South African Boer Bok

Autumn Olive Farms is a family based operation in Augusta County. We have a dual focus model with a singular commitment to the health and wellness of the land, animal and the consumer. We raise the beautiful South African Boer Bok as an environmentally sound method to combat the invasive plant species problem while producing one of the finest and healthiest meats in the world right here in the Shenandoah Valley. The combination of the worlds premier, purpose bred and standardized meat goat with the fantastic forage base of invasive species here in the Valley provides a win-win situation for the land, its owner and the consumer.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Boer Bok at Palladio.........

We are honored and excited to let you know that our Boer Bok is being prepared by Executive Chef Melissa Close Hart , Best 25 Chefs, Mid-Atlantic James Beard Foundation.  She is at the  Palladio Restaurant located at Barboursville Vineyards.  What a beautiful place!  

Boer Bok will be offered on their June and July menu.  I will post the link when the new menu is updated on their site.  

Check out their website and read about the restaurant, vineyard and the Barboursville Ruins.  I did not know about the ruins until we went to the vineyard to pick up the wine Luke used in his cooking demo at the Montpelier Wine Festival.  I was fascinated by the ruins and that they are still standing since it was built in 1814.  You can read about the history of the Barboursville Ruins and the connection to Jefferson, Madison and agriculture at the above link. 

Boer Bok chops are now available in Charlottesville......

Rebecca's Natural Food in the Barracks Road Shopping Center is carrying our Boer Bok Chops in their freezer section.  Rebecca's is a health food store that offers a large variety of foods, supplements and body care items.  They also have a commitment to support local sustainable farms.  We are proud to have our Boer Bok in their store.  Stop by and ask Bill about the Boer Bok chops.  He has tried them and will tell you all about it. 

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

You can now purchase Boer Bok at George Bowers Grocery.......

George Bowers Grocery  based in Staunton, Virginia, is a community grocery store that sells "staple goods & fancy groceries", just as it did over 100 years ago.   It is a locally owned grocery selling local produce and meats and goods as well as fancy imported treats and now locally grown Boer Bok!  Stop by and pick up some Boer Bok chops for dinner.  The chops even have a recipe on the package created by Clay!  Also be watching for the Friday night Boer Bok tasting at George Bowers Grocery.  Sounds like fun. 

I spent my local food dollars at George Bowers on wonderful Asphodel Bee Yard raw varietal honey.  YUM!!  You can read about it on the George Bowers Face Book page.  Brian does a great job with his facebook page.  I am working on one........

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The girls are on TV...............

Yep, they are actually on TV showing off their foraging skills.  NBC 29 and WHSV TV 3  both came out to the Boer Bok Field day this afternoon.  You can watch the videos that were on the news by clicking the links above.  On the TV 3 link you will have to scroll through the videos at the right and look for the one that says Boer Bok Goats.  Who would have ever thought the girls would end up on TV?   


We had a great Field Day and appreciate all of you who came out to learn about using Boer Bok to control invasive species.  For those of you who attended, make sure you check back in a week to see how much of the forage you saw today has been consumed by our "Biological Control Agents." 

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The girls are in the news......

The News Virginian and News Leader that is.  Click on the links to read both stories.  We are busy getting ready for the Boer Bok Field day tomorrow.  There is a lot of news I need to update on the blog.  I will update it in the next few days.  Meanwhile you can read both of these articles. 

One exciting thing I want to tell you about is that Peck's BBQ is preparing our Boer Bok BBQ for the field day lunch.  

We took a Boer Bok Bone in Leg for them to practice with and we got to go for a taste testing.  What a treat!  Clay and I have always loved Lexington style BBQ.  We never dreamed we would be able to eat a healthy BBQ with our own Boer Bok meat!  

I will update the blog in a few days, lots of news to tell you about.  Including video of the girls arriving at their latest job.  
 Until then......

Friday, May 7, 2010

We are listed on the Virginia Grown website......

We are officially Virginia GrownThis is another great website to find local foods.  Check it out.

My only complaint is that they don't have a goat on their logo.  It is always about the cows, chickens and pigs.  What about the goats?  :)

Boer Bok Field Day................

What are South African Boer Bok and what are they doing at the  Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA?  

There will be a field day at the Museum on Thursday, May 20th to find out how Boer Bok control invasive species and to look at land management options and programs available once invasives are suppressed or eliminated.  Click here to see the official  flyer.

This is a free event for landowners to see how you can use the South African Boer Bok as biological control agents for invasive species such as Autumn Olive, Multi-flora Rose, Honeysuckle and many more.  Biological control represents a viable alternative to the use of herbicides and their effects on streams and watersheds.  

The field day starts at 9:00 am in the Octagonal Barn with an overview of using  the Boer Bok by Clay and Linda Trainum.  This will be followed by a discussion of land management options and state and federal programs available by speakers from the Headwaters SWCD and NRCS, as well as a local forester.  Then it is out to the field to see the Boer Bok at work.  


A Boer Bok BBQ lunch will be available for $5.00.  This event is sponsored by Autumn Olive Farms, Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development Council, The Frontier Culture Museum, and Farm Credit.  Preregistration and $5.00 lunch payment is requested so we will know how much food to prepare.  You can register by calling Lorraine Cormier, Shenandoah RC & D at 540-248-3321 or online at http://www.shenandoahrcd.org/goatconfreg.htm 

We are excited about this opportunity and hope you will be able to attend.  You can contact me at ltrainum@ntelos.net if you have questions.  





Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Luke's cooking demo was a success......

Luke demonstrated his Rosemary Red Wine Boer Bok Roast and his Boer Bok Chops at the Montpelier Wine Festival.  We were literally in James Madison's meadow in front of his house.  How cool is that?  I read on the website that Thomas Jefferson called him "the best farmer in America!"  Luke has always been interested in Revolutionary History and that made it even more special.  

I posted his recipes under the recipe page at the top of the blog.  We will be adding more as we go, so check back for new ways to prepare Boer Bok.