GRANBY — Red Fire Farm will host a seasonal harvest celebration on Saturday featuring an array of fall dishes as part of continuing fundraising efforts for a barn to replace the structure that burnt down in 2024.
People can taste two different seasonal fall soups from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7 Carver St. Farm co-owner Sarah Voiland will demonstrate how to ferment sauerkraut with late fall vegetables like carrots, cabbage and beets in the farm’s insulated packing barn. Meanwhile, Ryan Voiland, the other farm co-owner, will lead tractor rides down to the new barn’s construction site for visitors to see the new land and ask questions about construction.
The bones of the barn were built with a $500,000 grant, but the project costs have soared to over $1.2 million, nearly $400,000 more than the Voilands initially anticipated. The insurance money for the $1 million in losses and damages from the fire is “a drop in the bucket” of the the construction costs, Ryan adds.
“Things had gotten more expensive since we got our quotes at the beginning of the building process,” Sarah Voiland said. “We hope that we can get enough done to be able to open in the spring and be able to keep all our farming going.”
The barn design includes a CSA-pickup space, a small kitchen, bathrooms, a checkout area, a greenhouse for flowers and small plants, a deck and coolers for produce. All the labor and materials are sourced from the Pioneer Valley.
“Our CSA has been operating out of a makeshift arrangement, mostly a tent and some sheds. It’s been OK, but pretty limiting,” Ryan said. “A tent is not suitable for selling produce in the winter months.”
As part of the fundraiser, visitors can make a suggested donation to bring home soup recipe bags and Thanksgiving recipe bags complete with all the required fresh vegetables from the farm, as well as jars and tops for fermentation.
“We make sauerkraut at home all the time when cabbage is in season. It’s a really great probiotic food that is awesome during cold and flu season,” Sarah said. “I think it’s a life skill that once you learn it, you can keep making it and have good probiotic food for your family.”
Red Fire Farm’s farm store remains open until Thanksgiving, and Sarah said that people who want to put in orders for Thanksgiving vegetables can do so. Ryan adds that the packing barn is filled to the brim with the last of the season’s harvest, and those who attend the sauerkraut demonstration can survey the farm’s plentiful supply.
“We have cabbage coming out of our ears,” he said.
The first sauerkraut demonstration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the second one starts at 1:30 p.m. Tractor tours down to the new building take place at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
