Deanna Cornell

PO Box 1300

Clarendon, TX 79226

Or email to Deanna@CornellsCountryStore.com

Or drop them by Cornell’s Country Store at 903 E Hwy 287, Clarendon, TX 79226

Our Mission:

To provide our community with a place to sell their home grown goods and to provide a place for consumers to have access to all that goodness.  We believe local, home grown is the best there is!

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Cornell’s Country Store  Home Grown,  Dry Aged Beef & Why It Matters

When we started on this journey of selling our home grown beef out of Cornell’s Country Store, we knew we had a lot to learn about the process.  It has been a whirlwind, but we are always eager to learn and never back down from a challenge!  We knew we had quality cattle and the best feed there is.  We knew the cattle were well tended, and not pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.  As a matter of fact, we can see all of them from our back door every day, because when we say home grown, we mean it literally.

The first step was to find a meat processor that had slots available for us, and that turned out to be an obstacle we were unprepared for. We developed the plan in January 2020, knowing we’d have cattle ready for processing in November.  We finally decided in May that we were definitely going to do it, and started calling.  We learned immediately that we had waited too long for that because the available slots were very hard to come by and were a year away!  We needed help in the next 5 months.  We finally had a deal worked out with Dalhart Meat Processing, and it has been such a good relationship.  You know, every time something seems to not be working out and a door closes, another door opens and things are better than we hoped for.  That’s what Dalhart has been for us - better than we hoped for.  

Then the processor changed ownership.  We had developed a great relationship with them and they were very good to us.  But like I said, when one door closes another opens, which also turned to something better than we hoped for.  The new owner, who has ties to our little town of Clarendon, has been very helpful and is willing to answer all our questions.  We learned from him that we have excellent quality beef (it’s nice to hear it from someone who actually does know!) - he compliments the genetics and says “whatever you’re feeding them, keep doing it”.  That is exactly our plan.

Now to the reason for this post - dry aged.  What is it and why does it matter?  First let me tell you that the beef you purchase at your local grocer is hung or “aged” for 24 hours in most cases.  The beef is then packaged and sent to your grocery store.  Dry aged beef is a completely different thing.  Our beef is hung and aged for 21 days.

Fun beef fact #1:  Beef is aged by refrigerating and holding either carcasses or primal cuts for extended periods of time after slaughter.

Fun beef fact #2:  What this aging process does is improves the tenderness and flavor of beef.  There are two methods for aging meat: wet aging and dry aging.  A more scientific explanation of what’s going on here involves two things:  First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle.  Second, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to improved tenderness.  If you ever wondered why your dry aged steak at that fancy restaurant is more expensive - that’s why.  It takes a long time and a lot more work to dry age beef.

Fun beef fact #3:  Meat which is dry aged is hung in a very clean, temperature and humidity controlled cooler for a period of two to four weeks.  An inedible crust forms on the outside from the moisture being lost, which has to be trimmed and discarded.  This trimming = more work.  

It is rare outside of hotels, restaurants, and specialty shops to find retail meat that has been dry aged.  We dry age for 21 days.

Fun beef fact #4:  Wet aging is when meat and its own juices are vacuum packed in plastic and boxed for distribution much like most of our commercial, retail beef.  Unlike dry aging, the plastic packaging does not allow loss of moisture, leaving little to no loss.  Wet aging is much less costly and allows for quicker entry to the retail market and therefore a much longer shelf life all of which are selling points for retail markets.  

After dry aging, our beef is trimmed appropriately, vacuum sealed and flash frozen for guaranteed freshness.

There you have it - a lesson on dry aging and why it matters. Now you can compare apples with apples; we are not offering ordinary, grocery store beef.  If you’re looking for tender, tasty beef we ask you to try Cornell’s Home Grown Beef - from our place to your plate!

Bill & Deanna Cornell

[deannacornell]