In the not-too-distant past, all Americans were homesteaders. Our ancestors came here voluntarily or not, but all faced the prospect of surviving here. It's what made us able to fight a lop-sided war against the English Empire and win, along with a little help from our allies. Autumn seems to...

Summertime in New England is... everything. The saying here is "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute." Crisp, white thunderheads sometimes appear, mostly to our north, as they slide across the I-84 highway corridor (weird!) and dump storms in Massachusetts. Of course we get them here too, but...

It's a thrilling time of year! Winter is here, sometimes in fits and starts, and the fields are dormant. The days are getting longer, and the maple trees are pushing sap out to their branches. In southern New England, we may have a dusting of snow. The evergreen shrubs and...

While all three products contain elderberries and NO added water, the similarities end there. Here's a very brief comparison -- click on the links to learn more about each one. Want to try all three? Check out the Elderberry Fanatic Set! - Elderberry Apple Shots is 1/2 pure elderberry juice,...

This year, there are less than three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This means you have to be even more organized at holiday gift shopping! Fat Stone Farm gifts are ideal because we can ship them anywhere in the Lower 48 States, they are happily consumed; they are beautiful to...

The bushes first send out flowers in May and June. The photo above shows the white clusters of flowers. Each of these small white flowers produce one berry. Elderflowers are prized in Europe because of their intense aroma, but our North American elder varieties are bred for berry production --...

We started our small farm in the early 2000s, and by 2010 we had cleared enough land to start a new berry patch. We bought and planted blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, beach plums, and elderberries! How awesome was that berry patch going to be??? Within a year or so, most of...

If you became our customer because of our incredible "Elderberry Apple Shots", we thank you. We have all the original packages you rely on: - Elderberry Apple Shots, 2 packs, 4 packs, cases of 12, and 1/2 gallon (67 fl oz) options. You can choose non GMO apples or organic...

If you are in Connecticut, you have plenty of options to find our products, in addition to purchasing here on our website. We sell our products in close to 70 independent, local, and gourmet shops around Connecticut and beyond. Feel free to email us for a list of stores close...

Let me dive right into that answer! Elderberry Juice is pressed elderberries. We also add <1% of citric acid for shelf stability. Elderberry Apple Shots are pressed elderberries and apple syrup. The apples add sweetness and balance to the naturally tart and slightly bitter elderberries. Which one should I choose?...

In 2004, the Canadian Government's Agriculture and Agri-Food Department, and the Centre Acer co-created a wonderful tasting wheel to really delve down into the incredible nuances of maple syrup. (please note, the wheel is copyrighted material) The larger maple syrup packing houses are working very hard to create a uniform...

In June 2021, we are 7 years old!  The first thing we made here was organic maple syrup, and sold it at the local Farmer's Market. We didn't even have our own booth. This photo shows a fellow farmer Michael, selling our syrup, along with Liz and Jonathan and Colin: Joke...

I started looking at the back of soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics labels many years ago. I can't remember exactly why I started, but it ended here, at Fat Stone Farm. I would be in the store looking at soap. Usually, there would be a picture of a nice plant on...

Photo credit: Douglas Hampton-Dowson © Fat Stone Farm LLC THE QUESTION: We always try to keep our prices down for folks. One of the ways we *thought* about it was to make a REAL, TRUE Elderberry SYRUP. Why not? Lots of you know Elderberry Syrup! Everything I read about our competitors...

  Oddly, as I write this at the turn of the year (2021 into 2022), things seem strangely calm. After 2 years of "pivoting", reacting, trying to plan, and wondering what was around the corner, there isn't much happening. Which is FANTASTIC! I'm just enjoying it while it lasts! This...