One family member or another usually gives me a Hickory Farms sampler for Christmas every year. I've sampled it all, and it's vile. The cheese is plastic, the crackers wooden, and the sausage is waxen and cheap-tasting. I usually try to sneak it into the trash along with the discarded wrapping paper, but a couple of years ago I got caught, and feelings were hurt. Last year I sent the mess to work with my wife, instead. Her coworkers will eat anything, provided it's unhealthy and free.

So, it cracked me up when I saw the shops were available, paying $3 and reimbursing $8.50. In my area, they were all snatched up within an hour of posting. Incredible! Perhaps my wife's coworkers do some mystery shopping on the side.

Or, perhaps people actually think this stuff is good. I'm wondering - how many of you, as I, would require a much higher shop fee to even taste a sample of "Turkey Summer Sausage"? And, how many of you just loooves you sum Hick'ry Farms?

It used to be very good when I was growing up but I haven't had it in years. I think I would have waited to chuck it into the trash until after the giver left. My in-laws do that to me quite often and it does hurt.

Ha. I did it out of curiosity, since I was going to be in the neighborhood of one of the locations. After my experience, I can safely say I wholeheartedly agree with Mantis' assessment! That said, they've been in business for so long, there are people who obviously feel differently!

I just have to laugh at the HF Google ad that comes up above this discussion....

I saw that too. It's been so long since they were in the local malls I had to click on it to see the offerings. They are awfully pricey considering the quality. When I was young, really young, I tried a cheese called gjetost. Basically it's a Norwegian cheese and is a bit on the sweet side. That was the only place to get it and even at the tender age of 18, the only thing I bought there. When I was in Wisconsin last week I found some at a cheese shop in the Dells. Same brand and everything so HF was importing it not making it.

Yup, I picked one up as a fill in. I about fell over when I seen the report! As I said in another post, seventeen pages and 29 naratives!! How much can you really say about the stuff?? I have to have it in by Monday & wish I didn't have to do it. LOL

They were one of my first shops, back in 2004, I think. I bought a cheese ball. Those we like. My husband likes the summer sausage, but agrees that their other packaged cheeses aren't too great.

Of course you're right that my behavior was inconsiderate, Cettie. However, the giver that year (and most others) was a wealthy uncle of mine with whom I speak very rarely, and who likely would not consider eating such himself. If I get another one this year, I may just give it back to him next year. I'm sure the product never spoils.

Actually, the sausage will spoil. There was the one year I was considering a taste, and when I opened the sausage, it was green. Someone had sliced through the package with a knife, piercing the sausage wrapping and making the thing toxic. Gross.

Dustygirl Wrote:
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> As I said in another post, seventeen pages and 29 naratives!!

Wow, one was left on the job board here and I was considering it. For that lump sum fee I wouldn't take it on its own, but I have to go to the mall this afternoon so I figured I would try it. Now see the length of the report, I'm feeling fortunate it was gone.

I have one next week. I buy them after Christmas when their sale is 75% off. It's not very good. Lol

I love Hickory farms - I guess I'm in the minority! I thought, "Wow, I have to try and find these shops," until I saw how much work they required!!

Last year one of these shops came up and got a rather big bonus on it so I took it. Well part of the shop was to do the sample thing so I did. I discovered Garlic Mozzarella spread ...

So this year I took the $3 shop because I would be in that mall anyway and the reimbursement well covers the Garlic Mozzarella spread! lol

Thanks for the heads up on the report. Not worth it, and you can buy those cheese balls all over town even at the local grocery stores. My dh loves those things so I need to make sure not to mention that there are shops to do HF.

we had a summer sausage at my dads stocking exchange that was the running joke for 3 years...

someone would get it and regift it...

after 3 years it turned white inside the packaged and got harder than a rock... im not sure who... but im willing to bet its someone health concious threw it out after the 3rd regifting...

as to the store... its yucky... amazon has way better prices... and due to this information i will never take them...

gross, gross, gross! I would eat at McRauchy Ron's before I took one bite of that disgusting crap.

I am reading your post to my hubby because it sounds a lot like something he would say. I am cracking up and he say's "Okay, I don't want to hear anymore." I have eaten hickory farms but I was very little so I don't remember the taste. Plus they are too far away for me to go after.

BTW he got a hideous sweater and wallet from an elderly co worker. He went to a white elephant and refused to regift it because it may have hurt someone's feelings.


Mantis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One family member or another usually gives me a
> Hickory Farms sampler for Christmas every year.
> I've sampled it all, and it's vile. The cheese is
> plastic, the crackers wooden, and the sausage is
> waxen and cheap-tasting. I usually try to sneak
> it into the trash along with the discarded
> wrapping paper, but a couple of years ago I got
> caught, and feelings were hurt. Last year I sent
> the mess to work with my wife, instead. Her
> coworkers will eat anything, provided it's
> unhealthy and free.
>
> So, it cracked me up when I saw the shops were
> available, paying $3 and reimbursing $8.50. In my
> area, they were all snatched up within an hour of
> posting. Incredible! Perhaps my wife's coworkers
> do some mystery shopping on the side.
>
> Or, perhaps people actually think this stuff is
> good. I'm wondering - how many of you, as I,
> would require a much higher shop fee to even taste
> a sample of "Turkey Summer Sausage"? And, how
> many of you just loooves you sum Hick'ry Farms?

I was in the mall several weeks ago for another shop I had. I walked around afterwards and stopped at the HF booth. I sampled a cheese that was very good. She mentioned the crackres but I told her I was Celiac & could not have them. She said they were GF. She pulled out the book with the list of ingerdients. The crackers were listed on that gluten free list. So I tried a sample. They were very good. I could not believe they were GF, most taste like cardboard! LOL Well, I purchased 2 boxes, they were on sale. I left the mall & opened a box and ate a couple. I'm still thinking they just taste too good. Then I do what I should have done in the first place. Read the ingredient list. First thing listed is Wheat Flour along with Barley flour. OMG! I have just eaten poison. I went right back to the mall. I told her the crackers were not GF! Now, I had told her earlier, I can't have wheat, rye or barley, of any kind. SHe was surprised and offered a refund. Well, they only wanted to do an exchange. She ended up calling the DM and they told her how to enter the refund. She let them know why it was returned. I know she felt bad about it but it was really my fault for Not checking. Now the shop I just took is at the same place. If I get the same lady she probably will wonder why I'm back! LOL I want the cheese. The pay is not great but the remberisment should cover the cheese.

Guilty! I did this one yesterday. I am making a gift basket to send to my in-laws with different things so this was great for me. I paid $8 for a sausage. The report was a little painful, but not bad. Oh and I think the sausage is delicious. Their little snack sticks are excellent. I'm a bodybuilder so I'm always looking for quick protein snacks and these are great with little fat in them.

Sylvo2121 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guilty! I did this one yesterday. I am making a
> gift basket to send to my in-laws with diisfferent
> things so this was great for me. I paid $8 for a
> sausage. The report was a little painful, but not
> bad. Oh and I think the sausage is delicious.
> Their little snack sticks are excellent. I'm a
> bodybuilder so I'm always looking for quick
> protein snacks and these are great with little fat
> in them.

Yes. I am writing from the city that is the corporate headquarters of Hickory Farms. The sausage is tasty and a lot of the cheese is good and out of the ordinary. BUT my point is that this is one of the few companies left in the US that actually produce something. I do not work for them. But I suggest that we do not trash their products. That is not the point of this forum as I understand it.

I liked the Beef Sausage and some of the cheeses. I really like the smoked cheeses. I thought the crackers were good, I know that now, but I still can't eat them! LOL Oh, I loved the little candies. I am doing the shop today and not looking forward to the long report!

Well, well, well, I see I am not alone in our views. I would rather eat dry oatmeal than eat their nuclear waste.

God, i am so glad to see I am not alone.

Don


Mantis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One family member or another usually gives me a
> Hickory Farms sampler for Christmas every year.
> I've sampled it all, and it's vile. The cheese is
> plastic, the crackers wooden, and the sausage is
> waxen and cheap-tasting. I usually try to sneak
> it into the trash along with the discarded
> wrapping paper, but a couple of years ago I got
> caught, and feelings were hurt. Last year I sent
> the mess to work with my wife, instead. Her
> coworkers will eat anything, provided it's
> unhealthy and free.
>
> So, it cracked me up when I saw the shops were
> available, paying $3 and reimbursing $8.50. In my
> area, they were all snatched up within an hour of
> posting. Incredible! Perhaps my wife's coworkers
> do some mystery shopping on the side.
>
> Or, perhaps people actually think this stuff is
> good. I'm wondering - how many of you, as I,
> would require a much higher shop fee to even taste
> a sample of "Turkey Summer Sausage"? And, how
> many of you just loooves you sum Hick'ry Farms?

I did the HF shop yesterday. The report asks a lot of questions but it really was not as bad as I thought it might be. It has not been reviewed yet so we will see what happens. The questions are really just a repeat of the question they asked. Even if it was a Yes answer they wanted a comment. I did get my Smoked Cheese I wanted.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2011 04:16PM by Dustygirl.

Y'all weren't kidding about that report! Wow! Took a while, but not too bad. I'm glad it's over!

I like Hickory Farms sausages, not a fan of the cheeses. Then again, I LOVE cheese, but am pretty selective on the types I eat. I don't eat any cheese that does not need refrigerated!

I vote garbage!

Ok but any thoughts about my post re: BUY USA products for Christmas?
It is packaged and mostly produced in Ohio and hardly nuclear waste. What is that about. Let us be thoughtful.

I've done 2 of these in the last week. Now I have a white elephant gift for a holiday party coming up and a cheeseball I know will get eaten on Christmas between the 15 people I'll have over here.

cynb, I give preference to US-made products when it's rational and reasonable to do so. For example, I bought my wife a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas last year. The price was high, but the quality is outstanding.

That's not the case with Hickory Farms. I found their products to be utterly inferior. If they make real cheeses, I've never had them, and perhaps those are good. What I received for many years was "pasteurized process cheese food" or some such. It was processed crap, with vegetable oil as one of the main ingredients. That isn't cheese, and I don't even consider it food. It was the same with the rest of the items in the gift baskets, too; the ingredients were obviously cheap, and the flavors were that of overprocessed quasi-food.

So, even if I'm wrong about some of Hickory Farms' products, they so badly burned the bridge with me that I'll never consider eating or purchasing any of their items again. Made in America or not, I demand quality. If I want real cheese, I'll go to the supermarket, where I'll buy something made of milk, rennet, enzymes and salt.

You are misinformed.

Gluten free does NOT require a product to be wheat free.

You may not realise that gluten and wheat proteins are two different things and that gluten only exists in the gliadin and glutenin protein fractions of wheat.

Wheat when processed can easily have the gluten removed while using the rest of the wheat kernal that does not contain any gluten whatsoever.

It is very important to understand this distinction.

Gluten can come a variety of sources such as wheat, rye, and barley; but it can also be removed from all of them to create entirely gluten free products that still contain wheat, rye or barley.

It is very important to understand exactly what you are sensitive to. If you are allergic to wheat than avoid wheat. But if you are only allergic to gluten than you can consume wheat so long as the gluten has been removed during processing.

You may not like all hickory farms products but they are extremely careful to track which of their product do and do not contain gluten and have joined the ranks of many large companies now supplying gluten free wheat products.



Dustygirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was in the mall several weeks ago for another
> shop I had. I walked around afterwards and stopped
> at the HF booth. I sampled a cheese that was very
> good. She mentioned the crackres but I told her I
> was Celiac & could not have them. She said they
> were GF. She pulled out the book with the list of
> ingerdients. The crackers were listed on that
> gluten free list. So I tried a sample. They were
> very good. I could not believe they were GF, most
> taste like cardboard! LOL Well, I purchased 2
> boxes, they were on sale. I left the mall & opened
> a box and ate a couple. I'm still thinking they
> just taste too good. Then I do what I should have
> done in the first place. Read the ingredient list.
> First thing listed is Wheat Flour along with
> Barley flour. OMG! I have just eaten poison. I
> went right back to the mall. I told her the
> crackers were not GF! Now, I had told her earlier,
> I can't have wheat, rye or barley, of any kind.
> SHe was surprised and offered a refund. Well, they
> only wanted to do an exchange. She ended up
> calling the DM and they told her how to enter the
> refund. She let them know why it was returned. I
> know she felt bad about it but it was really my
> fault for Not checking. Now the shop I just took
> is at the same place. If I get the same lady she
> probably will wonder why I'm back! LOL I want the
> cheese. The pay is not great but the remberisment
> should cover the cheese.

HF is alright. Not gourmet though IMHO. Next time, just donate to your local food bank. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day.