PRESS
New trend toward purebred meats
ABC's Channel 7 News (story & video), April 24, 2009
TLC Ranch Brings Home the Bacon, and Eggs
Santa Cruz Wire, May 2009
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PRAISE
Read a five-star
review at LocalHarvest.org from Charles Sigismund,
who
attended our first pig slaughtering and butchering iclass.
Hi TLC,
I just wanted to write a quick note to thank you
for your amazing eggs! My family lives in Alameda and I bought
your eggs at the Alameda Natural Grocery. I couldn't believe
the high price, but decided to splurge for pastured eggs for
the first time ever. My 3-year-old daughter and I hard-boiled
a batch this morning and made super yummy egg salad. I couldn't
believe the color of the yolks! Afterward, my daughter sat on
my lap and I shared your web photos of the chickens so she could
see the chickens that laid the eggs we ate. It was very cool
(she, of course, preferred the cute pig photos, but still).
I hope you continue to sell your eggs in Alameda!!
Thanks,
Karie Frasch (a TLC convert)
I can't ever get up early enough
to get to Mountain View to get enough pork! Twice I've
been able to get eggs. But I tell you I should get up earlier
because OMG it's worth it. The pork is absolutely delicious!
– Anonymous
(left on Local
Harvest reviews page)
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We picked up the pork from the Farmer's
Market, and Saturday night we cooked up some of it for a gathering
of 10 people. We are certain that it was the best pork we
have ever eaten. We stuffed it with an herb, olive oil, garlic
mix, and topped it with both the herbs and a shallot crumb
topping. Incredible!
— Betsy Finfrock
--------------
I first met Jim Dunlop and
his wife, Rebecca Thistlethwaite, at a farmers market, back
when I started blogging about farms. I've visited the ranch
several times, and have learned so much from both Jim and Rebecca
about the importance of raising meat cleanly and sustainably...on
grass, and not indoors. They have over 3000 chickens, and a
varying number of pigs. The chickens are for eggs, and everything
they eat goes into making those eggs the yellowest, tastiest
eggs you can buy. Also the freshest eggs you can buy. (Eggs
in grocery stores can be several weeks old!)
The pork, too, is so clean-tasting that I can no longer
eat pork from the grocery store: I can literally taste the
foulness of it, that comes from animals who are penned up
and never see the light of day. Imagine how badly those places
smell, and then imagine wanting to eat the meat raised in
those conditions. Ugh.
Anyway, because of their integrity and
intelligence, and the caring they put into raising livestock
at TLC Ranch, these good people are my heroes, and also my
good friends. I am fortunate to babysit their little girl,
and I get "paid" in
meat and eggs. What a luxury.
We are so blessed here in Santa Cruz to
have ranchers with this level of commitment. That's why they
have so many loyal customers. Tasty meat, tasty eggs! Whee!”
— Tana
Butler, our web designer, photographer, and dear friend
(Tana has also written frequently about
TLC Ranch, Jim, Becky,
and Fiona on her www.iheartfarms.com
blog.)
--------------
I would simply like to say the pork
is amazing. It is unlike any pork I have ever had—and it
is worth it! I simply want to second the reviewer above and
say that I have sampled the pork. If I can ever get to Mountain
View early enough, I'll sample the beef too. : )
— Anonymous
(left on Local Harvest page)
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I write this review simply because
there NEEDS to be a review of this place, even though I might
not be the most qualified person to write it. I first heard
of TLC Ranch when my grocery delivery service, Planet Organics
started offering TLC's pastured eggs.
Having been disenchanted before when I found out that the
eggs that I thought were pastured, were actually produced
by a large-scale factory-farm-like enterprise, I had started
to really scrutinize the claims of companies. TLC eggs were
offered at a premium by Planet Organics, so while I had already
found a reliable source for eggs from a small family farm
while waiting for my own flock to start laying, we decided
to give these eggs a try.
My family of 5 easily goes through 2 dozen eggs per week
and this extra dozen pushed us to 3 dozen eggs. The eggs
from TLC were just what they said they were, delicious and
nutritious, with bright orange yolks and the freshness that
can be verified with a firm white that clings to the egg.
Since this initial exposure, my CSA, eatwiththeseasons.com
has started offering TLC Ranch eggs as well. They cost a
bit more, but are well worth it.
But their great eggs are not the reason
I felt compelled to write this review. Because while me & my
family might be driven by taste, quality or convenience,
there is no fooling other farmers and local food producers.
It was when Jean at Deep Roots Ranch spoke with respect of
TLC Ranch Jim Dunlop that my trust in this ranch was affirmed.
I heard a bit about how he was getting some sows and then
found some local articles online with photos from the ranch.
That's when I came to fully appreciate the place this ranch
holds in our local food community. Places like this deserve
to be recognized & celebrated.
So while I cannot YET speak to their meats & other
offerings, I am impressed with what I've seen so far and
look forward to seeing how they grow—especially with the
ties that plant them as a local, sustainable resource to
the metropolitan areas of San Francisco & Silicon Valley.
— Anonymous
(left on Local Harvest page)
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Shortly after the holidays, I purchased one of your
ham hocks at the Mt View farmer's market (which I missed
today, alas!). I took it out of the freezer a couple
of days ago and let it thaw in the fridge.
Today I let it cook with a few cups of water in the slow
cooker on High all day, plus some chopped onion and celery,
a few cloves, some whole yellow mustard seed, a little spicy
oregano from my backyard herbs, some crystallized ginger,
and a star of anise.
I could smell it cooking all day in the
backyard while I worked on my garden, and just had some a
little while ago. Amazing. I
haven't tasted anything like that since I was a kid, and
we raise a couple of pigs each summer on mash, table scraps,
and surplus goat milk.
The meat is in the fridge, the bones are
in the broth, and a pound of split peas just joined them
in the slow cooker for Ham Hock 2: The Soupening. :-)
Thanks so much for all your hard work and
dedication to bring real food to folks. Some of us can
remember it, and all of us should get to know it!”
— Strata
Chalup
