Northeastern Exposure Part 3 – Legends in Sleepy Hollow

By Jeannette Beranger

I left Tilley Foster Farm in Brewster, New York, and made my way south to meet with Craig Haney, Farm Manager of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, in Tarrytown. He and I were scheduled to give a presentation together at the famous Astor Center in New York City that evening. Along the way, I wanted to stop in the infamous community of Sleepy Hollow (yes, it actually exists!) that is adjacent to Tarrytown.

The first thing you notice coming into the town is the huge, historic cemetery where the famous author, Washington Irving, is buried. At the entrance to the cemetery is the former location of the bridge that Irving describes in his novel as “the place where poor Ichabod Crane meets the Headless Horseman.” The covered bridge is no longer there but there are the remains of a 17th century manor house. The property has become a living history museum that is open to the public. Philipsburg Manor is a beautiful facility that incorporates some rare breeds into its programs. I came upon an impressive Randall Lineback oxen team comprised of Jacob and Joshua. The two, led by farm manager Stephen Kozack, were busy pulling a load of hay from a nearby field on the property. Along the way, they passed numerous Wiltshire Horn sheep crosses that populate the entire farm and make visitors feel as if they have stepped back in time onto a working farm.

Time was growing short, so I made my way to Stone Barns in the next town over. Formerly an estate owned by David Rockefeller, the property is now open to the public and is dedicated to celebrating and teaching advanced community-based food production and enjoyment as well as “farm to classroom to table.” Several heritage crops and animals are raised at Stone Barns including heritage chickens, turkeys, and geese. I met up with Craig and along with his wife and new daughter and we made our way into New York City to the Astor Center.

The Astor Center, located in NoHo on the eastern edge of Greenwich Village, has the reputation of selling one of the most diverse collections of wine and spirits in the entire city. In keeping with the independent culture of “the village,” Astor goes beyond being just “another store” by offering a wide assortment of courses and presentations ranging from cooking, wine, food, and culture. ALBC was invited to the learning center at Astor to talk about rare breeds and how they are finding their way back onto farms and onto the American dinner table. Craig followed by talking about how rare breeds are incorporated into the sustainable farming practices of Stone Barns. The class was nearly filled to capacity and was well received by attendees. Craig and I were very pleased to see several familiar faces of friends from the Slow Food USA national office in NYC.

The trek northeast came to an end after NYC and I was very happy to finally make my way back to North Carolina and back to my own farm. My stay in North Carolina wasn’t very long as I had field work in Washington state and Oregon a couple of weeks later. On the road again….

Happy Halloween All!

St. Croix on the Ark of Taste

ALBC is very excited to share that Slow Food USA has added the St. Croix sheep breed to its “Ark of Taste.” The US Ark of Taste is a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. Through the promotion and eating Ark products we can help ensure they remain in production and on our dinner tables.

To qualify for inclusion on the Ark of Taste, a product must be:
• Outstanding in terms of taste—as defined in the context of local traditions and uses
• At risk biologically or as culinary traditions
• Sustainably produced
• Culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice
• Produced in limited quantities, by farms or by small-scale processing companies

ALBC hopes that the St. Croix will enjoy population growth as a result of its recent listing on the Ark of Taste. We hope more people will learn about this breed and its great meat qualities.

About the St. Croix
The St. Croix is an American sheep breed that is part of the Caribbean Hair sheep family of breeds. Caribbean Hair sheep were developed from the hair sheep of West Africa and a few European wooled sheep that were brought to the Caribbean beginning in the 1600s. The sheep proliferated as subsistence livestock, and they were also valued for the manure critical to sugar cane production.

Over time, Caribbean Hair sheep became well adapted to the heat and humidity of their environment. The hair coat, which eliminates the need for shearing, is part of this adaptation. Today, there are several landrace populations within this breed family in the Caribbean. Two breeds, the Barbados and the St. Croix, are also found in North America.
In 1975, Dr. Warren Foote of Utah State University imported 22 ewes and three rams from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. Foote chose a relatively consistent group of polled, white sheep from a landrace called Virgin Islands White. Offspring of this imported group were further selected for consistency of conformation, and this process has resulted in the development of the St. Croix, a standardized breed in the United States.

The St. Croix is adapted to the heat and humidity of a tropical climate, and this adaptation has several manifestations. The breed has well documented parasite resistance, far superior to that found in most other sheep breeds. It is small, with ewes averaging 120 pounds and rams 165 pounds. St. Croix sheep are known for high fertility, and ewe lambs become fertile at about six months of age. Ewes often produce twins and have plenty of milk to raise them. Two lambings a year are not uncommon.

St. Croix sheep are excellent foragers and very easy keepers. Their browsing ability makes them useful for land management, including mowing grass in orchards and the control of invasive pest plants. Though heat tolerant, the sheep can be raised in many parts of North America. In colder areas, they grow a heavy winter coat of wool and hair that is shed in the spring. This combination of characteristics makes the breed an excellent choice for low input meat production. The St. Croix is increasing in numbers, and though it is still rare, the breed’s future seems promising.

Northeastern Exposure Part II: Preserving History at Tilley Foster Farm

Part 2- Preserving History at Tilley Foster Farm
By Jeannette Beranger

After leaving Rhode Island, the next stop on the road trip was Putnam County New York and Tilly Foster Farm Museum located in the city of Brewster. The farm itself is a beautiful historic property that once served as a premier Thoroughbred farm for the region. Horses can still be seen on the property, but instead of race horses, most are boarders whose owners enjoy the facilities that were once reserved for the cream of the equine crop in New York.

Through the efforts of George Whipple and The Whipple Foundation / Society for the Preservation of Putnam County Antiquities & Greenways, Tilly Foster Farm has been preserved to and will become a museum and home to an assortment of endangered American breeds of livestock and poultry. The primary goals of the foundation are to keep Tilly Foster Farm free and open to the people of Putnam County while making the farm self-sufficient to reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Whipple plans to build a a world-class farm museum that incorporates rare farm animals that will serve to educate the public about farming, local history, and animal husbandry. George’s personal commitment to rare breed conservation has made him a long-time member of ALBC since the organization’s early years. His relationship with ALBC has recently been broadened with his election to the ALBC Board of Directors.

George grew up in Putnam County and is deeply concerned with preserving the beautiful rural qualities of the area in and around the county. He still resides on his grandfather’s Pine View Farm in the rural town of Kent, not far from the farm museum. Outside of Putnam, George works in New York City and is known to New Yorkers for his celebrity interviews on Whipple’s World, a show he films for NY1 News. I had the pleasure of getting to know George when he first began thinking about livestock and poultry breeds on the farm. He called the ALBC office for advice on appropriate breeds for the farm and to determine where he could find them.

After much brainstorming, George walked away with a breed list. He extended an invitation for me to visit the farm if I was ever in the area so, as I made my way back towards New York City for my lecture, I decided to stop by. Upon arriving at Tilley Foster Farm, I was in awe at the beauty of the old buildings and the fine herd of Randall Lineback cattle in the front pasture. George greeted me by the newly renovated guest cottage that will supplement the farm’s income by being rented out to visitors wanting to experience the farm and enjoy the pastoral setting the property has to offer. We began the afternoon with a walk around the farm. We were accompanied by George’s Parson Russell terrier, Mayfair, who is retired from the show ring and enjoy her new job as master of all she surveys on the farm. (She takes particular delight in making sure the ducks and geese keep in line.)

As George and I visited the farm, we discussed the future of the facility and the development of programs to promote the rare breeds. Plans include utilizing a meeting facility and restaurant for on-farm seminars and classes. As part of the farm’s lecture programs, ALBC Board President Callene Rapp was scheduled to give a public presentation at the farm on raising heritage breed rabbits.

Among the breeds we saw on the farm were Jacob (American) sheep, Blue American rabbits, Guinea hogs, Narragansett turkeys, several varieties of Heritage Chickens and ducks, and their famous American Mammoth Jackstock, Nate. Children’s book author Sheila Mealy recently made him a local celebrity by publishing a lovely book about the donkey and the adventures that brought him to Tilly Foster Farm.

The basement level of one of the barns contains a wonderful display of antique farm equipment. A collection of tractors, valued at over one million dollars, is exhibited in the area. The machinery and displays are on loan to the farm by the Putnam County Antique Machinery Association. Some other assets of the farm include an impressive investment in infrastructure to make the property largely energy efficient through solar and wind power made on the farm. The solar array alone can produce up to 13,000 watts of electricity for the farm.

Beyond the animals, Tilly Foster Farm also serves as a home for a unique rock and roll museum called Avalon Archives. The museum’s collection is owned by a friend of George’s by the name of Ned Moran. Ned is a retired New York City firefighter and an amazing music guru to all that know him. Ned’s collection contains highly prized items and memorabilia that any rock and roll enthusiast would give their right eye for. Ned began his collection while living in San Francisco between 1969-1974, a golden age of rock for many. It seemed only appropriate to take a step into the museum as that day happened to be the 32nd anniversary of the Elvis’ death and the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Much of the collection consisted of highly coveted concert posters, cards, and artwork. I’ve visited Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I can say that in comparison, Avalon’s intimate setting gives visitors a more tangible and personal connection to the history on the walls. After leaving the museum, I had the distinct feeling of just having spent a quiet afternoon with old friends in that building.

By late afternoon, the temperature peaked (90°+!) and it was about time to finish the tour for the day. By then, most of the animals were in their barns or had the good sense to get in the shade and keep cool. Having spent a pleasant day in his company, I said my goodbyes to George and headed towards my next destination.

In the next installment, Jeannette will head to meet Craig Haney at the Stone Barns Center for Sustainable Agriculture.