Order for the 2023 Chicken Season!

Order your Chicken Now for the best deal in Poultry

The Chicken order form is now live! On Farm Pick-ups will again be on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Click the button below to find the Order page. Please be sure to read the information on the page and in the order form before placing your order.

This year our returning customers will notice a price increase for our poultry. These changes reflect the dramatically rising costs of supplies, and really prioritizing the sustainability of this farm in the long run. The good news is, we are still some of the most affordable, high-quality, and delicious pasture poultry available! We are so grateful for our loyal customer base that has grown with us, and incredible crew of agricultural rockstars that work alongside us, we look forward to many more years of raising high quality, accessible food at Hillside Farm.

More Farm Updates

2023 is shaping up to be another great year on the farm. Last year was a challenging year, especially in the processing, with equipment failures and staffing troubles, but we are full of hope a smoother year for everyone here on the farm. We are thrilled to be welcoming back Gabe for his second year as farm associate aka Hannah’s Right Hand Man, and Anna, Owen, Angela, and Ken back on the processing crew. Having a skilled crew to alongside means so much to us as employers, and translates to better service for you, our customers. Though we are sad to be saying goodbye to ducks this season, we are excited to offer pork, lamb, eggs, and chicken cuts to all of our customers on the farm and at market in Montpelier. The availability of these items will vary, but we will inform customers of what’s availability before each on farm pickup and weekly market. This fall we will have Ready-to-Lay Layers, for anybody looking to expand your backyard flock. You must reserve these ASAP by emailing Hannah at hillsidefarmvt@gmail.com. Another exciting offering is merch! Check out the photos below to see our super comfy sweatshirts and cool-as-heck patches. They’re available by emailing and can be picked up at the Montpelier market or at the farm.

Order for the 2022 Poultry Season!

Here we gooooo! The 2022 Pearce’s Pasture Poultry season is fast approaching, and it is time to get your orders in for the best pastured poultry money can buy! We are so excited for what this year will bring.

The Chicken & Duck order form is now live! We were so happy with the reception of the ducks last year, we will be offering them again, but at a smaller scale, so don’t hesitate to put in your order. On Farm Pick-ups will again be on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Click the button below to find the Order page. Please be sure to read the information on the page and in the order form before placing your order.

This year our returning customers will notice a price increase for our poultry. These changes reflect the rising costs of supplies, and really prioritizing the sustainability of this farm in the long run. The good news is, we are still most affordable pasture poultry available! We are so grateful for our loyal customer base that has grown with us, and incredible crew of agricultural rockstars that work alongside us, we look forward to many more years of raising high quality, accessible food at Hillside Farm.

Order for 2021 Poultry Season Now!

Here we are! 2021.

We are excited for the growth of our operation in 2021, and can’t wait to provide all of our amazing customers some great food. Lots of small and a few large changes in our systems to make life better for us, and our chicken even better for you! I know, I know, it’s still January. But after the incredible season in 2020, the sooner we start planning, the better!

Chicken & Ducks

The Chicken & Duck order form is now live! We were so happy with the reception of the ducks last year, we will be offering them more consistently through the season. You can order them, along with our chickens, on the Poultry Ordering page. You will notice there that we’ve changed up the On Farm Pick Up schedule to Tuesdays and Wednesdays instead of Mondays. You will still receive reminder emails the week prior. Click the button below to find the Order page. Please be sure to read the information on the page and in the order form before placing your order.

Pork

Our first batch of pigs will be processed at the end of June, and we will have available pork cuts for sale at the farm during Pick Up hours and at Capital City Farmers Market. We currently don’t have a preorder system for those cuts yet, but will update our customers if we decide to use one. I will be offering specials to customers who have preordered chickens, so don’t miss out, order today!

Pullets!

I have a limited number of ready to lay pullets available. They will be ready to join your flock the first week of February! I am able to hold them, with a down payment, but the price will increase weekly. Please email me at hillsidefarmvt@gmail.com if you’re interested!

As ever, thank you for supporting our farm. It means so much that we can grow and learn year after year.

See you in June,
Hannah

Gratitude and Turkeys!

Happy Fall, Hillside Friends!

First and foremost, THANK YOU! The 2020 summer season was a doozy, and amazing. Your support has made 2020 our biggest year ever. We raised well over 4,000 chickens, and it fills me with so much joy to know how many meals our animals provided throughout Vermont. We are already scheming, planning, and looking forward to next season and all it will bring. But for now, we get to look back on a wonderful and exhausting season, and get a little rest.

Order Your Turkey!

After a couple years of sacrificing my crew to processing turkeys in feet of snow and below freezing weather, we made a big change this year! We decided to process turkeys in more hospitable conditions, and will be offering only frozen turkeys for the holiday season. As ever, supplies are limited, and as our customer base has grown, so has demand. Please order your turkey ASAP, we will sell out quickly. I will be advertising the order form to a wider audience after October 25th, but I wanted to be certain that my awesome loyal customers get first dibs! Click the link below to go to the Order Page.

Order Turkeys Now!

Again, thank you so much for a great season. Bill and I are full of gratitude for all your support.

Solidarity,

Hannah

Looking Ahead: the 2020 Poultry Season

What a Spring. Things are changing almost daily, but what is unchanging is the dedication of Vermont farms to producing food for our communities, and the commitment to supporting us of those communities. Due to the amazing response to our free delivery during this crisis, we are out of frozen chicken! I’m so grateful that as we struggle through this, appreciation for our local food system has only deepened. But chickens have already begun to arrive, and before we know it we will be processing here on the farm, ready to greet our customers, even if it through a mask, 6 feet apart! Thank you to those who have already put in your order for the season, If you have not, you can reserve your chicken or our Order Page. Come June, if it becomes clear that our usual system of on-farm pickups on day of slaughter is not the safest way forward, we will arrange pick up and delivery options.

We are excited to be a part of Ardelia Farm & Co’s Kingdom Direct Food Delivery. Thomas and Bailey are offering weekly deliveries of pantry staples and delightful meals and treats. Check out what they are offering, I promise you will not be disappointed by anything coming from Thomas’ kitchen! You can find our applesauce line up and fresh eggs from our hens there too.

The 2020 Market Season

We are amazed at the nimbleness of the farmers markets around the state, jumping to accommodate and provide fresh local food in the most safe environments possible. Capital City Farmers Market is no different. The plan is to have markets as usual, with many added precautions to limit contact, and preserve strict social distancing standards. One of these measures is to encourage pre-purchasing to limit contact. I will continue to update our customers on how I will accomplish offering this. In addition, because we have sold out of our stock of frozen birds and pork, we have decided to delay our start date at market to May 30th. Stay tuned! We will begin having fresh chicken June 6th.

Pork

Our three sweet pigs are growing very fast. Starting in June, date TBA, we will have pork cuts available at farmers market and on farm on chicken processing days and by appointment. Whole and half pigs will be getting processed in the early fall. If you are interested in those, please email me at hillsidefarmvt@gmail.com.

Ducks!

A new venture, we will be raising one or more small flocks of meat ducks this year! They arrive next week and we’re very excited to welcome them! Only 15-20 ducks will be available from the first batch for purchase, so reserve yours now by emailing me at hillsidefarmvt@gmail.com. They will be sold as whole birds, skin on, at $5/lb. This price is subject to change as we understand our costs of raising a new species!

Please consider supporting your local food shelf, and engage with the work being done in your community to support your neighbors! Check out the NEK Collaborative’s work to see what is happening in your town. The pandemic has shown us our weaknesses and our strengths, we can all lend ourselves to making sure the “new normal” will look better than what was before.

Free Delivery, Spring Sale, and Community Resilience

Hello Hillside Friends,

These are wild times we are living through, and I find myself ever more grateful to live in the community I do. As with many springs, we are going into the tightest time of the year on farm; eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first batches of chicks, thoughtfully making decisions about our season ahead. This year there seems to have a cloud of uncertainty,, but I feel incredibly buoyed by the people, businesses, and farms in my community, the region, and beyond. I see so many people making tough decisions to reduce the impact on the health, safety, and economic security of others during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to all that are taking steps to get ahead of the spread of this in Vermont. No matter the level of self-isolation we can do, we must eat, and farmers must farm.

For the rest of the month, I am offering free delivery of frozen chicken, pork, eggs, and apple sauce to your home.

In addition, for local customers who would like to stock up, we will offer our chicken at the reduced price of $3.60/lb. Deliveries outside a 15 miles radius must be an order of $50 or more, but I am also willing to make accommodations!

If you’re interested in home delivery, please email me at hillsidefarmvt@gmail.com to make an appointment.

To my Central VT customers: I would love to coordinate any home deliveries to one day, please don’t hesitate emailing me to arrange delivery.

I also want to remind our small audience that it is more important than every to shop local, support farmers, and, wash your hands! Many businesses and communities are working to make Social Distancing easier, and thus protecting our most vulnerable populations, help them help you! Locally, The Craftsbury General Store and Buffalo Mountain Coop are offering curbside pickups and home deliveries for individual and families who feel uncomfortable leaving their homes. Encourage and support the businesses offering these services! In addition, as you see the local businesses struggle through declining patronage, consider supporting them afar by purchasing gift certificates.

Thank you for your continual support of our farm.

Social Distancing will become an act of community resilience, so stock up, stay calm, support local farms, and wash your hands.

With love, gratitude, and solidarity,

Hannah

Ready-to-Lay Pullets: Backyard Eggs!

Start a Backyard Flock for Daily Eggs!

The snow is still high, but don’t be fooled, spring is fast approaching! This winter, I’ve raised a greenhouse full of laying hens, and they are almost ready to go to their Forever Homes! Add a few fresh ladies to your backyard flock, or start a little flock to enjoy fresh eggs every day.

Raised on gmo-free grain and a lot of loving care, they should begin laying by the end of March. We have Barred Rocks, White Leghorns, Black Stars, and Black Australorps: all dependable layers! These are young hens, and will lay dependably for 2+ years. Prices is $17/ea for <10, $16 for <20, $14.50 for >20. Roosters also available, $10, or free with the purchase of 10 hens.

Only a limited number are still available. ORDER NOW! Pick up will begin March 10. Delivery may be scheduled with a fee, depending on your location.

Please email me at hillsidefarmvt@gmail.com for more info and to order.