Let’s step up our coffee game with some Toasted S’Mores Coconut Mocha. I know it’s a crazy mouthful to say—apparently, I’m determined to leave no calorie behind.
Of course you can keep this pared down and just go for a straight mocha or coffee, but whatever you do don’t forget Organic Valley’s French Vanilla Half and Half.
You know I’m going to tell you it’s awesome, or we wouldn’t be talking about it—so more importantly, can we talk about where the dairy comes from? 
A few weeks ago, I went to the Burkholder Farm, a family that is part of the Organic Valley Coop in Pennsylvania. It was nothing I expected. First off, the farms here in California are mostly yellow and brown, not green and luscious like you see above.
Once the paddy wagon dropped me and few others off at the farm. I was instantly charmed by The Burkholder family. They live a traditional Mennonite life—beautifully and quietly. Their farm is almost how I imagine the one I want—filled with a few pigs, chickens, and cows. Not too much, but just enough to support and sustain a life.
The only problem is those cute little piglets, the chicken coop and the cows wouldn’t be so peaceful on my wishful farm. I’m basing this on the fact that I can hardly keep a plant longer than a few weeks before it gives up on me.
But like all Organic Valley cows, their caretakers believe, like humans, cows that eat well and experience less stress live longer and healthier, so they are raised as such. Along with that, Organic Valley farmers practice holistic, preventative healthcare that sometimes include aloe, herbs and acupuncture. Their cows are taken care of as part of the family and not just a part of their livelihood. Pssst . . . no machines to feed their baby cow. They hand feed them with that huge bottle in Ida Burkeholder’s hand.
All that green pasture that I so love and crave against my concrete patio, is not just for looks. It’s the cornerstone of organic dairy. Pasture plants are the best food for cows, and the best organic milk begins in the pastures the cows graze—healthy plants grown in healthy soil.
Beyond the farming you can see the family also sells pieces of their traditional life that they hand craft alongside their home grown organic fruit. Like so many of you, I love a good story. The Burkeholder family is one of those stories – everything they do seems to lead back to one thing – their family. 
The pics are few a more pics of the family and their farm that captured—nothing posed—just quiet beauty every where I turned.
I was so deeply thankful to be able to visit and photograph all the things about this family and their way life that resonated with me. Often times I’m drawn to a product for its quality, standards and flavor. Not so often are those qualities in tandem with a great story of people who love what they do and what they do is the soul of why they do it. Organic Valley is an exception.
**This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Organic Valley.
S’mores Coconut Mocha
Ingredients:
Coffee
- 2 tablespoons dark chocolate syrup
- 1 cups hot coffee
- 2 tablespoons Organic Valley Half and Half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- handful toasted coconut
- handful mini marshmallows
- crushed graham crackers
Whipped Cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
No comments:
Post a Comment