October, 2018 Dearest Friends and Customers, Our historic iron kettle is over 100 years old now — our Newsom’s legacy in business is the same age. The black kettle (as seen on the front cover) sits nestled in the floor among our Newsom’s Aging Hams. They hang high overhead and down. Very mystically, as you will, the smoke rises, creeps among the hams and curls around them, while they await the bath of mahogany color and ultimately, a smoky desirable flavor. Our aging, smoked country hams acquire “a deep finish,” having to do with the color — desirable to the human eye. Our “heritage ways” have what’s called “proof in the pudding.” The exquisite, intricate layering of flavor in our Newsom’s aged ham speaks for itself. Care, method, natural weather aging with Kentucky temperatures, and decades of curing knowledge all play a part in our beloved aged ham. It is quite a long process and tedious to cure our hams. It all begins with our special salt/brown sugar mixture and the freshest ham for curing available. Correct and precisely, the mixture is rubbed with much care at great lengths to“ensure the cure.” Without the use of nitrates and nitrites, our hams are stored in the cure with many more processes repeated over and over. After the cold temperatures have allowed some penetration of the age old way and mixture, each ham is “Hand Washed” and hung in the aging house, smokehouse, to endure the many changes of season. It is somewhat of a miracle how nature takes its course and the Newsom’s aging hams expand, contract, sweat, become drier — sealing a unique flavor with layers of complexity as the months and seasons change. Smoking of our hams occurs with the curator’s intuitive knowledge of time. The Newsoms are in tune with nature, simple folk, thus they connect well with the weather and progress of the country hams, prosciutto, our special free range ham, etc. No machine smoke is pumped into our aging houses — only smoke from the simple, historic old kettle that’s as old as our business. And, as for our standards of quality, and flavor — it all takes patience, time and allowing nature’s beauty to take its course. My heartfelt, earnest thanks and gratitude for all of your support through the many years — and for our newcomers, “welcome to the Newsom’s world of quality, service and simplicity of old.” Some things are best left unchanged, and that, I do believe. Most Gratefully, Nancy, The Ham Lady -------------------- As I updated all of the records in our mail order files this year, I could not help but notice just how many states are represented and how many multiple times you have ordered from us supporting our cause -- to keep alive a heritage product and service. It is only because of your patronage that the Newsom's Family Business celebrates the 100th Anniversary of same family, same service -- founded January 1st, 2017. It is through your faithfulness to us that we are able to accomplish this milestone. To all of you, we are most grateful. In celebration of this accomplishment together, I hope that you will enjoy our Colonel Newsom's Aged Ham, Smoky BBQ Preacher Ham, Prosciutto and other products -- knowing that you ARE a part of our success and family! With personalized and service-oriented ways, it is our honor to serve you. These characteristics are a feature that smaller businesses possess in order to survive. The customer is not lost in the shuffle of huge, corporate-commercialized operations. The Newsom family has always felt the direct importance of personalized, down home service -- you have a name -- not just a number. We pray that you always feel that we "care" about your orders, your service and your dining experience with our products. We understand that most folks like to put a face or voice with the business. ABOUT NEWSOM'S AGED HAMS: WHAT MAKES OURS DIFFERENT? FIVE REASONS: 1. No Sodium Nitrates or Nitrites are used in our process. 2. All Natural Methods are used, including an Ambient Weather Aging Process. -- As our forefathers always knew -- and before fast production of mass curing was performed, the natural weather seasons and outdoor environment create a phenomenal flavor for aged hams. 3. More complex layers of aged flavor are enjoyed as the ham expands and contracts with our natural weather seasons. Our hams will finally shrink (more than most artificial processes) in weight, the holding the complex flavors inside the ham. 4. Early Primitive Smoking Methods are used to bathe our beautiful relics -- hams -- for succulent flavor and a mahogany finish. 1800s to early 1900s iron kettles are used to product the hickory smoke permeating the smokehouse with mystical primitive essence of that old tradition. There is no machine smoke nor pumping smoke into our aging house. The method is of old -- as if the early American pioneer stepped back from the past. 5. Mass Production is Not Our Forte. All Col. Bill Newsom's Aged Hams are limited in number. Aged Ham Production with Kentucky climates prohibits the curing of huge volumes of aged hams due to succession of the seasons. We strive at Newsom's Hams to give you only the best -- tried and true from generations past and yet today because we are dedicated to you and to our heritage. So, in closing, many thanks to you -- our friends and loyal customers for our journey 100 years ago to the present. Sincerely, Nancy, The Ham Lady -- "Preservationist" December 2018 Dearest Customer: Our business experienced an amazing and heart-warming response this holiday season. It has been a joy as we spoke with each of you and as you reached out to us with notes, cards and letters. You came to us to renew family traditions and recapture treasured memories, that is an unmeasurable honor. Truly we have been blessed, not just with your business, but with your kindness and trust. Traditions of service and good taste are the trademark of Newsom’s and I and my team humbly strive to uphold those age old tenets of good business. Many of you have a long and treasured relationship with us, as across the decades you have been a part of the Newsom’s customer family. Many of you are new to us, introduced through the pages of Southern Living magazine this year, and we welcome you to our customer family. We hope that many of you found that “old ham” that you were seeking and I look forward to a continuing relationship with you and your family. For those who were unable to reach us in holiday season, we look forward to being of service soon… Perhaps in 2019 a Newsom’s ham or prosciutto may find its way into your Easter celebration, for other special occasions or just because you find our flavors appealing and want to treat yourself. In addition to filling all those orders that you made through our online store, we work at our local store on Main Street in Princeton. — A 101-year-old commitment to that tried-and-true tradition of service. It has been a wonderful experience to meet each of you who made the trek to our small city and came through our door to see for yourselves this old store and feel the decades of history here. Thank You and God Bless, Nancy, the Ham Lady