#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!!</editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian
My most recent adventure was a quick trip to a local dairy farm. It's really close to my house, like 5 minutes away. I pass it all the time and I've always seen the sign but its never really registered to me that there was a working dairy farm minutes away from me. I think one day I was stuck behind someone really slow and I looked and actually read the sign. It stated they were open to the public only on Saturdays between 9am and 4pm. I've been meaning to go for the last two weeks but something always comes up and I'm not able to make it or I'm too exhausted from work. On the sign it says they have eggs, cheese, and honey. Every time I tell someone about the farm they are surprised there is one so close, most farms are further out in the boonies...I mean I was surprised there was one there! You never know what you will find when you actually stop and look around.
Today really wasn't the best day for me to attempt a visit but I knew if I kept putting it off there was a good chance that I'd never get around to it. After work I wanted to stop by the house I was pet sitting for to check on the kitties and give them more food. After that I knew I had to pass by the farm to get home so it was an easy way to force myself into it.
I turned down the dirt road and slowly drove past several cows and horses happily grazing on hay and whatever was available in there feed troughs. You could tell it was a small, family owned farm by the layout: some equipment here and there, pastures up front, long driveway leading to barn and allll the way in the back there was a house. There were little signs to point you in the right direction labeled "farm shop."Just the kind of place I was looking for!
At first it was slightly difficult to figure out where to park but you kind of just park wherever. They turned the entrance of the barn into a little shop. I walked in and the girl welcomed me. They had butter, biscotti, jams, jellies, cheese, and honey. They also usually have eggs but they were all out when I got there. I was told that they were out of several things and should have everything restocked next week. All I bought was some honey, it was a little more than I would have liked to spend on a big jar of honey ($7) but its from a local beekeeper so I figured "support local."
I tasted the two cheeses they had available. Tomme and Bleu Cheese. They are "Florida raw milk cheeses", you can see the website for more information about that. At first I didn't want to taste the bleu cheese but the other customer told me I HAD to try it. Now, let it be known I don't care for bleu cheese. I'll eat it, if I have to (now why would I have to?) but I won't go out of my way to have it. The bleu cheese I sampled was AMAZING. It is nothing like the bleu or blue cheese you get with wings or salad. Its very mild and creamy, it doesn't have that weird sharp perfumey taste. The Tomme tasted like a soft, mild parmasean, also yummy. The website says they also have coffee. http://www.winterparkdairy.com/ I'm definitely going back next week for some farm food!
I spoke briefly with the girl running the shop. The cheese and butter is made on site from the dairy cows. The eggs are cage free (I hope that's why they are so expensive!) but are from a farm in Eustis, FL. The honey is local from Orlando, FL. I didn't get to ask much more because she had more customers. A mom and her cute little boy, probably 3 years old. They were there to tour the farm and see the animals. I thought it was really cool that they would do that when asked. I needed to get home to let the dogs out so I didn't stick around for the tour but I may try to get one next week.
It was a nice experience and now good to know that I have access to some local farm products that don't have growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives or other chemicals. This past week has been pretty good, I enrolled in school for my veterinary technician license and I am really looking forward to it! I start in the fall but I'll share more about that another time, once I get all my classes figured out. At work I had a career first, anesthesia of a 4 week old kitten. The surgery went very well and the little guy is doing great! I hope everyone is doing well and well you know, #nerdsunite.