Greendale Pottery - Home of Greendale Black Angus

August 22, 2010

Located on the farm at “Greendale Pottery & Country Guest House”

Come meet Holly, Ken, Jamie and Joe at the McKeen Family Farm. They have been raising beef for the past thirteen years on their 14 acre farm in the heart of Greendale.
On Slow Food Cycle Tour day, you are invited to visit their Pottery Studio which Holly also runs in order to keep this small farm operation sustainable. You will probably find Holly at the Potter’s wheel in her Studio getting dirty! Come and see her Showroom and experience the busy studio life which is an important part of the farm. You can also discover the “Greendale Country Guest House”, a quiet yet elegant retreat, with pastoral views of their farm and countryside. The Guest House, located above the Pottery, will be open throughout Cycle Tour Day, so that you can check it out, and enjoy the views from the decks.

Holly tells us that “On Slow Food Cycle Tour Day this year, we are pleased to have the Chef de Cuisine and Owner of Merle’s Eatery preparing a fine menu selection showcasing our home-grown, all-natural Angus Beef. Starting at 11:00am, Merle will be offering an exciting array of delicious canapés and light snacks. As you sample the fine fare, relax at our picnic tables or on the blankets we’ll have out on the lawns, take in the ambience of the farm and enjoy the music of our guest flutist! “

MERLE’S MENU:

Carpaccio with brandy mushroom reduction over a bed of organic greens - $5.00
Dukkah Beef Skewers - marinated beef in honey, wine & mustard rolled in hazelnuts & coriander seed and served with a tahini dip - $2.00
Black Angus Sliders - charbroiled mini burger grilled & served with balsamic onion relish - $2.00
Greendale Angus Chili - no beans here just slow roasted Black Angus with Fraser Valley tomatoes and seasoning - $2.00
Vegan Veggie Skewers - all local grilled seasonal veggies - $2.00
Orange Rooibos Ice Tea - $1.00

Join in on tours of the farming operation throughout the day, and learn about intensive pasture management, as well as a “meet and greet” with the Black Angus cow/calf herd. You will see firsthand just how many pieces of equipment it takes to make one bale of hay! There are also free range chickens and a family garden to see.
The McKeen Family farm cattle are naturally raised with kindness, care and close attention. Their Black Angus feed on lush grass pastures and are finished with a flatted barley mash plus special treats of apples, plums and pears that fall from the orchard. The positive attributes of grass fed beef are well known. Pasture raised beef are tastier and healthier than those born into the life of factory farming and large feed lots (and we think happier too!). Grass-fed beef is also charged with health-giving omega-3 fatty acids. The McKeens have especially enjoyed getting to know the personalities of the Mother Cows who have become part of the family these past few years, as their small herd has grown from 6 to 30. Although they use no growth hormones or steroids and their beef is raised organically, it is not certified organic. Holly tells us that “We have Beef customers who have been coming back each year for the past ten years! Once folks find a supplier of consistently excellent naturally raised beef, grown locally with care and kindness, they come back year after year. Most of our beef is sold by side or mixed quarter, but we do also offer Freezer Sampler Packs in smaller quantities that are available here at the Pottery, throughout the summer and fall. Bring your cooler along, and take one home at the end of Cycle Tour Day. As a special treat for this weekend only, we will be having a Prime Rib Roast doorprize draw again this year!”