Farm to Table

Havens Down Home Down Home Creamery

121 HAVENS DAIRY ROAD LUCEDALE, MISSISSIPPI, 39452 HAVENSDOWNHOMECREAMERY@GMAIL.COM

As you arrive at Havens Down Home Creamery in Lucedale, Miss., you instantly notice the serene backdrop of rolling and hilled pastureland. Far in the distance are the milking cows that gracefully graze about an open pasture. From the whistled, long-pitched song of a bobwhite in the piney woods along the property, to the crows of a rooster in the pen, to the peaceful survey of the farmland and brushy pastures, this property is a sanctuary of cultivation.

Further along the fence line closer to the creamery you see Ty, the youngest son of the Havens children bottle feeding a baby cow. The Havens’ children value and enjoy doing their daily activities at their dairy farm and the product they collectively produce is captured in everything they yield.

Kristen and Preston Havens and their four children, Tanner, Presley, Ty and Paisley, work the 44-acre farm milking Jersey cows twice daily seven days a week and bottling their milk six days a week.

Their heartwarming journey into dairy farming began when the couple’s eldest daughter, Presley was thought to be lactose intolerant. During that time, the Havens had a beef herd and used their Jersey cow for their beef orphans. At the urging of a family friend, the Havens were told Presley may not have been lactose intolerant at all, but rather the processing of the milk is

what may have been the irritant. The next day, they took matters into their own hands, Kristen’s first Jersey cow was hand milked, she let the milk cool, and Presley tolerated it marvelously. For the next three years, Kristen hand milked, and in the process, Havens Down Home Creamery, as we know it, took shape.

As I walked through the process with Kristen, she educated me on a day in the life of a working farm. I soon learn milk is the most complicated ingredient one can ever work with. As Kristen weaves through the tour, it becomes apparent it depends on so much like the seasonality of the milk, what the animals are eating, the breed of cow, even changes in the weather. Still keeping with the slow pasteurization process, they heat their milk to 145 degrees then they hold it for 30 minutes to be cooled down; however, they do not homogenize their milk. This process allows the Havens to produce the most velvety, pure tasting cream line to include, white and chocolate milk, buttermilk, butter, ice cream, mozzarella and white and yellow cheddar cheeses. Their mission was to produce high-quality, consistently delicious milk and dairy products that were rich, high in protein and high in butter fat product for the Gulf Coast community to enjoy.

It soon became evident why the Havens dairy products are so popular. One taste of their small batch ice cream and you are instantly transported to your grandparents’ house on a hot summer day running inside, hearing the screen door slam behind you, asking if the homemade frozen scoop of deliciousness is ready for you to bathe in. With the popularity of their milk, butter, cheese and ice cream, it is no wonder why they pull a trailer load of variations three times a week to local grocers and specialty markets in nearby towns and communities.

With Tanner being the eldest, and a recent graduate from high school, he has the time to assist his dad build their new venture, an on-site creamery store. With six full-time employees and six more on seasonal payroll, the popularity of the creamery has grown exponentially. Business has quadrupled for the couple and their children, and it makes sense to build an on-site grab-and-go, full-service store for their loyal customers.

The creamery is not limited to solely dairy products. They also provide grass and grain-fed beef products. You will find perfectly packed and vacuum-sealed products for your family in a wide variety.

Between the cuteness of their youngest daughter Paisley, affectionately called “Button,” the coy smiles and laughter amongst them, the Havens have transformed this agricultural community dairy by simply making delicious products that reflect the unique quality of the milk they use. From farm to table or farm to fork, the Havens Down Home Creamery have made this farm their love in life.

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Hurley Roost Hurley Roost

7201 TANNER WILLIAMS ROAD LUCEDALE, MISSISSIPPI, 39452 FACEBOOK.COM/HURLEYROOST.

It’s early spring here in the Hurley community and Darcy Rogers has her hands full with the new breeds she has added to the Hurley Roost roster. “Chicken math,” as chicken owners affectionately tease, has laid claim to Hurley Roost.

Rogers has 64 adults and 55 chicks on-site with her collection growing. The breeds she uses for her amazingly rich, quality eggs are: Ameraucanas, Bantam Silkies, Standard Cochins, Jubilee Orpingtons, Salmon Faverolle, English Cuckoo Marans and French Cuckoo Marans. Hurley Roost boasts three hybrid breeds as well, Olive Eggers, Red Sex Links and Favacauna.

Hurley Roost introduced their newest addition, a colossal breed known as the the Indio Gigante. These chicks joined the pecking lineup in March of this year. Standing at a whopping 38 to 41 inches tall, these yard ornaments will be available this time next year.

With 16 years under her belt, Rogers has learned a thing or two about the immense satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from raising backyard birds. Unbelievably, Rogers and her daughter, Avery, have named each of their feathered friends. Martha, the eldest, is a black Austrolorp and provides the family with a giant egg each day. Rogers does not consider her chickens breeding stock. For instance, ‘Glitch,’ a secondary rooster, expects some affection before Rogers retreats for the evening. If pressed for time and Rogers is remiss with her attention to Glitch, he aims narcissistic, egocentric-regressed behavior right at her as she enters the run the next day. And who could resist the king of the coop, ‘Mr. Harry Styles,’ the gentleman Jubilee Orphington with amazing hair atop his feathered head.

Of her breeds, Rogers’ most docile and best egg-layers are the Jubilee Orphington birds. This flock plays well with others and are great with kids, being held or carried around is something they immensely enjoy. A great forager and brown egg-layer are the English and French Marans. The Marans come from a region in France and a diverse array of colors such as, blue, black and splash pattern. Their rich brown eggs are superior in taste and quality, great for baking.

Whether you live in a rural setting or have a hefty backyard in town, it is possible to add a few chickens to your life. They are entertaining to watch, friendly and curious. In addition to fresh eggs, they provide free bug control and more manure for your garden than you’ll ever need.

PURCHASE EGGS OR CHICKS FROM HURLEY ROOST: Life | 45 Life | 45

Tilley Farms Produce

6900 HURLEY WADE ROAD MOSS POINT, MISSISSIPPI, 39562

e are in Hurley at Tilley Farms Produce and I am greeted by the sweet Haleigh Davis. She and her husband, Christopher, bought the farmstand in July 2021. Originally, Haleigh’s father owned the farmstand before selling it to a local couple. After he retired, farming became his life, and he purchased the farmstand business in 2016. He owned it for three years and then sold the stand. Hurley being a small community, Haleigh and Christopher learned the farmstand was ready for new management and purchased it back to stay in the family.

Tilley Farms Produce offers a wide range of fruit, vegetables, freshly made products, such as, homemade salsa, fruit dip, honey cinnamon butter and guacamole. On top of the freshly made items, Haleigh offers local tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, green, red and yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, corn, red potatoes, jalapenos, watermelons, cantaloupes, honey dew, seasonal strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, on top of the statewide growers and suppliers of wholesale fruits and vegetables like her friends in Ponotoc, Miss.

Tilley Farms Produce offers several cooler items for their patrons. Cleaned and chopped greens, diced sweet potatoes, diced squash and zucchini are bagged and ready for a quick meal prep.

Havens Down Home Creamery, a local dairy just up the road over the county line in Lucedale, supplies Tilley Farms Produce with half gallon and gallons of white, chocolate and buttermilk, fresh butter, their scrumptious Southwestern Spreadable Cheese (I recommend using Frito-Lay Scoops) and their decadent ice cream flavors sell out the moment the restock alert makes its way around social media and community communication.

If you are looking for fresh eggs, you will not be disappointed with their selection of fresh eggs from Hurley Roost. Tilley Farms Produce offers a variety of meat products from Conecuh and Country Pleasin’ brand sausages. All these cooler items provide convenience to the Hurley and surrounding communities since the closest big box store is nearly 30 minutes travel time.

If you want to add a new plant to your green thumb collection, Tilley Farms Produce offers varieties of tomatoes and pepper plants. Shrubs, plants, fruit trees and potted plants are also readily available.

Specialty items include the popular local honey by Alison Hawes Honey Company, fresh bread made by The Bread Man, locally made jams and jellies, spices and smoke rubs and locally made goats milk soap.

Tilley Farms Produce represents the needs of its community and provides a viable market of fresh farm to table produce and farm to fork meat within their market.

FLAVORFUL