What I like best about this small family farm in rural Connecticut is the evident affection that Kris and Annemarie (the farmers) have for their animals. They want to make sure their critters live comfortably, under the best conditions possible. The goats browse on fresh pasture, supplemented with organically-produced hay and a certified organic grain blend; the hens scratch and peck within their movable A-frame houses, which allow them to be moved to a fresh patch of grass daily. The ever-moving flock of guinea hens is part of the natural pest control system here, along with bats and spiders. There’s nothing that Bailey the horse likes better as a snack than dandelions. Lucy, the calico cat, thinks she owns the place. And Kris and Annemarie love them all.

But this is a working farm, make no mistake about it. The raw goats’ milk is sold on the farm; used to make Elsa’s Suisse Kiss soaps, lotions, and balms (Annemarie’s line of skin and hair care products); or made into beautiful cheeses by Kris. The pastured hens lay eggs, also sold in the farm “shoppe”. The bees, which I forgot to mention earlier, provide honey, sold in its raw state or used in Annemarie’s health and beauty collection. These farmers were born to experiment and innovate, whether it’s Kris coming up with Hot Chili Moo Mama (a cows’ milk cheese, the milk provided by a local herd of Jersey-crosses, rubbed with a paste made from tequila and locally-grown hot peppers) or Annemarie’s Luxury Bars, soaps made with (wait for it!) raw goats’ milk and raw honey and available in some unique scents (Apple Fig and Summer Fruit Merlot, for instance). Products are also seasonal and of limited supply, which means that fresh, raw goats’ milk is simply unavailable during some of the winter and that some cheeses and other products will be unavailable or sold out from time to time (catch those chevre truffles while you can!).

Both Kris and Annemarie have some very definite ideas about how things should be done on the farm. This means that their goats are not given steroids, hormones, or medicated feeds; likewise, any kids stay with their mothers until they are completely weaned (no, not everyone does that). Annemarie’s soaps are not milled, nor are they of the “melt and pour” variety. You can visit the farm during their regular Farm Shoppe hours (their website has all the details), but note that you’ll have to call 24 hours in advance if you’re looking for raw goats’ milk, and any children coming with you must be very closely supervised. If you can’t get there, some products are available online, especially cheeses and the health/beauty products. You can find complete information on their website, www.meadowstonefarm.com. It’s nice to see that people trying to do things right can also come up with fine-quality products.