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.