Page 10 - The Valley Table - Summer 2021

Established by Nicholas DeMaria
in 1939, Hemlock Hill Farm is still
in the family’s expert hands. Today,
the founder’s son, John, and John’s daughter, Laura, own and run the 120-acre Cortlandt Manor farm,
while Laura’s first cousin, Trish Vasta, manages the very popular Farm Market & Store.
Along with Hemlock Hill eggs and pasture-raised meats — Black Angus cattle, Dorset lamb, Peking duck, Yorkshire pigs, Ebden geese, chickens, and more — the market also carries farm-made specialties like sausages and bone broth, and items from nearby farms and producers.
This year, Hemlock Hill’s meat
CSA has been fully embraced. “Our customers love the variety and knowing their meat was raised and processed right here,” Trish says. “They enjoy learning about cuts not readily available in supermarkets. And if they need a recipe, all they have to do is ask.” Below are five of her local favorites.
5 THINGS WITH...
HEMLOCK HILL’S TRISH VASTA By Leslie Long
“Wood Fire Food makes smoked olives that are so delicious. I’d never tried smoked olives before and now I’m hooked. They’re great with a cheese platter when I have friends over for drinks.”
“Nimbus is a triple cream cheese from Chaseholm Farm, and it’s hard
to resist. Creamy with a good rind, it reminds me of an even better brie. I like to serve it on a cracker with a slice of ripe pear and a crisp white wine.”
“At Journeyman Bakery in Peekskill, my favorite is the English muffin bread. I love to toast it with my eggs in the morning.”
“Bulich Mushroom Farm is one of the last large mushroom farms in New York. All their mushrooms are organically grown and their oyster mushrooms are the best.”
“Liquid Gold beer from Captain Lawrence Brewery is perfectly named. I love its rich, hoppy flavor and the fact that it’s brewed in Westchester. Every week, we pick up the spent barley- and-hops mixture from their brewing process to help feed our cattle, making up 30 percent of their diet.”
8 the valley table june – aug 2021
photos by freda banks (cheese); courtesy of wood fire food (olives)