The Hickories: CSA Member News

Dear CSAers,

This is just a last minute reminder that we do sell pastured raised pork. Our piglets have grown up (and up and up) and we will send them off next week. If you are interested in buying the pork please contact me ASAP. Several of you already have, and I am looking forward to speaking with you in more detail, etc. For those not interested, I will spare you the "ins-and-outs" of the "processing" - read no further. Suffice it to say, the Tamworths are a heritage breed and the sales are an important part of keeping the breed in production and the biodiversity in our food-shed.

The pig basics:
We sell the pigs in 1/4 and 1/2 and full shares. We predict each quarter is about $250 and will produce about 30 lbs of meat or more (small book box size box). You buy the pig "live" from us and then we help you arrange for it to be cut and packaged according to your specifications. You will receive packages of meat - not a live pig or a whole pig - don't worry. The packaging is a freezer paper that is rated for 1 year. The smoking of the bacon and hams will be done by Nodine's Smokehouse in Torrington CT.

Dear CSAers,

First signs of frost last night... squirrels are running around berserk, the farm is virtually raining black walnuts, and the farmers are mowing and discing to prepare the fields for winter.

This is just a brief notice to let you know we have a little raspberry patch that (after two years of being an utter disappointment) is experiencing its first real fruit bearing season. We prune these raspberries to force the harvest toward the end of the season, but the result is that they are out of sync with the CSA calendar. But fresh picked raspberries are delicious and we want you to try them. So, the patch is open - CSA style - come pick a pint or two (or just eat them straight) and enjoy the autumn colors at the farm. Some of you have serious picking skills if that strawberry field was any indication - so have at it! The raspberries are just inside the garden gate, and there are containers waiting to be filled. Come anyday and anytime between 10am and 6pm.

Dear CSAers,

This week is our final share. With it we include our heartiest thanks for a wonderful summer together. Your commitment to our farm has kept us afloat, in very real terms. I am proud of what we have done together this season. We have all eaten well, some more adventurously than before. As we stood at the wash-tubs this morning bunching beet greens we reminisced about fond 2008 CSA memories: strawberry picking with CSA kids, the annual “goose letting” at the Maple Syrup kick-off breakfast, stories told picking and packing and weeding together, the rigorous heirloom tomato taste-testing. You have made extraordinary efforts to pitch in: from coming out to get your hands dirty, to providing electrician services, to even making experimental batches of strawberry wine.