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by Anne Dailey Issue 43 (Oct/Nov 08) [Copyright © 2008, The Valley Table] Lisa Schwartz Rainbeau Ridge Farm, Bedford Products: Farmstead goat cheese, vegetables, eggs, honey, maple syrup. Cheese varieties: Chevre, Meridien, Mont Vivant, Li'l Bloom; and flavored, spreadable cheeses, including craisin & walnut, sage, mixed herb and other varieties available seasonally. Size, scope and methods: Alpine goats (27 milking), Kerry cows, Cotswold sheep, chickens, bees. All animals are pastured and vegetables are organically grown. Total about 15 acres. History: The farm started in 2003 with some mixed livestock and a vegetable CSA for 12 members. The CSA program has grown to more than 100 members this season. Schwartz began producing farmstead goat cheese in 2005; she currently produces five varieties of fresh and slightly aged cheese. The farm also offers an extensive array of children's programs, classes and workshops that have expanded over the years. What's next: Having experienced significant growth in the past five years, Schwartz says her next step is to "tighten up and professionalize." "We will continue to look critically at ourselves to see if we can ratchet up the performance and environmental sustainability," she notes, "so that we can be a better model for others." Schwartz plans to increase and refine the classes and workshops offered at the farm, adding "Ultimately, we will be successful if people are no longer our customers because they're doing it for themselves." Facts: In several schools in the area, Schwartz has created programs designed to help connect students to the sources of their food. "We're finding that we're going deeper and deeper with the schools," she says, "showing them that 'let's put some seeds in the ground' isn't the same as putting the seeds in and seeing vegetables pulled out several months later. It's gratifying to go back periodically and see the progress." In her own words: "We realized that we could be teaching the next generation a better way to do things, to be more conscious, to eat seasonally, to respect animals and life--that we were going to be grooming that next generation, and those kids would carry on and fix what we've already messed up." How to Purchase: Cheese is sold at several markets, including Bedford Gourmet, Darien Cheese & Fine Foods, Mt. Kisco Seafood and Near & Natural (Bedford). Vegetables, eggs, honey and maple syrup are available at the farm through a membership program (sold out for 2008). More information at www.rainbeauridge.com. |
