Brenda Aldrich

Autumn is almost Here!

Fog, Maple Trees, Sugar Hill, White Mountains, New Hampshire, Mortenson

The air is crisp and foliage color has started.

Harman’s is open 7 days* a week until October 22nd. *We will be closed on two Wednesdays: September 6th and 20th. If you visit, the sample table will be out with Harman’s Cheese and a couple of other cheeses.

On our website, we have web resources for planning your Autumn trip with links to Autumn events. Harman’s will host Artisans on the weekends, weather permitting. For more information, visit our facebook page: Autumn in Sugar Hill

If you can’t make the trip, we’ll post Foliage Photos of the area throughout the season for everyone to enjoy.

Harman’s 4-year Aged Cheddar

Like last year, we have pulled out some extra-aged Harman’s Cheddar for you. Our 4-year Cheddar, vintage May 2019, will be available until September 15th. We think it has a delicious flavor and hope you will like it, too. When we are cutting, the employees love the aroma and enjoy tasting the scraps that are left over.

We are also offering our vintage May 2021 Cheddar and this will be the cheese available through the holiday season. We like the texture and taste of this two-year aged Cheddar. Unfortunately, the cost of cheese and the cost of the electricity to keep it cool as it ages went up significantly, so there is a price increase.

New Products: We have added Smoked Maple Syrup and Flavor-Infused Maple Syrup to our on-line store. They add a bit extra to your marinades, stir-frys, or BBQ sauces.

Harman’s Community Project – Encouraging NH Farmers

This year has been tough on New Hampshire farms. We had a killing frost/freeze in May. In July and August, we had too much rain and flooding. Many NH farmers lost 20 to 100% of their crops as well as damage to their equipment, farmland and roads.

Since July, we have dedicated all of our sales of NH Corn along with customer donations to a New Hampshire Farm. We don’t sell a lot of corn but with customer donations, each week, we’ve been able to send at least $200 to encourage a NH farmer. Click here to follow our community projects.

In this year of extreme weather and wildfires; we have been inspired by the many reaching out all over the world to help each other. Just today on the NH news, we heard of a crew that drove down to Florida to help where needed.

Looking forward to the Holiday Season

We will start accepting orders for the holiday season on Monday, Oct 30th. Ordering early is best. You choose the week of delivery, so it arrives when you need it and the cheese is freshly cut for your package.

All of us at Harman’s, hope you had a good summer and that you have a beautiful autumn.

Brenda and the entire team at Harman’s

Harman’s Extra-Aged Cheddars

Many of you have asked if you could order more of our vintage 2013 and vintage 2018 Aged Cheddar. Today, I removed the limits. You may now order more and as many pounds as you wish until we run out . . . or until our March Sale ends.

Our friends, Chuck & Diane from Apple Hill Farm, got up at 3:30 am to watch FIS World Cup Alpine Skiing. They decided it was a perfect time to taste-test our aged Cheddars with apples and crackers. They enjoyed all the Cheddars . . . the flavor of the 2013, the texture of the 2018, the familiarity of the 2020 and the new taste of vintage 2021 which will be available at their farmstand in July. We also sent them more cheese because there are still a few more days of World Cup Skiing to watch!

The last day to order will be Friday, March 31st. Orders received between March 28-31, will be shipped out on April 1st or April 3rd.

Exciting New Sauces from Wozz!

Warrick (Wozz) and Ashley have been in the kitchen again and created two new savory sauces.  My mouth waters just looking at that Shawarma chicken!

Middle Eastern Shawarma Savory Sauce: A cooking sauce and marinade inspired by the Middle East.  Layers of aromatic warm spices including cinnamon and cardamon infused with tangy citrus.  A delicious marinade for chicken, lamb or vegetables.

Sichuan Chili Garlic Dan Dan Sauce: 
A spicy Sichuan inspired sauce for Asian Noodle Stir Frys, dipping sauces or as a marinade.  Aromatic warm tingly spices mixed with house-made chili oil, sesame and roasted garlic.

 

April & May at Harman’s

Our retail store will be open through April 8th. The last day for mail-order is March 31.

We are closing for 4 weeks because both the store and I need some maintenance work done.

The webstore will re-open in early May with shipping resuming on May 8th. The Sugar Hill retail store will re-open Thursday, May 11th.

Happy Spring . . . .

from Brenda and all the team at Harman’s

Superbowl and Valentine’s Day

February has arrived. You still have time to order Harman’s Cheese for the Superbowl or for your Valentine!

During February, Harman’s Smoked Cheddar is $8.50 for an 8 oz block. We think it is a perfect superbowl snack and if you haven’t done so, try it in your next Mac ‘n Cheese.

Check out our February Sale for more specials.

How is your winter going? As I write this, Friday and Saturday are predicted to be the coldest days we have experienced in several years due to low temperatures combined with gusty winds. I’m not sure I’m ready for it and I like winter! This winter, several of the Harman’s crew have traveled to Florida . . . and they love to send me an e-mail or photo to let me know how warm they are. I’m sure I’ll get an e-mail or photo over the next 2 days from Florida!

New Products at Harman’s

As part of our February Sale, I added two new products.

Blake Hill’s Orange Marmalade made with 10 year Malt Whiskey is a delicious pairing with Harman’s Cheddar. Many of the Blake Hill condiments complement our Cheddar Cheese, like the Blake Hill Fig Jam.

Just in time for Superbowl snacking, we have Landjager. This is a traditional Swiss Salami stick made with garlic and wine. You have to try this one, it isn’t like any other salami that I have tasted. If I get hungry at work, this is my “go-to” snack.

Stay warm this winter,

Brenda and all the Harman’s Crew
(including those in Florida)

Coming in March

Starting March 1, we will offer our extra-aged Harman’s Cheddar: vintage May 2013 (aged almost 10 years) and vintage June 2018 (aged almost 5 years). The next e-newsletter will have all the details.

Dottie's Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 c. fresh Cranberries
  • 8 oz. Apple Hill Christmas Jam Strawberry/Cranberry Jam
  • 1/4 c. Orange Juice

Instructions
 

  • Combine ingredients in a saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes (depending on the consistency you like).
  • Stir occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom. It changes from thin to thick pretty fast, so keep an eye on it.

Nov. 14th, Monday: Last Day for Thanksgiving Orders

We have extended our Thanksgiving order deadline through 8 pm tomorrow, Nov 14th.  For many of us, including me, the holiday snuck up quite quickly!

You may order through our website, by e-mail or by phone, 603-823-8000 (10 am – 4 pm).  We have records of your 2020 and 2021 orders with your giftee addresses.

Our annual letter has been mailed through the post.  It is also on our website with extra tidbits. Click here to see the letter.

November Specials and Ordering Deadlines

Through November 18th, we are adding a FREE pound of cheese to the first order that you place. Limit one per customer. No coupon code needed.

November Specials:  We have Indian Pudding for your holiday season.  If you enjoy Fudge, Qwerkz is making a delicious Butter Pecan Fudge, but it is only available for Thanksgiving.

Throughout the season, check our Holiday Update page for current information about ordering, product stock and shipping.

Ordering Deadlines
Nov 28: Delivery during Hanukkah
Dec 5:  Delivery before Christmas
Dec 12: Delivery before New Year’s Eve
We will accept orders after these deadlines and process those orders as we are able.

We look forward to hearing from you.  We wish all of you a joyous Holiday Season starting with a Blessed Thanksgiving.

– Brenda Aldrich and the entire Harman’s Team

November 2022

Maxine:  Dear Friends, time still moves quickly. I keep my hand in the happenings at Harman’s by stuffing envelopes and stamping postcards from the comfort of my home. This spring, I switched from jigsaw to word puzzles, but the jigsaw puzzle table is set up with a difficult puzzle of my college, waiting for me.  It’s a puzzle of a black & white photo, so the pieces all look similar.   I fed a variety of birds, Cardinals, Hummingbirds, Finches, Woodpeckers and a squirrel or two.  The bears starting looking in our windows, so we stopped feeding all but the hummingbirds.

Brenda and Cliff drove me to Vermont for my June birthday and all my siblings were finally together for a visit. There are 5 of us now . . . the oldest is my sister-in-law, Hilda at 95; then me, my sister Madeline, my brother John, and my sister Flora.  I took my annual ride with Cliff in the Fire Truck for Franconia’s Old Home Day Parade.  In September; Cliff, Brenda and my college friend Jackie, went with me to Lyndon State College’s homecoming.  The Manor Vail Society honored me (and my friend Betty) by placing a plaque in the college museum to thank us for our dedication to the museum and recording its inventory.

Thankfully, we were able to enjoy family visits this year. We are looking forward to a full family gathering at Christmas. Here are some of my family’s highlights and then Cliff & Brenda add their updates to this letter.

 

Bob & Patty

Son Bob & Patty: Bob’s work processed Covid data for New York State.  Patty reached an amazing milestone, working 47 years for the same bank.  When the COVID restrictions eased up, they enjoyed spring bus tip to Boston to tour downtown, visit the aquarium and sample the cuisine of the North End.  This year, they opted to enjoy what New York State has to offer.  They visited western NY, the Finger Lakes region, and the state parks at Watkins-Glen and Letchworth.   They make time for their grandchildren.  Bella and Alissa are in high school and enjoy track.  Their brother, Weston is in 2nd grade and has an electric bike that keeps him going.  Their other grandson, Nolan in in 3rd grade and this fall, played baseball.

Son Steve & Nancy: Steve has been at Granite State Development Corporation, a non-profit lender, 28 years; and he’s my youngest child!  His wife, Nancy is busy keeping up with the family but finds time for 5:30 am outdoor workouts, 2 times a week (all year round).  Victoria started a new accounting job in Boston.  Logan will be starting electrical training at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in early 2023.   Jake is a Tech recruiter while taking Data courses and still is working remotely.  Will moved to Ohio this spring to be a MLB sportswriter for the Cincinnati Reds.  Youngest son, Tommy is in 10th grade and just finished his soccer season and soon will start basketball.

Cliff’s delivery to The Common Man Company Store included a visit with Bear.

Cliff:  I continue to handle our 40lb cheese blocks from our rented refrigeration to the store.  The store’s walk-in cooler holds about 10 tons but we order and sell 15-16 tons a year.  Thirty five years at UPS still comes in handy because I deliver the wholesale orders to NH businesses, such as The Common Man Company Store and the Apple Hill Farm Stand.  I pack your orders during the holiday season or whenever needed. Active in our local volunteer Fire Department and enjoy looking after our refurbished 1939 #2 Fire Truck.  Maybe you have seen it parked on the museum lawn across from Harman’s. Pauline continues to help in the retail store and especially enjoys the busy Lupine and Foliage seasons.  A real challenge!  She’s always available to taste-test new products or find a new product for the store.  We enjoyed a few Red Sox games, beach get-a-ways and a long awaited trip to The Big E Fair. We’re looking forward to our trip to Florida this winter.

Brenda:  It seems that my life revolved around the store, physical therapy and doctors’ appointments and I’m reasonably healthy!!  I have a torn rotator cuff, so the employees watch me like a hawk.  I did one wholesale trip and Cliff had warned folks to not let me lift the boxes! Surgery will be this winter.  Cliff helped plant our garden.  We had a bumper crop of peas, but the rest went to weeds.  I had a container garden for cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. We ate well but no canning or pickle-making this year.

 

Harman’s News:  Staffing continues to be the biggest challenge for small businesses. Thankfully in February, we had the staff to open 4 days a week and in June, opened 7 days a week. It was good to see so many customers who hadn’t visited in a while.

Supply disruption and price increases continue, often without any advance notice.  Some products may sell out quickly, so please order early.  We take each day as it comes.

Genuine Local is baking Cheese Balls, again, and we should have plenty. For those of you who like heat, we now stock the popular Sugar Bob’s Maple Srirachas.

Our webstore lists more products, including handmade items. Linda Lomasney’s woven baskets are perfect for the NH Breakfast gift.  If Carl has time in his workshop, we will offer his wood-turned pens, pizza cutters and cheese knives.

Photo: Carol wrapping cheese with Carl.

Employee News:  We had a large holiday crew last year with Bev, Carl, Cliff, Colleen, Elaine, Elijah, Harper, Jen, Jill, Kathy, Nancy, Monica, Pauline, Tess, Webb and me (Brenda).  Everyone wasn’t available for the whole season, but we still managed to have at least 5 of us working on most days.  It was the first holiday season for half the crew, who were a bit overwhelmed at how busy we were.  We cut and wrapped over 9,000 lbs of Cheddar and shipped out over 2,200 packages during the holidays.

On a sadder note, we lost Carol Young last year, right before the holidays.  She started working here over 40 years ago, when the Harmans owned the store. We miss her and her holiday sweaters! Her granddaughter, Shelby, worked here this summer.

This Holiday Season
To avoid shipping delays, our small crew appreciates your early orders.  We gift wrap our items and include gift cards (or your cards) for the personal touch to every package.

Ordering Deadlines:
     November 14th for delivery before Thanksgiving
     November 28th for delivery during Hanukkah
     December 5th for delivery before Christmas
     December 12th for delivery before New Year’s Eve
If you miss a deadline, we do our best to get the order out as soon as we can.

Newsletter and Brochure Update:  With the high costs of postage and printing, we are paring down our mailing list for this annual letter and the spring postcard. We are offering 3 ways to receive this letter and the notification of our spring sale.

By E-Mail: Sign up at the bottom of the www.harmanscheese.com page.
By Mail Post: Contact us by phone, mail, or e-mail to stay on the mailing list.
Posted on our Website: For those of you who wish to keep mailboxes a bit emptier.

We wish you a Happy Holiday Season and May 2023 be a Year of Hope for us all.
                                                                                                                            – Maxine, Brenda and Cliff Aldrich

Order by November 18th
Receive a FREE pound of Harman’s Cheddar.
We will add the cheese to your package.
Limit: 1 per customer.
No coupon code needed.

Harmans & Pollys Closing, Re-open Nov. 3

You have today and Monday to visit Harman’s or Polly’s before we close for a short break to prepare for the upcoming Holiday season.  Stop in to Harman’s for Cheese and delicious apples, squash, 6 inch pies and Polly’s Bread.  As of 11 am Sunday, all are still available.

Harman’s November Hours

November 3rd to November 19th
Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday:  9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Closed Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday
Thanksgiving Week
Open Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Open Wednesday: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Check for Sunday’s hours
Starting Nov. 28th, Holiday Hours will start. 

Polly’s Hours

Starting November 3rd
Open Thursday thru Monday:  7 am to 2 pm, including weekends
Closed Tuesday, Wednesday

November Local Products at Harman’s

Apple Hill Farm closes on Wednesday, Nov 23rd. We pick up weekly from them.  They have Apples, Potatoes and Squash. Their bakery has delicious Pies, Parkerhouse Rolls and Squash Rolls.  Pies are 6 inch or 9 inch deep dish.  Check out the list of varieties available, by clicking here.  We will have their  pies and rolls for Thanksgiving, must be pre-ordered by Nov 17.  You may pick up from Harman’s on Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Delucia Farm has frozen Lamb available now at $12.50/lb:  Shoulders, Rib Racks, Shanks, and Lamb Legs

Huckin’s Farm  offers fresh Yo-Cheese,Yogurt, Feta, Ricotta, and Curds.  Pre-orders welcome but we try to keep a stock in the store.

Fox Country Smoke House will have Smoked Hams (8 pounds and up – $5.99/lb), Ham Steaks cut to order ($7.99/lb) and Smoked Turkeys (12-20 lbs at $5.99/lb) for Thanksgiving.  Order early.

Polly’s Pancake Parlor will have their Thanksgiving Baking List available in November.

To pre-order any of these products for now or Thanksgiving, please e-mail: Cheese@HarmansCheese.com.

Local Happenings

Oct 29: 11-11;30 am,  Sugar Hill Supervisors of the Checklist will meet at the Town Offices for voter registration.

Oct 31: Sugar Hill Town Offices are Closed today.

Nov 2: 4:30 pm, Medicare Informational Session at Crapo Building.

Nov 8: Election Day.  Sugar Hill Voting: 11 am – 7 pm

Nov 9: Open invitation to Franconia Heritage Council Annual Meeting.  5pm at Lovett’s Inn.  Guest Speaker: author Alan R. Hoffman with a presentation on Marquis de Lafayette and Human Rights. The Annual Meeting and talk are open to the public and free of charge. 5:00 Welcome (cash bar). 5:30 Annual Meeting: update and election of officers. 6:00 Lafayette Talk by  Alan R. Hoffman. 7:00 Dinner, which requires pre-registration by October 31,$48 pp. E-Mail for info: info@franconiaareaheritage.org

November 4-5,11-12 at 7:30pm, Nov 6 & 13, 3 pm:  Oliver!  Theatre Up!, Littleton Opera House

Article about Sugar Hill in Eastern Mountain News: Explore Sugar Hill like a local.

Last Week for Harman’s 4-year Aged Cheddar

Autumn is definitely here and foliage looks beautiful. It’s not peak, but definitely lots of color.  A great time for a trip to our area.

Less than 30 pounds remain of our 4-year Aged, vintage 2018 Cheddar Cheese.  Limit one pound per customer for $15.50.  Everyone has enjoyed the flavor of this cheddar.  We are looking forward to seeing how more flavor it will have when we offer it again in March 2023.

Our 3-year Aged, Vintage 2019 is $13.50 per pound. We will offer this vintage through October 10th.  It, too, has a delicious taste and has been popular.

Our 2-year, vintage 2020 is on sale for $9.50 for our mail-order customers.

Limited Special in our Webstore: 6 oz blocks of Smoked Havrati Dill for $5.50

 Foliage on September 22, 2022
Franconia Notch State Park Tree
Photography Credit: Chris Whiton of White Mountain Images

Visit our Harman’s Foliage Update Page for current photos of our Autumn Color.

Autumn Artisans at Harman’s

Weather-permitting, Artisans will bring Woven Baskets, Quilts, Knitted Afghans, Wood-turned Bowls, Homemade Jams & Jellies, NH Folk Art, Wool Socks, Homemade Pickles & Relishes, Hand-spun Yarn, Hand-Crafted Jewelry and more.  Click here for more infomation.

Weather permitting, Artisans are set-up from 10 am to 3:30 pm:
Saturday & Sunday, Oct 1-2
Friday through Monday, Oct 7-10

New Products for Harman’s:
2 New Baskets by Artisan, Linda Lomasney of Deeda’s Baskets.  You may also order baskets directly from Linda’s website.
Denis Desjardins makes our Mouse Cheese Boards.
Stop by Columbus Day Weekend to see both Artisans.

The 2022 Holiday Season & Harman’s Autumn Break

On October 31st, you may start placing your holiday orders.

To prepare for the Holiday Season, we will be closed on the following dates.
Oct 20 – 30: Mail-Order closed to Ordering & Shipping
Oct 25 – Nov 2:  Sugar Hill Store closed to Customers

Ordering Dates for this Holiday Season

Order by November 10 for Thanksgiving
Order by November 28 for Hanukkah
Order by December 5 for Christmas
Order by December 12 for New Year’s Eve

Autumn Special: 2-year, 3-year and 4-year Harman’s Cheddar

Shaking up our traditions, again.  We are offering some of our older cheeses this month.  You don’t have to wait until March.

Our 3-year Aged, Vintage 2019 is $13.50 per pound. This is available for shipping through September 30th.

The 4-year Aged, vintage 2018 will be limited to one pound per customer for $15.50.  We are cutting 80 pounds, saving the rest to offer when it is 5 and 10-years aged.  Look for it again in March 2023.  This will sell out quickly, so don’t wait if you wish a block.

Through October 20th, our 2-year, vintage 2020 is on sale for $9.50 per pound for shipping in September or October.

Limited Special in our Webstore: 6 oz blocks of Smoked Havrati Dill for $5.50

Photography Credit: Chris Whiton
White Mountain Images
Lovers Lane, Sugar Hill in October, 2021.  The foliage color has started and it won’t be long until the Lane looks like this again.

Autumn Artisans at Harman’s

Weather-permitting, several Artisans will be at Harman’s this autumn.  They will bring Woven Baskets, Quilts, Knitted Afghans, Wood-turned Bowls, Homemade Jams & Jellies, NH Folk Art, Wool Socks, Homemade Pickles & Relishes, Stained Glass, Hand-spun Yarn, Hand-Crafted Jewelry and more.  Click here for more infomation.

Look for them from 10 am to 3:30 pm:  Sept 23-25, Sept 30-Oct 2 and Columbus Day Weekend, Oct 7-10.

Artisan, Linda Lomasney of Deeda’s Baskets makes two baskets for Harman’s.  An 8-inch round basket in grays, blues, and greens or a 7-inch round natural basket with maroon and green trim.  You may also order baskets directly from Linda’s website.  Another artisan, Denis Desjardins, makes our Cheese Mouse Boards.  Stop by this Columbus Day Weekend to see them both.

Looking toward the Holiday Season

On October 31st, you may start placing your holiday orders.

Our webstore will be closed from October 20-30, to prepare for the holiday season.

Ordering Dates for this Holiday Season
Order by November 10 for Thanksgiving
Order by November 28 for Hanukkah
Order by December 5 for Christmas
Order by December 12 for New Year’s Eve

If you place an order after the deadline, we will process it as soon as we are able.  Last year, we started processing and shipping the “late” orders on December 16th; some made it in time for Christmas and New Year’s.

Our “order by” dates are early because, by Thanksgiving, we often have already received orders for 1000 packages. Our small business is able to pack and ship between 100 to 200 packages each day.  Our team works overtime and on weekends during the holiday season as we want every package to go out as soon as possible.

Maxine:  Dear Friends,                                             November 2021

Another year has sped by. In last year’s letter, I wrote about working on a vintage Kellogg’s® cereal box puzzle. I gave up on it; too little fun for the work; but my son, Cliff, finished it for me.  I have a mystery puzzle on the table now; it holds clues to solve a murder mystery.

I didn’t work at Harman’s this past year, but I stuffed your envelopes and stamped postcards for the mailings. I do that on a table at home.

This past year gatherings & events were canceled; but Sugar Hill’s 128th annual Christmas party was held! It was a drive-by visit with Santa & his elves. All town children under twelve received a gift and the older crowd, like me, received a nice bag of delicious goodies.

Our family didn’t gather for Christmas but Cliff & Pauline made and delivered a beautiful Christmas Dinner for Brenda and me, complete with beautiful Christmas napkins! We had a few smaller family gatherings this year and more visits by phone.

Our spring daffodils were beautiful and the autumn colors were amazing, time went fast between the two.  In July, the “Old Home Day” Parade was held in Franconia after being canceled the year before. I rode with Cliff in Sugar Hill’s 1939 Fire Truck, a tradition for over 20 years. I feed a variety of birds and had a pair of cardinals all summer. The bears stayed away but we had destructive squirrels. Cliff and Brenda trapped over 20 and released some as far as 20 miles away. We finally found scented granules to keep them away. Brenda planted a garden but with her health restrictions, it became a jungle. Some veggies grew in the weeds so we were able to make garden relish. Dawn, Lynne, Diane & Chuck shared from their gardens to keep us supplied with fresh vegetables (and fruit). Our raspberries produced enough for snacking and for jam making.

My grandson, Will, graduated from West Virginia University and is now a sports journalist in Wyoming. Sadly, this year; we lost my brother, Bob Gray at age 93.

Cliff:  I kept busy in my first year of retirement. I handled our larger than normal cheese deliveries, packed a lot of your packages and delivered our Cheddar to other small stores in New Hampshire. Pauline also packed packages and helped out in the retail store. I mow a few local lawns and am active in our local Fire Department. Best thing about retirement was that Pauline and I went to a few Red Sox games at Fenway Park.

Brenda: Harman’s annual two week closure became two months. Unexpectedly, I needed a new aortic heart valve through open-heart surgery. Recovery was slow but I’m better than I have been in years. Days later, a friend received a heart valve with the same surgeon, through a leg artery.  She was home the next day. Life isn’t fair! My cataract had to wait until August but now I have better sight, too. In the 1980s, I worked in Afghanistan so I had a few rough days as friends navigated evacuation and other friends face an unknown future. Afghanistan was my home for years, so this has been hard.

Harman’s News: Due to our small staff, we were only open 3 to 4 days a week this year, thankfully our customers still came. This autumn, our great crew put in overtime so we could be open every day for “leaf-peeping” season. The fall foliage was beautiful.

This year has had a few bumps. The Great Lakes Cheese Company is no longer able to store our cheese for 2 years, so we scrambled to find refrigerated storage for 28 tons of Cheese (at a reasonable cost). Thankfully friends in nearby Landaff had a refrigerated walk-in available for our 2020 and 2021 Cheddar. Our own walk-in is full with our 2019 Cheddar along with those special blocks of Cheddar that we age a few extra years.

Supply disruption, staffing shortages and price increases are taking a toll on several businesses that we work with. Genuine Local is unable to bake our Cheese Balls. J&M Foods stopped making Cheddar-Pecan Biscuits. Butternut Mt Farm discontinued their sugarless Fruit Spreads. Sugarbush Farm no longer offers Sage Cheddar but we picked up Crowley’s Sage Cheese as a substitute. Cabot Cheese will stop making Hot Habanero Cheese soon and that will end Fox Country Smokehouse’s Smoked Habanero.  But as small, local businesses we are working together to do the best we can each day.

The Lupine & Autumn Celebrations were canceled, but we hosted a few artisans on weekends. We met Denis Desjardins of Vermont who does beautiful woodworking. We asked him to make our Cheese Mouse Boards, you will love his workmanship.

Employee News:  Allie started working at Harmans in 2013 (age 15) and this year her other part-time job became full-time. We miss her but love that she is working in her desired field of media.  Last holiday season, we only had 4 to 6 people working each day instead of our normal 8 to 12 people. Allie, Bev, Brendan, Carl, Cliff, Colleen, Emily, Kathy, Katie, Pauline, Patrick, and I did our best but we couldn’t keep up with your orders even with friends stopping to help. By Dec 1st, we had more holiday orders than we had in any other year. A smaller crew with more orders combined with shipping delays, meant many of you received your orders in January. We appreciate those of you who encouraged us through those long, tough days. By the end of the season, our crew had cut and wrapped over 9,000 lbs of Harman’s Cheddar and shipped out over 2,900 packages. We are planning & preparing for this season, but we lose Colleen in December as she goes to be with her daughter for the birth of Colleen’s first granddaughter.

The forecast for this holiday season predicts shipping delays and supply shortages.

Our crew is still small each day (some can only give us a few hours each week), so we appreciate early orders. We will try our best with every order. We gift wrap our items and include gift cards (or your personal cards) for the personal touch to every package. Please your order by November 11th for Hanukkah delivery and by November 29th for Christmas delivery.

We hope that you will be able to celebrate the holidays this year with family and friends.

We are looking forward to hearing your news from this past year.

Maxine, Brenda and Cliff Aldrich

All of us at Harman’s wish you a Healthy & Blessed Holiday Season with wishes for Joy in 2022

November SPECIAL: 6-year Aged Harman’s or 6-year Aged McCadam’s Cheddar
$16.95 per pound
, Order must be shipped before Thanksgiving.

Limit 2 pounds total per Customer, Limited Amount Available