Products for 2012
Chicken - Duck - Rabbit - Quail - Turkey - Goose - Guinea
We grow our plants and animals this way because our family eats our plants and animals.
We care about healthy food....and we care a lot about how it tastes.
Always fresh ... Always Organic feed ... Raised with Respect
Duck -
We love duck ! In fact we like duck so much that we usually don't like people who don't like duck .. but that's not cut in stone. We have raised Pekins for many years. We have always thought of the Pekin as the "meat bird" of the duck world, but that's not really fair because they are healthy animals capable of taking care of themselves and from our considerable experience they are mighty tasty. None the less, they are very common (not that there is anything wrong with that) and so last year we introduced Muscovys as our duck of choice. Side by side they are not really discernible from the Pekins as we taste them, but it is a less commercial breed and that has value to us, as we put a value on breed diversity. The Muscovy is said to have slightly less fat than the Pekin, which we do NOT see as an asset, but we have not noticed any measurable difference in the fat layer from the Muscovy to the Pekin.
Guinea Fowl -
We love Guinea Fowl, and we have learned the hard way about brooding and raising these flighty birds. But we are always reluctant to go against the Joy of Cooking which insists that Guinea fowl be raised and processed young, at around 2 lbs, so that is how we raise them. A special food for a special meal.
Chicken -
Sometimes you have to compromise, and chicken is one of those times. By now most of us know that ALL store bought chicken, whether it comes from the fanciest grocery store in West Hartford or the Big Discount Box, is all the same breed of bird that is incapable of even reproducing on its own. On the other hand, we have personal, and considerable experience growing true heritage breed chickens, and they are SO far from what we have come to expect today with regard to breast size and cost, that they require entirely too much talking to sell. Here is the compromise... we have found a great breed of chicken, that grows quickly, looks great, forages well, and is a REAL chicken. (you could keep it for a pet if you wanted) It is not a heritage breed, it is a hybrid, but hey .. that's compromise. The Freedom range is a great eater and we are sure you will love it. We are quite sure you will find, as our FarmShare Members tell us, that after a season of these birds you will have a hard time going back to a commercial breed.
Rabbit -
We have been really pleased with the rabbits that we have been raising for the past year. We are fairly new to Rabitts, both from a culinary and a husbandry point of view. We currently raise our rabbits eating mostly local hay, supplemented with a little organic chicken feed and a small mineral block. We have had rave reviews and are really glad we have added them to the lineup. If you are unfamiliar with rabbit but you love food and love to cook you will not be disappointed.
Turkey -
We raise both Heritage Bourbon Reds and the good old monster Turkeys that have become the standard barer for American industrialized food.. yes ... drum roll please ... the Broad Breasted White. I think we all are allowed a little fun once in a while so we grow some monster Turkeys for the holidays. We tipped the scales at 36lbs this year.
Goose -
Fresh Christmas goose is a rarity and an essential part of the holiday season for many of our customers. In the past we have grown Embden geese, and this past year we had a mix of heavy breeds that included Buff and African. When Cooked properly, the Christmas Goose is a really special item, and I don't mind telling you that this year we hit the nail on the head ... Our Christmas Goose was just perfect .. I described it as 'pheasant meets roast beef'. Thanks Joanne !