I think the photo above just about sums up the phrase "free range chicken." Tracy with Three Forks Chicken Ranch sums up her free range chicken as "tasty." That was the word I kept hearing when I first spoke with Tracy about partnering up with Evins Mill in our on-going adventure in preparing and serving sustainably raised food. Maybe I had skipped lunch and that is just what I kept hearing in my mind, but either way it panned out to be an accurate description.
We prepared the chicken breast with some of our sour apple, dried fruit stuffing and it was love at first site. The chicken is noticeably not from the grocery store with up to 10% water added. It has a flavor that I can only describe as "the good ole days" and tastes like chicken...(bet you have not heard that one before), but like chicken used to taste before we took all the flavor out.
Located in Pall Mall, Tennessee, Three Forks Chicken Ranch first began as a cattle farm (Three Forks Cattle Ranch) in 2003. Tracy and her husband Brad started there raising cattle and have now taken on 20,000 chicks in their first year of meat chicken production. A couple of the issues with serving free range chicken from a restaurants point of view is acquiring a steady supply and at a price that it can be prepared and resold without losing money.
With its ability to raise a fairly large number of birds in a free range environment - and their technique of allowing the birds to put on a little more weight instead of slaughtering as soon as they are old enough, Three Forks has kept the supply there and at a very competitive price. For more history and details about our new friends, check out their website, Three Forks Cattle Ranch. Tracy also has a blog called The Real Lives of Farm Wives.
I am very excited to "play" with such wonderful food. I have said it before, but so much inspiration for cooking can be found in the food itself, and to play in such a naturally beautiful place as Evins Mill is the making for delicious meals all the day long. Look for Three Forks chicken on weekends this winter! Hope to see you soon.
