Archive for March, 2010
You can now buy Raw Milk at the Glasbern
Raw milk, that is, unpasteurized milk, has many fervent aficionados—and just as many foes. Consumers of the straight-from-the-cow (and then directly to the cooling tank) nutritious food claim that the enzymes and beneficial bacteria in the milk help prevent disease. Opponents worry that it may be unsafe. The state of Pennsylvania issues “raw milk permits” to farmers after they have followed a set of rigorous procedures.
The Glasbern Farm, no surprise, passed every test with flying colors! Annie, Marion, Nellie, Fancy, and the rest of the lactating bovines were declared healthy; the water on the farm was tested and found to be free of harmful bacteria. The refrigeration equipment is capable of cooling the milk to less than 40° within two hours. Three successive milk samples came back clean, and ongoing regular testing will ensure that only safe and healthful milk is sold at the farm.
So why do people feel so strongly that raw milk should, or shouldn’t, be sold? After all, for the thousands of years before Louie Pasteur’s method of heating milk to kill bacteria came into commercial use, there was no other kind of milk available. History provides a clue: In Pasteur’s time, bovine tuberculosis was a serious concern, and pasteurization put an end to the threat of contracting that disease, as well as typhoid and other diseases. And once a decision is made in the name of Public Safety, backtracking can be a tricky business, especially if you’re in the governing game. It’s ironic that in our modern times the farms that produce raw milk are often the ones that give their cows access to pasture land and fresh grass. These animals are far less likely to contract the illnesses that afflict grain-fed ruminants, and are also less likely to be have been treated with antibiotics.
Fortunately, Pennsylvania is one of the 28 states that allow the sale of raw milk to consumers. And even more fortunately for locals who like their milk unpasteurized, Annie and the rest of the Glasbern Devons are producing enough high-butterfat milk for the inn’s ice cream, coffee, and cereal … and then some.
To purchase raw milk, drive up to the main entrance of the inn. It is available for $2.50 a half-gallon in the refrigerated case just inside the door. It is not homogenized (so a layer of rich cream floats on top of the milk!) and may remind you—if you’re of a certain age—of the milk delivered to your door in a past era.
Katahdin Hair Sheep
Looking back, I see that I have been ignoring a valuable component of the Glasbern farm community: the sheep. If you have been lucky enough to get a close look at the flock that roves the rolling hills of the farm, you may have noticed that the sheep at the Glasbern differ from most. They are “hair sheep” (rather than wool sheep) known as Katahdins, bred near Mt. Katahdin in Maine specifically for grass-based meat production. The advantage of this breed: no shearing is necessary. They grow thick winter coats that are shed naturally as the weather warms in spring. They are also exceptionally fine mothers, having a protective nature and the ability to produce plenty of milk. It’s easy to see why this adaptable, low-maintenance breed is uniquely suited to the rotational grazing system that the farm is fostering. Although Teardrop, the Great Pyrenees pup assigned to guard the flock, keeps passersby from getting more than a momentary glance at her charges, she remains true to the fabled history of her breed by noisily defending the sheep from anything that might be construed as a threat. That includes you and me.
The primary difference between hair sheep and wooled sheep is the ratio of hair to wool fibers. All sheep have both hair and wool, but hair sheep have more hair fibers and wool sheep have more wool fibers. What’s the difference, you might ask? Wool has a waviness, or “crimp,” that allows the fibers to be spun easily into fine elastic yarns. It is also covered with thousands of overlapping microscopic scales, which makes the fibers cling together. Hair (called kemp in sheep) has few scales and no crimp and will not bind together like wool. In our modern times of cheap synthetics, the cost of shearing can be as much or more than the value of the wool.
Not only are hair sheep valued for their easygoing natures, but they are resistant to internal parasites. This natural resistance, plus the constant moving from pasture to pasture, keeps the Glasbern Katahdins naturally healthy.
And of course it goes without saying– grass-fed lamb has a smooth, mild, and honestly excellent taste.