Heat, Meat & Wheat: Quick Recap of Summer at the Farm
Summer 2026—edition 17
Sultry season has come and mostly gone, and we are looking forward to cooler temps and calmer days. While we do our best to send out this newsletter on a monthly basis, ask any farmer if they have time to collect their thoughts during high season! Here’s an overview of what we’ve been up to since our May newsletter and a looksie at what lies ahead this fall.
We were invited to present during family meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in early June. We got to share our work and our spirits with the whole organization—chefs, waiters and farmers. And then we were given front row seats in the kitchen and treated to the full tasting menu. We are honored and grateful to have partners like Stone Barns, and to have our products in the hands of such passionate professionals.
On June 6th we hosted a summer farm walk benefitting Slow Food Hudson Valley. We discussed the joys and the challenges of farming here: growing grains and cover crops, raising livestock and taking a non-conventional path in doing it all. A tour of the distillery and tasting of our spirits followed.
In mid-June, we hosted a group of hungry, thirsty cyclists with DuVine Cycling. Our friend Colleen of Perfect Simple Eating catered the lunch, and we provided a tasting of our spirits. It was a natural fit and we have plans to host several more tours with them this fall.
MEAT!
We don’t just grow grains and cover crops in our fields, we also grow healthy proteins! In addition to the eggs our laying flocks of chickens and ducks produce, we usually also raise one batch of meat chickens and ducks each year. We ensure that all of our birds have the essentials for a healthy life: unlimited access to sunlight, fresh air, organic pastures, clean water, certified organic grain from our friends up the road at Stone House Grain, and protection from predators by our livestock guardian dog Dante.
We carry out on-farm processing for our meat birds. To read more about this, please refer back to our “Harvest” newsletter from last summer (pro tip: all of our past newsletters are saved under the appropriately titled “Newsletter” heading on our website)
We still have some of our Freedom Ranger Chickens available at the farm store. These are frozen whole roaster birds in the 3.5-5 pound range.
We will have FRESH DUCK available Thurs Oct 15-Sun Oct 18 and frozen while supplies last after that. We are raising a small batch of Pekin Grimaud Ducks from Metzer Farms and they will sell quickly, so swing by the farm store that week to secure what you need for the holiday season ahead.
Summer Solstice Dinner
We hosted our very first on-farm dinner on June 20th, featuring Branchwater chickens and of-the-moment produce from Hudson Valley farms. Culinary wizard Gina Citarella was at the helm, with support from Fantzye Bagels queen Elana Carlson. Gina lovingly prepared a family-style feast for 30, which was paired with New York State wines, and served under a golden summer sun. The evening was capped off with eaux de vie produced here in our own back yard. What a satisfying, overwhelmingly beautiful evening in joyful company. We can’t wait to host our next one now that the commercial dishwasher is working!
Compliments to the chefs! Gina (left) and Elana (right)
Fridays at the Farm
We host casual on-farm parties the final Friday of the month (April-October) with cocktails, food, and fun. This year we’ve been leaning into themes a bit…
May was British Invasion / Jam Fest Edition. We were joined by two very talented UK-born artists now living in New York State — one who expresses her creativity through amazing culinary creations, our beloved friend Mimi Beaven, and the other, DJ Misbehaviour, through vinyl.
For June, we opted for a Viva España Edition, in honor of Spain’s World Cup victory. Tapas and sangria para siempre.
July’s Dolce Vita Edition was our busiest FATF ever. Osteria Romanaccio popped up with delicious wood fired pizzas and sold each and every one of them! Kevin was busy at the Negroni bar. DJ Mikey Palms put us all in a trance with some nostalgic Italian tunes. We were very tired after a demanding day, but we managed to rally for a viewing of “Moonstruck” on our couch that night. That’s amore!
Only 2 more FATFs left this season!
(Pssst - they now run from 4-8pm)
September 25th - Harvest Edition ~ October 30th - Halloween Edition
check our Instagram stories for more updates on these events
We were thrilled to particpate in Summerfest in Chatham this year, sharing our products with a vibrant and creative community slightly further north.
We participated in Pine Plains Community Day, Milan Community Day and did a few Rhinebeck Farmers Market dates this summer too. Photo: Laura Holtman for The New Pine Plains Herald
WHEAT!
Kevin wants to do a deep dive on wheat, so be on the lookout for that in a future newsletter. For the purposes of this newsletter, we’ll be somewhat brief.
We planted Expedition Winter Wheat quite late last year and were worried about getting a harvest at all this year. Luckily, a snow-heavy winter provided the necessary insulation for roots to establish, despite the cold temps, and the wheat was off to the races come spring. We were delighted to watch it progress beautifully until the critical moment of harvest in early July.
Wheat field March 11
April 16
May 10
June 8
June 15
June 27
July 4 harvest time!
This was the first year that Kevin also planted spring wheat. He planted a section of our big field, more as an experiment, with little expectation of a harvest. It is planted in early spring and harvested at the same time as the winter wheat, so it doesn’t benefit from the additional months for roots to establish, and the extra time to get ahead of weed pressure once the rain and warmer temps arrive. It is nearly impossible to grow spring wheat in this region using non-conventional methods, and Kevin’s curiosity was satisfied with this attempt. He plowed the spring crop under, and was very satisfied with what the winter wheat yielded.
This was also the first year that Kevin did the harvesting himself, in his very own combine, a 40-year-old steal-of-a-deal International he bought from Wengers of Myerstown in PA after dropping our son off at college last fall.
Ryan Bergin of Bucky’s Ag Repair came out for general servicing and some of Ken Migliorelli’s crew helped get the combine ready, and then it was game day on July 5th.
The field post-harvest. Just look at all that green between the rows. Definitely not conventional grain farming!
After we harvested the wheat, we moved our laying flock of chickens into the field, where they glean leftover grain and add their nitrogen and nutrient-rich fertilizer which helps to replenish the soil.
Most of the wheat we grow forms the base of our Gins, but a very small quantity is reserved for our limited release Wheat Whiskey. Our first bottling of just under 700 bottles went quickly and garnered quite a few fans, some of whom have been eagerly awaiting the next release. We’re happy to report the waiting is nearly over!
This second batch was aged for 18 months in new oak barrels, then transferred to used Pinot Noir barrels for 6 months. Given the warm reception our first release received, Kevin made a little more this round, closer to 900 bottles. It’s still a very limited release, but hopefully able to satisfy a few more liquor cabinets this time. Our Wheat will be ready for your consumption and enjoyment on…
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd!
Join us for our Wheat Meet n Greet 2-5pm!
We haven’t ironed out all the details yet (because summer jumble chaos is still in full effect), but you know you can count on a party. There will be cocktails and vendors and a theme. Just mark your calendars and save the date, what are you wheatin for?!
A Few More Summer Snapshots
AKA “What we Did on our Summer ‘Vacation’”
We powerwashed the mobile chicken coops that house our flock of laying hens
We made lots of stock enriched with the magic ingredient - chicken feet - after our on-farm processing.
We attempted to reclaim the garden from a hostile thistle takeover, and planted way too many tomatoes that never really had a chance given our demanding summer. But just enough to enjoy BLTs and Caprese salads on the regular.
We fell more deeply in love with our sheep.
Looking Ahead… some dates of note for on-farm and off-farm fun
Circular Chic - Thursday, September 24 (5-7) A cocktail party celebrating sustainable fashion and timeless taste, organized by Makers and Lovers. Join us at Ultimate Thrift Shop in Rhinebeck where you can peruse a selection of high-quality thrifted designer apparel and accessories while enjoying samples of our hand-crafted spirits, mini-tinis and Old Fashioneds. Tasty bites will be provided by Dailey & Co. Free to attend but please RSVP here
Fridays at the Farm Harvest Edition - Friday, September 25 (4-8) Join us for Fridays at the Farm, an evening celebrating craft and community. Our September edition leans into a harvest theme in honor of the Harvest Moon on the 26th. Friends from Dewey’s will be pouring a selection of their wines and co-ferments to enjoy by the glass or bottle and we have some other tricks up our sleeves too. Pull up a seat!
Wheat Meet n Greet - Saturday, October 3 (2-5) Come say hello to your new favorite whiskey! We will be sampling our limited release Wheat and serving cocktails. We will have vendor friends sharing their products too. Can’t wheat!
Get Your Duck Here - Thursday, October 15-Sunday, October 18 (12-5 daily) Fresh, pasture-raised whole Pekin ducks will be available at the farm store. We will freeze the remainder for sale while supplies last.
Fridays at the Farm Halloween Edition - Friday, October 30 (4-8) Join us for our final Fridays at the Farm of the season. Food and beverage and maybe some tricks and some treats. Pumpkins, costumes, who knows what else?
*Pets are not permitted inside the distillery and must be leashed at all times when at the farm.
