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Seeds for Change Wellness
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The Cheese Stands Alone By Brian Bingaman
The Cheese Stands Alone
By Brian Bingaman
Source: The North Penn Reporter
Hendricks Farms and Dairy which specializes in raw milk, raw cheese and meats from
grass-fed livestock, has moved to a new 30-acre site at 202 Green Hill Road in Franconia,
and the move seems to have shifted the operation into a whole new gear.
"This is just the beginning. The goal is to add value to the product," Trent Hendricks said
at the first of what will be monthly wine, cheese and food pairing events, featuring fare
from the like-mined food artisans, in the farm's new 50 by 90 foot facility.
Hendricks has hired executive chef and culinary educator Phil Falsone. Not only will he
prepare hors d'oeuvres for the food events, but in the future, the plan is to offer lunches
and multiple course dinners prepared from organically farmed local foods. "I think the farm
has a lot to offer the community," Falsone said.
Besides more elbow room for people and cows, the new facility includes more refrigerator
space with easier access to milk and meat products and a 60-degree oasis of a cheese
room, where the colors of the curing cheese range from a dull yellow to yellow speckled
with green to an ashen gray to a brown, wooden appearance.
Hendricks is also revved up about the implementation of "environmental stewardship" at
the new farm. Hot water and building heat come from a wood burning stove, the smoke is
used for the smokehouse and the ash is used for compost. Water that's used to cool the
milk goes to a holding tank and is recycled by using it to wash equipment and for irrigation.
"Lots of people talk the talk (about being environmentally friendly). The key is what are
you going to do with what you take out?" he said.
Dulcie Flaharty, executive director of the non-profit Montgomery County Land Trust
couldn't contain her excitement for what she called a "niche farm".
People ask why do you preserve farms in our suburban area? This is why you preserve
farms. Trent's business, which focuses on high quality, healthy food, will have a huge pull
and has a regional consumer base to support it, " she said.
By Brian Bingaman
Source: The North Penn Reporter
Hendricks Farms and Dairy which specializes in raw milk, raw cheese and meats from
grass-fed livestock, has moved to a new 30-acre site at 202 Green Hill Road in Franconia,
and the move seems to have shifted the operation into a whole new gear.
"This is just the beginning. The goal is to add value to the product," Trent Hendricks said
at the first of what will be monthly wine, cheese and food pairing events, featuring fare
from the like-mined food artisans, in the farm's new 50 by 90 foot facility.
Hendricks has hired executive chef and culinary educator Phil Falsone. Not only will he
prepare hors d'oeuvres for the food events, but in the future, the plan is to offer lunches
and multiple course dinners prepared from organically farmed local foods. "I think the farm
has a lot to offer the community," Falsone said.
Besides more elbow room for people and cows, the new facility includes more refrigerator
space with easier access to milk and meat products and a 60-degree oasis of a cheese
room, where the colors of the curing cheese range from a dull yellow to yellow speckled
with green to an ashen gray to a brown, wooden appearance.
Hendricks is also revved up about the implementation of "environmental stewardship" at
the new farm. Hot water and building heat come from a wood burning stove, the smoke is
used for the smokehouse and the ash is used for compost. Water that's used to cool the
milk goes to a holding tank and is recycled by using it to wash equipment and for irrigation.
"Lots of people talk the talk (about being environmentally friendly). The key is what are
you going to do with what you take out?" he said.
Dulcie Flaharty, executive director of the non-profit Montgomery County Land Trust
couldn't contain her excitement for what she called a "niche farm".
People ask why do you preserve farms in our suburban area? This is why you preserve
farms. Trent's business, which focuses on high quality, healthy food, will have a huge pull
and has a regional consumer base to support it, " she said.