In Pine Plains, New York, the third generation of a local family is keeping their agrarian roots alive, transitioning their grandfather's dairy into a modern agribusiness.
Presented by Bill Bonecutter + Ann Dyal
With the advent of tremendous interest in locavore lifestyles and sustainably-sourced cuisine, Millbrook agents Bill Bonecutter and Ann Dyal created
Farm To Table Talk, a public radio program educating and advocating artisan enterprise and mindful “agri-ventures” north of New York City.
Brother and sister Rory and Sarah Chase were raised on the 350-acre dairy in Dutchess County. In a quest to preserve their family legacy, Rory found a calling to keep the dairy practice alive through something anyone can love: cheese.
After an education in cheesemaking in California, he returned home to found the Chaseholm Farm Creamery, retrofitting an old barn built by his grandfather into a plant and aging cave. The creamery is one of few farmstead operations in the state of New York producing cow's milk cheese from its own herd. Its unique grazing method, managed by Sarah, moves the animals to new pastures twice each day, allowing the best bites of grass. The practice, combined with winter wrapped basis, help guarantee a flavorful milk yield that's all part of Chaseholm's secret recipe. All the animals at the Chaseholm Farmstead are pasture raised, grass fed and never treated with hormones.
The creamery crafts seven different cheeses most out of the French tradition including Chaseholm Camembert, the Chaource-style Moonlight, a set of Boursin-style herbed farmer's cheese in several flavors and a queso blanco.
In addition to their cheeses, Chaseholm purveys a variety of other goods catering to today's demand for high-end gourmet products including rose veal, beef, charcuterie, eggs and raw milk. Everything found in Chaseholm's farm store embodies the Chase family's mission to preserve the agricultural traditions of the Hudson Valley while embracing the integral value of farm to table.
The farm welcomes visitors all year, and the farm store is open every Saturday from 9am to 4pm. Stop in visit them at 115 Chase Road, Pine Plains.
Photos: Chaseholm Farm Creamery
Farm to Table Talk airs Mon-Weds-Fri at 12:30pm and Sunday at 8:00am on Pawling Public Radio