Ronnybrook Dairy Farm Open House

The best milk in New York comes from Ronnybrook Dairy. We're bi-weekly customers at their greenmarket stand or Chelsea Market storefront, swapping our empty glass bottles for fresh quarts and fighting the temptation to indulge in some ice cream. So we leapt at the chance to visit their farm for an open house event, even though traveling upstate to Ancramdale meant a two-hour train ride and a half-hour bus ride.

We'll be the first to admit that visiting a dairy farm doesn't sound like the most heart-pounding way to spend a Sunday. But we had a fun and interesting day following the process from the calves --- including one less than 24 hours old --- all the way through to the bottles, as well as the butter, yogurt, ice cream, and shakes. (We paid very close attention to the latter.) The farm is surprisingly small (only about 70 cows in milk production, each named) and truly a family affair, with several generations working the herd. The knowledge and dedication of everyone on hand was immensely impressive and made us glad to be satisfied customers.

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