MOM’s Organic Market’s ER Blog

Nathan Burkholder is a dairy farmer in Chambersburg, Pa., less than 100 miles from our stores. I had a chance to visit his farm recently because his cows are very important to MOM’s. When you reach into the dairy case to purchase MOM’s bottled milk products, you can rest assured that we really do know where that milk comes from; Nathan is one of our farmers.

During my visit I got a chance to see Nathan’s entire family farm operation. I saw the calves born this spring and a small herd of heifers fenced in just a short walk from the back door of his house. I was really impressed by the cleanliness of the milking parlor.

The best part of the visit was when I had a chance to walk the pasture with the actual milking herd of about 65 cows. I hopped the fence and there I was “up close and personal” with the large lactating bovines that are responsible for our MOM’s milk products.

Nathan has several Holsteins but the vast majority of his herd are Jerseys. This breed is known for being “quiet.” That means gentle, affable but also, quite curious. They certainly were not shy and actually seemed glad to see me as they slowly surrounded me out in the middle of the pasture. There is no more appealing dairy animal than the well-balanced Jersey. This was really a treat.

Nathan’s cows are typical in weight, in the 1,000 lb range. His Jerseys had a wide range in color. Their tongues are black and so is the switch of the tail. Their bodies are a fawn color with some broken patches of lighter fawn to black. Nathan names each one alphabetically in order of their birth that year, very much the same as they name hurricanes. My favorite was “Cream” born third, four years ago. She’s a beauty!

From the farm I traveled about 15 minutes down the road to the Trickling Springs Creamery where the milk is pasteurized and homogenized according to the USDA organic standards. It is bottled separately to insure that our milk is never mixed with any other.

Our MOM’s milk label boasts “Organic & Grass Fed.” The cows I met have access to pasture year round, weather permitting, and the pasture itself is certified organic, no pesticides and no synthetic chemical fertilizers. Nathan does not use growth hormones of any kind and the milk is produced without antibiotics. We believe that the health of these animals is reflected in the wholesome taste of our milk.

We respect Nathan Burkholder and his small family farm. We support his commitment to the health of his animals, and his efforts to restore and sustain the surrounding air, soil and water. You too can be a part of this connection to the farm whenever you purchase MOM’s milk.

The best way to reduce populations of mosquitoes:

• Remove or empty water in old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, even children’s toys left out in the yard, or other places where mosquitoes might breed. Be sure to check clogged gutters and flat roofs that may have poor drainage. Make sure rain barrels and trash containers are covered tightly with a lid or with 16-mesh screen.
• Empty plastic wading pools at least once a week and store indoors when not in use.

• Change the water in birdbaths and plant pots or drip trays at least once each week.

• Store boats covered or upside down, or remove rainwater weekly.

• Empty your pet’s water bowl daily.

• Fill in tree rot holes and hollow stumps that hold water.

• If you have an ornamental water garden, stock it with mosquito-eating fish (e.g., minnows, “mosquito fish,” or goldfish). They eat mosquito larvae.

• Keep weeds and tall grass cut short; adult mosquitoes look for these shady places to rest during the hot daylight hours.

• Avoid places and times when mosquitoes bite. Generally, the peak biting periods occur just before and after sunset and again just before dawn.

• Be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair.

• When it is necessary to be outdoors, apply insect repellent as indicated on the repellent label

MOM’s carries several safe and natural repellents for our customers to choose from. You could use BUZZ AWAY, which has citronella oil as the active ingredient, or BURT’S BEES Herbal Insect Repellent with lemongrass, citronella and rosemary oils. BITE BLOCKER contains a variety of plant oils; plant extracts and even includes a skin moisturizer. GONE is a repellent that also boasts of an SPF 10 to help guard against sunburn. These products are packaged ready to use as sprays, lotions and even roll-on applications. Oh yes, and they really do work!

For various reasons, these percentages have changed drastically and consumers must now rely on and trust their local grocer to provide the most healthful organic products at a reasonable price.

At MOM’s you can count on us. Our buyers have developed a protocol and perform due diligence on each product before we offer it for sale.

Whenever possible, we purchase locally to maintain our connection to the source. For instance, in the egg case at each store you will be able to find eggs from Jehovah-Jireh Farm located in Dickerson, MD.

I visited the farm at the end of August and had a chance to meet Cathy and Myron Horst and their 6 children, Joel, Nathan, Kara, Daniel, Luke, and Melody. In 2000, their family took on the 25-acre farm that had long been abandoned with the intent to recreate a farming operation that would replicate egg production from 100 years ago.

Myron is a smart farmer. His research has taught him that pastured poultry is the way to go. Myron has developed a day range system for his nearly 2,000 laying hens. It is by far, the healthiest way to raise a chicken. Here is how it works.

In separate paddocks throughout the farm, the chickens have “picnic areas” that provide food and housing for roughly 300-400 birds. These areas provide them with shelter, a constant supply of food and of course nesting boxes for them to lay their eggs each day.

After they lay their eggs and have their fill of grain, chickens love to exercise and interact with each other. They will travel hundreds of feet from the picnic areas in search of fresh grass and companionship. Chickens on pasture are gregarious, sometimes noisy and actually very amusing to watch. I have always made the observation that, “pastured birds are poultry in motion.”

Are the eggs really that different? You will find that pastured chickens produce eggs with a superior flavor and a rich dark yellow or orange yolk. When you open a carton to inspect the eggs, expect to see different colored shells. Each egg is different because each chicken is different. They really stand up well during the cooking process and if you are a fan of poached eggs, then pastured is the way to go.