Photo courtesy Saddle Ridge Farm
Saddle Ridge Farm: Culpeper, 703-789-0647
History: “What would life look like if I spent every day working the land?” For years, this was the question that Wendy and Keith Farrish asked themselves, tantalized by the prospect of getting back to nature and growing their own food. In 2009, the couple opened Saddle Ridge Farm in the Piedmont River Valley.
Specialties: Non-GMO chicken, eggs, pork and beef, all of it pasture-raised. Steak lovers, take note: The beef is both grass-fed and grass-finished, a rarity in a world where corn-fed (worse for cows, worse for humans) predominates. The farm also offers wholesale prices on sides of beef and portions of hogs.
Production methods: The Farrishes take inspiration from Polyface Farms evangelist and author Joel Salatin in aiming to heal the land rather than deplete it and using pasturing methods that predate commercial factory farming.
Where to find in RVA: Customers can order online or call ahead to pick up at the farm.
