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Real Pickles

Northeast Grown, 100% organic, fermented & raw pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, kvass, and hot sauce

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Home / Farmers / Chamutka Farm

Chamutka Farm

Location: Whately, MA
Farmers: Dave Chamutka
Supplies Real Pickles with fresh chile peppers, cucumbers, green cabbage, red cabbage, tomatillos

Dave runs Chamutka Farm, a 50-acre certified organic vegetable farm in Whately, MA. Farming since 1980, his major crops include cucumbers, cabbage, squash, tomatoes, and strawberries. He sells his high quality vegetables at local grocery stores and through a local farmer cooperative, the Pioneer Valley Growers Association.

Dave has a long history with pickles. He grew up in South Deerfield, where the Oxford pickle plant (originally the Jewett plant) operated from 1896 to 2006. The Oxford plant was among the largest pickle manufacturers in the Northeast, and served as a primary market for vegetable farmers in the Connecticut River Valley during its years of operation. When he was a kid, Dave’s parents raised a small crop (about 1 1/2 acres) of pickling cucumbers each year for the Oxford plant, as did many of his neighbors. Back then, Oxford paid growers by the number of cucumbers delivered. Dave recalls sitting under the tree as a child, helping his parents to count their freshly-harvested cucumbers. As a teenager, he worked on larger cucumber farms as well as dairies.

Dave started his own farming business in 1980, and bought his current farm just 2 years later. From the beginning, his primary crop was pickling cucumbers, which he sold to the Oxford plant. By the time Dave got into farming for himself, Oxford had begun paying farmers based on weighing and grading of the cucumbers at the plant, so Dave was spared the task of counting each cucumber he harvested! From early on, Dave also specialized in growing tomatoes and winter squash. After farming conventionally for many years, Dave started transitioning to organic in 1998. Now, Dave grows all of his crops certified organically.

Chamutka Farm was the very first supplier to Real Pickles, growing the 1000 pounds of pickling cucumbers we purchased in 2001 to make our first batches of Organic Dill Pickles. Dave continues to this day to be a major source of our two most important vegetables: cucumbers and cabbage. With the Oxford pickle plant now closed, Real Pickles is incredibly fortunate to be able to benefit from Dave’s growing skills and experience as we carry on the pickling tradition in western Massachusetts.

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As part of our commitment to support a regional, o As part of our commitment to support a regional, organic food system, we purchase all of our vegetables and fresh herbs and spices from organic family farms in the Northeast. Check out Riverland Farms' fertile river bottom soil! This healthy soil yields some of the most beautiful certified organic produce ever fermented!

#regionalfoodsystems #organic #farmers #healthysoil 
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Repost @iloveriverlandfarm 
A lovely day for a plow 
#flipflip #fallbrassicas2022
Since 2001, Real Pickles has been producing 100% o Since 2001, Real Pickles has been producing 100% organic, naturally fermented, and raw plant-based food. Our vegetables are grown on Northeast farms that prioritize healthy, living soil – essential ingredients to support a robust fermentation. 
#PackedWithAMission #RealPickles #organic #fermented #raw #vegetables #northeastgrown 
📷@westernmaphoto @atlasfarm
Spring is in full bloom and we are enjoying the lo Spring is in full bloom and we are enjoying the longer days and blue skies, fragrant flowers and delicious fermented veggies! 
#fermentedandraw #packedwithamission #kraut #organic #ferments #realpickles
We’ve been having SO much fun collaborating with We’ve been having SO much fun collaborating with Jim and Katie at the amazing @hopeandoliverestaurant ! 
If you have been missing our Dill Pickles and can’t wait until they come back this summer, stop in and get a Real Pickle Soda or a Real Pickle Martini made with our organic brine! 

Repost from @hopeandoliverestaurant
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Been having fun playing with some @realpickles BRINE and landed on a classic Dirty Martini- but the lacto-fermented pickles are more subtle than the vinegary version- so good finished with a Dilly Bean! Bartender Katie @love.craft.cocktails made a great NA version with the Real Pickle Soda, too- you can ask for them spicy if that’s your jam!
This Earth Day, we celebrate our mission to produc This Earth Day, we celebrate our mission to produce food with a small footprint. Our farm partners are deeply aware of the impacts of climate change to our seasons, pests, crops, and extreme weather. By farming organically, they are also a big part of climate solutions. They are constantly improving their practices to build healthy soil that sequesters carbon and supports biodiversity. They eliminate pesticides and herbicides that are harmful to wildlife, consumers, and farm workers. And, like Real Pickles, their markets are regional and food miles are minimal. Organic farmers are our climate heroes!
🌍🥬👨‍🌾💙 #earthday #climateheroes #realpickles #organic
We were so excited to see chef Michael Scelfo use We were so excited to see chef Michael Scelfo use Real Pickles Organic Ginger Carrots in a recent recipe featured on @kittch ! Link to his video and recipe for "Spicy Carrot Slaw"  in our bio. 

Repost from @mscelfo
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turkey kofta with marinated tomatoes, fermented carrot slaw, & an herby yogurt. 

made it live on @kittch today 🎉

check out the stream & get the recipe over at the kittch site, or tune in next time ✌🏼🙌🏼 

these portions clock in at around 100 calories each…

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Contact

311 Wells St
Greenfield, MA 01301
(413) 774-2600
info@realpickles.com

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