Fresh Chicken now available from The Wooly Pig

Hi! Nichki and Laz from The Wooly Pig here, taking over the Barberry Hill Farm blog for an entry!

We are young aspiring CT farmers who were lucky enough to meet Kelly and Kingsley last March and over the past several months they have become our good friends and farming mentors. This fall, the Goddards have been so kind as to lend us their pasture and their expertise so that we can raise our very first batch of chickens for our community.

Our birds are pasture raised, which means they are brought up outdoors with plenty of access to fresh vegetation, open air, and sunlight.

They are fed a strictly organic diet – an added cost for us that we feel is a worthwhile investment in our customers’ health. Pesticides in non-organic animal feeds can be substantial and the vast majority ingredients used are genetically modified.

Genetically modified foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. The effects of genetically modified crops on our health has yet to be studied by the FDA, and while they are banned as ingredients in all of Europe and 17 countries elsewhere, the FDA does not even require the labeling of GMOs in our food ingredient lists. Our organic feed is GMO free which benefits not only the health of our birds, but our customers as well.

But our birds aren’t just good for you - they taste great too! We can’t thank our customers enough for supporting local, sustainable agriculture.

Your good decisions help build strong, healthy communities right here in Connecticut. And we certainly owe a great big thanks to Barberry Hill Farm for their generosity and encouragement while we try to provide our neighbors with the best darn chicken we know how to raise!

For more information on our chickens, please contact us by email at TheWoolyPig@gmail.com

Madison's Open Fields

One thing that makes Madison so special is all of the openness.  Some of this comes from our spectacular beaches and ocean views.  But it is also the open fields that also make driving around town such a pleasure.

Kingsley does his part to keep the town open by mowing the Bauer Park.  If you have driven by in the last few days, you may have even seen him out there.

We live in a bustling town.  Sometimes, however, it is nice to grab some tranquility, even if it is just scanning an open horizon.

Madison Art Society Plein-Air Painters

The Madison Art Society Plein-Air Painters joined us the other day to capture some of the beauty of the day.   I think they became part of the beauty, don't you agree? 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate & Zucchini Cake

Zucchini is plentiful this time of year.  So along with the requisite salads, breads, and sautés, I am also enjoying making Chocolate and Zucchini Cake.  My family loves it and it is a good way to get fresh vegetables into their diets.

It is so easy to make; it takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and then about 45 minutes to cook. The recipe is located here (http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/04/chocolate_zucchini_cake.php).

Chocolate & Zucchini

Sifting the Sugar

Summer Flowers

Dinners at the Farm, 2012

Here is what one blogger wrote about her experiences at this years' Dinners at the Farm. I have reprinted it with her permission.

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On the last days of July, it is easy to feel that summer will never end.  But on the first days of August, there is the realization that it will, and likely soon.  There is a seemingly paleolithic temptation, not fought, to feast on fresh foods, the casual company of friends, and warm weather activities. In this spirit, we all gathered on the Connecticut shore for a "Dinners at the Farm".

This series of fund raising-like events are held down on the beautiful farm of our good friends, the Goddards.

Flowers Sold By The Pound

 

My favorite vehicle of the evening was fresh from Britain and in rather good condition.

 

We were seated at my kind of head table.

Most of the food served for dinner traveled, not time zones, but less than 30 yards.

Captain and Captain

What couldn't be sourced from their farm came from other Connecticut farms and shores.

After an ominous rumble, many iOS and Android devices were reflexively retrieved.  All eyes fixed on the radar.

The winds started up and the subsequent courses arrived a little more quickly.

Under the whipping flags and bowing trees, we managed to finalize the sailing dates and finish a great evening before the storm.

Dinners and a Farm Wedding

We've been busy getting the grounds ready in preparation for our fourth year of Dinners at the Farm!  Come join us for a magical evening and a delicious dinner prepared by Jonathan Rapp and his crew from River Tavern. The dates are August 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12.  You can make reservations by going to www.dinnersatthefarm.com.

We will also be hosting the wedding of Erin and James.  Most people don't think of a farm as a place for a wedding venue, however over the years, Barberry Hill Farm has hosted well over a dozen weddings and received many requests for special events planned here.