Cutting up a Chicken: It’s Easy

Paul with chicken

 

You probably know that Harlow Farm raises its own free-range chickens, and that we sell whole chickens, fresh or frozen, at the farmstand. What you, like many of us, may not know is how to cut a chicken into parts. Sure, a whole chicken is fine for roasting. But if you want pieces for the grill or the skillet, with the carcass left over for soup or stock, it requires cutting. That can be a bit daunting. So, how to cut a chicken into parts with ease and skill?

Paul Harlow’s daughter Hannah asked him that very question and, since she’s away at school, Paul showed her how to do it by video. We share it with you here.

 

Strawberries Going, Going….

It’s been a terrific strawberry season at Harlow Farm, and we’ve enjoyed seeing all of you. We hope all the jam and strawberry shortcakes have been worth bending over in the heat.

But all good things must come to an end, and one of them is strawberry season. So come on out to the farm while we have them. We are open 9-6, and the berries are $3.25 per pound. Please drive around to the back of the farmstand to park and save the front spaces for our inside customers. And bring your own containers, if you can.

Next up: blueberry season!

 

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The Magical Cover Crop

You might have seen the beautiful cover crop growing on the field beside the farmstand. The combination of oats, peas, crimson clover, and turnip was planted last fall. It protected the soil through the winter and spring, preventing erosion, and adding organic matter and nitrogen to the soil.

We’ll turn the cover crop under soon and plant a fall crop of red cabbage.
Cover cropping is supported by a longstanding Natural Resource Conservation Service program. We plant about 125 acres of Harlow Farm to cover crops each year.

We also participate in the NRCS’ Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Through CREP, we’ve planted a variety of native trees and shrubs to stabilize erosion-prone banks of the Connecticut River.

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