January 2024 CSA Newsletter

The years certainly do speed bye….. Eathon was just a wee thing in this picture, “helping” to pack down grass that was harvested with his uncle Jess. Cole was in my arms and family was around for an un-remembered cook-out. Whatever the reason, we were SO excited to be making hay and working together. Some things don’t change. Fast forward a few years – still incredibly excited going into our 21st year of ranching!

Some Updates and News;

Lambs – I know this was briefly mentioned, but the reason we sold our sheep flock was two-fold. One, getting spots at our butcher to have the lamb processed has been next to impossible for the last several years and unfortunately, isn’t getting solved in the very near future. Good workers are hard to come and they only have so much space/time for each species. Secondly, we were finding it incredibly difficult to find a replacement breeding ram and without a ram… well, no babies. We DO have lamb in stock, until it is gone. Please, take advantage of this and enjoy it. Things change, and perhaps we will have lamb once again!

Cutest of Lambs

Shipping – It is a roller coaster, y’all! LOOONNNGGG story short, possibly shipping once a month (dropping boxes in Albany, NY at the UPS hub) April through October-ish and then resuming weekly shipping between November – March. Delays of a day or two are killer to boxes of precious meat…. which is happening more frequently and during warmer months. By dropping the boxes off in Albany, most of you receive your delivery the next day and gives some cushion if a box does get delayed. The difference between …..ahhh, it is thawed and ugh…it is ruined.

A note I wanted to make, if receiving your box during the scheduled “shipping week” doesn’t work ( out of town, vacation, etc.) we have a couple of options so you don’t have to wait an entire month.

Still can ship from our home ranch another week but it will take longer (2 days at least!) However, we will no longer replace a share that has thawed if shipped this way. We just can’t guys…. it is morale killer to have worked so hard and then incur a double loss ( insurance doesn’t cover delays in transit.)
We CAN ship to a friend, a neighbor or anyone in the general area who can accept your box and store it for you! One CSA member had her share shipped to her Mom while they were staying there for vacation food! No extra cost and happy to do this.
Plan ahead with us! We are getting ready to nail down our plans and we will post our shipping timeframe for the next 6 months. This way, you know what week we will be shipping and you can plan on doubling up the month before or after, skipping it, or shipping to a friend or to your vacation rental.

Pricing on Shares – Some good news! Despite shipping going up 5%, processing going up 5% and a few other things, we have also cut some costs by being more efficient and are going to be able to keep the share price the SAME for this year.

Sourdough Bread Update – We are discontinuing carrying sourdough for the time being. Our secondary walk-in freezer broke after a power outage and we are stuffing everything in our one walk-in…. which makes things “cozy”. If you really want his sourdough, email us and we can see if we can get it fresh from Douglas and out with your share!

Cole telling tour visitors about the Berkshire pork

Share invoices come out on the 21st of every month and I will post this newsletter on our blog shortly after. I will also email you the link so you don’t miss the news. If the first shipping date doesn’t work for you, just let us know and we can arrange a later ship day. Here is the upcoming schedule!

January Shares Shipping; January 2nd ( or any other week)
February Shares Shipping; February 5th ( or any other week)
March Shares Shipping; March 4th ( or any other week)

Share options for this month ( below is an example share for a Small Beef, Pork & Chicken, your share may be different) are pretty flexible, let us know if you would like to switch out any cuts or need something for a special dinner. LAMB! Finally… if you love it and want a 5 lb. additional share ( $75) let us know or we are happy to add some to your current share. Just let us know!

Beef Chuck, Brisket, London Broil, Rump, Bottom Round, or Eye of Round Roast
Ground Beef
Ground Pork or Sausages ( Breakfast, Sweet or Hot Italian, Chorizo or Kielbasa)
Berkshire Pork Chops ( Bone-in or boneless)
Berkshire Shoulder Steak OR Spareribs
Chicken Leg & Thighs, Drumsticks or Wings
Lamb! OR a request extra of something you want!

You can also add; Maple Syrup, Honey, Meat Sticks, Jerky, and Sausage to your share. Just email us with what you are looking to add and we do the rest!

December went by in a blur and we are here, just two days away from 2024… Planning on doing a highlight blog next month to look back over the last year and ALL the stuff that happened… In the meantime, we are enjoying the last days of our family vacation which really just means we have been taking it a bit easier as we recover from one heck of a cold. Sipping soup, watching fail videos, scratching our dogs and the bulls, feeding the animals and waiting for snow. Happy New Years!!

Cheers,

Kassandra