Lyons Brook Farm takes center stage on statewide Raw Milk
Dairy Day! EverythingWestport.com Tuesday, September 16, 2008 View the
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In what is perhaps one
of the better kept secrets in town, the Lyons
Brook Farm (Sandi Porter) on 76 Drift Road, Westport has been quietly
selling fresh, raw goat’s milk to the general public for the past 10 years.
But that is about to change. Sandi Porter (pictured left with Paul Farias), owner of Lyons
Brook Farm, only sells raw milk from her herd of 33 Alpine and Nubian goats.
She started the farm with her late husband, Tom, in 1998. Two years later
they were selling to the general public.
“It grew from there by word of mouth,” Ms. Porter said. “We had a chef
from Boston stop by today who wants to buy raw milk.” Close to 50 visitors
did the same thing, many leaving with the green-capped, half-gallon
containers. The word was getting out.
When you are the only raw milk producer in town, it’s pretty hard to keep it
quiet on Raw
Milk Dairy Day! Raw
milk is neither pasteurized nor homogenized. Health advocates claim superior
nutritional benefits. “The pasteurization process
kills harmful bacteria like E. coli and salmonella,” Ms. Porter said.
“But it also destroys beneficial bacteria as well. What’s more, goat milk is
naturally homogenized as the fat globules are much smaller and stay suspended
in the milk.” The
Westport farm was among the eight dairies across Massachusetts which opened
up their farms for tours and other activities on Saturday, September 13 to
highlight the benefits of raw milk on the statewide Raw Milk Dairy Day. “More and more consumers every year are looking for local
sources of raw milk,” said Kate Rossiter, the organic dairy coordinator for
the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Massachusetts chapter. “The
number of sellers in Massachusetts, about two dozen, is double the number
from just a few years ago,” Ms. Rossiter said. The state chapter of the farming association, known as
NOFA/Mass, held its second annual Raw Milk Dairy Day at eight farms statewide
Saturday, including Lyons Brook Farm in Westport. According
to A Campaign for Real Milk, “Back
in the 1920s, Americans could buy fresh raw whole milk, real clabber and
buttermilk, luscious naturally yellow butter, fresh farm cheeses and cream in
various colors and thicknesses. Today's milk is accused of causing everything
from allergies to heart disease to cancer, but when Americans could buy Real
Milk, these diseases were rare. In fact, a supply of high quality dairy
products was considered vital to American security and the economic well
being of the nation.” Salvatore Ruggieri has been buying raw goat’s milk from Sandi
Porter for the last 10 years. “I’m lactose intolerant,” Mr. Ruggieri said. “I
started buying from Sandi 10 years ago. I really enjoy it.” A group of children from the Hopewell program in Marion are
regular customers. “They make yogurt from our raw milk,” Ms. Porter
said. “It’s especially helpful for
children with Crohn’s (a disease of the digestive system), autism, and
allergies.” “Goat
milk is the next best thing to human breast milk,” Ms. Porter said. www.whfoods.org
speaks out. Unlike cow's milk
there is no need to homogenize goat's milk. While the fat globules in cow's
milk tend to separate to the surface, the globules in goat's milk are much
smaller and will remain suspended in solution. When individuals have
sensitivity to cow's milk, goat's milk can sometimes be used as an
alternative. Goat's milk is a very good source of calcium and the amino acid
tryptophan. It is also a good source of protein, phosphorus, riboflavin
(vitamin B2) and potassium. Perhaps the greatest benefit of goat's milk,
however, is that some people who cannot tolerate cow's milk are able to drink
goat's milk without any problems. It is not clear from scientific research
studies exactly why some people can better tolerate goat's milk. Some initial
studies suggested that specific proteins known to cause allergic reactions
may have been present in cow's milk in significant quantities yet largely
absent in goat's milk. – www.whfoods.org
Sandi
Porter, who also runs the local 4H club - Westport Animal Tender, said that
the state comes by once a month and takes a sample of the milk. “They provide
us with a complete monthly report on the results,” she said. The
milking parlor consists of one stall and a small milking machine. Each goat
can produce from three quarts to a gallon per day. When the goats are
pregnant, the supply drops off. “Around January and February, our milk
supplies get kind of thin,” Paul Farias said. “We sell our milk within five
days,” he said. The raw goat’s milk will keep at home for five days if
properly refrigerated, Mr. Farias said. Lyons
Brook Farm gets it name from the century’s old, stone-lined Lyons Brook that
runs through the property. According to Paul Farias it was used years ago for
cooling milk. “It’s a perennial stream that runs all year, and maintains a
temperature of about 50 degrees,” he said. Learn more about the benefits of goat milk now! Sandi
Porter invites you to drop in, say hello, and sample the tasty, nutritious
goat milk for yourself. For more information on Lyons Brook Farm, call Sandi
Porter at (508) 636-2552, or email her at: PLBF629@juno.com
For
more information on raw milk see www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/rawmilk.php or
contact Kate Rossiter, NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Coordinator, at krossiter@nofamass.org, or call
(413) 498-2721. - - - - - - End - - - - - - Community Events
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