Beach Lake Fabulous Foodie Favs

 

Life in the Pocono Mountains offers a plethora of farm fresh foods. Two of my favorite foodie finds happen to be located near each other… Calkins Creamery & Farm and Beach Lake Bakery.

Bread-CalkinsBeach Lake Bakery (formerly Beach Lake Breads) located at 258 Milanville Road reopened this summer to once again offer their delicious artisan breads, pies, cookies, scones and brownies. Owners Lisa and Brian Woods begin making preparations on Friday and then rising at 3 a.m. every Saturday morning to begin baking their tasty treats.

They distribute to a few local establishments and are only open to the public on Saturdays 9-4pm.  Their hand-crafted artisan breads are made from unbleached, untreated flours with no added preservatives. They offer delicious French baguettes, rustic country, old world rye, sourdough wheat, Italian semolina, ciabatta, challah and my favorite, the mouthwatering “Bread with Saints” – walnuts and raisins! Yummy!

A great combination with your favorite artisan Beach Lake Bakery breads is any one of the many fantastic artisan cheeses from Calkins Creamery. Flavors such as Misty Morning, Lida Gold, Old Man Highlander, Vampire Slayer and Smokey Moo Mozz taunt your taste buds. The rich creamy flavor is better than butter!

Home to 88 registered Holsteins milk cows and 265 acres, the Calkins dairy farm – originally Highland Farm, was established by the Bryant Family in 1841.  Today, the farm is led by Bill & Zack Bryant, the fifth and sixth generations.  Together, the duo has implemented new programs and technology to preserve the family’s heritage.

In addition to the great cheeses customers are welcome to pre-order freshly butchered pork and beef. The beef cattle are rotationally grazed, feeding upon the natural offerings of their corner of Pennsylvania and the Delaware River Valley.  The pigs are whey-fed with supplemental feed from grazing and grain.  The whey is a by-product of the creamery’s cheese making process, which contributes to sustainable agricultural goals.  This “liquid protein” delivers a very lean cut of meat. The extraordinary flavor is a treat to the pallet.

Sign up for an email to notify you when they are taking orders. I ordered a ¼ pig in June. In July I received an email asking how I would like my order prepared. You can have your portions packaged to your liking and select your preference for hot or sweet sausage or mixed. Two weeks later my order was ready for pickup at the farm. Make sure you have plenty of room in your freezer. If you’ve never had fresh bacon direct from the farm – then you’ve never had real bacon!

Two great local businesses – Calkins Creamery and Beach Lake Bakery. Prices may be double what you would normally pay for bread, cheese and meat – but the difference in flavor is well worth the cost. Visit www.calkinscreamery.com and www.beachlakebakery.com for additional information and directions. Tell them you saw it in Pocono Backroads