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What strikes us most about Meadow Creek Dairy is that they produce only raw milk cheeses, three to be exact, in a tiny pocket of hills near Galax, Virginia just on the North Carolina border. They are a grass-based operation with 90% of the cow diet coming from grass. Remarkably they rotate their all-female herd of 140 cows every twelve hours to keep the menu fresh! They are a seasonal operation meaning that all the cows calve together in the spring (when the grass is at its lushest) and then are "dried off" and stop milking together in the winter (when the grass dies back). It's a sustainable system that matches the natural cycle of the cows to the natural cycle of the grass. In this lush area of the world bursting with underground natural springs, grass on any given field can grow back within three weeks, recreating quickly a perfect salad bar. We were lucky enough to spend two days with the twelve-person team this past week and were amazed to witness that at Meadow Creek they control every aspect of production from breeding to sales and everything in between including milking, cheesemaking, and aging. But what is most special is that the cheeses produced here are considered among the best raw milk cheeses in the nation.
Though the Duroc breed evolved from red pigs from another part of the world, it is considered one of the few “all American” breeds we have today. Unlike most breeds of livestock that were developed elsewhere and brought here, the Duroc is the result of two red colored breeds being crossed and then improved upon in the early 18th century in upstate New York. Where those two original red breeds came from is the subject of much debate as there are no pigs native to the Americas. Today the Duroc is in many ways the perfect pig boasting excellent meat quality. It is rugged and durable and has a great ability to efficiently convert pounds of feed into pounds of high quality meat. Durocs can range from a light golden almost yellow color to a dark mahogany.
The Tamworth is a rare breed of pig that came to the Americas in the 1800s after centuries living in the forests of Ireland where they were known as Irish Grazers and in England where they foraged in woods of oak and beech. Over time the breed developed attributes that would enable it to function well in these challenging terrains. High legs and good athletic ability came in handy when navigating the undergrowth. Long faces and snouts were built to root and find food. Even the traditional Tamworth today remains high energy, alert, and sensitive to flight instincts, as if they are operating on a higher gear than other pigs. Considered “deep sided pigs,” Tamworths have been celebrated for centuries for producing delicious bacon.
In 2006 we got a handwritten letter from farmer Mark Newman asking us if Heritage Foods would ever consider selling his pasture raised old school Berkshire pigs. We said yes and a relationship grew that still continues today, now through his son David who has maintained the genetic line of Berkshires which can be traced back to the 17th and 18th century lines that came to these shores by way of the Berkshire region of England.
We met the Goods through a connection at Kansas State University where Craig’s father was a distinguished professor. Craig spent his life in agriculture growing up in the Flint Hills of Kansas, some of the best agricultural land in the world, perfectly adapted to free ranging livestock, which feed on the perennial grasses that grow there naturally.
Hatcheries are the source of all birds that we eat. In nature, the hatchery consists of a hen, an egg, and a nest. On a farm, the hatchery consists of an incubator machine where the embryos develop and the hatchery itself where poults spend their first few hours outside the shell. Hatchery numbers in America grew and grew during the early part of the 20th century. In 1918 there were about 250 operating hatcheries in the nation. By 1922 the number had climbed to 3,000. By 1926 to 9,000. And by 1934 there were 11,400 hatcheries — the peak of independent poultry production in the United States.
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