A Winter Visit to Rainbeau Ridge

January 5, 2011

You may recall last spring, when I blogged about my friend and neighbor, Lisa Schwartz and her farm, Rainbeau Ridge. Lisa and her husband, Mark, established the farm in 2002 and today, Rainbeau Ridge is an enterprising produce and dairy farm, that has become well-known for the tangy and delicious goat cheese that Lisa makes. Being very concerned with educating the public about where food comes from, Lisa and the staff at Rainbeau Ridge offer a variety of educational programs to both children and adults. They have also established a Community Agricultural Partnership, or CAP, where members may purchase the farm's weekly produce of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and eggs, as well as from other vendors vetted by Rainbeau Ridge. My niece, Sophie Herbert, who has a strong passion for teaching and working with children, especially for educating about food reform, wanted to visit Lisa at the farm to toss some ideas around for potential future projects. Please enjoy a winter tour of the very special Rainbeau Ridge.

: This charming house was repurposed for cooking lessons and seminars. Inside, Lisa created a lovely country kitchen in which Lisa and talented local chefs teach classes.

: Lisa is a true animal lover. Her large menagerie includes these rescue felines, who were enjoying basking in the warmth of the sun.

: This tiny one-bedroom cottage was retrofitted as Lisa’s cheese-making facility. Lisa’s artisinal, award winning goat cheeses are superb! There is no cheese-making during winter as the goats rest up for a new season.

: The larger building in this cluster was once a draftsman’s studio and is now used by the gardeners.

: There are two hoop houses on the farm. In the outside garden, Lisa is still digging carrots and leeks up from beneath the snow.

: Artichoke plants are growing under this insulating plastic.

: The other hoop house with an amusing sign – Not much is growing at this time of year, except for some colorful Swiss chard.

: These vegetable seedlings will eventually be transferred into the hoop houses and ultimately, outdoors.

: These seedlings, with their bright red stems are beets – yum!

: Office space on one side

: And growing space on the other

: Last spring, Lisa explained that they were in the process of building a modern and efficient composting yard and here it is. The gentleman is Kevin Ferris, the property manager.

: Each walled-in section, or bay, contains compost in varying stages of decomposition. The open bays makes it easy to access the compost. This contraption is a sifting screen.

: This steaming pile is really ‘cooking!’

: Ron Brooks, the livestock manager, was mucking out the barn and brought a load to add to the piles.

: These are two of the older male goats on the farm. The fellow on the left is resting on his front knees.

: These are two new male goats called Starbucks and Beau Jangles. In all, there are about 35 Alpine goats.

: The wooded paddocks look so nice blanketed with fresh snow.

: This is the barn where the goats spend their nights.

: Lisa uses a special hay with a high grass content, which makes for good, sweet-tasting milk. With cheese-making, this is imperative.

: This beauty is Macy, as in Macy Gray, the R&B artist. All the females are named after famous singers.

: Lisa keeps a few llamas, which are surprisingly protective of the goats and sheep. Their fleece also makes an excellent fiber.

: These are Jacob sheep, which have four horns and sometimes six. Prized for their soft, thick wool, they are on the rare breed list.

: This sweet Jacob sheep is Avery.

: Chloe is a Shetland sheep. Shetland fleece has the widest ranges of color of any breed, including white, reddish brown, silvery gray, fawn, dark brown, and black.