Two years ago I made my first visit to Elderberry Pond Farm Restaurant in Auburn and, while pretending to be Rachel Ray, downed one of the best burgers I've ever had. That was my introduction to Spring Brook Farm. Located in nearby Weedsport, Spring Brook Farm takes incredible pride in its pasture-fed beef, pork, poultry and eggs.
The photo above is of just a few of the 70 Black Angus cattle that Lorene and Russ Nans raise. It doesn't take more than a few minutes of talking with Lorene to discover the passion and care with which they tend their animals. Lorene speaks of cows delivering their calves as naturally as possible--without intervention--and how calves are not weaned from their mothers until they're ready--some nine months or so. Lorene seeks to provide as holistic and healthy environment for the animals so they adhere to true organic standards and follow sustainable practices. As we spoke, Lorene balanced a baby on her hip, welcomed guests to the farm, and spoke of how the farm is the most difficult and rewarding thing she has ever done. The phrase "labor of love" kept coming to mind.
The care Spring Brook Farms takes is evident in what ends up on our plates. I picked up some bacon, ground beef and sausage from their on-site farm stand and have been consistently blown away by the quality and taste. For instance, I picked up some of their smoked bacon--it is truly some of the best I've ever had and I'm real picky about my bacon. We've also been enjoying their ground beef--made into patties, stuffed with a bit of Brie and grilled to perfection.
If you want to try Spring Brook Farms' meats you have a couple of choices. You can contact them for a price list, place an order and pick it up from the farm. You can also place an order for, say, half a cow and have them process it into whatever cuts you like. We've figured that if we split a half with a friend we could have enough burgers, ribs, steak, etc., to last us several months. For organic, grass-fed beef it would be a steal. And, of course, you could go to Elderberry Pond Farm and Restaurant and order something off the menu.
We are truly blessed with so many options for clean, sustainably-raised, grass-fed, local meats. With a little planning it would be easy to never have to purchase factory-farm meats from a supermarket. With operations like Spring Brook Farm in our area we can't be faulted for even feeling a bit spoiled.
Spring Brook Farm, 8641 Shepherd Road, Weedsport, NY 13166; 315-834-6871
Archive Alert: On this date in 2005 I had my first peach tomato discovery and
on this date in 2006 I was feasting on tomatoes at bc Restaurant.
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