Meadow Run Farm

[Andrew Fenton]

I was introduced to Meadow Run Farm's meats- beef, chicken, lamb, pork, sausage and cute li'l bunnies- at the South & Passyunk farmers' market. Bought a lot of meat from them over the course of the summer and fall, culminating in a Thanksgiving turkey (free range, gently massaged once a week, elocution lessions, semester abroad spent in Florence) which was a big hit.

They've decided to experiment with monthly dropoffs (a Tuesday afternoon, in Head House Square), and a couple of weeks ago I picked up a few items. I was especially happy with the eggs: beautiful dark yellow yolks and that super-fresh eggy flavor.

But the best was the bacon. I've never had their bacon before, and it's been a long time since I last had bacon this good. Lots of meat, not too salty and with a noticeable porky flavor. Part went for eggs & bacon, part did a heroic job flavoring bean soup, and the rest made admirable BLTs. At $5 a pound, it ain't cheap, but also worth the money.

If you're interested in their stuff- I'm also a fan of their sausage- they should be coming into Philly once a month and you can rendezvous then; they also supply the White Dog, so that might work for West Philadelphians. If there's interest, I'll post when I find out when they're coming into town next; otherwise, their number is 717-733-3283.

(Disclaimer: I have no financial interest, of course. But I do want to see this winter delivery scheme succeed: for one thing, I don't want to wait until May to get more of that bacon! )

[mrbigjas]

Andrew, do you have a, uh, for lack of a better word, "menu" of what's available? I mean, what they supply?

I generally get bacon at Haltemann's in the Terminal, or at Stoltzfus meats. How does it compare to theirs?

[Andrew Fenton]

Unfortunately, they don't have a website (geez, who doesn't have a website nowadays? ) But I do have a price list: it's about a page long. Basically, they have-

eggs

chicken (whole bird, breasts, legs, other parts)

turkeys

rabbit (whole)

beef (lots of different cuts, including a dozen or so kinds of steak, plus roasts and ground beef)

pork (chops, ham roast-smoked and fresh, spare ribs, pork roasts, sausage, bacon, lard and tenderloin)

lamb (leg, shoulder roasts, chops, ground)

But they have small enough production that they run out of things: chicken and pork are pretty consistent year-round, but it's worth checking on the availability of beef and lamb.

I haven't had Stoltzfus' bacon, but have had Haltemann's (though not recently). I'd describe Meadow Run's as less smoky and less salty, with more of the natural piggy flavor. Different, and while I prefer the stripped-down flavor, YMMV.

[mrbigjas]

Thanks for the info; I may give it a try--my wife works down near there, and could probably make a pickup.

[Phil Ward]

Just saw this article in the NY Times:A B.A. in Bacon

Their winner is an old friend who raises everything organically, as well as no antibiotics, growth hormones and as grass fed as possible.

I bought some lamb, beef and veal from him about two months ago. Excellent products. He does ship UPS. But he does not have a web site. Located in Culpepper, VA.

Phil Ward

[xtian]

Meadow Run Farm provides a variety of grass-fed lamb cuts to the Fair Food Project (run by the White Dog Foundation), which has a stand at the Reading Terminal Market every Friday and Saturday.

While I don't think they carry Meadow Runs bacon, they do carry an excellent double-smoked bacon from Green Meadow Farm-- or you might be able to order your fave through the Fair Food stand.

The stand is also carrying a variety of locally-grown produce, cheeses, pultry, meats, etc. Worth checking out if you haven't done so!