Meet the Producer: Judith Irving

Judith Irving remembers how Fat Toad Farm came into being—almost on a whim.  “My husband said, ‘I've always wanted to milk goats,’” Irving recalls. “So we started with two, then it went to eight and then we decided we should either have an expensive hobby or a business.” So the Vermont family farm, run by Irving, her husband Steve Reid, and her daughters, Calley Hastings and Hannah Reid, was born.

The family spent years growing a high-quality Alpine and Saanen goat herd, and in 2007 Fat Toad Farm became a certified goat dairy producing fresh goat cheese and goat’s milk caramel, or cajeta. “By then, we were hooked on being part of the local agricultural economy and community and were committed to trying to combine caretaking and improving the land around us while making a living from a value-added small farm product,” Irving explains.

The farm’s Goat’s Milk Caramel, which earned a 2011 sofi Silver Finalist award with its Toad-ally Cute Caramel Gift Box and was recently featured on “The Today Show,” comes in four flavors and three sizes: Original, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon and Coffee Bean. In addition to the goat herd, the family also grows the majority of the food they eat, from dried corn for cornmeal to raspberries for jam, and trading pork, eggs, chicken and cheese with neighbors for their own homegrown goods, such as maple syrup and honey.

Irving’s family also runs a neighborhood agricultural education and tourism co-op, Floating Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative, an effort that brings together local farms, restaurants and lodging to strengthen the community and to offer agricultural experiences to the public.—Denise Shoukas

Irving shares more of her story with us:

How do you best like to eat/serve your caramel?

We have a lot of creative cooks in the family so our favorite changes, depending on what the creation of the day is. But the standbys are fresh fruit of almost any kind with caramel drizzled on it, adding yogurt and nuts to make it really yummy. Or melted brie with caramel and almonds on top; hot cocoa made with our goat’s milk, unsweetened cocoa and caramel; and by the spoonful.

Do you have favorite goats in the herd?

Yes, definitely. Some are just naturally friendlier, so you warm up to them easily. Others we love just because they are so stable and solid—they give birth easily, they are good mothers, they are good milkers. Some are just silly, and that’s good on a tough day.

Who is your culinary idol and why?

Lee Duberman, chef at Ariel's Restaurant in Brookfield, Vermont. She is an absolute genius in creating delicious and unique food selections using many local products. She has boundless energy and good ideas. She is committed to the community and the very highest quality food.

What’s your guilty food pleasure?

Okay, it has nothing to do with caramel. But there is a cupcake maker in Vermont who makes serious cupcakes with two-inch high frosting and since I only really like the frosting on cake, these are perfect for me.

Best meal ever?

I am a big fan of fried seafood, so almost anytime I can get a heaping plate of fried whole clams or oysters I'm in seventh heaven.

If you weren’t farming, what would you be doing instead?

Before I spent the last four years working in agriculture and creating food products, I would have said I would probably be at a non-profit or educational administrative job. However, now that I have had this experience, I would try to find a way to help young people get started in agriculture. We have had interns work and live with us for the past three years and they have so much enthusiasm, so many smarts and such dedication—but it is hard for a young person to figure out how to make a living from the land. Therefore, I'd try to share any knowledge I've picked up and try to affect state and federal policy and funding to make it possible for more of these young people to get started. The land is our future. Local food is our future—and the young have the energy and vision to make it happen.

Aside from your products, what three items can you always find in your kitchen?

We raise more than 80 percent of our own food so you'd find some sort of meat defrosting from the freezer, some fresh veggies from the garden or frozen ones from the freezer, and always a selection of tea and coffee.

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor
and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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