Carroll County Fresh

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Comment by daniel krotz on December 6, 2010 at 3:09pm

Richard, THANKS for the chicken gutting story! I am so glad that I'm limited to killing squash bugs~~but that won't deter me from hoping for an invitation to a fried chicken dinner. Your birds looked great when I saw them walking around--and I know they'll be even better looking on a plate. Thanks again for the update!

Comment by Richard Pille on December 6, 2010 at 2:04pm

Good Day,
crisp cold morning, our neighbor Reba, Jane and i went through our first butchering chickens this weekend. We did just one, made a few adjustments to our system and then were able to do one every 15 to 20 min. so with sore hands, clean work area and a dozen birds per family, we don't feel to bad about the effort.
This began with memories of chicken day with grand ma.
thinking "heck i have done this before, should be easy,
well it was not to bad all in all, however i was a small child when grandma was "fixn" chickens and the reality is that if there were not info on the net and many books about the effort we would have had a tragedy.
Thank You to our great neighbors, we partnered in raising some beef last year and have added meet chicken to our co-op efforts.

Welcome to Nan, you have run into a bunch of great folks.
Carroll County Fresh is going to have a meeting in January to set
goals for the coming year.
Your input is welcome,
My wife Jane is very interested in developing a teaching and consulting arm and blog for us gardeners and small farmers

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank every one who attended the event at the BARN in Holiday Island...

we will do some more of this kind of community outreach...

sorry to have missed Fred Mayer's presentation at the health fair
in Berryville this weekend...

more later
richard

Comment by Nan Johnson on December 4, 2010 at 12:10pm

Greetings from a new member. Just read about your group in the Lovely Co. Citizen and was thrilled to find kindred spirits. Dan Krotz suggested I introduce myself.

I am a semi-retired organic farmer originally from New England. I ran a small dairy goat farm in Mississippi for nine years, and also spent years doing community organizing in the MS Delta (w/ farmers, community gardeners and public school systems) on food security & sustainable ag issues.

My favorite part of farming (besides eating from the gardens, making goat cheese, and working w/ livestock - turkeys, geese, chickens, goats, rabbits, Great Pyrenees) was working w/ school kids on my farm, bringing farm animals into the classrooms, libraries, nursing homes, etc. and doing workshops on composting for the public.

More recently, I spent 7 years raising hundreds of species of medicinal plants for the National Center for Natural Products Research at the Univ. of MS. I moved to Newton Co., AR in 2009 for love, and my partner and I are now looking to buy a small homestead near Eureka Springs so that my mom can come live w/ us, and I can raise dairy goats and chickens again.

Wendell Berry's poetry inspired me to start a 3 year farm apprentice at age 39, and I have been gratefully connected to the land ever since. I am 57 now and still feel like a beginner, so I am thrilled to find this community of neighbors!

Comment by daniel krotz on December 4, 2010 at 11:32am

Friends, please join me in welcoming Jennifer Hudspeth and Nan Johnson to the Carroll County Fresh group. We appreciate you!

Comment by daniel krotz on November 9, 2010 at 5:24pm

Great News! Foundation Farm, Carroll County Fresh, and Wildfire Farms are putting up display units at our up-coming MEET YOUR FARMER event on Saturday, Nov. 4th at the Barn on the Island at Holiday Island.

Foundation Farm will have photographs of their operation and distribute something called 'Foundation Farm Bucks'. FF has also donated a bushel of Arkansas Black Apples for the event. Thank you Patrice and Karen Gros!

Wildfire Farm will provide information about their CSA and will be taking orders for Christmas Wreaths that they make on the farm and out of materials found locally. Wildfire Farm is an absolutely wonderful operation. Thank you WFF for your support!

We have room for a few more farm-display units. Please let me know if you would like to feature your farm at MEET YOUR FARMER. I look forward to seeing you all on the 20th.

dan

Comment by daniel krotz on November 4, 2010 at 8:49am

The Following photos are of a Broom Table manufactured out of recycled materials for the Artist and Scholar Sharon Sloan (formerly known as the Artist and Scholar Sharon Sloan). Sharon makes brooms out of local materials--and they are beautiful. We'll attach some photos as soon as Sharon gets her broom table operating.

Comment by daniel krotz on November 4, 2010 at 8:45am

Howdy Group Members!

CCF held a brief board of directors meeting on Tuesday, November 2nd and discussed how neat the Well Fed Neighbor site is. Thanks for hosting it and making it available for us. Your BOD also continued planning for the Meet your Farmer event on November 20th and developed the following Press Release:

PRESS RELEASE
November 4, 2010

EVENT: THE WELL FED NEIGHBOR


On November 20th, 2010 from 4 PM to 7 PM, Carroll County Fresh invites ‘Our Friends and Neighbors’ to a free event celebrating the 2010 harvest and local food production and eating.

Holiday Island resident and CCF Board Member Richard Pille said, ‘Carroll County Fresh wants to thank everyone who supported our Farmers’ Markets and our locally based natural and organic food producers during the 2010 harvest year. We think the best way to do that is to have a party and celebrate the relationship between farmers and consumers.

‘Just about everyone today knows we need to eat healthier foods,’ Pille continued. ‘The small farmers and market gardeners in Carroll County know that more than anyone, and they take a lot of pride in making sure that the food they grow is healthy, fresh, and high quality. We want to make consumers happy and healthy!’

THE WELL FED NEIGHBOR kicks off at 4 PM at The Barn on the Island at Holiday Island . People attending this free event can pick up information about the area’s small farms and farmers, sample delicious soups, breads, and salads prepared with Fresh & Local ingredients, and enjoy music provided by the Carroll County All-Stars with Lonnie Nichols and the Phillippe Family Quartet! There will also be a raffle and a cash bar serving local wine and beer.

‘We’ve had a great growing year and tremendous support from folks here in Carroll County,’ Pille said. ‘Carroll County Fresh’s WELL FED NEIGHBOR event is our opportunity to introduce consumers to the small farmers who grow their food—and to thank them for their patronage during 2010. We hope everyone will come and enjoy the music, the food, and the chance to ‘meet their neighbor.’’

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Pille
Carroll County Fresh
417 827-2770
OR
Daniel Krotz
Carroll County Fresh
870 423 -1894

Please distribute this infomration freely--and widely! We'd love to have a good turn-out. All the best!

dan

Comment by daniel krotz on October 31, 2010 at 8:57am

Meet Your Farmer!

November 20, 2010
4:00—7:00 PM
at the
Holiday Island Barn*


LOCAL FOOD, MUSIC, Silent Auction,
CASH BAR


Carroll County Fresh invites you meet the farmers
who grow your food!

Featuring the Carroll County All-Stars with Lonnie Nichols
and the Phillippe Family Quartet!

Come, listen to music, pick-up information about fresh, local, natural and organic food produced right here in the Ozarks! Meet the farmers who supply our restaurants, grocery stores and Farmers’ Markets with high quality, locally produced meat, fruit, and vegetables.

*On the Island, behind the 9 hole golf course Club House. Follow Highway 187 through Holiday Island to “the Island” past the Marina, turn Right at the Golf Course and follow the signs.