About two hours after making it out of the traffic-ridden streets of DC, I noticed the roads were no longer painted with oil slicks, but peppered with horse droppings. Then I saw the first of many horse-drawn buggies, and a great number of Amish families, strolling through the streets in style (leaving little carbon footprint). At this point I knew we must be close to our destination – or just very far from where I have called home for the past 23 years. We pulled into a driveway that was longer than the street I now live on, and were immediately greeted by piercing, yet enthusiastic sounding barks. They were coming from David’s puppies aka “guard dogs.” We had made it to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. David, our poultry farmer, lives in an old house on thirteen acres of rolling hills where, along with chickens, he also grows cabbage, peppers, strawberries and other seasonal produce.
David walked Robert and I to a fenced off stretch of long green grass. The space was the size of two football fields and was home to a few dairy cows and 6 chicken shelters, although "shelter" might be a gross understatement. These humble chicken abodes were like small condos: high ceilings and beautiful 360 degree views. They serve to protect the chickens from mean foxes, hawks, rain, and the harsh rays from midday sun. In order to give the chickens a fresh grass diet, David moves the abodes down the field on a daily basis. This routine gives the used up land time to rejuvenate by using the natural chicken fertilizer. The process was quite interesting and David seemed to know the system very well. After helping David rotate his contraptions, he showed us around and sent us on the road with the gift of freshly picked strawberries.
We drove up the road to Roman’s, our turkey farmer. This farm had a great feel: kids playing volleyball next to the duck pond, dairy cows hanging out, and best of all – a boutique gelato factory! The only missing piece was the turkeys. Unfortunately, his turkey hatchlings were on schedule to arrive the next day.
We hadn’t planned on visiting Jake’s farm for another hour. With time to kill, we grabbed a beer at Gap, PA’s finest – the Happy Rooster Saloon. After making a few friends and a gentlemanly game of pool with Robert, we were off to Jake’s, the master beef farmer. His children had just returned from a fishing excursion and were shy but very welcoming. Robert and I took the short hike to the pasture where the cows were happily chowing down the tall green grass.
Although I have never seen an industrial style cattle farm, I was in the midst of reading Micheal Pollan’s “Omnivores Dilemna” during the car ride and Jake’s was the complete opposite of what I pictured a feed-lot to be. The animals had ample room to roam free and eat whichever type of grass they fancied. Like Robert and I, these cows were relaxed and at peace while on this small farm in southeastern Pennsylvania. After giving a farewell to my favorite dog Nikki (though to me, he looked more like a Puck; and to Robert he was Stump), Robert and I jumped in the strawberry scented car headed north for the freezer.
The KOL Foods freezer resides just a few hours north east of the Lancaster farms; it’s a huge warehouse hidden by trees and the surrounding hills. Donna led us to our inventory where Robert and I broke open several boxes of differing cuts in order to put together a Grill Sampler perfect for the summertime BBQ. Once the boxes were packed, the only thought on our minds was which Pandora station to jam out to on the way home. It was a great experience… smelly, but great.
