A Little Love for the Larder

Here's an email that was in my inbox earlier this week from a loyal customer, regarding the Larder at Rettland Farm:

"I am thrilled about the new Larder! In fact, I loved it so much I took a picture of it! I think this is the first time in my life I've ever eaten a chicken that was processed the same day! We opened the colby cheese as soon as we got home and had it with apple slices---it is FANTASTIC! I'm looking forward to a delicious chicken dinner tonight, and a delicious summer of your sausage on the grill.


Thanks so much for all the work you do to provide us with real food!"

--Christine M., Emmitsburg, MD

Come out this Saturday and see what all the fuss is about!

The Larder at Rettland Farm

"Larder:  1.  A place where food is stored.  Pantry.  2.  A supply of food"  --Merriam Webster Dictionary

In my previous post, I made it known that I wasn't going to be on the scene at any of the great farmers markets in the area this year.  I also made it known that having contact with home cooks and their families was really important to me, so I needed an outlet where people could still find the products we work so hard to raise.

So, welcome to The Larder at Rettland Farm.



The Larder at Rettland Farm

 Pretty rustic, huh?  Yeah, it is. But you can rest easy knowing that behind that knotty pine door, there is a big old shiny modern refrigerator/freezer where all of the goodies will be kept.

"What kind of goodies", you may ask?

The answer may vary a little bit from week to week.  There will always be some kind of pork in there.  Chops or something grillable, cause that's the season we're in.  Maybe a roast or some spareribs.  Bacon when we can hold onto it.  (You folks have a serious bacon addiction, really.)  And there will always be some kind of sausage, usually one of our own original varieties like the Herb and Onion or that almost addictive Kielbasa.

The standard supply every week though, will be whole chickens.  And I'm not talking about Just Chicken.  I'm talking about the increasingly popular, pastured raised, sinfully good Rettland Farm Broiler Chicken.  But there's an added bonus:  these chickens will be fresh.  As in never frozen.  As in, so fresh they saw the sunrise that morning.  Yeah, that fresh.  This was kind of important to me, because as of now, I don't have a retail outlet where we can sell fresh chickens. 

But now I do.  The Larder at Rettland Farm.

How Does It Work?

Our little outdoor pantry shown above is located here on the farm (920 Barlow Two Taverns Road, Gettysburg PA 17325), in the parking area near the house.  You can't miss it.

It will be open (read: unlocked) from 12 pm until 7 pm every Saturday through the summer.  PLEASE NOTE:  Fresh chickens will not be available until after 12 pm on Saturdays, because they won't be harvested before then...remember I said they were going to be fresh?  Yeah, that.

It will operate on a self serve/honor system basis.  This means that you are free to check out the offerings in BOTH the fridge and the freezer, pick out what you want, and then pay the price marked on each individual package. 

Your payment in the form of check or exact cash can be placed in the Care Bear Tin container, located INSIDE the refrigerator door.  (Yes, I said Care Bear Tin....why are you snickering??  It works, OK?)

You don't have to go to the house or find someone on the farm.  Just help yourself, and throw up a hand in salute if you happen to see someone. 

I will try to put out notice on this blog and through social media as to what goodies will be available in a given week, besides the usual stuff.  So check back here Friday evenings or Saturday mornings before you head out.

That's it.  That's how The Larder at Rettland Farm will work, for now.  If you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, I'm always available at farmer@rettlandfarm.com

One Request:

I would kindly ask that if you want a tour of the farm sometime to give me a call and make an appointment.  We have lots of cool stuff going on here, but there are also lots of electrified fencing, slatted barn floors, livestock guard dogs, mud, etc, etc.  Your visit will be MUCH more pleasant if we are able to point them out to you.  From a distance.

And please understand that you are coming onto a working farm at your own risk.  Unfortunately, we can't be held responsible for accidents or other unpleasant occurances while your're here.  Sorry.





Sitting This One Out...

So it's time for the Farmers Market Season to kick off once again here in Home Sweet Adams County.

And so, it seems appropriate to announce that we're going to sit out the 2012 season, away from the markets.

Huh?

Yeah, it was a tough decision to make. In fact, I've been mulling it over since the close of the Market last October.  I went back and forth on the issue for months, stalling the decision until the last possible moment. 

In the end, I opted to take a break from the Markets for two reasons:  I wanted to try some new marketing ideas and to focus my attention on the irons that we already had in the fire. 

But I still need to have a retail outlet.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the relationships and reputation that we've built with professional chefs.  I can't tell you what a rush it is to sit down at a bustling restaurant and see your name listed on the menu:  it's the farmers equivalent of seeing your name in lights on the marquee, I guess.

But I still NEED to see the end user of our products sometimes, to put our product in the hands of someone who is doing nothing more than trusting us to nourish themselves and the people they care about.  No flash.  No buzz.  No potential write ups in the food section of a metro newspaper.  Just getting back to the basics of feeding people.  That's what keeps my wheels turning.

So in order for me to get my fix, so to speak, we're going to be offering on farm sales this year.  We'll be open for business starting this Saturday, May 5, from 12pm-7pm. 

I'll lay out all the details in my next post, in the next day or two.  But for now, just make plans to drive on out here and pay us a visit every week or two.  I really think it will be worth your time.