January 26th, 2011
This past Monday, I had the privilege of attending a rose veal tasting at Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, VA. Upon entering, everyone seemed to know each other and I quickly realized that most people in the room had been to a tasting before at Ayrshire Farm. As I was quietly observing the pristine and elegant interior of the Edwardian mansion, I was greeted by owner Sandy Lerner. It was a very brief greeting but nevertheless I was awestruck as I have read about her life and the various accomplishments she has achieved and worked diligently for; byproducts of her passions and interests. (Yes, that’s her- one of the co-founders of the famous Cisco Systems, starter of Urban Decay and so forth. But my favorite passion of hers is not only Ayrshire Farm, but also in 1992, she bought and restored an estate once owned by Jane Austen’s brother in England and turned it into a Center for the Study of Early English Women’s Writings.)
As I talked to more people I learned that there have been two veal tasting events before; however, those tastings had veal meat from other farms. This tasting was very special because it only had veal from calves raised by Ayrshire Farm. There were many different people who attended this special occasion, from the press (lots of cameras flashing) and foodies (one told me he was going to go home and make bacon ice-cream that night from scratch) to local butchers and farmers.
Adele Douglas, the CEO of Humane Farm Animal Care spoke a little introduction about being certified humane and how that it is applied with raising calves. Douglas stated that, “veal calves are a by-product of the dairy industry and male calves have no economic value.” She stated that newborn calves that are not certified humane are thrown together, tethered and crated, usually having respiratory problems which causes farmers to inject antibiotics. They are iron-deprived (no grass, no grain in their diet) which causes them to have “white, gray veal” meat.
Douglas said that her organization wrote standards for raising calves humanely, and “the only farm that fit the standard was Ayrshire Farm and it’s sad [that more farms cannot fit the standard]”. When a farm is certified humane, “it assures the consumer that the animal has been raised in a healthful and low-stress environment necessary for a good quality of life.” This certification is developed by a panel of animal scientists and recognized by USDA, ASPCA and HSUS. Ayrshire Farm calves are free-ranged and bottle fed. They are able to roam around the field until they are slaughtered. Because they have a balanced diet with the freedom to exercise and play, their meat is colored rosy and pink. Douglas encouraged guests to demand certified humane veal at restaurants to help raise the demand for it in general.
After the short introduction, we were able to enter the kitchen of the lustrous mansion and were presented with different dishes of veal. The menu included veal meatballs in broth, veal scallopini marsala, grilled veal loin, braised veal shoulder with cherry citrus chutney and my favorite, osso bucco (braised shanks with house-made gnocchi). Yum! All the dishes were delicious. The veal was very tender and savory (especially the braised veal shoulder). The meatballs were flavorful and juicy and the grilled veal loin was very soft and easy to chew.
All dishes were prepared by Ayrshire Farm Catering Company Executive Chef Rob Townsend and Executive Sous Chef Missy Chaffins. I had a brief talk with them and asked them more about veal at Ayrshire Farm’s Hunter’s Head restaurant. Chef Townsend said that the veal from Ayrshire Farm is available to everyone at any time of the year. He also said that veal is always on the menu at Hunter’s Head and that “the menu changes every month, but there will always be a veal dish offered.” Chef Chaffins said that the “aged-beef [aged at Ayrshire Farm, of course] and the veal are my favorites.” She also said that it is hard but important to find certified humane meat. Collectively, they stated that consumers could find Ayrshire Farm veal at Mom’s Organic Market, Nora’s, and Let’s Meat on the Ave.
As I sat there tasting the dishes among the other guests, I met Abby Porter from Berkeley Springs, WV. She is from the Local Economy Network which is made up of a group of local residents whose purpose is to increase the availability of high quality local food among many other endeavors. She said that she knows “good” meat and how it is supposed to taste because she grew up on a farm. Porter only eats meat once or twice a week and says she is more inclined to eat rose veal because it actually tastes good, unlike any meat from the grocery store that may be questionable. She also said that calves that are not raised certified humane have bad energy because they were raised in a stressful environment with a low quality of life.
Tanya Cauthen, a butcher from Belmont Butchery, said that the rose veal from Ayrshire Farm tastes good and is flavorful as well. She also stated that visibly, the rose veal is pink and blush, whereas veal from any other non- certified humane farm is gray, white and flavorless. All I can say is that I believe her because butchers know meat, like mothers know their children.
Unfortunately I was not able to see the calves running around in the field next to the mansion as many people who attended had seen from past tastings. Thank you Ayrshire Farm for having an event for us to taste the luscious, sapid veal that most of us have been deprived of. I will be sure to demand certified humane rose veal the next time I order veal at a restaurant.
Northern Virginia Magazine – Ayrshire Farm
Posted: February 21, 2011 by Certified Humane
January 26th, 2011
This past Monday, I had the privilege of attending a rose veal tasting at Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, VA. Upon entering, everyone seemed to know each other and I quickly realized that most people in the room had been to a tasting before at Ayrshire Farm. As I was quietly observing the pristine and elegant interior of the Edwardian mansion, I was greeted by owner Sandy Lerner. It was a very brief greeting but nevertheless I was awestruck as I have read about her life and the various accomplishments she has achieved and worked diligently for; byproducts of her passions and interests. (Yes, that’s her- one of the co-founders of the famous Cisco Systems, starter of Urban Decay and so forth. But my favorite passion of hers is not only Ayrshire Farm, but also in 1992, she bought and restored an estate once owned by Jane Austen’s brother in England and turned it into a Center for the Study of Early English Women’s Writings.)
As I talked to more people I learned that there have been two veal tasting events before; however, those tastings had veal meat from other farms. This tasting was very special because it only had veal from calves raised by Ayrshire Farm. There were many different people who attended this special occasion, from the press (lots of cameras flashing) and foodies (one told me he was going to go home and make bacon ice-cream that night from scratch) to local butchers and farmers.
Adele Douglas, the CEO of Humane Farm Animal Care spoke a little introduction about being certified humane and how that it is applied with raising calves. Douglas stated that, “veal calves are a by-product of the dairy industry and male calves have no economic value.” She stated that newborn calves that are not certified humane are thrown together, tethered and crated, usually having respiratory problems which causes farmers to inject antibiotics. They are iron-deprived (no grass, no grain in their diet) which causes them to have “white, gray veal” meat.
Douglas said that her organization wrote standards for raising calves humanely, and “the only farm that fit the standard was Ayrshire Farm and it’s sad [that more farms cannot fit the standard]”. When a farm is certified humane, “it assures the consumer that the animal has been raised in a healthful and low-stress environment necessary for a good quality of life.” This certification is developed by a panel of animal scientists and recognized by USDA, ASPCA and HSUS. Ayrshire Farm calves are free-ranged and bottle fed. They are able to roam around the field until they are slaughtered. Because they have a balanced diet with the freedom to exercise and play, their meat is colored rosy and pink. Douglas encouraged guests to demand certified humane veal at restaurants to help raise the demand for it in general.
After the short introduction, we were able to enter the kitchen of the lustrous mansion and were presented with different dishes of veal. The menu included veal meatballs in broth, veal scallopini marsala, grilled veal loin, braised veal shoulder with cherry citrus chutney and my favorite, osso bucco (braised shanks with house-made gnocchi). Yum! All the dishes were delicious. The veal was very tender and savory (especially the braised veal shoulder). The meatballs were flavorful and juicy and the grilled veal loin was very soft and easy to chew.
All dishes were prepared by Ayrshire Farm Catering Company Executive Chef Rob Townsend and Executive Sous Chef Missy Chaffins. I had a brief talk with them and asked them more about veal at Ayrshire Farm’s Hunter’s Head restaurant. Chef Townsend said that the veal from Ayrshire Farm is available to everyone at any time of the year. He also said that veal is always on the menu at Hunter’s Head and that “the menu changes every month, but there will always be a veal dish offered.” Chef Chaffins said that the “aged-beef [aged at Ayrshire Farm, of course] and the veal are my favorites.” She also said that it is hard but important to find certified humane meat. Collectively, they stated that consumers could find Ayrshire Farm veal at Mom’s Organic Market, Nora’s, and Let’s Meat on the Ave.
As I sat there tasting the dishes among the other guests, I met Abby Porter from Berkeley Springs, WV. She is from the Local Economy Network which is made up of a group of local residents whose purpose is to increase the availability of high quality local food among many other endeavors. She said that she knows “good” meat and how it is supposed to taste because she grew up on a farm. Porter only eats meat once or twice a week and says she is more inclined to eat rose veal because it actually tastes good, unlike any meat from the grocery store that may be questionable. She also said that calves that are not raised certified humane have bad energy because they were raised in a stressful environment with a low quality of life.
Tanya Cauthen, a butcher from Belmont Butchery, said that the rose veal from Ayrshire Farm tastes good and is flavorful as well. She also stated that visibly, the rose veal is pink and blush, whereas veal from any other non- certified humane farm is gray, white and flavorless. All I can say is that I believe her because butchers know meat, like mothers know their children.
Unfortunately I was not able to see the calves running around in the field next to the mansion as many people who attended had seen from past tastings. Thank you Ayrshire Farm for having an event for us to taste the luscious, sapid veal that most of us have been deprived of. I will be sure to demand certified humane rose veal the next time I order veal at a restaurant.
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