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NY Serious Eats, November, 2010 sticky icon

"I LOVE YOU, BACON," proclaims the sign at Tamarack Hollow Farm—but as Mike Betit told me last week, "We only put it up when we actually have bacon." Tamarack Hollow, located in Burlington, VT, started out as a hog farm, although they now also sell a small but unique selection of produce. Betit credits the tanking economy for the change in their approach at the market. "People just weren't buying high-priced protein. It was one of the first things they cut." That loss ended up being the market shoppers' gain, as in addition to Tamarack's beautiful smoked and fresh meats and sausages, Betit's current produce selection includes greens, cabbages, broccoli, turnips, radishes and more.
Betit's wife, who used to work for Keith Stewart of Keith's Farm, chooses which crops to grow. Tamarack Hollow goes beyond organic certification: Referring to the growing number of organic certified sprays on the market that many certified organic farmers use, Betit says: "In addition to being certified organic, we don't use any f***ing sprays. Period." In addition, all of the crops are hand cultivated. "We're literally out there with stirrup hoes and hand weeding everything. We use intensive rotational grazing, and our vegetables are part of the rotations." Tamarack Hollow Farm is 88 acres in its entirety, but only 3 1/2 acres are cultivated at any one time, giving the soil time to recover. The only problem, Betit told me, is that the soil is sometimes too fertile, recently leading to a ridiculously large cabbage.

As the season progresses, Tamarack Hollow will be at the market year round. When the weather gets colder, look for greenhouse microgreens and sprouts, as well as spinach and baby kale that are grown in low tunnels. Of course, the meats will be available all year long. Check out the slideshow for a look at what Betit had to offer at last week's maket. See the full story here. Photos by Ben Fishner.

Saveur Highlights Tamarack Hollow Farm sticky icon

What do you do when you want to eat ethically miles from the nearest Whole Foods? You buy a couple of pigs and raise them on your own, which is what Mike and Elsa Bebit did five years ago in Corinth, Vermont. Finding themselves with more meat than they could eat, they began giving away theirs and selling it to friends. Now, the farm naturally raises lamb, chickens, turkey, and geese in addition to pigs, which are sold at New York City's Greenmarkets.

Pork, made from happy, pastured pigs, is the cornerstone of Tamarack Hollow's offerings, and their succulent, home-smoked bacon is a main draw. The thick-cut bacon can make almost any dish sing, but an easy way to serve it up as an hors d'oeuvre is by wrapping it around almond-stuffed dates.

Original story on Saveur.com by Cathy Erway here.

The Nomadic Oven visits Your Neighborhood Pig Farm

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Turning from suburban Ethan Allen Parkway into Tamarack Hollow Farm is a little surreal, like wandering off the set for “Leave it to Beaver”, and finding yourself in “Little House on the Prairie”. Talking to Amanda Andrews and Mike Betit, life on the farm seems ripe for a situation comedy as well, with punchlines that juxtapose their homesteader lifestyle and the sedate neighborhood of 19th century houses that surrounds them. Warm summer evenings find neighbors strolling across the farm’s bridge to sip wine and watch the pigs and cows in their pristine pasture overlooking...highway 127. A few residents squirm when confronted with the less picturesque realities of farm life, like the three-sided, all-season composting outhouse, and the eau-de-farm that rises on hot days. Sitting by the crackling wood stove in the 14’ by 20’ cabin that Betit built last spring, it’s hard to imagine that we’re just a stones throw away from the picket fences and shopping centers of the New North End- until I open the door to the sound of rushing cars.

Read the rest of Jen's story here

Dreaming of the Christmas Goose: Megnut.com

It's broiling hot today in New York City, and as I scurried around the greenmarket attempting to buy some tomatoes before I burst into flame, I noticed a sign at Tamarack Hollow Farm. Tamarack is one of the nicest vendors at the market. When I bought my first pork shoulder, I asked the vendor how to prepare it. He gave me some directions, then pointed to the label on the package. "If you have any problems, call my wife. She'll walk you through it." Culinary phone support included in pork purchase price! Who knew?

Farmer Mike's Interview with Not Eating Out in NY

There were many things that blew my socks off at a dinner Sunday night, held in a cozy Brooklyn ground-floor apartment. The basil-ricotta gnocchi was one of them. The lamb pot pies (above) were definitely another. But the one thing that really struck me the most was when, while casually biting off chunks of his garlic sauce-smothered lamb breast and duck fat confit hors d’oeuvres, Tamarack Hollow Farm founder/farmer Mike Betit said, “The first two years [of starting his farm], I lost money. The third year, when I started selling at the NYC Greenmarket, I broke even.”