Vendor Spotlight: Hope Cress Farms
Hope Cress Farms raises non-GMO, pasture-raised beef, pork and chicken and eggs, as well as produce and microgreens. Find every cut of meat, alongside Jersey sweet corn, tomatoes, microgreens and lettuce at their booth each Wednesday. They even carry farm-fresh milk bottled in Sussex, NJ.
Although Greg Van Grouw began cultivating the Hope Cress Farm location for personal use about thirty-two years ago, the operation became a full time business more than eight years ago.
All of the meat (and eggs) they raise—beef, pork and chicken—is non-GMO and pasture-raised from start to finish. Both the meat and layer chickens live in tractor-pulled chicken coops that are moved daily, allowing them free-range access to fields and fresh forage. The coops protect the birds from predators while allowing them a natural diet and exposure to fresh air and sunshine.
This creates both a healthier environment for the chicken, and a sustainable practice of farming. The chickens share the pastures with the cows in a staggered rotation that supports a healthy regeneration of the fields.
In addition to being pasture-raised, the cows are supplemented with a small amount of feed, Greg explained, helping to create coveted marbling, and to reduce the gamey flavor of grass-fed beef.
Is grass-fed healthier?
The belief that grass-fed beef is healthier is supported by both science and opinion, but there is no arguing that the overall experience and health of an animal is improved by allowing it to roam and graze as nature intended.
“The meat is healthier, the animals are happier and they’re in an environment they’re supposed to be in,” Greg said of his pasture-raised cows. “They have access to the barn if they need to, but even in the dead of winter they often prefer the lot. I think it’s just a healthier product in the end… and you can’t compare the taste of the meat. People who buy it, they keep coming back.”
Quality control and certifications
All of Hope Cress Farm’s meat is USDA certified, including the butchering process. The chickens are tested and certified monthly to ensure they are healthy and disease-free, and in compliance with FDA guidelines, they are always hormone-free. They raise about 250 chickens each month and bring them to the butcher every six to seven weeks, so be sure to grab your favorite cuts before they sell out, or you may have to wait for the next batch.
The pigs are raised in a free range pasture with shelter, like the cows. They are fed a non-GMO feed and are allowed to forage as well, although Greg said they prefer to spend most of their time between the shelter and the water tub, or anywhere cool.
What you’ll find at market
All cuts of meat are available for individual sale at market each Wednesday, and at the Hope Cress farmstand on Blairstown Road in Hope, NJ. Patrons can buy whole roasting chickens, or individual cuts. (The chicken cutlets are the biggest seller, and often sell out first, Greg warned). For pork, traditional cuts are available as well as four different types of sausage. Find country style spare ribs, bacon, roasts and more. Get a wide variety of steaks, including T-bone, porterhouse and ribeye, roasts, as well as ground beef, hamburger patties, and all-beef hot dogs.
“One woman from the market bought [all-beef hot dogs] at market, and she later told me her kids had asked if she was trying to poison them with all those years with store-bought ones,” Greg quipped. Yup, they’re so good, they’re kid-approved.
Nothing goes to waste either, any parts that are not popular or used—backs, necks and organ meat, etc—are ground and packaged for dog food. Greg noted that raw chicken is a very healthy diet for dogs, and they sell both patties processed by their butcher, as well as farm-ground dog food sold in one pound tubes. These are available at market for $3/pound (or $1/patty).
More than just meat
Meat isn’t all you’ll find at Hope Cress. The produce sold at their booth is grown at Hope Cress and neighboring farms. Expect to find summer favorites such as tomatoes, zucchini, lettuces and green beans. The sweet corn they sell is renowned for its flavor, and Greg said many patrons come to his booth for the corn alone. Additionally, Hope Cress microgreens are jam-packed with nutrients, grown in controlled environments and sold fresh for the picking each week.
Last but not least, the Hope Cress stand also has farm-fresh milk available for sale from a Sussex County farm that is licensed to bottle and sell his own milk (rather than having it delivered to a processing plant for pasteurization and bottling).
If you’re looking for something specific, be sure to ask at market. Greg may have it in another freezer, or he can bring it the following week if available,
Visit Hope Cress Farms online, or at their farmstand, four miles from the farm at 440 Hope Blairstown Road in Hope, NJ.
