Buy Local Connecticut!
Meet Ed & Lexi Gazy of Gazy Brothers Farm.
Gazy Brothers Farm is going on its fourth generation of farming. Established in 1918, Grandma and Grandpa Gazsi purchased their farm in Oxford. At that time, they raised the freshest vegetables sold at local grocery stores and delis in the Naugatuck Valley area. The Gazsi cousins owned a butcher shop and would sell Grandma Gazsi's homemade pickles and sauerkraut from the cucumbers and cabbage raised on the farm.
Today, Joe Gazy owns the 80 acre farm and his son Ed runs it with the help of his wife, Alexis; his brothers, Pete and Tony; and his four children, Dominic, Roseanne, Nicholas, and Albert. Neighbors tend to give a helping hand during the busy hay season, too.
The Gazys currently produce approximately 25 acres of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and plants on the farm and on neighboring properties. Ed and the family also keep busy by working up to 200 acres of hay each year. Besides the farm stand, the Gazys sell produce at a roadside stand on Route 67 in Oxford, several farmer's markets, and a few grocery stores when extra produce is available and through a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). Produce is not organic, however, it is grown using an integrated pest management program, which reduces the amount of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals to ensure healthy plants and flavorful produce.
Gazy Brothers Farm is successful at what they do: running a thriving CSA program - with over 250 customers this year (and our summer season doesn't start for over a month), and participating in 11 farmers' markets this year, with the possibility of starting several more. They have a small, but vibrant stand at the farm, as well as a weekly stand on Route 67 in Oxford.
If you keep eating, they'll keep growing!
Buy Local Connecticut!
I'd like you to meet Paula Disbrow of Feather Down Farms.
We've been corresponding by Facebook and here is what she wrote:
"Thanks so much for getting back to me, and for your interest in Feather Down Farms. This is why I love Facebook--it was fun to see that we have a lot of friends in common, then when I read your profile I learned that we also share professional passions.
For the last 15 years I've mostly been a food writer, but for the last year my husband David Norman (former head bread baker for Bouley Bakery) and I have been working to launch the U.S. outpost of Feather Down Farms an exciting farm stay concept (think farm camping in fabulous luxury tents) that's already a big success in Europe. We're passionate about the concept because it allows families the increasingly rare opportunity to slow down and reconnect with nature, their food sources, and each other. Best of all, they never need to disconnect from essential comforts because the spacious, custom tents (complete with wood floors, comfy beds, wood-burning stoves and fully equipped kitchens) are truly awesome.
And with the current back-to-the-land trend in tourism, we're convinced that Americans, too, are ready for an entirely new, less-is-more vacation experience.
In May we kick off our second season with two farms in Upstate New York and another outside of Chicago. In the next months we'll be adding several more farms, including some on in Oregon (Willamette Valley) and the Seattle area, and others in the Northeast. Our season is May-October but guests can book tents year round on our website. While our primary audience is urban families, we're finding the experience also resonates with foodies/farmer's market shoppers--as a stay on one of our farms is the ultimate way to eat local!
I'll actually be in New York next week to scout new farms on Long Island. My husband David will actually be in your neck of the woods later this month for our spring farmer's meeting. Perhaps you two could get together to discuss the details of potential farms in Connecticut.
Our concept is great for farmers, it integrates nicely with what they are already doing, and provides them the opportunity to make a significant supplemental income (sometimes they can better what they make farming). Farmers never buy anything from Feather Down Farms or owe us money, but they are responsible for a few initial things--setting up the septic to the tents, creating an animal paddock and hot shower facility (can be in existing outbuildings) and a farm store for guest to buy their staples. David can tell you much more about those details.
I'm attaching our latest brochure, as well as a document that tells a bit more about how we partner with farmers.
Thanks again for your interest, and please let us know if you have any questions. As we'd love to have a few farms in your area this spring, we would welcome any recommendations of special farmers/properties that would be a good fit--David could even visit them in a few weeks."
Isn't this AWESOME?
Let me know if you're interested and/or contact Paula directly!
Paula Disbrowe paula.disbrowe@gmail.com
US General Manager
Feather Down Farm Days
1503 W. 39 1/2 Street
Austin, TX 78756
http://www.featherdown.com/
512-524-1817 (office)
612-750-1506 (cell)