On a QUest for Flavor I chose Heritage Livestock Breeds
On a Quest for Flavorful Meats
In my search for breeds to raise on our farm, heritage breeds were especially appealing. Smaller-framed animals suited our acreage, and I longed for meat with the flavor and texture of the meals I remembered from my childhood on my parents' farm: mineral-rich beef and pork with real depth and satisfying fat. After extensive research on beef and pork breeds that produce meat with award-winning flavor, I chose the Randall Cow and the Mulefoot pig.
One of the biggest challenges in the beginning was finding breeding stock. When working with rare breeds, locating animals can mean long drives, multiple farms, and crossing state lines, sometimes on little more than faith and a handshake.
Looking back, I can say with complete confidence that I have never regretted choosing the Randall cow for beef, the Mulefoot pig for pork, and the Katahdin breed of sheep for lamb. They have proven to be everything I had hoped for: animals of exceptional hardiness, beauty, and flavor, deeply connected to a history worth preserving.
Randall Cattle
Randall Cattle
I purchased our starter herd of two Randall heifers and one young bull from Cynthia Creech sometime around 2010. I remember driving up to Artemis Farm in upstate New York in great anticipation, eager to meet her and finally see the Randall cattle in person.
Cynthia lived in an area with minimal internet and cell phone reception, so my first contact with her was not by phone or email, but by a handwritten letter. I had been warned that she could be challenging to reach, and the warning proved true, but it only added to the feeling that I was seeking out something rare and worthwhile.
One evening, after receiving my letter, she called me unexpectedly. The call felt a bit like an interview, as she wanted to gauge whether I was a good candidate to help preserve the Randall breed. She shared that she had sold starter herds to others in the past to people who were enthusiastic at first, only to call her two or three years later, saying they were selling out. I assured her that I was raised on a working farm with livestock and understood the level of commitment and lifestyle that cattle require. We ended up talking for quite a while. I remember laughing out loud at her farming stories. By the end of that conversation, we had chosen a date, and plans were in motion to bring Randalls to our farm.
When I arrived at Cynthia's, Artemis Farm in New Lebanon, New York, on my first trip, I remember rounding a bend in the road and seeing the Randall herd standing on the hillside. The sun was setting on a cold fall day, the pasture was covered in a thin layer of frost, and I could see the steam of the cattle's breath in the air. I was in disbelief that I had been allowed to purchase a few of the very animals Cynthia had poured so much of her life into preserving.
Their beauty, calm demeanor, and the beneficial impact the Randalls have had on our farm throughout our regenerative agriculture journey have been among the brightest spots in my farming career. But even more meaningful than the cows themselves is the gratitude I feel for having gotten to know and build a friendship with Cynthia. She is deeply knowledgeable, forthright in telling it like it is (a trait we both share), and remarkably practical. Her quick wit and humor have always been the highlight of my visits to her farm. Cynthia's story truly plays out like something made for television, a portrait of a woman on a mission, steadfastly devoted to preserving a rare and remarkable breed.
If you ever get the chance to meet her, consider yourself lucky.
Bringing Flavor back to the farm
Mulefoot Pigs
I am unapologetically a meat-eater. I descend from meat eaters, LOL. I genuinely believe the environment, the animal's diet, and its exposure to stress or lack of it all affect the flavor and nutritional value of animal proteins. You'll never convince me otherwise, but I don't want to eat miserable meat.
I grew up on a farm where, for most of the year, the work began before sunrise and ended only after the day’s jobs were complete, often long after the sun had set. Our family meals weren’t just food. They were fuel to get us through the day. My dad used to almost scoff at the idea of pasta or pizza being considered a “meal.” He paid attention to how his body felt, and he knew exactly what fueled him for a long day’s labor. A plate full of starch left him sluggish and out of energy within an hour. But a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage kept him moving and feeling good for hours.
He didn’t need dietary studies or the latest nutritional trend to tell him what many people are only now rediscovering: nutrient-dense meat from animals raised well builds real, lasting strength and endurance.
During my early childhood, we hosted an annual on-farm hog killing. It was three days of hard work, community, and food preservation. Family and neighbors gathered, and everyone had a job. My dad, along with the men who came to help, handled the heavy tasks of catching, killing, scalding, scraping the hides of the hogs, and also tended the fires burning under the kettles of lard and scrapple. My mother was the seasoning master, she was very particular to make sure the scrapple and sausage were perfect.
Breakfast on hog-killing mornings consisted of fresh pork tenderloin and fresh ham steaks sizzling in cast iron skillets on the wood stove in my father’s shop. The farm smelled of rendering fat, sage, black pepper, and wood smoke. My family was very proud of the pork and lard we were preserving, and that it would nourish us through the coming year.
As I grew older, life shifted. My mother’s health declined, and the demands of farming changed. We stopped raising hogs and began buying pork from local butcher shops and grocery stores. A couple of decades later, I realized the pork I was buying did not taste like the pork of my childhood. It was dry, bland, and had an almost sawdust-like texture.
When I began raising pigs here on the farm nearly 15 years ago, I made it my mission to find a breed with real flavor. After extensive research, I chose the rare, critically endangered Mulefoot breed of pig. Eighteen months after bringing mulefoot pigs to the farm, I cooked my first Mulefoot chop from pigs that were born, bred, and raised here. Just a thin chop in a cast iron skillet, seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper.
And as soon as the chop hit the hot skillet, the kitchen filled with a smell I hadn’t experienced in decades. It smelled like my mother’s kitchen. Just for a moment, I was right back there.
The chop was tender, juicy, and rich, and it left a soft sheen of fat on my fingers and lips. The chop was not at all greasy, and the fat was smooth, and pleasant on my tastebuds.
And in that moment, I knew.
I had chosen the right breed.
I had found the pork of my childhood again.
Grass-Fed Lamb
I didn’t grow up eating lamb, but during my years working in the restaurant industry, I discovered just how much I loved its unique flavor. When I began raising sheep here on the farm, I tried a couple of different breeds before settling on the Katahdin. This heritage hair sheep breed is exceptionally hardy and well-suited to pasture-based farming. They lamb easily on grass, thrive on forage, and produce beautiful, meaty carcasses.
I prefer the flavor profile of hair sheep to that of the more common wool breeds. Katahdin meat is naturally mild, clean-tasting, and not “gamey”—even in older animals (mutton), which we occasionally have available. Our lambs are typically processed around 10 months of age, resulting in petite lamb cuts that are exceptionally tender and wonderfully mild in flavor.
If you're looking for delicious, grass-fed lamb raised with care, we'd love for you to visit the farm and taste the difference.
Eggs from Pastured Laying Hens
We keep a mixed flock of laying hens, and the breed isn't what matters most to us. What matters most to us is how they live. Our hens are fed a diet of non-GMO grain, and spend their days outside with fresh air, sunshine, and are allowed to scratch and hunt for seeds, bugs, and the occasional tiny critter. I think their natural diet and active lifestyle are what give our eggs their firm whites and those rich, deeply colored yolks that hold their shape in the pan.
Our flock of laying hens is small compared to some farms, and egg availability can be a bit unpredictable depending on the time of year. But when you find them in our farm cooler, they're well worth taking home. They're the kind of eggs that remind you what eggs are supposed to taste like.
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