Kodie H. June 9, 2017

I had been looking for quite some time for quality beef. It's important to me that my family has real, natural and great tasting food. I have found that with Mountain Glen Farm . I have been purchasing beef from Becky for several years. It seems to improve every year. My family LOVES this beef and I love the high quality. It's the best beef I've found and a great price. I hope to be enjoying it for years to come. Thanks Becky!

KODIE

We have known Glenn and Cyndy for years so when the opportunity to purchase beef raised on their farm arose, we took advantage. All the beef that Steve and I have purchased from Mountain Glen Farm over the years has been good, but the South Poll beef purchased last year was the best we have ever eaten. Our beef was individually packaged, labeled and frozen, and looked so good ~ very lean. As expected, the first cut we tried was the filet and it was delicious! Now, Steve and I stopped purchasing any beef steak from grocers and restaurants other than the filet twenty years ago. We found the other cuts were too tough, so I admit to wondering if we would enjoy the other cuts from Mountain Glen Farm as well as the filet. Oh, how we did!! We have grilled, roasted, seared, and slow cooked. Every cut has been wonderfully tender and tasty. Everyone we have shared this beef with says it is mouth watering and I agree! While I am it, I should also mention the eggs from MGF. Not only are their eggs fresh, but they are huge, the yolks are golden, and they are delicious. Every time family visits us they ask if they are being served ‘Cyndy’s Eggs’,and smile when I answer, “Yes.” If you haven’t tried any of Mountain Glen Farm’s foods, you truly are missing out on some deliciousness!

Ann Young

(2012)

"My family ordered fresh beef from Mountain Glen Farm last summer - a first for us! Living up in Maryland and keeping busy with young children, busy careers and all the trappings of suburban living, this was really something new.  It turns out to have been a terrific decision and we are so glad we took the plunge to order ¼ of a cow from Mountain Glen.  The cuts were individually packed, labeled and frozen.  Perfect for storing in the freezer until ready for use.  I could tell by looking at the different cuts that the meat was lean - each cut was heavy and, frankly, beautiful.  Then we began to cook the beef and every single meal was delicious:  NY Strips on the grill, Prime Rib for a special Saturday night dinner, fresh ground beef burgers,   Ribeye steaks seasoned and seared, brisket in the slow cooker… the beef was FABULOUS.  Lean, moist, rich with flavor. I would recommend Mountain Glen Farm's grass fed beef without hesitation.  A wonderful and delicious experience! "

Kathy Barquin
KBarquinDesign.com

(2012)

From Deidre and Phil Armstrong of Harvest Thyme Herb Farm, Staunton, Virginia

We have been fortunate since moving here to have met so many talented, hardworking farmers, and Glenn, Cyndy and Becky Szarzynski of Mountain Glen Farm in Raphine are certainly high on that list. Daughter Becky has been delivering her unparalled free- range eggs to us for years, and we have stocked our freezer with lean, flavorful ground beef from her parents' farm as well. So we jumped at the chance to be the first customers to purchase a whole cow last summer, to be divided among our families.

The story of the breed of cattle that Glenn and Cyndy are raising is fascinating. South Poll cattle are a composite bred by Teddy Gentry, best known as lead singer of the country band Alabama and owner of Bent Tree Farms. Gentry combined the genetics of 4 maternal breeds: Hereford, Angus, Barzona and Senepol. These breeds were selelcted to produce a moderate- framed, slick- haired cow designed to be raised on grass in hot, humid environments- what Gentry calls a "Southern Mama Cow Breed". Glenn and Cyndy are Virginia's first South Poll cattle breeders.

Phil and I have worked with local farmers before to have whole lambs and goats raised for us, but never a whole cow, so Cyndy and Becky helped us through the process. She and Glenn chose Donald's Meat Processing in Lexington for the butchering, and an employee there advised us on how to make the most of our custom cuts. We knew we loved the ground meat we had been getting from Becky, and couldn't wait to try the steaks, roasts and even offal soon to come, and to share it with our families.

When the meat was ready Phil went to Donald's with our truck full of coolers. Cyndy was kind enough to offer their freezers for temporary storage until my sister Kathleen could come to help divide it up among our family members. We were immediately struck by the vibrant color of the lean beef, and how beautifully it was individually "Cryovaced" rather than wrapped in butcher paper, thus better preserving the meat for freezer storage.

When Kathleen and I arrived at Mountain Glen Farm, Cyndy and Becky gave us a tour. I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful farm. Majestic views of lush meadows abounded from every angle, and their tranquil herd of South Poll cattle, with shining copper pelts, grazed peacefully. Cyndy is an amazing gardener, and her immaculate flowering perennial beds and shrubs showed a designer's eye for color and fragrance. I could have pulled up a chair and lost myself for hours just drinking in the beauty.

But what Cyndy really wanted to talk about was the "intensive controlled grazing management" she and Glenn were practicing on the herd, where no mechanical hay production was done. This is a radical departure from most livestock management practices, where haying is done throughout the growing season in order to provide feed for the cattle in winter. Her eyes shown as she described the rotational grazing their herd practices, where the grass in the meadows is able to grow lush and tall and the cattle feed on the tips of those grasses, where the most nutrition is found. She told us their goal was to graze the herd throughout the winter on these pastures, which would result in lean, flavorful and healthy meat.

It was inspiring to see such passionate animal husbandry and land management, and we couldn't wait to go home and try the meat for ourselves. And the taste? Meltingly tender and deeply flavorful- what I imagine 'real meat' used to taste like. From steaks to roasts, we have savored each meal we have made with this special beef. And our family members have echoed our sentiments. The added benefit of ordering a whole cow is that we have been able to cook cuts that are hard to find even from local sources, like flank steak, tongue, heart, and real soup and marrow bones, that cooked up to make the most luscious broth I've ever tasted.

Cyndy is a prodigious writer and devoted naturalist, and you can follow her musings on her farm blog . To find out more about Mountain Glen Farm's South Poll cattle, Katahdin and Dorper sheep, and to order meat as well as breeding stock, click here .

NEXT: A Provencal daube made with Mountain Glen Farm beef. Virginia's First South Poll Cattle Breeder



Harvest Thyme Herbs
www.harvestthymeherbfarm.com
www.harvestthymeherbfarm.blogspot.com

(2012)