The way we look at it, local is about more than just distance. Local means knowing where our food comes from and what practices and processes were used along the way. It means paying farmers fairly to support their responsible farming and business practices. Local means growing the region’s economy and actively participating in the community. It means restoring the connection between farmer and consumer. We call this being Positively Local.
Want to participate in the local food movement? See which groceries carry Five Acre Foods products near you.
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day which means you need to bake a delicious Soda Bread and locate some green clothes. What makes soda bread rise is not yeast, rather it’s the reaction between the acids in buttermilk and the basic compounds in baking soda… Science! (learn more here)
Here’s a list of frequently asked questions and answers related to our locally made buttermilk
What is Buttermilk?
Our buttermilk is an unsalted cultured milk drink made by adding four live and active cultures to the best local whole milk.
Where does the milk for your Buttermilk come from?
To make our buttermilk, Sunrise Family Farms sources fresh, creamy milk from 10 local dairy farms.
Who makes Five Acre Farms Buttermilk?
Each batch of Five Acre Farms Local Buttermilk is made at Sunrise Family Farms in Norwich, New York.
How is Buttermilk made?
We add four live and active cultures to fresh, creamy whole milk. During the culturing process, some of the milk sugar lactose changes to lactic acid, making the milk more acidic, which gives the buttermilk its characteristic tart flavor. Milk proteins (primarily casein) are not soluble under acidic conditions and precipitate, making buttermilk thicker than regular milk.
Which cultures are added to Five Acre Farms Buttermilk?
We add four live and active cultures: lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris.
What are the best uses of Buttermilk?
Our buttermilk, naturally loaded with calcium, riboflavin, potassium, and vitamin B12, is a healthy choice to drink straight, and it’s excellent for baking and cooking. Try it as a tangy base for soups, salad dressings, and marinades and as a coating before frying or baking poultry and fish.
What started out as a call from a friend who wanted to make an immediate difference in the growing food crisis has turned into a truly holistic approach to helping feed those in need with dignity and nutritious local food. Since last June, Five Acre Farms and the Fair Food Network have leveraged our existing logistics infrastructure to move food directly off of local farms and into the mouths and bodies of our neighbors. The model is to pay the farmer, trucking, and logistics communities fairly so they can continue to remain in our economy. With food insecurity skyrocketing, Five Acre Farms saw an opportunity to provide nutritious fresh food to those in need using this very model – the results have been gratifying.
We have delivered fresh milk and eggs directly to food pantries as we would our existing customers. Our deliveries have been to a range of communities: Upstate Eastern New York, Albany, The South Bronx, Queens, all the boroughs. Sometimes we have been mask to mask, handing out to those in need and sometimes we have been intermediaries. In Queens, we have directly stocked the Jackson Heights Community Fridge, a local non-profit that has a novel approach – outdoor refrigerators up and down the boulevard that is accessible to all that want. Sometimes we park the Big Rig and unload into waiting cars, sometimes it’s milk crates and egg cartons in front of a housing complex in tandem with a local pantry.
Thanks to all of your support and we look forward to doing a lot more.
If you didn’t know already, buttermilk is a crucial ingredient in southern fried chicken. It’s the acids in buttermilk which tenderize the chicken by breaking down the proteins in the meat prior to cooking. We were reminded of this delicious fact when we tried this Nashville Hot Chicken recipe on Southern Kitchen. The recipe is simple to follow and the results are Deeeeeelicious!
Nashville Hot Chicken
Serves: 4
Hands On Time: Total Time:
Ingredients
Seasoned Flour
8 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup garlic powder
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
Hot Chicken
4 cups buttermilk (Five Acre Farms Buttermilk)
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Vegetable shortening or peanut oil, for frying
5 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
To make the flour: In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Pour the flour mixture into a heavy duty brown paper bag and reserve for frying.
To make the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Add the chicken and submerge in the buttermilk mixture. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for 4 hours.
When ready to fry, remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drain off. Place the chicken in the bag with the flour. Clasp the bag at the top and vigorously shake to completely coat chicken with flour. Remove chicken from the bag, tap off excess flour, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack. Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
As the chicken is resting, fill a large cast iron skillet one-third of the way up the sides with melted shortening or peanut oil. Heat the oil to 340 degrees.
When the oil is hot, add the legs and the thighs first, placing them around the sides of the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes before adding the breasts and wings. Use a wire splatter screen to prevent excess grease from adhering to your kitchen surfaces. Cook until the chicken is golden brown and crisp on both sides and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean baking sheet lined with a clean wire rack. Reserve 1 cup of the frying oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cayenne, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder and garlic powder. Carefully whisk in the reserved frying oil until a loose paste has formed. With a pastry brush, coat the surface of the fried chicken chicken with the sauce and serve hot.
I hope everyone is staying safe.