GOATS, COWS, AND PIGS

Apologies for the late delivery — the snow was too good. I hope you all enjoy this edition and I’ll see ya out there.

The vote to sponsor our first farm animal has passed with a 97.17% approval rating (niceee). Catskill Crew is officially making some new friends.

Now we need to decide who our first friend will be. All three candidates live at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, an incredible organization in High Falls that I've been in touch with about our mission. Once voting closes, I'll set up the fundraising platform which will have all the details — and if we surpass our goal (fingers crossed), we'll keep sponsoring more animals down the line.

Without further ado, meet the candidates:

Tuesday was born at the sanctuary just three months after his mother Sassy arrived as part of a large rescue in 2015. He was one of ten baby goats born that spring—a group the staff dubbed "The Tiniest Herd." Today, Tuesday still lives with his mom and sister Lucie. While Lucie plays the social butterfly, Tuesday is more reserved, preferring to roam the rolling pastures with his goat friends.

Penny arrived in December 2021 from a farm in Pennsylvania where she'd been kept completely alone. Now she's found her herd—spending her days alongside friends Mikey and Maybelle, and no longer shy about a little human affection. Still young, Penny gravitates toward the quiet company of the older cows.

Leroy came to the sanctuary in 2018 after a rough start that left him overweight and barely able to walk. With a proper diet and patience from staff, he slowly regained his health and confidence. These days he's a social butterfly who loves greeting pigs and humans alike—you'll spot him by the silly tongue always poking out of his snout.

The next Catskill Crew Dinner Club in Woodstock is locked in for Feb 5th at 6:30pm. So mark your calendars, take the quiz, get matched, and come out to meet some new friends and see some neighbors. You can book your seat here! 

CONTRIBUTED BY SANDY

Hey folks — Like others who garden, this time of year I’m not doing that much, compared to most other seasons. But one thing I am doing is buying potatoes, pre-ordering them rather. Hudson Valley Seed Co. just sent out their potato-buying email, and they’ll ship out in coming months. I’ll plant mine in April or May probably.

This last year I also for the first time cultivated sunchokes, which are also for sale right now, tuber pre-orders. I enjoyed growing sunchokes – both visually (the tall plants with their delicate yellow flowers were handsome), and taste-wise, they’re divine. This year however I am skipping them and am going to just focus on potatoes and on trying sweet potatoes, which Hudson Valley is offering for the first time.

Potato-wise, some thoughts: First of all if I’ve planted potatoes in the ground, they’ve remained there forever after. This is because even if I believe I’ve dug all the potatoes out of a given space, there’ll tend to be some volunteers that nonetheless create new potatoes next season. Being a lover of homegrown potatoes, I’m not upset about this. 

But I warn: In case you don’t want potatoes lingering somewhere potentially, don’t start them there. These days I favor planting potatoes in large grow bags, containing them as one would something else one wants to make sure doesn’t just take over (talking about mint). 

I have two garden sites, one that is sunnier, more exposed to the elements; the other is situated beside a maple forest and more protected, a bit cooler. I’ve found that yields-wise, potatoes do best when grown on that former, sunnier site … Though really wherever or however I plant them here, potatoes will thrive. And most those vegetables I grow prefer the sunnier of my two sites, I’ve found (some exceptions).

Potatoes-wise: Order now because they’ll sell out; spring shipping. Look up your USDA zone to time your planting right. You’ll want to plant them some inches deep, their sprouting buds reaching skyward. Perhaps counterintuitively, once you see potato plants sprouting, their green leaves and all that, bury them in soil. The goal here is we want to maximize the potatoes grown and also keep said potatoes from sunlight exposure. (If exposed to sunlight, potatoes become toxic and green and must be tossed out.)

Hooray for spuds! 

Sandy 

I’m looking for one amazing human to join me on this daring mission: to build a deeper connection to our land, our history, and our community, all while using fun as our North Star.

I have big plans for the future of Catskill Crew, and it’s a journey that I cannot accomplish on my own. So, if you’re interested in joining the Catskill Crew team, or perhaps you know someone who would be a great fit, you can learn about the role via the link below.

P.S. if you already applied I’ll be in touch this week!

The Winter Quarterlies continue to ship out and are making their way to your mailboxes. If you want one, you can get it here.

Stop by the PROVISIONS SHOP and pick up your Catskill-opoly, Catskill Puzzles, merch, and more. OPEN 24/7

Keep print alive with the Crew Quarterly, a seasonal snail mail club. I’ll plant a tree for each letter sent. Winter Edition Shipping Now

WANT TO PARTNER WITH CATSKILL CREW? REACH OUT AND LET’S SEE IF IT’S A GOOD FIT.

Last week’s Scramble: EASTERN HEMLOCK

PROPERTY: A Lotta Logs

PETS: Sweet Sailor the dog, Peony the cat, and Nefer, Echo, Ankh, Aten, and Calliope the ducks.

SKY: February's full moon arrives on the 1st this year, and it's called the Snow Moon —no mystery there. Some tribes called it the Hungry Moon because mid-winter meant slim pickings and tough hunting. Others went with Bear Moon since cubs start showing up around now. The Celts, meanwhile, called it Storm Moon or Ice Moon — which also tracks.

SIGHTINGS: Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Catskill Crew is 100% free to read, independently owned, and locally operated (heck, it’s just me).

Your contributions go toward keeping the Crew going so we can have more fun, build more community, and not have each edition filled with ads. I appreciate any and all support my friends! - Michael

ADD AN EVENT

FEATURE AN EVENT

Skiing was too good, apologies.

Avalon Lounge, Catskill – Upstairs Wednesdays: Dean Sharp + Nico Soffiatto at 7pm get tix

Rough Draft, Kingston – Winter Farm Stand at 4:30pm and Game Night at the Communal Table at 5:30pm enjoy

The Pines, Mt. Tremper – Music Night at 7pm

Tubby’s, Kingston – Light Beams + 178 Product at 7pm check it out

Unicorn Bar, Kingston – Sketch & Burlesque Live Figure Drawing at 7pm discover

Half Moon, Hudson – Karaoke Special 10 year anniversary at 8pm

Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre – The Sandlot at 10am tickets

Athens Cultural Center – Queer & Trans Connection Network at 6pm

Village Coffee and Goods, Kingston – Midtown Mix-Up at Village Coffee & Goods rsvp

Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown – Trivia Thursdays at 6pm

Park Theatre, Hudson – Songwriters in the Round at 8pm tickets

Tubby’s, Kingston – Ruth Mascelli + Cube + Content Blocks at 7pm check it out

Unicorn Bar, Kingston – Community Listening Nights at 6pm discover

Miscellany Greene Studio, Coxsackie – Early Bird Dance Party at 6pm tickets

All Booked, Windham – Women's Reading Retreat register

Hector’s Inn, Bethel – Glow Stick Party at 7pm enjoy

Avalon, Catskill – Nine Feet Down / Pixie Vixen / Hubert Dulay / Lane Changer at 6:30pm take a look

Basilica Hudson – Explosions in the Sky at 7pm check it out

Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock – We Are Fugazi From Washington D.C. Documentary Screening at 7pm get tix

Brunette, Kingston – DOOMSCROLL BREAK #2 at 6pm explore

Foxfire Mountain House, Mount Tremper – Dinner & a Movie: Fargo at 5pm reserve

Keegan Ales, Kingston – Soul City at 8pm details

Urban Cowboy, Big Indian – DJ Harlan Returns at 7pm

Wayside Cider, Andes – Farmily Meal reserve a spot

Left Bank, Catskill – Northern Spy Reading Series at 6:30pm discover

Jayne Street Distilling Co., Florida – Jazz Night at 8pm

Story Screen Cinema, Hudson – Dumb and Dumber Screening & Pasta Night at 8pm see dates

Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville – Animal Tracking in the Snow with Dan Yacobellis at 10am 2 sessions

First Presbyterian Church, Hudson – Soup & Song Series: Grains of Euphora (Ryder Cooley & Bradford Reed) at 6pm tickets

Belleayre Mountain, Highmount – Catskills Pride Ski Weekend 2026 at 9am until 02/01

Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock – Cornelia Murr at 8pm discover

Roscoe Beer, West Kill – Annual Winterfest at 12pm check it out

Rosendale Theatre – Paige Turner’s “As If” It’s The 90’s! at 8pm let's get drag!

Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Narrowsburg – Daytime Disco at 1pm explore

Happy Valley Arcade Bar, Beacon – Hawkins x Happy Valley party time

Avalon Lounge, Catskill – Upstate Composers Orchestra at 7:30pm enjoy

Lost Book Shop, Delhi – Robert Burns Night at 6pm see more

Athens Cultural Center – First Sundays: Family Studio Hour at 10:30am tickets

Catskill Brewery, Livingston Manor – Open Mic + WJFF DJ Appreciation Party at 6pm see dates