Where does my sons milk come from?

A few weeks ago, as I mentioned before in a previous blog, Craig and I had visited a small health foods store called the 3 Rivers Co-Op Natural Grocery. As I was wandering through the tiny shoppe I found the milk section. Everything looked pretty much the same until I came across an old school glass bottle of milk. Turns out it was organic, coming from grass fed cows, local, and again, in an awesome bottle. The awesomeness of the bottle finally convinced Craig to buy $6.00 milk.. and not even a gallon of it. When we got home we just had to try it. Craig popped it open to find a thick creamy layer on the top. He excitedly grabbed a spoon out of drawer and scooped it out.
"It tastes like a milk shake!" He proceeded to eat the rest off the top and poor Leland a cup who had been screaming the whole time for some. Leland loves milk either way and not being able to talk yet, the short time in which he took to guzzle down the glass was a clear indication that he loved it just as much as his daddy.
At this point I just had to find out where our beloved new find in milk was coming from. Not to mention, Leland just LOVES cows, so we waited for a day where the weather was just right. Which happened to be today! I would have loved to have sat down with the owners and talked to them about how sustainable the farm was, their practices and so on... but today was about experiencing the farm as any family would. So here it is, my family day(and review) of Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville, IN!

From Fort Wayne to Zionsville, it took us two hours by car. Maybe a little background first, I am the one and only vegetarian on both sides of our familys. No one gets it. When I try to explain how horrible animals are treated, they just dont care. So my initial thought was to show her what I support whole heartedly. Organic farming. We wont even get started on Monsanto today.

It was pretty easy to find and very well marked with signs along the way. Our first mission being after 2 o'clock in the afternoon, was to eat an organic lunch! Craig took this picture and of course it was one of the few we took inside so please ignore the fact that Im blinking. At least Leland looked happy coloring his cows right?

Our orders are as follows:
Leland and I shared the 3 Cheese & Macaroni.. I had to actually re order it because I somehow overlooked that it had chicken and bacon loaded in it(which Craig and his mom had no problem devouring.. they said it was their favorite dish!) But the vegetarian version for Leland(who is vegetarian by choice for now) and I was equally amazing! We also had the chocolate milk which was so incredibly thick and creamy and almost too much for me, delicious! Leland drank both his glass of it and finished off mine.

Craig had the Grilled Cheese with Avocado, and chili. He downed the chili and said it wasnt too spicy, but just right. He said that it was way too big of a portion and wished he would have gotten peppers instead of avocado, since it made it a little bland. He also had the Ratatouille.. said it was a little over cooked but the flavoring was just right.


Here is Craig, sitting in front of the dairy bar. Not quite sure what the giant metal and white thing is there. Maybe a cup of milk? I was never a fan of modern art but it fills the space nicely I guess...
All n' all the food there was pretty good and the service was amazing and super friendly. Someday I wish to go back and sample all of their food. But for a family day at the farm, it was nothing less of some of the best comfort foods around. In my opinion of course.

After cleaning Lelands hands and face of cheesy messiness, we headed downstairs to take the $2 tour. Seeing as you had to pay $60 or have 10 people in your group, most familys would pick the cheaper option, so we did too. Amy gave us 3 maps, 2 of which I returned at the end to be recycled, and showed us where to go and where to watch out for the bulls. I would have asked her more questions but Leland was making sure we noticed that he was ready to continue on. First we checked out where the farmers market happens.. year round I think.. or nearly year round. Such a beautiful old barn! I cant wait to come in the spring!


We proceeded downstairs to where the (2 week old?) calf was hanging out along with 3 others. One had a broken shoulder(I think thats what Amy said) and I was glad to see they were being responsible about taking care of its injury and proud that they even kept it alive. You rarely see that these days. Leland loved visiting the cows and they were friendly and came right up to us.

Here I am visiting with one of gigantic cows. You never realize how big they are until you are right next to them.

Next came the chicken coop. They were left pretty much unattended and free to wander where-ever their hearts desired!

Heres one running free! Well, maybe he was running because we were walking towards him. But at least he can run right?

Next we walked out to where the cows were happily grazing. "Leland", I said, "This is where your milk comes from. This is what you drink every morning with breakfast!" He just smiled and said, "Cowr! Cowr!" He's still working on the words yet. But it was a good feeling knowing that I was able to show him that I cared enough to know where his food was coming from, and not just stuffing him with whatever Meijer had on sale that week. We walked a little of the trail, with Leland on Grandmas shoulders, and one couldnt ask for a better day on the farm in the middle of winter. As we were leaving, it was hard to imagine cows living in any conditions other than these. Thats what they show you in their labels and tv ads, so why should you believe any different? Well, I want to know the different. I want to know where my food comes from and I want to drink the same milk that has been drinked for thousands of years before me. The quality is in the taste, and the love poors out of this farm like the warm glow of the sun that day. And I officially had my first cheesy moment in my blogging history.. and Im sure there will be more to come. lol. But before we left we had to stop by their small store and pick up some milk for Leland. It was only 3.50!! Leland got to see a friendly kitty on the way out too, victory for him! (He LOVES cat-tins..) And also Hi to Amy, David, and our super nice waitress whose names escapes me. We loved our visit and plan to come again soon! Keep doing what you do best!