Like craft brews? How about a craft dairy just minutes from downtown Rehoboth!
From time to time, the affable co-owner of Rustic Acres Farm Market/Rehoboth Dairy, Earl Warren, drops by the Cape Gazette offices. It seems I’m never there when that happens; but sometimes he’ll leave me a note. Last week it read, “Where’s the love!?” He knows I appreciate good barbecue, and he’s been wanting me to try his smoked ribs, chicken and pork. He’s right: Nothin’ says lovin’ like smoked meats!
It probably goes without saying that my arm did not need to be twisted to drive the mile or so down Holland Glade Road to the little red building full of fresh, local Delaware goodies. And it’s not all about smoked meats there at Rustic Acres Farm Market. It’s also a dairy, and with all those cows hangin’ around, the place does a thriving business selling fresh milk. Everyone loves that cream-on-top milk. The cream rises to the top of the glass bottle because the product is not homogenized. Many of the faithful (I’m among ‘em) can’t put it into words, and most just end up saying, “try it.” Mary Ann, Earl's wife, calls us “milk foodies,” and on my first visit a few years ago she christened me her newest “milk newbie.” And she’s right: Once you’ve had it, there’s no going back.
As part of his strict FDA certification, Earl translates these accolades into hard science. “It tastes better in glass,” he maintains. Apparently the fluorescent light in most grocery store coolers travels (and reacts with the milk) differently through plastic. Moreover, the glue that holds paper cartons together can affect the taste of the contents. Earl also states unequivocally that relaxed cows create a tastier product with a longer shelf life. Of course I made a joke about them being near the Boardwalk, Funland and Dolles, but it turns out that the chemical composition of milk from cows that are stressed into being high producers is actually different from that obtained from their less frazzled cohorts. The Warrens introduced me to their 80-plus dairy cows (yes, they have names), and I have to admit they’re a pretty laid-back crew; munching their way through the day and enjoying visits from Mary Ann, Earl and their son Nelson - but skeptically (and probably wisely) backing away from camera-totin’ Cape Gazette columnists.
Rustic Acres Market also sells a variety of meats, cheese, eggs, butter and baked goods. And don’t forget the ice cream! Rehoboth is a summer resort, and it only seems natural to scoop it fresh and homemade. So the Warrens make sure there is always a big selection on hand. After all, the cows that started it all are just a short stroll away, and the processing equipment is in the next room. It doesn’t get much fresher than that. The entire process, from raising, caring for and milking the cows, to filtering and pasteurizing to bottling, happens right there. In fact Rehoboth Dairy LLC is one of a very few Delaware operations certified to process its own milk for retail.
Mary Ann and Earl love to talk about the history of their Century Farm (same family ownership for at least 100 years). Mary Ann’s relatives included the Holland family, the original Dutch settlers who farmed the land between what are now the Tanger Seaside Outlets and the Holland Glade residential development. Interestingly enough, the original farmhouse stood on the spot now occupied by The Glade’s clubhouse. The families sold the land to the state of Delaware, and it was designated a state park. The Rehoboth-Lewes bike trail runs through it, paralleling the old Junction & Breakwater rail line that connected a string of Methodist camps between Rehoboth and Lewes. Of course it’s now part of the popular Junction & Breakwater Trail.
The family has been producing milk commercially since 1936, initially wholesaling to PET evaporated milk, because there was no way to ship it unrefrigerated in liquid form. Nowadays you can drop in, grab a couple of the frosty glass bottles (return them to get your deposit back) and grab some fresh produce, a rack of perfectly smoked ribs, a pound of Amish butter and, of course, an ice cream cone. Check their hours by calling 302-226-2571.
Bob Yesbek is a serial foodie and can be reached at byesbek@CapeGazette.com.
