Blueberry picking season has begun! After a much awaited harvest opening, and serious excess rain in the month of June and July, the plants are so loaded with berries that they bend over and almost touch the ground. To boot, the mower won't even fit between the rows that we haven't been able to mow in close to a month. So while the grass is long for now (I'll take care of that hopefully soon), the pickin' is easy. Stand in one spot for five minutes and there you will have about a quart of luscious organic blueberries.
We are the original U-pick Organic Blueberry farm in Chittenden County. And with about 9 varieties of blues we can pick 6, sometimes 8 weeks. We don't use a lot of bird prevention devices so if you come picking you can spot songbirds, oreoles, and other critters like turkeys and if late in the day, pheasants we previously released into the wild. They're probably picking blueberries as well!
We are always closed Mondays and Tuesdays (the blueberry fields only) which is often helpful as to allow some time for additional berries to ripen in the 'off-days'........Until further notice, our hours are as follows:
Weds-Sun 10-2
Directions: Coming from Main St in Milton, turn right onto East Rd. Make first left onto Hardscrabble Rd. Go approx 1.4 miles up the hill and we are on the right.
You can also call ahead for weather updates. 802-893-2963
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
No Pig in a Poke
Now everyone is aware I am fairly obsessed with good barbecue and the other day after another exhaustive farmers market (it takes much time and preparation to get ready AFTER making the cheese all of Friday-and then talk to approx 1000 people between 8am and 2), I decided to put on a pork shoulder to slow cook it on the Primo grill for pulled pork the next day. At the same time I put on a dry rubbed slab of pork ribs to eat later that night for dinner.
As cheese makers, we produce as a by-product, something called whey. It is a liquid serum that comes out of the curds and is rich in nutrients and some leftover calcium and proteins. And pigs love it, to boot! If you've never had whey-fed pork before, you are in for a treat. It has more flavor than supermarket bland ('brand'- tongue in cheek) pork and is very tender. Industry allows up to 10% added water and sodium, I believe, which is known as 'enhanced' meat. What this does is artificially tenderizes meat for the homeowner because when you add the sodium (salt) and water together, it holds moisture. This is not necessary with whey-fed and milk-fed pork products direct from your local farmer. The cuts are just plain juicier and moister!
So after 21 hours of slow cookin', the pork picnic shoulder was ready to take off.
And the 'pulled' pork was divine!
Had that nice pink smoke ring and was juicy and tender. Added to it, was Carolina style sauce, vinegar based so as not to blur the succulent flavor of the meat with a sticky sauce.
Why so much attention to pork, you ask? This is a dairy site, after all. Well after much anticipation awaiting a heritage breed order of piglets from a local pork producer, that never seemed to come to fruition (interestingly they are also brand new vendors at the farmers market I have attended for 16yrs), my good friends from the Boucher Farm saved the day. We make cheese every day thru the week and seriously need to utilize the whey or ship it off. It should not go down the drain. And we don't produce enough to ship off.........So a few days ago, they brought me some healthy piglets from their pork source. And it was no pig in a poke! These piglets are good size and very healthy and vigorous! They already, after just a few days, look at us askance if we come with other feedstuff and NOT whey. As if to say, "what are YOU doing here without our whey?"
Below is Dan from Boucher Farm holding a piglet when I yelled that I had camera in hand!
They are also vendors at our market and produce milk fed pork, veal, beef and cheese. They go out of their way to help others and are dear friends of ours -especially in a time of need-without the competitive paranoia that we are going to infringe upon their market. Farming like it used to be when everyone helped others......Thanks guys!
Back to pork. In the late fall we will be offering once again amazing whey-fed pork as found in parts of Italy and Spain. We had to take a hiatus as we were building our new barn and cheese plant and didn't have the infrastructure to accept pigs-or the labor. The famous Prosciutto di Parma is produced from the hams of whey-fed pigs from the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making process (Parmesan). Likewise, ham in Spain is cured from whey fed pork from the cheese making process.
Notably, pigs are nature made to root up the soil and get nutrients from the grasses, tree nuts and wild herbs etc. Add to it the whey, and you will go hog wild! So please contact us for some whey-fed pork later this season, if you are local. Sadly we are not set up to ship our meats at this time....
As cheese makers, we produce as a by-product, something called whey. It is a liquid serum that comes out of the curds and is rich in nutrients and some leftover calcium and proteins. And pigs love it, to boot! If you've never had whey-fed pork before, you are in for a treat. It has more flavor than supermarket bland ('brand'- tongue in cheek) pork and is very tender. Industry allows up to 10% added water and sodium, I believe, which is known as 'enhanced' meat. What this does is artificially tenderizes meat for the homeowner because when you add the sodium (salt) and water together, it holds moisture. This is not necessary with whey-fed and milk-fed pork products direct from your local farmer. The cuts are just plain juicier and moister!
So after 21 hours of slow cookin', the pork picnic shoulder was ready to take off.
And the 'pulled' pork was divine!
Had that nice pink smoke ring and was juicy and tender. Added to it, was Carolina style sauce, vinegar based so as not to blur the succulent flavor of the meat with a sticky sauce.
Why so much attention to pork, you ask? This is a dairy site, after all. Well after much anticipation awaiting a heritage breed order of piglets from a local pork producer, that never seemed to come to fruition (interestingly they are also brand new vendors at the farmers market I have attended for 16yrs), my good friends from the Boucher Farm saved the day. We make cheese every day thru the week and seriously need to utilize the whey or ship it off. It should not go down the drain. And we don't produce enough to ship off.........So a few days ago, they brought me some healthy piglets from their pork source. And it was no pig in a poke! These piglets are good size and very healthy and vigorous! They already, after just a few days, look at us askance if we come with other feedstuff and NOT whey. As if to say, "what are YOU doing here without our whey?"
Below is Dan from Boucher Farm holding a piglet when I yelled that I had camera in hand!
They are also vendors at our market and produce milk fed pork, veal, beef and cheese. They go out of their way to help others and are dear friends of ours -especially in a time of need-without the competitive paranoia that we are going to infringe upon their market. Farming like it used to be when everyone helped others......Thanks guys!
Back to pork. In the late fall we will be offering once again amazing whey-fed pork as found in parts of Italy and Spain. We had to take a hiatus as we were building our new barn and cheese plant and didn't have the infrastructure to accept pigs-or the labor. The famous Prosciutto di Parma is produced from the hams of whey-fed pigs from the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making process (Parmesan). Likewise, ham in Spain is cured from whey fed pork from the cheese making process.
Notably, pigs are nature made to root up the soil and get nutrients from the grasses, tree nuts and wild herbs etc. Add to it the whey, and you will go hog wild! So please contact us for some whey-fed pork later this season, if you are local. Sadly we are not set up to ship our meats at this time....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
