Tea Hills Farms

06/05/2026

Farmers Market’s are back in full swing and just in time for our largest selection of fresh pork and chicken!
This weekend we add to our line-up Hudson Ohio Farmers Market and our Sunday Chagrin Falls market with North Union Farmers Market.
We are excited to be back at both of these locations!
Along with serving our awesome customers at:
Shaker Square 8a-12p
Crocker Park 9a-1p
Howe Meadow 9a-12p Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market
Haymaker Farmers' Market in Kent 9a-1p
Farmers Market of Medina County on Granger Rd 9a-12p
7 great farmers markets to find your favorite Tea Hills Farms meat products!

06/04/2026

You may have noticed a common thread in the recent posts about our farm: the free flowing spring water. The large natural spring on the western edge of the farm is the lifeblood of our operation. It allows us to operate in ways that are unique compared to other farms. .

Our farm gets its name from a roughly 4-mile long ridge just north of us. When settlers came to the area, they found tea making herbs and roots such as ginseng, goldenseal, and sassafras in this area, along with multiple natural springs that flowed out of the hills on their eastern faces. Because of this, the area became known among locals as the “Tea HIlls”. One of the largest of those springs is the one that serves us.

As natural springs go, this one is a monster. We only use a tiny fraction of the water that the spring produces, and most of the water from the spring ends up in the larger stream that flows through the farm that discharges into the Lake Fork of the Mohican river. The Mohican river becomes the Walhonding, which flows into the Muskingum, and eventually the Ohio. It’s amazing to think that the water that flows out of the hillside on our farm will eventually end up in the Mississippi River and end its journey in the Gulf of Mexico.

This spring never freezes and its flow rarely changes. Even in periods of dry weather the spring flows at a healthy level. The water is in the mid-50’s year around, which makes the wooded area surrounding it the coolest spot on the farm on those hot summer days and the warmest in the depths of winter.

It has provided water to the farm and farmhouse that was purchased by our grandparents in 1952, and continues to this day. We are very fortunate to have this amazing resource at our disposal, and we think it is a big part of what makes our farm, our animals, and our products special.

05/22/2026

5 great locations for all of your Memorial Day grilling needs!
Fresh Chicken
Fresh Duck
Fresh Pork
Gourmet Chicken Patties
Heritage Pork Sausages
North Union Farmers Market, Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market, Haymaker Farmers' Market, Farmers Market of Medina County

05/21/2026

This week’s product focus is on another of our popular products: our fresh pasture raised duck. In the past, we have allowed the ducks to have access to one of our ponds on the farm, but concerns about bird flu forced us to change that. We now raise them in the same protected shelters as the chickens, but we allow our fresh spring water to run continuously so they are able to create puddles in the shelters.

A little duckin’ history: The ducks that we raise are pekin ducks. Because of their size and fast growth rate, they are the most popular breed of ducks that are raised for meat today. While they have been raised in China for thousands of years, they were first brought to the U.S. from China in 1873. The four ducks that survived the 124 day voyage from Peking (now Beijing) became the foundation stock for the American pekin duck flock. Known for their size, they can reach weights of 8-10 pounds, but we typically process ours in the 4-6 pound range.

The main challenge of raising ducks for meat is the processing. Their dense, water resistant feathers make plucking a challenge. While we have found ways to make the process easier, getting every single feather is difficult without using chemicals or wax. We don’t use either of these, so for us age and timing is key! Ducks get adult feathers around 10 weeks of age. When those feathers are just starting to come through the skin they are extremely difficult to process because the feathers are very small. So planning processing based on molting is extremely important. We watch them closely and aim to process at the ideal age of their feather cycle.

We offer whole ducks as well as boneless skinless duck breasts and duck legs. Because of limited and inconsistent supply (we don’t process ducks every week) this product sells quickly. We had a few fresh ducks available last weekend. Our first large quantity of ducks for the season will be available at this week’s markets, so for those who have been waiting…the wait is over!

05/13/2026

We hope you enjoyed the first taste of fresh chicken the past couple weekends!

Chicken is back…but we’ve been getting lots of questions about when our grass fed beef will be available again. We appreciate that our customers love this product and that it usually goes fast when we have it. The short answer is that we likely won’t have beef again until early fall. The long answer is a chance to explain why this is.

One of the advantages to raising poultry is that they don’t take long to grow and the turnover is relatively quick. Most of the chickens that we process are 7-8 weeks old. The lambs and pigs take a little longer at 6-8 months. Raising cattle, however, is a long term proposition. The cattle that we send to market are generally 18-24 months of age. So when there’s a “hole” in supply, it doesn’t take nearly as long to fill that hole with poultry and pigs as it does with cattle.

Most calves that we raise are born in the spring. Biologically this is advantageous as there is less cold stress on the calf and the mother has access to the lush “spring flush” pastures, which allow her to produce more and higher quality milk to feed her calf. This also gives the calf a full growing season to grow and to become strong enough to endure our lovely Ohio winters. So a calf born this spring likely wouldn’t go to market until next fall, at the earliest.

All of this, combined with our relatively small beef herd, means that there are occasional “holes” in our beef supply. Sending cattle before they are “ready” results in a lower quality product which isn’t good for the producer or the consumer. So…we wait. Right now the pastures are prime and the herd is thriving.

We know this might not be the answer you wanted to hear, but it’s the reality of raising grass fed beef on a small farm in Ohio. In the meantime, we hope you will continue to enjoy our other fresh offerings throughout the summer! Lots of fresh duck planned for next weekend… early customers may even find a few this weekend!

05/08/2026

Pasture raised chicken and pork is being processed as I type to bring the freshest meats to your favorite farmers markets tomorrow!
See you at the market!
Shaker Square northunionfarmersmarket,
Crocker Park North Union Farmers Market
Howe Meadow Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market
Medina Cornerstone Chapel Farmers Market of Medina County
Kent Haymaker Farmers' Market

05/01/2026

Along with fresh chicken this weekend we will have a limited number of Al Pastor Pork Sausages in celebration of Cinco De Mayo! Achiote, garlic, vinegar, and pineapple ground with our heritage pork. We cooked them up with sautéed onions, added fresh cilantro and wrapped them in a corn tortilla. 😋
Reminders!
Back in Howe Meadow with Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market from 9a-12p
Opening week at Farmers Market of Medina County 9a-12p
Opening early at Haymaker Farmers' Market. Now 9a-12p
Outside at Crocker Park 9a-1p &
Shaker Square 8a-12p with North Union Farmers Market
See you at the market!

04/30/2026

Outdoor Farmers Market Season dates and locations!

Get ready to savor the flavors of the season as we celebrate our 26th year of Farmers' Markets! We’re thrilled to bring back all of your favorite products, including our fresh pasture-raised chicken (This Weekend), duck, heritage pork, gourmet chicken patties, handcrafted sausages, delicious meatballs, and, of course, farm-fresh eggs.

Our 100% grass-fed beef and lamb will be available in late summer.
Join us for another exciting outdoor season filled with local goodness and community spirit. We can’t wait to see you there and enjoy another fantastic season with our friends and customers!

Markets this Saturday:

Shaker Square w/ North Union Farmers Markets
In Historic Shaker Square
8am-12pm

Crocker Park w/ North Union Farmers Markets
1800 Crocker Road Westlake, Ohio. Corner of Detroit & Crocker Road
9am-1pm

Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market
Howe Meadow 4040 Riverview Road
9am-12pm

Haymaker Farmers' Market
Franklin Ave between Main St. & Summit St. Kent, Ohio
-9am-1pm

Medina County Farmers' Market
Cornerstone Chapel 3939 Granger Road Medina
9am-12pm

Mark your calendars....Markets starting in June!

Hudson Farmers Market
Hudson Green, Hudson Ohio
Saturdays 9am- 12:30pm. Starting June 6th

Chagrin Falls w/ North Union Farmers Markets
Band Stand Triangle Park Chagrin Falls
Sundays, 9am to Noon. Starting June 7th

Shipping to your home
Are your weekends jam packed but you still want Tea Hills meats in your freezer? We ship weekly on Wednesday & Thursday for next day delivery to your doorstep via UPS.

Pre-order for Farmers Market Pick-up
Plan ahead and have your order reserved, paid for, and ready to just grab and go at the farmers' market of your choice. Save time and get the first choice of our products without the risk of us selling out of your favorite products before you get to the market. Please place orders by midnight on Thursday's to allow us time on Friday to get all of the orders packed and heading to the correct market.

Click here for an update from Tea Hills Farms!

04/28/2026

Our signature product will be back this week at five NE Ohio markets! After a slight weather delay, fresh chicken makes its long anticipated return!

What makes our chicken different?

- Our chickens are raised from day-old chicks on our farm
- They are moved on to pasture at 3 weeks of age and are raised there until market weight
- They live in mobile shelters. These shelters are moved daily to ensure fresh, clean pasture for the chickens. The shelters provide shade in the summer and also protection from predators.
- They have constant access to fresh spring water. There is a large spring on the western edge of the farm that provides all of the water for farm operations. This large spring is the lifeblood of the farm and is a feature that is unique to our area. The “Tea Hills” name comes from the hills just north or our farm that have many springs within them and helped grow the tea making herbs that the settlers found in the area.
-They have flavor! All of this creates the delicious flavor, and desirable texture that our customers love!

About our facility and our process:
- Our processing facility was built in 1999. This will be our 27th year of operation there!
- We are an ODA and USDA inspected facility. A meat inspector is on site at all times during processing to ensure cleanliness and wholesomeness of our products.
- We use only ice and water during processing. No chemicals! Because of this, we do extra testing every week to ensure product safety.
- We process only birds from our farm fresh off of our clean pastures.
- We process between 250 and 400 chickens each week during the growing season. (This might sound like a lot, but many larger commercial operations process over 10,000 per day!) This allows us to give extra attention to each bird to ensure the quality that you have come to expect from our fresh chicken.

Online pre-orders are live Today!

We will also be back at Farmers Market of Medina County. this week! Fresh chicken will be available at all five of our market locations (Shaker Square, Crocker Park, Cuyahoga Valley, Kent, and Medina)
North Union Farmers Market, Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market, Haymaker Farmers' Market

04/24/2026

We are set up tomorrow at 4 locations with only the best vendors! See you at the market!
North Union Farmers Market, Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market, Haymaker Farmers' Market