Hens For Sale!

After an 18 month hiatus from posts we want you to know that we haven’t stopped working. The children of course require the majority of our energy but the farm is still moving along and the kids are starting to be more helpful with chores.

We want to thank the Mountain Top school community in Saugerties for their incredible support during the last 2 years where we had our kids and the self serve egg kiosk. The children are now in the Phoenicia school district so if you live near town we can meet you there by appointment.

Our egg kiosk is back at its original location at 432 Watson Hollow Rd. West Shokan, NY and will be available for self serve eggs during daylight hours for $8 per dozen, payable by cash or Venmo to emilsagroforest.

This season has had its challenges so please understand that our stocks are not as plentiful as before. The short sap season this year curtailed our harvest of maple syrup and the increase in costs has forced us to raise prices on our eggs and chickens. Early on the bunnies got into our cabbage patch and ate every one of our seedlings and now the skunks are been eating our broilers. Thankfully the rain came back after that long drought and gave the grass and trees what they needed, but the reservoirs are still very low.

We wanted to announce that we are now selling already-laying hens from our flock of 1 and 2 year olds. These sweet ladies are production brown egg layers from Moyer’s that we got as day old chicks and were raised on grass with organic feed. Their beaks are not trimmed and they have never been medicated. If fed well, they can produce yummy jumbo sized eggs. We’re selling them for $10 each. If you’re interested please send us an email to info@emilsagroforest.com.

As we get ready for the heating season we are busy working on building our own rocket mass heater for our home and look forward to sharing the build process and results with you all. We hope it will not only keep us comfy but cook our food with less wood and better indoor air. Big claims! See walkerstoves.com and permies.com for more info.

Sending love and warmth to all of you,

- The A Team

Homemade Butter Video

Greetings Everyone,

We hope you are all healthy and trying to stay sane. Here is a fun little video we made about butter to get your mind off of things.

We make butter at home from fresh raw milk. See how easy it is and maybe you'll try it sometime! The music is "Off and On" by the talented Dave Nelson http:/...

New Syrup Video

Greetings and good health to all of you!

We understand that most of you are trying to avoid getting or giving the virus so you’re staying home and watching videos online. We’ve decided to provide you with some content! Here is our first of many farmstead videos for you to watch. The score was provided by our dear friends, the Piano Music and Song Trio, so turn it up! More videos to come; please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

We made a decent amount of syrup this year, despite the season being about a month earlier than usual. We will be bottling it in PET plastic bottles for shipping or glass bottles for local delivery. Please send an email to info@emilsagroforest.com if you are interested. We offer pints for $16 and liters for $32, plus shipping if applicable.

Our frozen chickens are sold out at the moment; we won’t be harvesting any more until August. Since a lot of you have been asking if we had any left, we have decided to reinstate the community supported agriculture (CSA) program we were using in the past. You tell us how many chickens you want us to grow for you this season and give us a 50% deposit. You’ll then pay us the balance when you receive them. This allows us to meet the needs of our community by growing the correct number of chickens and sharing the risks inherent in farming; your deposits help us to buy chicks and feed. Please email us at info@emilsagroforest.com with your request. The prices will remain the same at $6 per pound for organic fed, pasture raised whole chickens. A key component in home food security is a chest freezer, and we recommend acquiring one if you haven’t already.

Our egg layers are getting old and not laying very much lately. Their replacements will be arriving in late April as day old chicks. When these start laying in the fall, we will be processing the older flock as stew hens. Stew hens make deliciously fortifying chicken stock but need to be simmered for a whole day. We like to put one in a pot on the wood stove before we go to sleep and keep it there until lunch the next day. If you would like to be put on the list for a stew hen please let us know.

We sincerely wish everyone health and serenity in these trying times. We are expanding our operation to serve our community in as many ways as possible this coming season. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and send this to anyone you know who may be interested.

We want to mention that our friends at Seed Song Farm in Kingston are doing a tremendous job serving those in our community who need it the most. They are expanding their camp program to give children a place to go while their parents do the essential jobs our society requires. They are also asking for people to contribute towards their “COVID19: Farm Feed Your Neighbor Fundraiser” to help families in need. Check out their website and subscribe to their email list for updates about how you can help them help others in this time of need.

Thank you all for your support. With love,

The A Team

Solstice Greetings

Greetings fellow Northerners,

We hope you are staying warm and cozy during this cold and dark time of year. Few things make us feel better than a steaming bowl of hot chicken soup!

How about a delicious roasted chicken (or two) for Christmas Dinner?

I’ll be passing through Nyack and Leonia on Monday December 23 with whole frozen chickens. Please let me know if you would like me to stop by. You can reply to this email or text 845.853.9988.

Thank you for support and another great year.

Sending you love and warmth for this holiday season.

-The A Team.

Halloween Chicken Drop

Hallow Friends!

The frost has kissed the pumpkins, the leaves are crunchy, and the wood smoke smells cozy. It’s a great time for a crispy roasted chicken dinner!

I will be driving downstate with a truckload of frozen chickens this Thursday, Oct 31st. I will be passing through Nyack and Leonia. Please contact me and let me know if you would like me to stop by or leave you chickens somewhere. You can pay me via Venmo to emilsagroforest or the old fashioned way.

It’s been a great season so far and we’re very busy getting ready for the winter, so this is a short communication. I promise to update you on everything that has happened when things slow down a little.

Have a great time out there collecting or distributing your particular treats and tricks.

Boo,

Alex and Family

September 5th Downstate Delivery

Hello Friends!

Anneke will be driving down Thursday September 5th with eggs, syrup, and frozen chickens. Let us know what you would like and where you are so we can coordinate.

This new breed of broilers are even more delicious! We’ve been eating many of them roasted outside in the Webber grill on a cast iron skillet over indirect heat with just salt, pepper, and the lid closed. Not only does it keep the mess outside but it results in yummy crispy skin and succulent meat. We usually start to check the temperature of the breast after about half an hour and when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit we transfer it to a plate to rest for a few minutes before eating. We like to save the drippings in the pan for frying eggs the next morning, it’s incredible! These birds make extraordinary schmaltz.

Broiler chickens are $6 a pound with weights ranging from 3.5 to 5.5 pounds.

Eggs are $8.50 a dozen delivered and $7 at the farm.

Syrup is $16 for a pint and $32 for a 36 ounce bottle.

Monday July 22nd Delivery

Greetings!

We hope you have plans to escape the heat blast that’s supposed to squash us this weekend. But don’t worry, I’m planning on being downstate Monday with a load of eggs, syrup, and some cool mountain air to distribute! Please let me know if you would like me to stop by.

Eggs are $8.50 delivered and syrup is $16 per bottle.

The broilers are looking swell out on the field and so far we are very happy with this new breed. They are much more active and ready to walk. Every morning we move their protective enclosures to a new patch of grass that the lambs have trimmed for them and they have a blast chasing down the bugs. They have plenty of fresh water and local organic feed to enjoy with their choice of sun or shade to relax in afterwards.

We will be processing the broilers in a couple of weeks so our August delivery will include whole frozen chickens for $6 a pound. Let us know if you would like us to reserve you some!

Blessings and Cool Thoughts,

-The A team

Special Message for our LOCAL EGG CUSTOMERS

We have plenty of eggs and they are in the cooler at 432 Watson Hollow Rd, it’s just not out by the road.

You’ll find the cooler up the driveway by the house next to the apple tree.

We had to move it from the roadside location due to excessive missing eggs/money.

As the traffic on Watson Hollow Rd has increased this season, unfortunately so has sticky fingers.

It’s just as easy for you to get them, you just have to drive up the driveway.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your support!

Thursday June 20th Delivery

Greetings Friends,

I plan on being downstate delivering eggs and syrup this Thursday June 20th. My route will go through Nyack, Dobbs Ferry, Inwood, Fort Lee, and Leonia.

Estimated timing assuming there is decent traffic flow:

Nyack from 10-11am at Lief Boutique

Dobbs Ferry 11:30am-12:30pm at Hilary and Alex’s

Inwood 1-2pm Seaman and 215

Fort Lee and Leonia: 3-4pm

Please let me know if you would like me to bring you something. You can arrange to meet me or for me to leave it with someone you know who is also ordering. You can pay with cash, check, or venmo to emilsagroforest

I’ll be driving a black Toyota pickup with a white cap over the bed.

Email me at info@emilsagroforest.com

Text or call me at 845-853-9988

Eggs from our hens raised with local organic feed are $8.50 a dozen delivered.

Pure, Unfiltered, Fully Wood Boiled, Catskill Mountain Maple Syrup is $16 for a 16 oz and $32 for a 36 oz bottle.

Thank you for your support!

What's Happened?

Greetings Friends!

We want to thank you all very much for your support this past year. Our farm and family has changed significantly since our last post. Most notably the addition of our son Abraham Emmanuel on Christmas day. This winter we also began reopening 4 acres of old pasture that had been allowed to go wild. Hopefully by next year we’ll have most of our livestock closer to us in the new field!

As you might have imagined the projects are progressing more slowly since the addition of more indoor livestock and extremely wet weather. It seems as though we’ve missed spring and gone from cold and wet straight into summer.

That’s okay, because summer means cold beverages. Do you like soda? If so, we highly recommend you try making our natural version of mountain dew: 1 pint of seltzer, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and the juice of half a lemon. Simply put the syrup and juice in a glass, pour in the seltzer and add ice. We boiled some delicious maple syrup this spring so there is plenty available for order. Please email info@emilsagroforest.com if you’re interested.

Our new flock of hens are doing outstanding work out there on the fields of 432 Watson Hollow Rd. and you can find the fruits of their labors in the cooler there for $7 a dozen. If you would like to get in on our next delivery run downstate please let us know. We pass through Nyack, Dobbs Ferry, Inwood, and Leonia at least once a month. One dozen eggs delivered is $8.50. Email us at info@emilsagroforest.com for details.

We have our first batch of broiler chicks in the brooder and they look fantastic. We are trying a new breed this year that is supposed to do better out on the grass and have more intramuscular fat for more succulent deliciousness. If you would like to join our chicken CSA program please send us an email to info@emilsagroforest.com for details!

As you may have noticed we have chosen to remove ourselves from facebook, google apps, and have decided to stop updating our instagram. Our email address has changed so please be sure to update our contact information. We are trying to use non-surveillance based technologies to connect with you so please expect to see more emails from us. If you think you may have friends who would be interested in our products please forward this email to them! If you do not want to get these updates you may unsubscribe below.

Thank you all for your time and patience, here are some pictures:

July 2018

Hello Everyone! 

We hope you are well and enjoying your summer.

Yes, this is a long overdue update so let me try to keep it down to the essentials. 

Yes, we are growing meat birds this year. The first group of chicks are in the brooder and getting fat. Order your share HERE right away. Limited quantities are available and are going fast! They will be harvested beginning late September through November. We accept deposits via Paypal to emilsagroforest@gmail.com or checks mailed to 596 Watson Hollow Rd., West Shokan, NY 12494.

Yes, we have eggs, but at the moment not very many as our original flock has aged past prime. Their replacements are also on the field and will hopefully start to give us more eggs this month. So keep an eye out for the cooler in front of 432 Watson Hollow Rd. in the coming months.

No, we are not growing pork this season. Our wonderful and talented neighbors Aaron and Kyle of Atticus Farm are growing pigs in the woods right next door. Order your pork share HERE and use the coupon code: EMILS for $25 off your order! 

No, we did not make any maple syrup this year. We decided it was more important to build a house for our newest member Anna Magdalena Klohe to learn to crawl in. We do have plans to double our taps for next season, so be on the lookout next spring for more of the sweet stuff.

Yes, we are immensely grateful to all of you who supported us last season and who continue to support us this season. We will continue to do our best to bring you the cleanest, highest quality food to put in your body. 

With love and gratitude always,
Alex and Family.
 

Maple Syrup Season is Here!

Greetings Family, Friends, and Neighbors,

We were very surprised to be out tapping trees the first week of February and boiling syrup almost a full month before the sap moon showed its face! We are very grateful for our majestic grandmother and grandfather sugar maples and their sweet gift. Their buds were just starting to show when we were thrown into a deep freeze this past week. Adding that to the fact that we have a lot of work to do this spring to get our farm kitchen built, we decided to shut down the evaporator and pulling the taps. It's been a short and sweet season for us.

Last year we sold out by July, so make sure you order your syrup here: https://goo.gl/forms/qJOKtfBUsTM1BaIN2

We would like to thank everyone who has joined our meat membership program this year, as we are sold out for the 2017 season. 

Remember that our hens are busy, so there are plenty of eggs available every day in a cooler in front of 432 Watson Hollow Road, West Shokan, NY 12494.

Wishing you a sweet spring!

- Alex Klohe

Join our exclusive meat membership program before it sells out!

This year we are changing how we sell our chicken and pork. From now on, we will only be growing meat that has been ordered and purchased before the season begins via these online forms:

Our pasture raised organic fed chicken is ONLY available here: https://goo.gl/forms/3CaS4X7tbhfeOyeZ2

Our forest raised organic fed pork is ONLY available here: https://goo.gl/forms/UkkPLhMkMC9mefxy2

This a first come, first served system. Please complete these forms as soon as possible if you wish to purchase meat from us. We are a small family farm so we limit our livestock because we prefer to manage for optimal health: environmental, animal, and human! 

Remember that our pasture raised organic fed eggs are available roadside every day in front of 432 Watson Hollow Rd., West Shokan, NY 12494.

Happy 2017!

Greetings Friends, Family, and Neighbors!

We hope you're enjoying this interesting winter we're having in our uncertain climate. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there but one thing is certain: food is medicine! What can compare to hot chicken soup when we have the sniffles or a cup of bone broth when it's cold and wet outside? Not only does it make us "feel good to eat good," but it also helps us to care for the land and our sovereignty as human beings.

With the help of our community and the earth, we had a very successful and educational last season. We sold out all our maple syrup by the end of the summer, grew 500 broilers, maintained our laying flock of 70 hens, raised some young lambs on pasture, raised pigs with our neighbors next door, grew a lot of tomatoes and peppers, expanded to four bee hives, and grew almost a year's supply of vegetables. We usually try to keep to our rule of only adding one new species per year, but last year we learned how to raise and care for both lambs and pigs. So this year we are really looking forward to learning how to raise and care for only one: a tiny human! 

Anneke and I are trying to plan our season to accommodate the needs of our new family member, which include building larger accommodations. Our goal is to have the new timber frame lifted up on June 17th and closed in before next winter. We hope this winter decides to show up soon, so we can cut down the trees we'll need to build before the sap flow starts and we're busy boiling syrup. 

We know! Lots of things are happening; that's why we're asking you to help us. The biggest thing you can do is think about how much chicken and pork you eat per year and buy a share in our Meat Membership CSA. Our meat will only be available through advance-purchased CSA shares from now on. We will be offering chicken and pork in half and full shares, with options for either whole animals or cuts. You may also want to split a share with a friend if you don't cook very often. This way we will know exactly how much food to grow for you, and your deposits will help us pay for the animals and feed. Because we focus on quality rather than quantity, there are a limited amount of animals we can care for and harvest respectfully, so please understand if the shares sell out. 

The next thing you can do is seriously consider buying a chest freezer if you don't have one already. There are all sorts of sizes to fit different spaces, and they don't cost very much to run. This helps us in two ways: we don't have to buy more freezers to hold stock, and we don't have to make as many deliveries that take us away from the farm. Trust us, it will change how you eat, and you'll enjoy knowing there's a bunch of goodies waiting for when you get hungry. 

Our plan is do one big crop of chickens in late summer that will be ready in October and to harvest pork starting in November. I will be sending out links for two Google forms shortly so that you can choose your shares and options. 

On the sweet side, our maple syrup will be available for purchase sometime this spring; once it's all bottled and ready I'll be sure to let you know. Same goes for the honey; Anneke has been working a lot with our lady bees, and if they make it through the winter we hope to harvest enough honey this summer to share with you all.

The laying hens are back at it after they took their winter solstice rest, so there are plenty of eggs available roadside in front of 432 Watson Hollow Rd. in West Shokan, NY 12494. The cooler will be out from about 9am to 6pm daily. 

Last but not least, our digital presence has been updated with a new website at our old address, These emails will be kept there as blog posts for you to revisit in the future. Many thanks to our new neighbor Kyle at Atticus Farm for his help with the website.

Thank you all for your support. 

Pax,

Alex and Anneke

Last batch of broilers for 2016

THE LAST BATCH OF BROILERS FORr 2016 ARE BEING PROCESSED THIS WEEK, COME GET THEM WHILE THEY'RE FRESH!

Greetings Friends, Family, and Neighbors!

We have had an incredibly busy summer and I apologize for not keeping you updated more frequently but its been a whirlwind.

This week are processing the last batch of 100 pasture raised organic fed broiler chickens which brings us to a total of 500 for the year. Those of you who are interested in purchasing fresh birds please contact me immediately to let me know when you can come so I don't freeze them all. They will be available now through this weekend. The price is still $6 per pound and they are cleaned and shrink bagged whole. 845-853-9988

The new farm stand setup is working very well. In front of 432 Watson Hollow Road we have a rustic display with our eggs and tomatoes for sale using the honor system. Pasture raised organic fed eggs ($6/dozen) and beyond organic heirloom tomatoes ($4/pound) are for sale every day from 9-6. Lately demand has outpaced our girls' ability to lay eggs so as soon as the morning's eggs are washed they are put out in the cooler. First come, first serve!

The lambs will be going to better pastures and the freezer by the end of September, I will let you know as soon as their delicious all grass fed meat is available.

The pigs are growing very nicely and are having a great time tearing up Kyle and Aaron's scrubby woodland which will eventually become vegetable beds.

Back to work!

Pax,
Alex