Eco-Frustration & Stuffing My Ice Cream Hole at Bellvale Creamery
You didn’t think I was done with my Upstate adventure tales yet, did ya? Well…this one required a lot of hard work and sacrifice on my part. Paid a little visit to Bellvale Farm & Creamery &
had to eat what was perhaps the most delicious ice cream ever made…and saw the moo moos who produced it munching out in a field. Yep…they’re grass eaters. Now why is this such a big whooptidoo that I got to consume a weeks worth of calories while pretending to be contemplative about its source? Well…because it threw me for a little loop. I happened to just be reading the section of Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma that featured Joel Salatin’s argument about truly sustainable verses industrial organic. Now here is the deal. Bellvale is NOT organic. If a cow gets sick, they treat it. And I’ve made it a goal to stick to organic dairy - because that is better, right?. But what is organic? Here is a farm that treats their cows pretty darn well by dairy cow standards, practices responsible land and even poop management, and keeps its doors and policies completely open to the public. 
Verses my carton stamped organic from an unknown source. The teacher part of me is thrilled to have such a clear and tasty example fall right into my gelatto hole as I’m learning to ecofy my diet. (Feel free to borrow the new word.) The lazyass in me thinks when will it ever f***ing get easier to figure out what to feed my family? The truth is it will never be easy because there are just so many options and variables. Now I’m not expecting to get all the answers from one book, one store, or even one farm…but the experience has so wiped out the smug confident feeling I have reaching for my little organic brands without ever doing a lick of research as to the source. One thing is clear- I will need to do extensive research by tasting every ice cream ever made to ensure I am making the best choice. Where did I put those stretchy pants?
Yum! We have a creamery not far from here too - Blue Bell. The tour was fun and we got free ’scream but I’m thinking yours is way more sustainable. If you look in Blue Bell ice cream, it’s not exactly all natural. Looks like you may need to check them out again. I’m sure you have many questions and they have all that ice cream. What a nice match
I read an article a while back about a well known organic yogurt company that uses organic fruit from China and powdered organic milk from New Zealand. The article said there are not enough organic cows in the US, let alone enough organic grain to feed them to keep up with the business.
I would seriously be up for taste testing all the grass fed moo ’scream on the east coast:)
My guess is that even if they are willing to treat the cows if they get sick, those cows probably don’t get very much in the way of antibiotics. Cows in enclosed packed spaces tend to get sicker than cows that get to much on grass and hang out in the open. So while the cows might occasionally get treated, they are probably sick very seldom.
I know going through the whole “organic” certification process is expensive, so I don’t rely on it much unless I’m in a place like Whole Paycheck. I like the hand lettered signs that have pictures of stick figured cows and statements like “no pesticides” “no chemicals!”. But I worry about whether big Agro is going to step in and Urban Outifitterify (my word) farmers’ markets. My guess is because of the scale (too small), it won’t be a feasible option to do and the small time farmers can continue to practice their 2nd grade art skills while serving up delicious produce.