Good Afternoon
This week we have a lot going on again. In terms of the calendar, this weekend is the Summer Solstice - the official beginning of summer. However, I had a very nice compliment two weeks ago from Jordan B in Lakewood. He claimed, "It is officially summer when Fresh Fork starts." Thanks Jordan and thank you for your support.
This weekend is also Father's Day. I had hoped to have some more offerings for you for this weekend, but we might just have to have a "just because" sale later. With the over-abundance of strawberries we are facing right now, my kitchen is baked up trying to use up all the strawberries.
But, we didn't forget about Father's Day. Check our online store for Father's Day Steak Sales. Everything can be found under a "Father's Day" category.
For the rest of the newsletter, here is what is included:
1) Understanding Amish culture. This article is just the tip of the iceberg. Read below to understand the nuances we work with to source for you the healthiest local foods.
2) Strawberries. This week is peak season and we will have them on sale for those hoping to put some up for winter. Discounts available.
3) PIE. We switched up the pie a little this week and did a double-crust strawberry rhubarb pie. I think it looks a lot better and the crunchy top crust adds a nice touch.
4) Vacations + Special Orders. Just a few friendly reminders for deadlines & pick-up.
5) LATE SIGNUP. Yes, you can still join Fresh Fork to begin this week or next. Info below.
6) Bag Contents. With these longer newsletters, some of the mobile devices cut off the end of the newsletter. If you scroll to the bottom, there should be text that says "View Entire Message." Click that and you'll be able to scroll to the bag contents.
Thank you again,
Trevor & the FFM team (Lauren, Allyson, Katie, Evan, Connor and all the Summer 2021 Staff)
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If you or a friend are still considering joining, we would love to have you. Our farmers are excited to feed your families this summer!
Late signups are pro-rated, you'll only pay for the weeks you receive (full upfront rates will adjust automatically).
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Thank you to everyone who tells me they enjoy the newsletter and the insight to the farmers.
Last week’s newsletter about the Amish and technology raised quite a few questions, so I’ll try to spread some insight here. This article is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Understanding the Amish also helps you understand Fresh Fork, for example, why we require vacation holds to be placed by Saturday at midnight.
Each week we place our orders with many farmers via snail mail or in person. This time of the year is extremely difficult because the products we are ordering – lettuces, spinach, strawberries, etc – are the most perishable. It is important that we try to get our orders right.
On Thursdays and Fridays, my drivers talk to the farmers to get an idea of what is expected the next week. In some cases, we place a preliminary order so they can schedule appropriate staff. On Thursdays, I usually make time to send letters to some of our more remote farmers.
Then on the weekends I call around to those that have voicemail. Some now even have work cell phones, but they must be flip phones. I joke about the shorthand I get in texts. It’s like being back in middle school with old school T9 texting.
On Monday, Connor (one of our drivers) stops at about 6 different farms on his way back from picking up meat for OCP. He hand delivers messages to many farmers, particularly in the Homerville area.
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Why can you call some Amish?
Not all Amish are the same. In fact, each “district” sets their own rules. A district is a group of approximately 30 families that make up the church district. Many districts join together to form a settlement. The districts are limited in size by what is a reasonable size group to host at one’s home for church.
That’s right – the Amish don’t have physical churches. They worship at home and have Sunday services every other week. The church service rotates from one home to the next. There are bench wagons that belong to the district and follow the church circuit. The bench wagon is exactly that – a wagon full of folding benches, tables, and hymn books that are used at service.
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The Amish are divided into different “Orders.”
Each settlement can be made up of different “orders” of Amish. For example in my area, the most common are Swartzentrubers, Old Order, and New Order.
New order is the most progressive of the Amish. They may have phones in the home and can use tractors on the farm. A New Order Amish home isn’t too different from an English home (that’s the term for anyone who isn’t Amish). They have lights and refrigerators and some appliances. Their lights and appliances, however, are ran off of natural gas. Within the New Order, there are a range of variations in what is permitted. For example, some require that the wheels on farm equipment be steel – not pneumatic. The theory is to keep them off the road.
The Old Order won’t allow phones in the home, but they can generally have them in a booth near the home with a very loud ringer. Yes, it isn’t too hard to get ahold of them. The biggest difference between Old Order and New Order is that the Old Order must be “horse farmers.” This means they can’t use a tractor except for things not practical for a horse to do, such as brush hog or grind feed.
Both the Old Order and New Order have buggies, but they are also permitted to ride bicycles on the road and ride in cars. The most recent trend is the use of e-bikes, which go about 25 miles per hour. I call them Amish motorcycles. They are very popular now and young and old alike prefer them. As for their buggies, they have batteries to power the headlights and marker lights. An Old Order buggy is very visible on the road.
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Then there are the Swartzies
The most conservative and traditional group of Amish is a group called the Swartzentrubers. They are easy to distinguish in the community because they have very strict rules.
In terms of dress, their clothes are of the darkest colors. The men must wear hats with a wider brim than the Old Order (6 inch vs 4 inch) and their hair must be longer. Almost all Swartzentruber men who wear glasses have a very traditional round spectacle.
In the home, they don’t have any form of electric or overhead lights. If they hang a lantern overhead, they can’t have a modern reflector to brighten the room.
On the road, they can’t ride in a car for any reason other than an emergency and don’t ride a bicycle. They must use horse and buggy as a primary form of transportation. Their buggies are easily distinguished as well because they are the darkest with no electric lights. They use oil lanterns with red lenses (which are very difficult to see). Some districts don’t permit the slow-moving vehicle placard, and universally, they aren’t permitted to have windshields or rubber on the wheels. You can hear their buggies from a far distance with the steel on the blacktop.
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Many Swartzentrubers Grow Produce
Farming is one of the only ways a Swartzentruber family can make a living. As a result, a lot of our farmers are Swartzentrubers. It is very difficult to get ahold of them.
The Swartzentrubers also tend to have big families. 10 children is probably the average. As the children reach an age where they can help, they follow dad around the fields and learn the chores and tending to the farm.
In the Old Order and New Order communities, many of the men leave for good paying factory or construction jobs. Because the Swartzentubers can’t use farm machinery (other than horse powered) and can’t ride in vehicles, they are restricted from these jobs.
And the Amish Don't Get Stimulus Checks
I don’t know where to include this or tie it in to Fresh Fork, but I think this is fascinating. In general, the Amish are not wealthy and in the case of the Swartentrubers, often quite poor.
As a community though, they have a core value that they can’t take charity and must work for their money.
When the stimulus checks came out last year, they had to decide how to address that. The Amish decided that they must send them back to Uncle Sam.
I know guys who sent back $20k checks because it was money they did not earn.
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Vacation Holds &
Special Orders
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Vacation Holds Must Be Placed by Saturday at Midnight
Our "week" begins on Sunday morning. That is the beginning of the new ordering cycle for our online store.
We ask that anyone trying to submit a vacation hold to please register it by Saturday at 11:59pm for the upcoming week. After Saturday, it is difficult for us to adjust our orders with the farmers. If you miss the deadline, you can send a friend or family member to pick-up for you at any of the locations Wednesday - Saturday. Full list of pick-up options can be found HERE.
Based on the emails coming in lately, this seems to be a common question. You may place your vacation hold online at your account.
1) Please place vacation hold by Saturday of the week prior to when you will be gone.
2) You will receive credits upon your return.
3) Please start to use your credits within 4 weeks of returning.
After 4 weeks, the credits start to expire. We implemented this change several years ago because what would happen is that a majority of members would wait until the last week to try to spend their credits all at once. We would then not have enough product and we couldn't fill all the orders. This is why vacation credits have an expiration date.
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Please Remember to Ask for your Special Order
At the back of the truck, our mobile device does not prompt us if you have a special order. We have attempted to make this change but currently the functionality of our device and available screen space is maxed out.
Please help us out by notifying your greeter if you have a special order.
Your special orders will be shipped to the location specified as the primary location on your account. Your confirmation email will have the location in it as well.
Special orders must be placed online by Tuesday at midnight to make it in for the week.
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Special Orders Not Picked Up are Subject to a Restocking Fee
Packing special orders is a lot of work. Unpacking them is twice as much work and by Saturday the perishable products are often not able to be used for another purpose.
Refunds for orders not picked up are possible, and they are subject to a 30% restocking fee to compensate for our labor and spoilage.
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This week is peak harvest for our strawberry growers. We have also noticed that the ground has dried out some and the berries are more firm and easier to work with.
IF YOU ARE THINKING OF PUTTING BERRIES UP FOR THE WINTER, This week is the week.
Bulk/Canning Berry Promotions:
4 quarts - $19
8 quart (full flat) - $36
Order online please.
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STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIES!
This week's feature is a Double Crust Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. We sold out of these pretty quick last week, so the kitchen has made more filling and pie dough to make more and hopefully meet the demand!
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*Sometimes a crop just may or may not be ready. Getting an answer from the farmer can be challenging at times -- so many variables at play and sometimes you just don't know until the harvest is done.
This week, cherries and asparagus and mushrooms are giving me a headache. The asparagus crop is on its way out, and we are concerned about the quality so the farmer will be grading hard. We may not have much. Mushrooms are hard to guess weight when you look at a grow room. And lastly, the cherries are just starting to ripen....the next challenge is harvesting them before the birds eat them all.
So, I didn't give you any answer. There will for sure be food in your bag. I'm thinking there may be mushrooms or asparagus or cherries, but I won't know for sure until our trucks get back tonight from farm runs and it may change by the end of the week as we pick up fresh product at our farms Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and sometimes Friday. We'll keep the bag contents sheets updated at the check-in tables!
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Small Omnivore
Italian Sausage Links
Eggs
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries
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Small Vegetarian
Eggs
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries
Mushrooms/Cherries
Curly Kale
Yellow Squash
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Mini
Beets
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Broccoli
Strawberries
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Large Omnivore
Italian Sausage Links
Eggs
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries
Mushrooms/Cherries
Curly Kale
Tomatoes
Asparagus/Mushrooms
Spinach
Kohlrabi
Chicken Thighs
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Large Vegetarian
Eggs
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries
Mushrooms/Cherries
Curly Kale
Yellow Squash
Tomatoes
Asparagus/Mushrooms
Spinach
Kohlrabi
Grape Cider
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Small Vegan
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Strawberries
Mushrooms/Cherries
Curly Kale
Yellow Squash
Cabbage
Bunching Onions
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