Briarmead
Briarmead's teeming 150 acres near the banks of the Shenandoah River are the result of a life-long interest in procuring and producing high quality organic foods for the health and well-being of our family of eleven. Before "organic" was a label, Laura's grandmother was an earthy "backyard organic," and a loyal subscriber of Rodale's Organic Gardening. Grandma passed her deep passion for health foods on to us. We've been swimming against the tide of the "diet dictocrats" ever since then, carrying whole wheat bread sandwiches to school in the 1960's - an era when Wonder Bread was "cool". It was this upbringing that developed our interest in, and concern for, what commercially produced meats have done to the health of America. It led us to begin growing our own 100% grassfed beef and lamb - good clean meat, humanely raised and processed, that we could feel good about serving to our children, friends and guests. Since 1991, we have been providing this fine 100% grassfed beef and lamb to local health and taste-conscious customers.
As the years of raising our family on the farm passed, we naturally added a few other products to the mix. From our relationship with Joel Salatin dating back to 1992, we learned the genius of having chickens follow our livestock around the farm. Since that time our children have had their own egg business to run. These pastured eggs from free-range Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds are second to none and are available as weekly or monthly orders. For gourmands we additionally offer large, rich duck eggs; your baked goods will never be the same! (Additionally good to know is that duck eggs are usually well-tolerated by those who have chicken egg allergies.) Succulent roast duck may become a more common occurrence on your table with our free-range Pekin duck. Our thirteen-year-old son oversees the duck production as his ducks roam around the farm feasting on garden bugs and scraps and laying one large egg per day. Fresh, whole duck is available to order in season. Our two family milk cows, one a Jersey and the other a Jersey-Guernsey cross, provide bountiful, wholesome milk which is naturally high in butterfat and beneficial CLA's. We offer a cow share program so you, too, can enjoy the benefits of grassfed raw milk.
Our methods with all our "creatures great and small" conform to our deep respect for their nature; we derive great satisfaction from watching our animals contentedly do as nature intended in the great circle of life. Facilitating a win-win-win situation for the animals, our family as the producer, and you, the consumer, these methods also heal and enrich God's good earth, leaving our small corner of the world better, we hope, than when we found it. (Make that a win-win-win-win situation!).
