Some Virginia farms are committed to raising calves on pasture, which is creating a demand for rose veal among chefs, diners, and home cooks.
By Walter Nicholls • Photographs by Molly McDonald Peterson
© Molly McDonald Peterson
In the 1980s, American diners walked away from veal in droves after animal welfare groups laid bare inhumane factory-farm practices—which continue to this day. From the veal boom days of the mid-1940s, consumption of the milk-fed, white meat has tumbled from 8.6 pounds per person annually in 1944 to less than a pound per person today. Veal’s high price, compared with other meats, adds to the product’s fragile niche.
But now mid-Atlantic diners are taking a second look as a growing number of Virginia farmers have introduced veal— pasture-raised “rose” veal—that satisfies both the palate and the consumer’s conscience. These three Virginia farms—Chapel Hill Farm in Berryville, Froggy Spring Farm in Nethers, and Ayrshire Farm in Upperville—have their own reasons why this type of veal production makes sense for them.
Noticeably Different
As defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, veal is the meat of a young beef animal raised until about 16 to 18 weeks, weighing up to 450 pounds. Most veal comes from male dairy calves, a natural by-product of the dairy industry: To meet consumer demand for milk and dairy products, cows must give birth every year to continue producing milk. Male dairy calves, which will never produce milk, are of no use to the average dairy farmer.
But in contrast to factory-raised veal calves, which are housed in immobilizing crates or narrow pens, the calves at these farms graze and frolic. That difference is found on the plate, too. Meat from a confined, milk-fed calf is pale in color, whereas calves that eat grass and move freely produce a pink, but still tender, meat.
Saving an Endangered Breed
For rancher Joe Henderson, owner of Chapel Hill Farm, veal sales help America’s rarest breed of cattle, the Randall Lineback, not only survive but flourish. “Our deal is creating a product from an animal that hasn’t been eaten in a couple hundred years, one with a different genetic print from dairy cows,” says Henderson, who started raising Randall Lineback cattle in 1999.
Henderson, who is keen on history and genetics, says that early American farmers created the Lineback by mixing European breeds, yielding an animal that could withstand the challenges of life in the New World, where they were used as oxen and provided meat and milk. The breed was nearly extinct until the Randall family of Vermont bought Linebacks a few decades ago and slowly developed a dairy herd. Henderson’s 250 cows are direct descendants of the Vermont Randall herd. For long-term survival, he believes, his male calves “need a job.
At Chapel Hill, male calves roam free on grasslands. A combination of their colonial American genetics, natural diet, and exercise produces finely grained, rose-colored meat with little intermuscular fat. Top chefs, such as Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria and Bryan Voltaggio of Volt restaurant in Frederick, Maryland, buy whole calves from Chapel Hill and use every part of the animal. Randall Lineback veal has been on the menu at Marcel’s restaurant in Washington’s West End for several years.
“Before, I didn’t use veal because I didn’t like the flavor or how it was processed,” says Robert Wiedmaier, Marcel’s chef and owner. “But I’ve been to Chapel Hill. I’ve seen the cows as well as the slaughter, and I absolutely love this product with its clean taste on the palate.
Henderson produces a veal commodity that didn’t exist six years ago. “This is a different critter—a fabulous, tasty piece of meat, bright in flavor.” And it’s rare. (“It’s like beluga caviar,” he says.) Rose veal from Chapel Hill is available only in restaurants.
Meeting the Bottom Line
At Froggy Spring Farm, farmers Chrissy and Lee Witscher produce pasture-raised veal as a sure-fire way to bring in extra income. “If I took our male calves to the livestock sale in Marshall, we would get 80 cents per pound—if we were lucky,” says Lee. The couple’s two dairy cows produce enough milk for six calves, so they buy additional calves for their small herd. At six months and 400 pounds, the calves are sold for $750 to restaurants, which pay an additional $200 to the slaughterhouse for butchering.
Frank Maragos, co-owner and chef of Foti’s restaurant in Culpeper, sources rose veal from farms all over the mid-Atlantic. But his first choice, when it’s available, is veal from Froggy Spring. “The way they care for the animals and hang the meat for 21 days gives it the great characteristics of beef, but the great delicateness of veal is still there. It knocked my socks off when I first tried it, and guests say, ‘Oh my, I can’t believe this is veal.’” Froggy Spring rose veal is also available at one retail location: Forlano’s Market in The Plains.
Providing a Service
On a larger scale, Ayrshire Farm prospers as a leader in certified humanely raised meats. With a herd of 70 or more calves at any one time, rose veal is a growing part of its product line. “Humane veal is the solution to the problem of what to do with
male dairy calves. This is an issue that needs to be addressed,” says Ayrshire’s retail division manager, Susannah Carney. “We want to educate and tell people it’s okay. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You’re producing a service.”
Ayrshire buys male Jersey and Holstein calves from area dairy farms—saving the animals from being shipped to industrial factory farms. They are bottle-fed twice a day with a nutrient-rich milk replacer and are free to roam on the farm’s rolling hills. For this, the farm has been certified by Humane Farm Animal Care, a nonprofit organization that awards its “certified humane” status to producers that meet its strict standards.
Customers for Ayrshire’s rose veal include The Ashby Inn in Paris, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, and The Local in Charlottesville. The Home Farm Store in Middleburg, the farm’s butcher shop, also stocks the veal. At Ayrshire’s own Hunter’s Head Tavern, also in Upperville, chef Rob Townsend prepares a terrific, tender, slow-cooked, braised veal chuck roast, served atop a polenta cake drizzled with a reduced veal stock.
Savoring the Results
Bryan Moscatello, executive chef of the Stir Food Group, which includes Washington restaurants Zola, Zola Wine and Kitchen, and Potenza, uses only rose veal. “It has more body and pairs with robust flavors on the plate,” he says. “[Traditional] milk-fed veal gets lost in the presentation. It may be tender, but there is less going on with flavor.”
In addition to making its way onto menus at high-end restaurants, rose veal is increasingly available at farmers markets. (Shop early for prime cuts, such as scaloppine.) For best results, chef Wiedmaier recommends searing cuts on the stove top followed by slow, low-temperature (225 F) cooking in the oven. Says the chef, “It’s lean, clean, and good for you.”
Walter Nicholls is a former staff reporter for The Washington Post. A native Washingtonian, he has written about farms, food markets, and restaurants for 21 years. He resides both in the Georgetown section of Washington and on an historic homestead in Rappahannock County, Virginia. Find him at www.walternicholls.com.
