“As a chef who has worked
with lamb from Colorado
BRAMBLE HOLLOW FARM
to Australia this is the best
The Traditional Flavors of
I have ever eaten!”
Southwest Virginia
Chef Josh Smith, Executive Chef,
Local Roots Cafe, Roanoke, VA
By Rives Elliot
Natural grass-fed lamb
without hormones or antibiotics.
T
he mountains of southwest Virginia literally sing with traditions from the
Bluegrass and Old Time jams at restaurants and coffee shops to the buzz
of the historic farmer’s market in downtown Roanoke. Equally important
to our area’s heritage and traditions are the sounds of countless local farms as
well as the click clack of the railway systems that put our area the map.
To preserve southwest Virginia’s time-honored, valuable heritage and agri-
cultural traditions, area farmers are cultivating heirloom crops and “heritage”
livestock breeds that yield the traditional, richly-flavored variations on our
favorite foods that are not found in the supermarket. For these tasty foods, you
have to visit Bramble Hollow Farm.
Located in rustic Montvale, Virginia, Bramble Hollow Farm is the back-
to-the-land dream come true for farmers Brent and Anna Wills. It is also home
to their two-year old son Jack,
two beagles (Dakota and
Dumpster), a 450-lb Tamworth
boar named Lazlow, two sows
(Laverne and Shirley) and their
piglets, two breeds of chickens
(the laying and eating kind),
turkeys, guinea hens, deer (un-
invited), and a rooster named
Red.
The dream began to take
shape in March 2004, when
the Wills purchased a run-
down farm, completely overgrown with brambles. A great deal of manual
labor and tender loving care later, the Wills were operating a fully function-
ing farm, complete with graze-friendly pasture, barns, equipment, and a hen
house with lots of chickens. Throughout it all, Brent continued to co-manage
his full-time business, Environmental Erosion Control, LLC.
The foray into the raising of heritage breeds was the result of a desire for
homegrown pork. “We were eating our own chickens, along with deer (during
hunting season),” says Brent, “but were still going to the store for bacon, ham
and sausage.” In an effort to become self-sufficient protein-wise, the couple
f you want to began to research a breed of hog that they could raise. Their choice was a
I
eliminate hunger,
rare, rouge-colored breed known as the Tamworth, known for its rich, full and
everybody has to
deliciously nuanced “old-time” flavor. The pork, a tasty success with the fam-
ily, was also a hit with customers.
be involved.
Today, their heritage offerings now include Bourbon Red turkeys, Colored
Range chickens, and farm-fresh eggs from a wide variety of laying breeds. All
- Bono
have a rich “heritage” flavor, which is further enhanced by the Wills’ decision
to raise their animals naturally. All livestock are hormone and antibiotic-free
and graze “free-range” on fresh pasture.
To visit or buy directly from Bramble Hollow Farm, call Anna or Bret Wills at
540-947-0037. E-mail bramblehollowfarm@hughes.net. They are occasionally
at the Grandin Village Community Market on Saturdays, 8am-12pm
Southwestern Virginia
30
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