GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Service
Far, far away — nowhere close to the outpost of the East Village that is Hudson, NY, and even farther from the Overland Department of Greenpoint that is most of the Western Catskills (artisanal cassis liqueur, anyone?) — sits a tiny town in Delaware County called Franklin.
And inside of Franklin sits a sizable complex of privately owned land, with lakes and ponds and barns and farms and an abandoned bluestone quarry, that occasionally witnesses art parties. The hosts of this magical, naturalistic wonderland go by an almost unpronounceable name: Franklin Chthonics.
By hook, crook, hand, and foraged foodstuff, they’re putting together one of the most delightful seasonal delivery boxes I’ve come across lately.
Everything Franklin Chthonics produces is either from their property or purchased locally, then pickled, smoked, fermented, aged, or somehow made more delicious on site. My summer seasonal box included sumac tea, spices, and syrup (all foraged and hand-produced); St. John's wort, wild thyme, yarrow, mugwort, and mullein tea (all hand-picked); and pickled jalapenos and corn chow-chow (pickled and produced on-site), as well as three gorgeous natural ink based postcards and blueberry-nectarine jam.
It's a small, family team putting the boxes together with care and love. Word from the farm is that this year's apple harvest is a bonanza, which bodes well for this fall’s boxes. –Matt Levy
→ Shop: Franklin Chthonics Subscription Box • $18/mo with three-month minimum commitment.