CSA sign-up is now closed.

I just wanted to do a short post to let everyone know that the time to sign up for the CSA has now ended.

Thanks to everyone who was in contact with us.

Look for our CSA Flyer around the area.

Hey guys,

So there was a weensy miscalculation on my(Mrs. Hogsquash's) part. Apparently, I am overly optimistic, or forgot we live in Wisconsin when it comes to the length of our growing season here. So instead of having an actual set week limit. We will grow what we can when we can. Hopefully, it will mean lots of produce for you.

A determined number of weeks is not available. However, As long as the ground is frost free, food will be growing for you.

When you sign up you will receive our news letter which will tell you when to expect your boxes. Usually around mid-June to mid October.

What is a C.S.A anyway?

A C.S.A. or Community Supported Agriculture is something that has been around for over 25 years, where consumers buy locally, seasonally, and directly from the farmer. 

Basically, a farmer offers "shares" of the bounty from the farm to the "member" (a.k.a. you). Some C.S.A's offer just vegetables, only meats, a combination of both, or some may even add in other things that are produced on the farm such as honey, eggs, or hand made items & preserves. 

Usually, one share consists of a basket full of goodies provided on a weekly (Full-share) or bi-weekly (half-share) basis. Our C.S.A. Runs from May- October. In the earlier months you may see things such as salad greens, spring peas, radishes, and other quick growing crops that can handle our cool Wisconsin Springs. Through out the season the baskets/boxes will vary in size (usually between 4-25+ pounds).  

The farmer is paid in advance before the season begins. This way the farmer will know how many shares to plan for, as well as how many seeds and supplies to purchase. This will also help pay for the feed, labor & repairs that will go into the farm. 

There are so many benefits to a C.S.A. for both the farmer and the member. 

• You get to meet new people & build new relationships with people who you most likely have a lot in common with.

• You become exposed to many new varieties of foods. Talk about variety. Most of the vegetables on this farm are the same foods our ancestors ate. Plus you learn to cook new things.
   
• You are eating seasonally, as well as locally, which is essentially saving the planet, because we don't have to ship the food we grow and use up our planet's precious resources. ​

• If you decide to join our Meat C.S.A. you will be enjoying heritage meats that are not commercially bred for production. These animals are slow growers and many of them are on the Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste list.

​                  Red Wattle Hog

                  Plymouth Rock Chicken

                  Buckeye Chicken (Coming Soon)

Please check out our C.S.A. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for some of the most commonly asked questions regarding Community Supported Agriculture. They may be some of the same questions you may have.

The journey that would change our life.

This post is a post of hope, a post of beginnings and a post of possibility. Yesterday, we set out on a journey to collect some breeding stock of Red Wattle pigs. I want to start out by explaining our choice in Red Wattle.

When we first started out raising pigs (spring 2012) we were fearful. All we had heard about pigs was that they were mean, would jump at the fences to be fed, and if you went in there you were dinner. I have one thing to say about that. HOGWASH! It all depends on how you are raising them.

When Mr. Hogsquash and I set out to find a breed of pig we wanted to raise, we instantly said it had to be a heritage breed. The next item on the list was docile, the pigs had to be docile. Besides raising animals our first priority is raising our family, and if there is anything that threatens the safety of that, then that thing is not welcome on our property.

Anywho, while researching we learned that the Red Wattle Pig is on the critically endangered breed list. Which means there are not many registered breeding pairs. In our herd, also known as a sounder, we have one registered boar. We cannot register our others because there have been to many "steps" since the last registered parent. Which we are fine with. Preserving the breed goes much farther than just having pigs have babies. You need to select the piglets that stand out, the ones that have the traits you want and the ones that grow well.

So we started on this journey around 10 am on Friday morning. We knew we would have to make two trips but we had no idea how unbearably long the trip would be. It took us a total of 26 hours to get all 10 pigs home. We drove and drove and drove and drove. 

It would be our luck that the piggies didn't want anything to do with our contraption of a "delivery" truck. Finally, after much persuasion the boar, Baldwin, and the mama, (well, we haven't thought of a better name for her, so her name is mama) got reluctantly into the truck. Now we just had to capture the babies. That was another interesting attempt at "ring around the rosie". 

Before we could get the piglets we had to have something to put them in. We were originally going to bring our own "Pet Taxi". But because we were in a hurry and didn't make a list, it was forgotten. Luckily, the kind people we were purchasing the pigs from let us take their "Pet Taxi" home and bring it back when we came the second time. The only problem was that we needed to find it. So we went looking and as soon as I spotted it, I felt something heavy land in my hair. But again with luck being ever so willingly on our side, (notice the sarcasm) I was stung in the index finger. Okay, I was totally freaked by now, not only had we just "wrestled" to get a 650 pound boar into the back our our truck, I was now stung in the finger and as far we knew I was allergic. 

My mind was a whirlwind of emotions. And I was still pumped full of adrenaline from just the sight and size of Baldwin. "Great, this is just great. Don't panic! Oh there is a stinger. Flick it out! Wait, it is pulsating. Weird. Sara don't be stupid, flick the stinger out. Am I going to die?" these thoughts flooded my head as informed my hubby that I was stung by what had appeared by a honey bee. He ran to me and quicker than I could hand him my finger, sucked out the venom. The thought of that was gross. We got the piglets rounded up and made a quick run to the local Wal-mart. I got some Benadryl and some cortisone cream, (yes, I know it is totally unlike me to go to conventional medicine, but hey give me a break. As far as we knew I was allergic, from my past reaction.) I went in was relieved to find the pharmacy section so close. I also was relieved that Ike had been stung recently and I knew what to get. However, I did have to have a bit of a crunchy side shine through as I reached for the most natural cream possible. Anyway, I got back to the truck and took the pills and applied the cream, while Ike ran in and got about 60 pound of Ice to dump on the pigs. It was almost 100 degrees and those pigs were hot.

So we went on our way. We still had a 4 hour drive home. Everything else was pretty uneventful. Until we got home. We had to notch the babies ears. So we did that and thought about calling it a night. But we needed to get the other 3 sows. So it was another 4 hour drive there. We were falling a sleep as it was but this would be the life changer of a trip that would determine our path as a farm/CSA. So we went back to it. This time our son would accompany us. 

It was now about 1:30 AM and we rolled into a truck stop to get some food as a little pick me up. Once we ate we left again with the intentions of making it all the way to the man's farm. Getting there was hard. We were lucky and had a guardian angel guiding us. There were too many times where the truck lingered past our guiding lines. We made it there though. So that was a major blessing. 

The ride home would be different. We had a great drive back home and were determined to stop and get some rest. Once on the highway we searched and searched for the safest looking exit. For about 30 miles there were none. I mean none. Our son was with us, we were NOT going to fall asleep just anywhere. We made it to this one stop at about 6:30 AM. Ike went in and asked if there was any place we could sleep that was safe. The man at the counter told us to pull around back and no one would bother us there. 

It was right under a light so that made me feel safer. I wasn't worried about us. Ike and I can take care of ourselves. But I wanted to be sure our son was safe. I wasn't worried about the pigs either, if anyone is going to mess with 3 ornery sows crammed in the back of a pickup, the more power to them. That takes guts. 

Anyway, we made it home with a few close calls, one where the steering wheel was jerked from Ike's hands and back into our lane. All I can say is I am so grateful we had a watchful eye and guiding hands looking out for us. If we didn't have an angel watching over us I don't know if we would have made it back. 

I am glad the piggies are all home, safe, and happy. 

The best possible chance... is not with commercial agriculture.

Mrs. Hogsquash here,

Sometimes, I am curious to know how our country became so lost from our roots. Sometimes, I wonder where the real farmers went. Why do animals need to be raised in barns, stalls, or crates? Why does this earth seem to become less and less able to support our growing population? People, I think I have found an answer and I think there is a lot of hope that comes from this answer. 

There are many "new" farmers who are coming out and talking about how they raise their animals. Heck, they aren't even really "new" farmers. They are just farmers that know what they are doing, and know how to raise meat and veggies with out knocking down our Eco-system. Instead of trying to find ways to deal with massive amounts of waste, they are letting the animals naturally fertilize the soil, and in some farms, till their crops in  as well. 

When I speak of these farmers, I am not talking Smithfield, Cargill, or Tyson. I am talking Polyface, 3D Farm, Hindsight Heritage, Pork & Plants, and many others that are popping up around the country. These farms are the farms that will help keep our food security in order. These farms are the farms that can bring health back into our land. Our land is desolate for the most part because of the huge mono-culture crops we have, such as corn, soy, beef, pork, chicken, and turkey. Rarely do you find an "industrial" farm that has more than one crop growing, or if it does, the crop is one meat and one grain. 

Raising food in mono-culture manner can only mean one thing. Trouble. When you intensely concentrate something, you are setting it up for failure, sure, you may have a great turn-around on meat, or you may sell thousands of bushels of corn, or soy, or alfalfa. Whatever it may be, it is NOT healthy. Pouring that corn, soy, or alfalfa you grow to animals who never have the opportunity to see the light of day, or who are walking in their own filth, is NOT healthy. Growing that corn, soy and alfalfa, using Round-up, fertilizers and pesticides is NOT healthy. When things are so concentrated together you are going to get diseases like swine flu, mad-cow, avian flu, etc. Your crops will have to have added nutrients to the soil because such a concentrated growth of the same plant will drain that soil of any possible nutrient it can to survive. And then because you cannot add enough nutrients your crops need, you have to add animal DNA to the seed and genetically modify the seed for that crop so it will grow. 

Image Credit

Traditionally, crops were inter-planted to provide the soil with constant fertility. Squash, beans, and corn all grew together, each taking something from the soil and putting back a nutrient the other plants needed, and the cycle continued and the eco-system was constantly replenished. The squash also works as a mulch and pest repellent because of the prickly vines, this keeps pests away and also keeps those pests from building up a resistance to some type of spray. 

Many people ask why would a person or in our case a couple of well educated people decide to farm? You should get your degree, and make something of your self. Start a "real" business and get a job where all you have to do is sit behind a desk and let the money flow, or "let your money work for you". 

People, there is no way this country or any country for that matter will survive on CEO's and V.I.P's. The beginning of industrialization was the beginning of a national crisis. The foundation laid by the founding fathers, would slowly be taken apart piece by piece and something so simple as our food would take a turn for the worse. 

Today, a murderers are set free, a drug dealers are given petty fines and set back on the streets to sell cocaine and meth to our children. But when trying to provide nourishing food to our children and the nation, raw milk farmers are given maximum penalty, homeschoolers are put in prison because they are not "qualified" to teach their own children, and God is no longer allowed in public. 

Our entire nation is in a crisis. And if we don't start somewhere, and fix the damage this country has done, and really become free again. There will be no hope for survival. 

What we produce at Hogsquash Hollow, is real food. It is real food from real animals. We will not become certified organic because we have found out there are farmers who are certified and are dishonest. That is not right, and we will not do it. We also will never, let me repeat NEVER feed soy. Soy is such a hormonal mess that no creature should consume it, unless it is in a traditional fermented manner. And lets face it. Fermenting GMO soy is pointless. That is one thing I (Mrs. Hogsquash) am very firm on. Our animals will not be fed anything that is detrimental to their health. I also believe there needs to be a mixed grain supplement, not just a mono-crop such as corn, or soy, or rye. Except with ruminants, they should be fed what would naturally be in their diet. Pigs and poultry on the other hand need to have some grain.  What ever it may be, an animal is not made to eat only one thing its entire life. 

We want to give our animals the best possible chance in life. And raising them conventionally is not an option. Giving our crops and our animals the best possible chance also gives us the best possible chance. Which I believe is the change we need in this country to provide us with a better future.