Blue Ribbon Dairy

Tallassee, Alabama Blue Ribbon Dairy maven PJ Duke paces back and forth, observing the milking in progress. Her Auburneducated daughter, Michaela, is the owner who carries on a family tradition going back four generations. Amidst the frenzied cacophony of sloshing cadence, like a dozen old washing machines harmonizing in the humid air of the milking barn, Cindy dances right in there amongst the feeding bovines and asks a simi-rhetorical question.

“Is this a bad time to talk?”

She’s just trying to learn a little history about the dairy. We live only forty minutes away but Cindy’s never heard of it. But I have. I discovered the delicious Blue Ribbon Dairy milk at a gas station in Titus, Alabama.

PJ never misses a beat. “I can talk while I’m watching,” she replies with a trace of anxiety. “I guess it all started in the thirties. My granddaddy bought this place in nineteen-thirty-eight. My daughter is a fourth-generation farmer on this land. They milked cows right there,”—she points at a cow— “by hand, until the mid-forties when he built this barn and put the pipeline system in. Then it became a grade-A dairy. So, my granddaddy was the first grade-A dairy in Elmore County. My daddy sold out in 2005. He was the last grade-A dairy. And now we’re the only grade-A dairy in Central Alabama. That’s how it got started. So, my daughter wanted to milk cows. And the only way to do it is to market it. We worked on that plan for about ten years before we finally opened up. All the milk produced here is pasteurized and bottled here. We sell to grocery stores, through our farm store, farmer’s markets, convenience stores, coffee shops, restaurants—that sort of thing.”

“Yes! And my husband says yours is the best chocolate ice cream he’s ever had,” Cindy spurts. (No pun intended.) And it is. No kidding. I just wish it had almonds in it. Hint hint.

“Well, that’s right,” PJ agrees. “Alabama. com had the Best Ice Cream in Alabama Contest, and we got fourth out of ten. And the second-place winner used our milk; so, we kind ‘a feel like we won fourth and second. We’ve only been in it two years. So, we think that’s pretty good.”

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not conducting this interview. Cindy is. Because, at the moment, I’m busy enjoying the creamiest, most delectable cup of dark chocolate ice cream I’ve ever put in my mouth. I just bought some a few minutes ago from Kendal—no doubt the prettiest milk-maid in Elmore County— who has worked at the Blue Ribbon Dairy ice cream shop for a year and a half now. She says she loves her job because it’s slow-paced, she gets to work by herself and … she likes the ice cream. Makes perfect sense to me! When I ask her favorite of the fifteen flavors, she replies without hesitation. “My favorite is Cookie Dough.”

Edie, a grandmother from Birmingham, is here with her children and six grands. This is their first trip to Blue Ribbon Dairy. Edie says her parents were dairy farmers “way back when,” making this a special outing for her. Half the fun of being here is watching the kids feed delightful little calves, ride ponies, and see whole families, like Edie’s, relax together on the grounds and savor fresh ice cream. But I have to admit, Cindy feeding a calf is a pretty cute sight, too. I snap a photo of her bottle feeding a ravenous new member of the farm. Maybe she missed her calling? A few stalls down, Goliath waits his turn. Weighing in at about 170 pounds at birth—I won’t go into what it took to extract him—he’s now huge at only ten days.

According to their website, this legacy dairy milks an average of thirty-two cows, representing three breeds: Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey. They vat pasteurize and bottle all of the milk from their cows. Blue Ribbon Dairy is distinct from most dairy farms as they depend solely upon consumers to purchase the milk, and do not sell excess milk to a cooperative. The milk is cream line, meaning: “the place where the risen cream meets the milk, especially as seen in a cream, and keep the barnyard clean. The milk is then delivered by Michaela and her father, Jimmy.

It’s a family affair to keep a great traditional dairy running.

And, I might add, a wonderful asset to our area. Believe me, it’s the best milk you’ll ever drink. I love it on my cereal in the morning. For best results and to make it last, shake it daily and keep it cold in the back of your refrigerator.

When I was small, I remember taking a bottle of milk from our antiquated refrigerator and shaking it. My mother saw me shaking the milk and said, “You don’t have to shake it anymore. It’s homogenized now.” But I shook it anyway and still do. And when I buy Blue Ribbon Dairy milk, I shake it with renewed purpose. Try it. You’ll like it. As they say at the dairy, “It’s as smooth as the cow’s moooo.” transparent milk bottle.”

(Merriam Webster Dictionary) Therefore, you must shake it before you pour. Because it’s not homogenized, people that have a milk sensitivity are better able to digest it. The cows are milked by Michaela and PJ. But they also have five part-time employees who help bottle the milk, make ice

Farm visits are $5 per person. Two and under are free. For more information and locations where Blue Ribbon Dairy products are sold, visit their website at: www. blueribbondairyal. com.

Jeff S. Barganier is a novelist, travel writer and manager of Cindy Barganier Interiors LLC. He travels far and wide upon the slightest excuse for something interesting to write about. Contact: Jeffbarganier@knology.net Instagram: @jeffbarganier . You may print out Jeff’s features at www.jeffbarganier.com