Hard to believe that the year flew by this quick but with the spring means the brighton market is starting up again. We made some big changes this year and we’re really excited to start fresh with our new plan.
As many of you have probably already have heard, we are focusing on poultry this year. Our winter crops are winding down and some of your favorites might not be available this summer. We will bring fresh chicken to market (including the new chicken cuts!), eggs, and have frozen duck and turkey throughout the year, with fresh around specific holidays.
Expect Fresh Whole Chicken throughout the entire summer and we will have some early garlic crops (green, scapes) once the winter crops run out. Keep an eye out for recipes and ideas throughout the year. Like this one: Smoke Box Chicken
Fisher Hill Farm Chicken Duck Turkey
We’re excited to put our focus on fresh local chicken, eggs, and poultry. The Rochester, New York market has been so supportive over the years and we thank you for your continued support.
Our farm is our home. We have over 30 acres of open space and on average about 2000 laying hens. On top of that we have our meat chickens, ducks, and turkeys. We also have three girls who help us out every day.
Here’s a few videos of some flyovers of the farm and the property.
We certainly proud of our farm and family and are appreciative of all the people who make it possible to run and sustain this farm. Thank you for your interest. To keep up with what we’re up to you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
What’s the story with Thanksgiving this year? Is there or is there not a turkey shortage? One report says there is and then the next one comes out and says there isn’t. We know this for a fact: We don’t have a turkey shortage on this farm!
There are plenty of supply chain issues to see right at the grocery store. Suddenly a favorite product you’ve been buying for years is just missing with no warning. Currently in major port cities like New York and Seattle, there are cargo ships just waiting to dock, filled to the brim with supplies that consumers and businesses need.
Fisher Hill Farm – Thanksgiving Turkey
Fisher Hill Farm – Thanksgiving Turkey
Fisher Hill Farm – Thanksgiving Turkey
Our team of experts taking care of your bird!
What reports are saying about thanksgiving turkeys is that there could be a shortage of smaller birds, 20lbs and under. With the pandemic still lingering, smaller birds may be in more demand as smaller groups get together for the holiday.
Go local this year if you haven’t before! We have conventional and organic birds to choose from. If you get your deposit in early ($20) we can get you close to the size of the bird you are looking for. Our ranges for weights are:
The Rochester Public Market is known for being one of the best markets in the area. There are very few cities and states lucky enough to have a market as robust.
Every week at the market, there are always a few people who let us know that they have just started coming to the market regularly. Sometimes it’s their first time! It’s great to see people discovering a treasure of local goods and services right in their backyard.
But if you’ve never been to the market, or if it’s been years, here are a few tips that can help you navigate unfamiliar territory. It can be a little overwhelming and we know it! It can get pretty busy during peak hours, so if you’re not one for crowds then the earlier the better. Thursdays are usually a lot less busy and if you are near downtown at all for work or otherwise, it can be a productive shopping event. We’re there on Thursdays from June through October. Click here to see our full market schedule.
Here are our top 5 tips for shopping at the Rochester Public Market:
#1 – Parking
This is by the far the thing that we hear the most about the market. Parking is difficult. It is downtown and parking is always at a premium. There are 5 city owned lots for parking. The largest is between Scio and Union. The second largest is between Pennsylvania and Railroad.
The red outlines the 2 largest city owned parking lots associated with the market.
There are also 3 smaller lots. Here’s the information from the Rochester Public Market website on the location of all the lots and where to access:
Another option is to park near by and bike in. If you can’t get there early (before 10am) to get a prime parking spot in one of the free lots this can be a great and healthy option. We are seeing more and more people do this recently. There are some paid for parking areas too.
#2 Hauling
Now you’ve made it there but what the heck can you do about carrying all your great stuff? There are some great cart options out there and some stores sell them locally. But the best option is a good back pack. It doesn’t have to be the latest and greatest, but just something comfortable that you won’t mind walking with. Bring a lunchbox inside with a cold pack in it for meats and maybe an extra bag in case you find a watermelon or pumpkin that you can’t live without.
Look for a “Day Trip” backpack that is meant for hiking. They have lots of compartments and are meant to be comfortable on your back with weight in it. People also refer to them as rucksacks. An outdoor store like REI has them, as does Walmart. Find something comfortable and then you won’t mind wearing it.
#3 Money
There is at least one cash machine that we know of, but most vendors accept a card. But just to be on the safe side, bring some cash with you in case the vendor doesn’t accept a card. We do with no minimum, but we can’t speak for all vendors. Prices are usually clearly marked on the baskets. Cash or charge there probably won’t be any breaks. You make one break you gotta break for em all!
#4 Vendors
A very typical question is “Which ones are farmers and which ones are wholesalers?” That can be a tricky one, but there are a few tell tale signs your dealing with a farmer.
-They have a logo. You see a logo, it’s probably a farm. They probably have ‘farm’ in the name. Maybe on T-Shirts or the side of the truck.
The crew at Fisher Hill Farm – Rochester NY
-They have dirt. Could be on their hands, shoes, the truck, the boxes… somewhere there is dirt. We grow stuff. It grows in dirt. It’s hard to get it off everything.
-They tell you. When all else fails…ASK! Farmers will tell you if they grew it or not, if it’s on consignment from another farm, or if they traded with a farm, or who’s farm it’s from. Just ask.
Get to know your farmer and your favorite stop at the market and follow them on social media. You’ll know what’s coming out and what’s in season and what other markets they’ll be at.
The wholesalers can have some great stuff and you shouldn’t count them out! But since we’re a local farm we like to see local farms get most of the business!
#5 Restrooms
There are public restrooms in the updated indoor B shed. It’s the main building with the Public Market sign on the front. There are also restrooms in the middle brick building as well. Some businesses may have restrooms but we can’t endorse whether they are open to the public or not. The best option is the B shed. The new bathrooms are updated and very nice. The staff keep them clean even on the busiest days. Thank you very much to the hard workers at the market.
These are probably the most common questions that come up. We hope your market experience is excellent. Getting the freshest local ingredients leads to the best meals.
One of the great things about the summer months is getting a good barbecue going. We wanted an easy way to get smokehouse chicken without worrying about burning our dinner.
There’s actually two ways you can use this Smoke Box. You can load it up and put it directly on your gas grill or you can get some hot coals and place it on them. We chose to try it that way because it was slightly more adventurous for a blog post! But putting the box on the grill makes it even easier and allows you to choose a temperature.
The smoker box.
The first step is to prepare the raw chicken. We used a store bought barbecue dry rub for the legs. We coated them in the morning and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge. For the breast, we poured a little Italian dressing over it and put it in the fridge. Simple preparation is often times the best!
We got our fire going and let it die down to just some hot coals. If you choose to use your grill make sure you preheat it to the desired temp you want to smoke at.
To load the smoke box you soak the wood chips in water about 30 minutes before loading them in the box. Place the wood chips down and then the tray with the meat on it, then close the box up.
The wood chip layer. The meat goes on top of the wood chips on tray that inserts. Smoke box goes on top of the coals.
The legs are smaller so they were going to be done a lot sooner. Make sure you use a thermometer to get the cooking temp right. Chicken should be at 180. The legs did cook a bit quicker, but they only took about 45 minutes on the fire before they were done. You could actually smell that they were done and boy oh boy did it smell delicious!
Smoked chicken legs.
We brushed on a little bit of barbecue sauce at the end and let it dry up a little on the leg before taking them off. They were incredible, soaking up a good amount of the smoke flavor without masking the dry rub. The sweet sauce was a nice little addition and added the right amount of sugar to it.
The breast took a bit longer. But we were really thinking that it was going to make excellent sandwiches after it was cold. We were right. It was. But we couldn’t help cutting into it when it was still hot.
Smoked chicken breast on the bone.
Overall this was a tasty experiment. It might be easier to just put the box on the grill and smoke it that way, but it was fun to have a fire and make a bigger even out of it. The chicken was delicious.
We’ll have fresh chicken all summer long for all your grilling and smoking needs!
Fisher Hill Farm 