The Laurel Mountain Post

Happy Cows

THE LIGONIER CHEF: Scott Sinemus

Growing up we used to ride along with my Dad when he had repair work & construction at different farms around the area. Of course we didn’t realize until years later we were free labor for chores no one else wanted to do, like picking up nails or trash, crawling into small spaces and, of course, gophering. One of the places we would stop when we had to go anywhere near Cresson was a very cool little dairy in Loretto. We always knew when we were going to Vale Wood because Dad would rustle up all the coolers he could find. The ice cream was what we wanted the most, but Dad was always after the buttermilk, which had lots of pieces of butter at the top of the jug; and I am pleased to mention still does! After I graduated and moved away I resigned to let my creamy passions become fond memories. As time went by Dad didn’t make it to the dairy very often, but every few years he would make the time to go and get his buttermilk, and always remembered to bring some Chocolate Butter Fudge ice cream for Mom.

I was having lunch with Briana last month, we were chatting while we waited for the food to arrive, and she started telling me about her milkman. I was immediately jealous of course, and asked a barrage of questions. When she said it’s near Cresson in a town called Loretto, I interrupted and asked, “Is it Vale Wood”? She was practically speechless but managed to reply with, “how did you know that”?

Throughout the rest of the luncheon we couldn’t stop talking about how she had found it when she took her boys one day to the fall hayride activities. When I found out that not only were they still in business, but also had grown steadily since our visits in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

As we were leaving the luncheon, Briana told me she was going to check and see when they were starting their spring barn tours for school groups. But most importantly took an order for a few things to bring for me when she was coming to Ligonier. With the home delivery service, she said she could just add my stuff to her order anytime! I was ecstatic and stopped to get a ten pound bag of Domino sugar on the way home, that way I could make caramel sauce as soon as I could unpack the cream. You see I didn’t know how to make caramel sauce when their cream was available to me. This was going to be an event!

Even though the “From Moo to You” tours hadn’t started yet . . . in the first three weeks of May approximately 1500 children from around the area descend on the farm for a complete tour of the dair. . . . Carissa was willing to take us on our own tour, so we made arrangements to visit the following Monday.

We left Ligonier and headed north on route 711 to hit 22, a highway that seems to be perpetually under construction. I would definitely recommend taking route 219 to route 22, which is the way we came home and it was smooth sailing all the way. The signs for the dairy are well marked and it’s a very short jaunt when you get off 22 and onto 164. The views along much of the trip were extraordinary, something so many of us from around here seem to take for granted.

Before we got started on our From Moo to You tour, which meets at the dairy, we had some strawberry milk that really hit the spot. When everyone’s assembled, you go down to the barn where the cows and the milking facility are located about a mile away.

As you pull up in front of the shaded area where the cows are leisurely waiting for one of their three milkings each day, the first thing you notice off to your left as you step out of the car, is a row of little black & white calf heads looking in your direction.

I can’t think of many adults that don’t love seeing a brand new Holstein calf teetering around in the lush new spring grass, especially when they moo at you, but for the kids it’s probably almost too much.

We met Jan Itle the herd manager after they were finished cleaning up the milk room. I commented on how friendly her cows were, as they all seemed to come over to say hello to Briana’s little boy and his friend that came along. Jan immediately said thank you, and told us about how their farm is certified cow friendly. She said the concept is quite simple, happy cows make a better quality & more volume of milk than cows that are not as passionately cared for. It’s also one of the reasons Vale Wood milks at 4:00am, Noon and again at 7:00pm instead of the usual twice a day. It’s more comfortable for the cows. Jan also told us that they don’t use BHT or other hormones in their cows.

Of course when you find out the original ancestors, John and Joseph moved here from Switzerland in 1819, it’s not as much of a surprise; the Swiss take exceptionally good care of their cows, it’s one of the reasons their chocolate and cheeses are world famous. Having 12 of the 35 full time employees be from the 3rd and 4th generation, certainly helps to ensure the strict standards that made the reputation they’ve earned remain intact.

It’s in this first part of the tour that you find out that there are 200 head of registered Holstein cattle, each producing 78 pounds of milk every day! We also found out that a cow’s pregnancy lasts the same nine months as a human. And it takes about two years for a cow to produce milk.

All of the Holsteins on the property are bred and born on the farm; this is called a “closed herd”. Although sometimes they do bring in sperm from outside, no other cows are introduced to the farm, which also makes Vale Wood a very healthy “clean herd”. These two points make the cows born very desirable to other dairy farmers from all around the surrounding area.

We were ready to hit the processing part of the tour after one last visit with the calves. It was on the way back that I asked Carissa about growing up on such a huge dairy farm. The original five acres granted to the family from Prince Gallitzin has grown to 500 acres! She said it was a wonderful experience, lots of work but also lots of play. I asked her if she ever considered bolting out of the business for an easier life doing something else after she graduated. I was fascinated to hear that not only did she leave the farm; she left it to spend six years in our nations capital, working as a lobbyist for the American Dairy Council! Brava Carissa! When it was time to raise her child (soon to be another), moving back to the farm was a no-brainer. She was quick to mention that although they moved back she decided to live in town, rather than see a house being built on the property. Fortunately most of her cousins and other relations share the same belief.

We arrived back at the dairy in a matter of moments. Off to the left as we walked along the building to where the milk is received we noticed some of the original 1930’s Divco delivery trucks. There are hopes to one day have some refurbished to take ice cream to various festivals and parades.

Just past the Divco trucks is the bay where the trucks back in to unload the milk that’s just been collected at the barn. The milk is pumped from the bay into the pasteurizing room through large stainless steel pipes. It’s in the maze of pipes the milk is actually pasteurized. After that step, it’s ready for a myriad of applications from butter to ice cream.

We were greeted in the plant with a smile and a nod from the man in the bright white hairnet slowly stirring the cottage cheese curds in a giant vat by hand. Perhaps the activity that fascinated us the most, was the machine filling and sealing the little half-pints of milk kids get in school. All five of us stopped and stared for several minutes at the perpetual motion of the vintage machine. After the cartons were filled, sealed, rinsed and packed into crates, they were stacked and placed on an in floor conveyor that takes them across a dock through a set of swinging doors and into the cooler or freezer. This is where it gets sorted out for deliveries to stores, schools, restaurants and homes within about an hour radius of the farm.

The tour follows the crates into the cooler and out the far door, which opens into the store, where you can purchase all of the products offered from the dairy, but more importantly get an ice cream cone! The Teaberry was as creamy and luscious as I remembered. The Chocolate Butter Fudge found another fan in Jason, while Alex & Loryn each chose Vanilla in sugar cones. I of course filled a few coolers just like Dad taught us to, and then we headed off to check out some of the other sights around the area like Horseshoe Curve. The whole way home we kept saying to each other, “what an enjoyable way to spend the day”.

It’s not often that you run across a family business that’s successful after 200 years, and to have one so close to home with such a fantastic product makes all of us here in the Laurel Highlands a little blessed.

To schedule your tour or contact the dairy:

Vale Wood Farms

517 Vale Wood Road

Loretto, PA 15940

800.861.MILK (6455)

www.valewoodfarms.com

Homemade Caramel Sauce with Vale Wood Cream

Materials needed:

10-12 qt. Stockpot

1-pt. Water

1- very long handled wooden spoon

1- quart Heavy Cream–room temperature

2- pounds of Pure Cane Sugar

Begin by pouring the water into the stockpot, then add the sugar, make sure all of the sugar is wet with water before turning on the heat.

Place the pot over high heat. Allow the sugar to boil until all of the water evaporates; this will take several minutes. You’ll know the water is gone when the bubbles become larger and the solution will look thicker. The most important thing to remember is: do not stir the sugar at all while you’re waiting, the sugar may only be stirred after the cream has been added.

Continue boiling the sugar undisturbed until you see it beginning to turn a light amber color. At this point swirl the pot by its handles while it’s still making contact with the burner. Stop swirling periodically checking for the color to deepen to a rich dark brown. *Once the sugar begins to caramelize, it will be very quick to reach this point.

Immediately pour in the cream. BE CAREFUL! This is extremely dangerous! The mixture is going to bubble up the sides of the pot, and there is going to be a huge amount of steam rising out of the pot as well.

As soon as all the cream has been added begin stirring and scraping down the sides of the pot with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth sauce. When you add the cream, the sugar is going to form a large ball in the cream; it will dissolve fairly quickly to make the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and stir periodically until you only see a wisp of steam rising from the surface. (Approximately 10 min)

Remove from heat, and allow to cool uncovered until it’s cool enough to pour into clean sterile jars with tight fitting lids. The sauce should keep in the fridge for a few weeks, but somehow it never seems to last that long in anyone’s home.

Scott Sinemus is a Chef with a degree in Culinary Arts from the Pennsylvania Institute for Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh. He’s continued his education with classes from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and The Greenbrier; and has travelled internationally in search of authentic cuisine. To schedule a private cooking class, visit www.The LigonierChef.com.