Answering Your Important Questions

As a new customer, it takes some trust to switch to buying your food from another farm. Usually by the time you have come to us, you have been disappointed and frustrated with your previous health food store, or on-line buying program’s lack of transparency, or you are growing more aware of what your priorities are and what real food is. The integrity in our American food and farming system has become underwhelming. We noticed from your questions that you are a highly intelligent shopper looking for the best quality food for your family. It’s sad that we have to do so much questioning to find a quality farm that raises real food like pastured meats and raw A2/A2 cheeses.

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Our V.I.C.s (Very Important Cattle)

We’ve discussed the unique benefits of our pasture's forages in the Virginia Highlands and the precision process we follow for making our high quality haylage. Today, let me introduce to you…. Drum roll please…. “Stars of the Show” that turn all these wonderful nutrients into delicious and nutritious beef for our bodies.

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Burke's Garden Farm Store is Now OPEN

Because of the local demand in Southern Appalachia, we decided to open our farm store. We purchased the building shell and with the help from volunteers (thank you all for helping!!), our children, and a few skilled designer-carpenters, we finished out our cozy mercantile.

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Here's How We Roll

We are in haylage-making season. What the heck is haylage? And what exactly are we doing when we say, “I’m sorry. We’ll get back to you because we are busy making hay.” When making HAY, the grass is allowed to grow taller and even go to seed and cut in very dry conditions. After cutting, it sits in the field for several days, dries out, and dies before baling.

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Liver is the Giver

We processed 15 beef since February and ya’ll have been eating it up like nobody’s business. It is no wonder with the endless list of nutritional benefits of liver, that we would be in this predicament. Liver has been considered a special or sacred food for many traditional cultures for thousands of years. Because of its value, when an animal was slaughtered, the liver was rationed out to the pregnant women, the newborn children and the elderly. The warriors and hunters ate the tough muscle meat and the women at the more tender cuts.

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It's Full on Grass Farming

With the last cold spell behind us, our animals turned their heads and walked away from the last bales of Winter hay. Springs are recharged, streams are overflowing their banks, and life is bursting out all over. Alvin’s dairy cows are out on Spring greens. Verna and Sadie’s garden’s are planted. And, John has completed the important fence repairs (good fences make happy neighbors), to receive the new arrivals of young lambs, calves and piglets. The grass in the Virginia Highlands is growing in lush with blue-grass, orchard grass, clovers and healthy herbs like comfrey, dandelion, and plantain that draw up minerals from the earth to nourish the livestock and add microbial activity to the soil. They call this “Fat Cattle Kingdom” for a reason.

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What is raw cheese, and how is it different from pasteurized cheese?

Have you ever wondered about the difference between raw and pasteurized cheese? Besides taste, there are also greater nutritional and health benefits from one compared to the other. Let’s take a look at the differences between raw and pasteurized cheeses.

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What is Alpine style cheesemaking and what makes it unique?

Our A2/A2 artisanal cheeses are made in homage to Alpine-style cheeses. Alpine-style refers to the region where this cheesemaking originated, and the particular practices followed to make cheese. Let's take a closer look at the history of this cheesemaking process and why it's so special.

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Certain vitamins and nutrients are only found in real foods from animals

We can take supplements and eat all of the kale, but the human body absorbs nutrients and vitamins best through animal products. Let's take a look at antinutrients, complete proteins, supplements, and the complete vitamins, minerals, & fatty acids found only in animal products.

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Vitamin and mineral content is greater in grass fed beef vs conventional beef

The way beef cattle are raised affects the nutritional value of the meat. In fact, grass fed & finished beef contains 2-7x more vitamins, minerals, and quality saturated fats. Let's explore why this is and exactly how different they are.

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