“We love homemade ice cream so that’s what we decided to do,” said Sherilyn. “At that time of the year, we have strawberries and sour cherries, plus raspberries are coming into season. We thought this was a way to showcase our farm products. It proved to be a hit and we found we really liked doing it and it was something the whole family could be involved in.” The “whole family” includes their sons Liam, 15, Solomon, 13, and Christian, 11. After success with the ice cream at the 2018 Chislic Festival, it was added to the menu at The Chislic House restaurant in Freeman in 2019. Even after the restaurant closed at the end of 2019, “we kept developing recipes just for ourselves because it was something the whole family enjoyed doing together,” Sherilyn said. “With nothing happening at the restaurant in 2020, we decided to do a pop-up shop on the weekends. Last summer, the five of us went in to sell ice cream for three hours on Saturday and Sunday nights.” The ice cream was prepared in the commercial kitchen facilities of the former Chislic House which is now occupied by Tienda y Restaurante CentroAmerica. The ice cream is also on the menu at Tienda. The pop-up ice cream shop hit the spot with locals and was so much fun that the Ortmans are back at it again this summer. Until Labor Day, every Saturday and SunWill and Sherilyn Ortman run Berrybrook Organics in Turner County near Freeman. day from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., ice cream with fruit grown at Berrybrook Organics will be sold at a shop adjacent to the Tienda location on Highway 81. “We added root beer floats and ice cream sandwiches using cookies from a local baker. We’ve loved playing with different flavor combinations.”
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New ice cream flavors this year will include several rhubarb variations. In addition, for Schmeckfest fans, the big news is the introduction of Pfeffernusse ice cream. Pfeffernusse, also known as peppernuts, are bite-sized German cookies typically flavored with anise, and are a favorite among local Mennonite ethnic groups. Looking forward, Ortmans are exploring the possibility of creating an on-farm creamery to allow them to use even more products from their farm and other organic producers in the area. The creamery will be called the Berrybrook Dairy Nook. “We’ve always been about local foods,” Sherilyn said. “Most farmers are growing corn and soybeans which consumers don’t directly eat. The corn and beans are fed to livestock for meat or used in bio-fuels. We view the mantra ‘farmers feed the world’ a little differently. We’re interested in adding value that translates into food which people can consume directly. Thankfully that’s a trend that’s growing nationally – the whole CSA (community supported agriculture) model and restaurants wanting to source their products locally. For us, we’re raising meat, we’re raising dry goods, we can grind corn into corn meal, or grind the wheat into flour, and we’re roasting the soybeans to feed the chickens.” Will said, “We believe we're here to love our neighbor as
Mark Kasten, Agent 180 N Main Ave 180 N Main Ave. Parker, SD 57053 Parker, SD 57053 Bus: 605-297-4747 Bus: 605-297-4747 mark@markkasten.com 368 N Main St. Freeman, SD 57029 Bus: 605-925-7353 mark@markkasten.com
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June 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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