| About Our Farms and what they raise There is not a single growth hormone or antibiotic injection in any of the meats sold by or prepared at Lionette’s Market or at The Garden of Eden. No animal bi-products are fed to anything we handle, and all of our meats are naturally raised on local, sustainable farms. And you can be sure that our produce is just as clean. We are always developing new relationships with farms across the Northeast corridor so we may continuously bring you options for buying clean, naturally raised meats and organic produce. Below is a partial list of the local farms we use, listed according to what they provide us. (For in-depth, behind-the-scenes observations about these places and more, check out the link to Jamey’s blog.) BEEF We use beef from only three New England farms. All are grass-fed, and raised naturally with no growth hormones, no antibiotics, and no animal byproducts in their feed. Also, check out the blog on beef for more in depth notes on these farms stemming from Jamey’s visit. Hardwick Beef: This isn’t “technically” a farm but it’s important to note what we mean when we reference it. Hardwick Beef is a group to help sustainable farms raising 100% grass fed & grass finished beef. I believe we are the only place in Boston where you can find 100% grass fed/finished beef. Millbrand Farm, Brandon, VT: Millbrand is one of the Hardwick Beef farms and raises beef that is 100 percent grass fed and grass finished. (Don’t know what this means? Check out the Definitions/FAQ’s link on our site.) Like all Hardwick Beef, the breed is generally pure Angus, pure Devon, or a Devon-Angus cross breed. The grass finishing and the cattle’s natural raising brings an erratic quality to the beef: Some weeks we get in a side of beef full of fat, other times the beef is leaner. But regardless of how its marbling varies (proof of how natural this beef is) it always has a wonderful, rich flavor. Boyden Farm, Cambridge, VT: The beef Lionette’s Market and The Garden of Eden carries from Boyden Farm is either pure Charley or Hereford, or a cross of the two. Farmer Mark Boyden’s cattle are all grass fed on pastures, but he does finish them with a corn, hay, and grass mix, all of which he grows himself (he needs the extra kick for his Herefords, and wants a more consistent product). In spite of a diet of more than just grass his cattle are never sick, and rest assured they’re not overfed corn during the finish. He is all 100 percent self-sufficient, as he grows all his hay and corn. River Rock Farm, Brimfield, MA: River Rock Farm sells some of the most coveted beef in the city. Owner Jon Kanove ages his beef for up to five weeks, a process that allows lots of moisture to leave the meat making his steaks even tastier. River Rock’s cattle are fully pastured all year; ample tree coverage on his property makes this possible. And they have access to a few troughs in the pasture filled with some corn and some soybeans to help make up for the protein-filled clover and alfalfa that his cows need but his pasture lacks. He is VERY responsible with his grain feed, never giving too much to sicken the cow. Little Alaska Farm, Wales, ME: Little Alaska, also part of Hardwick Beef, raises all grass fed and grass finished beef that are one of two breeds: 100 percent Devon or a cross breed of Devon and Angus. When Millbrand has no beef we get a full side from Little Alaska each week. We sell and cook with all the cuts at the restaurant and at the market. In the summer we get more ground beef, and less of the braising cuts. So please pre-order in the summertime cuts like short ribs, osso buco, and brisket. CHICKEN Lionette’s Market and The Garden of Eden sells and serves what we believe is the best local chicken out there: sustainable, anti-biotic free, cage free, clean and delicious. There is lots of debate over chicken at a commercial level, please read Jamey’s blog on chicken and the farms we use for more information and the frustrating future of the chicken. VQM-Misty Knolls Farms, New Haven, VT: Misty Knolls allows its chickens full-run of a spacious barn and they’re fed healthy, vegetarian feed. The meat has a pinkish tone to it, especially some red meat by the joints. This is how those birds ought to look naturally, and shouldn’t make you worry. Not only is it edible, it’s delicious. Bella Farms, Allensville, NY: Although most of our adult chickens and Poisson (baby chickens) come from Bella Farms in Allensville, they also send us chickens from eight other small farms in Sullivan County, NY. We sell them the old fashion way - head and feet on, the French way (don't worry, it is easy to break down and prepare for dinner, and our staff can do it for you). There is something about keeping a chicken fully intact that keeps the flavor fully intact. Bella Farms insists on raising its animals at a normal rate, whereas most every chicken factory raises chickens as quickly as possible (average of about 7 weeks) to sell them off immediately. Bella delivers to us directly from the farm within 24 hours of slaughter. The flavor is spectacular. Everyone who has ever had a Bella chicken comes back insisting it is the best chicken they have ever bought outside of a farm. There are two types of heirloom chickens we get from Bella. The ‘Blanco’ which is ideal for roasting and grilling with big breasts and small thighs. The Fedora, or black chicken (it has black feather) is in our cabinets during the winter. These are best for braising with their fat thighs and small breasts. Capons and Poussin. Bella also can get us Capons and semi-boneless Poussin (baby chicken-tender and perfect for stuffing). Please call ahead to order one. Phoenix Poultry, West Springfield, MA: Phoenix provides us with chicken that has been air-chilled, a cooling and cleaning process after slaughtering, which Phoenix claims helps its chickens have a bacteria rate that’s 80 percent lower than water-chilled chickens. But this also improves the taste: Natural juices, enzymes and proteins remain in the bird, whereas lots of this is lost during water chilling process. Phoenix is a tough crew to get a hold of. We get them through a local distributor. I think they are a bit of a bigger operation than the farms we work with. But, they are delicious, local, clean, and for what it is worth, ‘free-range’. Phoenix is very open about what the ‘free range’ claim means. So open, that I wonder why they even make the claim. If you do not know what ‘free range’ really means, then please check out or FAQ section on the internet. Bell & Evans. We occasionally use Bell & Evans. Bell & Evans chickens are not from a single farm and cannot be considered products of a sustainable method of farming. And in the interest of full disclosure we do use it at times in our chicken salad and chicken sausage. Until we can master the reality of how much meat is needed for our batches of chicken salad and sausage with what we can get from sustainable farms, we’ll continue to use it. TURKEY Our two sources for naturally raised turkeys are doing it right. Turkeys are available September through December, and again in Easter from Misty Knolls, which we believe, is easily the best turkey in New England. 4 Corners Farms, Rupert, VT: Once out to pasture, Tom Biggs’s turkeys are fed nothing but all the grass, grubs, crickets and grasshoppers they can hunt in the field. He changes the paddock about every week to make certain the turkeys are on fresh land. Misty Knolls Farms, New Haven, VT: These turkeys roam freely outdoors and are given a healthy vegetarian feed. They are outdoors, moving around freely once they are old enough to be outside. PORK We get a full pig every Thursday, which we butcher ourselves, so if you have specific needs, call us early in the week and we’ll gladly set aside anything you’d like. We can also order for you a full pig, half a pig, suckling, and suckling pigs. Sizes range from 25-300-plus pounds. Bob Clark's Pigs, Ferrisburg, VT: Lionette’s Market and The Garden of Eden uses Mr. Clark’s pigs for all of our in-house curing, smoking, and brining of deli meats. Generally, he raises Yorkshire pigs but there are Berkshire pigs, as well. All pork at the Garden of Eden and Lionette’s Market (excluding the deli pork products) come from the pig we get in weekly. LAMB We can get most any cut of lamb as well as full or half lambs. All of our lamb comes from VQM farms in Vermont and it is all grass fed and naturally raised. We used to get some Colorado and New Zealand grass-fed lamb, which is much less expensive. But enough customers noticed a gamier flavor (as did we) and preferred the local lamb. We only use lamb raised locally. VQM lamb are fully pastured and naturally raised. They also are fed healthy grain while on the pasture. Some of our producers are: Paul Coston, Hartford, NY Blackberry Rock Farm, East Rygate, NY Bullrush Farm, Randolph, VT Fat Rooster Farm, Randolph, VT Also, small farms from all over New England call me now and again when they have a few lamb to slaughter, we usually get them. They are often fully grass fed (no grain at all). They tend to be much smaller, though not necessarily leaner, especially after rainy seasons. DUCK We have two Heirloom varieties of ducks — Muscovy and Mallard — both of which are naturally raised in Cayuga, NY. We get them through Bella who also provides our chickens. Mallards are little ducks, usually one per person with a very dark intense meat. Muscovy ducks are perfect for two to three people with a rich and dark meat (not nearly as intense as the Mallards), with a wonderful oily texture. There is also the Bella Duck, which is a cross breed, and bigger than the heirloom ducks. Ideal for foursome. Delicious with that classic duck flavor. Bella can also get us Labelle Moulard (not heirloom) from a farm in Ferndale, NY. The Labelles are a few pounds larger than the other ducks. Their breasts are ideal for Margret. They are force fed, so one could easily make the argument that they are NOT naturally raised. This is where the foi gras comes from. We do not carry this regularly, but can pre-order it for you. QUAIL VQM Farmers Co-Op, Springfield, VT and Ferndale, NY: The Cavendish quail is coveted by big-name chefs across the country. Once a week they’re flown to Las Vegas and Los Angeles and can be found all over the northeast. They do get distributed through big name food distributors, but we prefer to buy them through VQM, as we know they always come in fresh, and not frozen. It is one of the perks of buying through a farmer's co-op. PHEASANT VQM farm in Orwell, VT: Producers of naturally raised hens and roosters. The only real difference between the rooster and hen is size. Pheasant is a delicious and lean treat for a dinner for two. They are seasonal birds available in the fall through to the winter. Please call and pre-order, as we do not carry pheasant every day. PARTRIDGE, CHUKAR VQM Farms in North Ferrisburgh, VT and Cayuga, NY: We order Chukar for customers during Thanksgiving and the holidays in December. Availability is limited, so please ask ahead. This is one our tastiest birds. Peppery and gamey chicken. GUINEA HEN Berglund Farms, St. Albans, VT, and another farm the folks at Bella Farms picks up for us in Sullivan County, NY. Usually available in the fall and winter. SQUAB We can get naturally raised squab from Allensville, NY, (through one of our chicken farmers) and sometimes through our quail farmer who raised them. We generally only offer squab during the November-December holiday season. Squab is very difficult to raise. You need to get them before they are big enough to leave the nest (when they would then be called pigeon, I guess). Weather has a big effect on the mating, and so there can be weeks when we cannot get any. We can also try to get some squab through VQM. The pigeons live in a huge netted area. There are lots of coops, and if there is a squab old enough to leave the coup, but not so old as to be a pigeon, than they can be available. Please call far ahead to see if we can get you some. RABBIT Champlain Valley Rabbitry, West Haven, VT (a VQM farm): Champlain’s rabbits are coveted by high-end restaurants in Boston, Providence, and New York. They breed New Zealand White rabbits, which are extremely high in quality, clean, and delicious. Please call ahead to pre-order one. We really only have rabbit regularly in the late fall/early winter. |