May 26th, 2013
It has been about a year and a half since I discovered Rustic Acres Farm, which is the home of Rehoboth Dairy. Just like everyone else that has tasted their milk, we are all totally hooked on it. Bottled in traditional glass bottles, the milk, from their cows, is produced, and pasteurized right on the farm. Rehoboth Dairy, LLC is the only licensed on Farm Milk Processor in Delaware.
Owners are Earl and Mary Ann Warren. As you know, working a dairy farm is a 24/7 job…so they are there all the time.
Their market is open year-round and they are right here in Rehoboth Beach on 37217 Rustic Acres Lane. Tels. 302-245-8308 or 302-245-8309. It opens at 11 a.m.
If you are leaving Rehoboth Beach, going north, take the very next right after Tomato Sunshine. That’s Hollands Glade Rd. The farm and the farm market will be on your left about 8/10 of a mile.
If you are traveling south on Rt. 1, you will need to make a U-turn at the intersection of Shuttle Rd. and Rt. 1 (Exxon Station on the right and CVS on the left). Then, follow the directions above.
Besides the milk you will find butter, produce, fresh Amish baked goods, beef, pork, sausage, scrapple, bacon…all from live stock raised on their farm.
The produce is seasonal and soon Earl’s bins will be fully stocked.
They will be having local strawberries soon…it has been a hard year for local strawberries, due to the weather.
So, when Earl told me that he has been barbecuing, I said to him; “I can make a mean barbecue, Earl”, he quickly answered; “I am sure you do, but I am saving you that step.”
Spareribs!
If you have guests, or do not feel like cooking…Earl’s barbecue will be ready by noon. You can sit down and eat it there or take it home. He has a few picnic tables and it is such a gorgeous day.
Baby Backs!
Then, if you feel like having ice cream, they do have it available, as well. The ice cream comes from Chesapeake Bay Farms. This is the last remaining dairy farm in Worcester County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The ice cream is void of growth hormones, antibiotics, and chemical compounds.
Have a great day!!
November 4th, 2012
Every week-end I make my trip to Rustic Acres Farm. It is the home of Rehoboth Dairy, and to tell you the truth there is no trip at all. It is, practically, around the corner from my house. But, if I had to make the trip, I would certainly do it, gladly. Their milk is the best, really, it is.
Location: 37217 Rustic Acres Lane. If you are leaving Rehoboth Beach, take the first right, Hollands Glade Rd., after Tomato Sunshine. Follow this road almost to the end.
The market will be on your left. A red building.
The dairy farm is on the back of the property.
I buy milk, eggs, scrapple, meats, cheese and vegetables.
They also have ice cream.
Their winter hours are: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. But, if you do need them, please call 302-245-8308. Earl and Mary Ann Warren are very friendly and will be happy to open for you at any time, within reason, of course.
I went Saturday to get my usual milk and I saw tiny sweet potatoes. Earl told me that when he was young, his mother would roast these sweet potatoes, then, she would have bowls with cinnamon and sugar for dipping. I think he mentioned honey, as well.
Anyway, I roasted them and served them as a side dish with our dinner. They were truly delicious!!
Note: The cows did very well during Sandy. Two calves were born: a bull named Stormy and a little girl named Sandy!!
Have a great day!!
May 28th, 2012
Why wait until the Farmers Markets open once a week when you can visit Rustic Acres Farm Market every day? That’s right, as of this week, they will be opening at 11 a.m.
Rustic Acres Farm is the home of Rehoboth Dairy. I wrote a post on this farm on January 17, 2012. To see the post with pictures, all you have to do is click on the month of January, 2012, on the left hand of this website, and scroll down to the 17th.
Rustic Acres Farm is located at 37217 Rustic Acres Lane, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Just a few miles north of Rehoboth Beach. As you leave Rehoboth Beach, on Rt. 1, take the very next right, Hollands Glade Rd., after Tomato Sunshine. Then, go about 8/10 of a mile. The farm will be on your left.
If your are driving south then make a U-turn at the intersection of Shuttle Rd. and Rt. 1, then, turn on Hollands Glade Rd., right after Tomato Sunshine.
Earl and Mary Ann Warren own this farm. If you have any questions, please call them at 302-245-8308.
Ever since I found it, I have been going every week for the best milk, eggs, butter and scrapple, among other things.
The milk from their cows is produced, pasteurized and bottled at their dairy and served in the traditional glass bottles.
Their livestock is raised in the farm. No antibiotics, or hormones.
My friends, Jim and Basil, were in Rehoboth for the week. So, we decided that while all visitors were at the beaches frying themselves in the hot sun, we would take off for the farm. Only a few minutes away from Downtown Rehoboth Beach.
Jim surprised me and wore his scrapple t-shirt which was very appropriate since Rustic Acres Farm has great delicious scrapple.
New for this 2012 Summer Season. You will find ice cream at the farm. Earl is going to be making a flavor of the week soon. But, the different varieties of ice cream every day come from Chesapeake Bay Farms. This farm is the last remaining farm in Worcester County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. You can read more about it at www.chesapeakebaycheese.com. Their ice cream is completely void of growth hormones, antibiotics, or chemical compounds.
They have very interesting flavors like coconut joy, peanut butter cup, birthday Smurf, princess pink, sweet cream, Bavarian chocolate, beans and cream, and a few more.
So there we were, checking the farm over. Mary Ann was going to give us the tour.
The first thing we did was to walk over to check some of the cows. Mary Ann explained the milking process at the farm. We were touching and taking pictures of the cows. You could not resist them, especially after Mary Ann was calling them by their individual names. She showed us the milk house, as well.
From there we went to see the bigger cows. When one of the bulls came through there was a definite size difference. Gigantic!!
Walking to see a new calf was the highlight of the visit. It had been born the day before. He was just the cutest thing. He finally got up; big legs and clumsy. The longest eyelashes you will ever see. We stayed there awhile, not wanting to leave such a sweet creature.
A little older calves got our attention, as well. They were just as beautiful. May Ann and Earl have a full time job taking car of this farm. Their sons help and summer help will be much welcomed soon.
We really appreciated the tour; knowing that they usually do not give tours.
We left the farm with smiles on our faces and off to Lewes we went, where we walked and tour the Zwaanendael Museum, ate King’s Ice Cream, visited the Ryves Holt House built in 1665, walked around the Lewes Historical Complex, tour the Lighthouse Overfalls, walked by the Cannonball House, drove to the City Dock and by the University of Delaware College of Marine Sciences, and a drive around Rehoboth Country Club where the view of Rehoboth Bay is so nice.
A great day for sightseeing!!
My evening was not over. I left marinating my babybacks. Then, a made up dry rub while the coals were doing their thing. On the grill and served with my own roasted beets, which had been pickled, topped with jumbo lump.
Ice Cream from Rustic Acres Farm….not so fast. It was not for me. It was my husband’s dessert.
Sweet Cream, Vanilla, Bavarian Chocolate
Friends!! A great thing to have. Talk to you later…
January 17th, 2012
Back in 2009 when I started this blog, the concept was “word of mouth”. Finding those unique places that make our beaches such a wonderful place to live. I wanted to pass the word around. Believe me, I know I am lucky to live in the coastal area of the Delaware Beaches, and I do not take it for granted.
The other day my husband mentioned that he had read about a dairy farm in Rehoboth. They also had produce and on and on he went. It was on the way to the Glades, he said. Okay, I had not been on that road for years. It is the type of road that is mostly traveled by the people that live in that vicinity.
I found the farm, and the storefront. It look like someone was there. Then, I met Nelson. I introduced myself; the store was opening at 11 a.m. In our brief conversation he said that these are hard times for dairy farmers. That the Euro having problems have made companies in Europe trying to market powder milk to be reconsituted, here in the U.S. What? That’s crazy, I thought. His mother would be there at 11 a.m., Nelson said. He, on the other hand, would probably be out back playing with the cows. Could not wait to get back at 11 a.m.
Rehoboth Dairy, LLC is located at Rustic Acres Farm, at 37217 Rustic Acres Ln. in Rehoboth Beach. Tel. 302-226-2571. Earl’s 302-245-8308 and Nelson’s 302-245-8310. If you are going north after just leaving Rehoboth Beach, on Rt. 1 (Coastal Highway), turn right on Hollands Glade Rd., right after Tomato Sunshine. If you are coming south on Coastal Highway (Rt. 1) then, make a U turn at the intersection of Shuttle Rd. and Rt. 1 in order to get to Hollands Glade Rd. On Hollands Glade Rd., continue driving inland and you will see the farm on the left and the store just by the road.
There were people already there when I arrived. Immediately, I met Earl and Mary Ann, who along with their sons work the farm.
A few customers were checking out already with a box full of lettuce, eggs, milk, and butter. Cash and check are accepted. No credit cards.
Earl and I started talking; I think he could outtalk me by a lot, if there is such a thing. His good friends were Amish from Dover, Delaware. They built the store. Comfortable in its simplicity. During the summer months you are going to find all kinds of local produce. Hours of operation, at the present time are Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
This is a dairy farm. The milk? Well, it is as fresh as you are ever going to get any milk. The cows are in the back. They get milked in the updated building that dates prior to the Civil War. The milk is brought to the back of the shop where it is pasteurized. Rehoboth Dairy follows all State regulations. It takes them 8 hours to produce 100 gallons of milk.
They have available, whole milk, 2%, 1 1/2 %, and cream. The milk is in glass bottles; 1/2 gallons and quarts. A deposit is required for the glass bottles. Bring the bottles back for your deposit to be refunded. You’ll be back for sure.
The cream goes to the top and just like in the old days, it separates. Shake it a bit and you will get one delicious tasting glass of milk. Milk in its purest form is as near to being a perfect food as one can find. It is a complex and complete supply of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antibodies, essential fatty acids and carbs.
Only a handful of dairy farms remain in the State of Delaware. The cost of carrying these farms is incredible. Earl had to sell everything some years ago when it got to be too much with 200 cows. He has now about 70 and is trying to keep it going. He is a farmer at heart and speaks of work with passion and delight. He also said that farmers buy retail and sale wholesale.
Pasteurization of raw milk is required by law. This process began as a result of bacteria that could contaminate the milk after the milk left the cow. The milk from Rehoboth Dairy is pasteurized with milk from their cows, in the family century farm. These cows are grass fed with no artificial hormones or antibiotics.
No homogenization here. Homogenization forces the milk, by extreme pressure, through tiny holes which break up the normally large fat molecules into tiny ones. This unnatural fat is easily absorbed into the blood stream. In milk that has not been homogenized, the large fat molecules, are normally passed through the digestive track, unabsorbed. A lot of health problems are attributed to homogenization.
Through small cooperatives, Earl and Mary Ann buy other staples for their store. Butter, is made by the Amish. Of course, I had to get it. It is so good. The eggs are free range and a variety of sizes, as well.
Honey from Lanes Pure Honey from Dover, Delaware. Comb and all.
A freezer was in the middle of the store filled with lima beans and meats and pork products. Filet, roasts, sausage, hamburger patties, scrapple, pork chops. Earl and Mary Ann can tell you the content of everything they sell. I told Earl he would get a scrapple review for sure.
The pork comes from pigs raised on another farm, but owned by Earl. And the beef is from their steers which are raised on their farm, again, grass fed beef with no antibiotics and no hormones. Haas Family Butcher Shop in Dover takes care of the preparation of their meat and pork products.
Besides milk, butter, eggs, and honey, I bought a pork loin roast, filet and scrapple.
You can find in the store Amish baked goods, as well.
I took off with Earl on his truck to check the cows out back. They were all eating; I think that’s what cows do all the time, anyway. The cows you will find at Rustic Acres Farm are Holsteins and Jerseys.
Holstein is the world’s highest production dairy animal, with distinctive markings. Some are mostly black to mostly white, half and half, or red and white.
Trivia: Pauline Wayne was a famous Holstein that was the Presidential Pet of the 27th President of the U.S., William Howard Taft. It lived and grazed on the White House and provided for their milk. It was the last Presidential Pet Cow.
Jerseys are a small breed of dairy cattle, originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey. It has high butterfat content in its milk and a “genial” disposition; curious and gentle.
Trivia: Elsie the Cow was the famous mascot of Borden, Inc. in the U.S.
I asked Earl if they were dumb. He said that a cow remembers everything that has been done to it. As we walked he touched them here or there, behind their ears. It was like they recognized him. One just got close to me and tried to grab my pocket. I had a treat from my dog, Addy, there. Slobbered all over the bottom of my coat.
Earl said that cows are creatures of habit and they follow a strong pecking order. It is a whole process to get them used to one another.
The calfs had to be weaned. They were so cute, coming out of their huts, thinking you had a bottle for them.
From there they go with just one other cow to a different pen. Then to a bigger space with a few more and on and on it goes until they are ready to be all together.
They all have shelter in the winter; a roof over their heads.
As I was walking with Earl I asked him if he gave tours. He said he did not because he did not want germs and contamination in his farm. I felt lucky that he took me to see it. All I could think of was that you really had to love it; it is really so much work.
A resurgence of wanting better foods; away from over processed foods, I am hoping that give these farmers the opportunity to stay in business.
I read food labels all the time. Have to since there are food allergies and health issues in my household. It is just incredible to read some of the ingredients, dies and preservatives in the simplest of foods.
I really enjoyed talking to the Warrens. A plan for the not too distant future is homemade ice cream. I can’t wait!!!
Note: I had to get some info. from Wikipedia….
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