The story below is from our November/December 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Smoke in Chimneys Farm provides produce for the region and offer events for guests to witness the local love firsthand.
The owners of Smoke in Chimneys Farm, Ty and Shannon Walker, raise livestock that is good for their customers and good for the environment. After completing a farm internship in Oregon in 2016, they returned to Virginia with farming practices that are sustainable and regenerative and actually rehabilitate the land.
Those sustainable and regenerative practices are part of the reason Sharyah and Kyle Doty began purchasing Smoke in Chimneys’ products after discovering them at the Grandin Farmer’s Market. They first purchased trout after the Walkers explained that they raise their fish in fresh mountain spring water in an ecosystem that provides the fish with the same bugs they would feed on in the wild. Since they live just a half mile from the market, the Dotys have been making weekly visits ever since.
When asked why they purchase products from Smoke in Chimneys rather than the same products at a grocery store, the Dotys say, “There’s something beautiful about farm to table meals and we’ve always wanted to eat mostly from local farms, supporting those who participate in organic and sustainable practices. We love having a relationship with farmers and knowing where our food comes from.”
The Dotys enjoy using herbs from their garden to stuff the trout and baking them with olive oil and vegetables. Alternately, they bake the fish and then shred it with vegetables, cheese and herbs tossed with pasta.
In addition to trout, the Dotys regularly enjoy Smoke in Chimneys’ sausage with eggs or in tacos. They also mix it with peppers and feta and Parmesan cheese in phyllo dough to make a “savory” pie.
For those who want to enjoy the trout of Smoke in Chimneys without having to prepare a meal at home, Ty and Shannon provide their fish to local restaurants River and Rail and Bloom Wine Bar and Restaurant. Chef Nate Sloan of Bloom believes that the trout from Smoke in Chimneys is so good because their ponds are “fed by the clean and cool artesian spring water that gushes through their hatchery” so that “one can truly taste the delicate and authentic flavor of rainbow trout, the way it should taste.”
Sloan also appreciates the effort that the Walkers put into fostering a humane environment for their animals. “Ty and Shannon are part of a wonderful revival of sustainable agriculture in Virginia, and their farm products speak volumes to such stewardship of land and water. Being fed from start to finish, we know Ty and Shannon are truly caring for and nurturing their animals,” he says. “We are excited to see them continue to grow and flourish, for they are true salt of the earth folks.”
An integral part of the “stewardship” Sloan mentions is the regenerative practice of rotationally grazing all their pigs and cows. The pigs of Smoke in Chimneys also have access to woods where they can forage for roots, nuts and seeds. This diverse diet and time spent out in the sun creates a flavorful and nutrient-dense meat.
Their cows spend their lives on open pasture with multiple acres of land to themselves in the open air. The Walkers also keep calves with their mothers so that the bond between mother and child is not broken.
Additionally, the cows are provided with the minerals and environment their bodies need. The cows eat freely from these minerals and are able to instinctively balance any deficiencies in their body with them.
These practices — allowing their pigs to forage in the sun and their cows to eat minerals — is part of what regenerates the land. The pigs and cows deposit nutrients and minerals back into the soil through their manure. Caring for the cows this way also ensures that they are getting the nutrition they need, which creates nutrient-dense milk for the humans that drink it.
Another way the Walkers do things as nature intended is by milking their cows by hand. This protects the milk from possible bacterial contamination in tubes and pumps, thereby producing a safe raw product.
Morgan Mabes, of New Castle, is grateful for the milk from Smoke in Chimneys because it’s the only kind that she and her family can consume. She purchases only raw milk “because of its superior nutrition and significant health benefits.” She explains that she and her husband both “noticed a growing lactose intolerance since [their] early twenties” and “used to feel awful within 30 minutes of drinking pasteurized milk.”
However, since drinking raw milk, they “have zero issues” and say their “gut health has vastly improved.” Morgan describes the flavor of raw milk from Smoke in Chimneys as “very fresh, with a richer and creamier texture.”
Smoke in Chimneys farm hosts a Hatchery Tour & Social on a quarterly basis. This tour is an opportunity to eat their products and drink their milk while enjoying live music and observing how the trout are raised firsthand. For more details and the next hatchery tour date, visit smokeinchimneys.com.
The story below is from our November/December 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
