The News Leader

Serving the Central Shenandoah Valley

Thursday, May 24, 2001

Creamery offers a trip back in time

By Katheryn Lenker
Staff Writer

TIMBERVILLE

When you venture out to Ida and Leon Heatwole’s Shenville Creamery, visitors not only get a chance to see ice creams and yogurts being made, they can see a working farm in action.

“When somebody comes to the (creamery), they’ll get Shenandoah Valley food, see a Shenandoah Valley farm in operation, and get Shenandoah Valley crafts, that’s what our mission is,” said Leon Heatwole.

Afternoon tours give young and old alike a chance to explore the farm, meeting Lazy the pig and her family, as well as the Holstein calves that will produce milk for the creamery.

Strawberry lovers will get a special treat this weekend as the first Strawberry Days are held. Fresh strawberries will be in season and fresh strawberry shortcake and strawberry ice cream will be featured.

Visitors also get a chance to see the tomatoes that are grown in the greenhouses and how the fruits and vegetables are harvested.

The most unique part of the tour is the creamery stop. The farm offers visitors a chance to watch the creamery in action from their second-floor observation room. From there they can watch the employees work the Israeli-made Pladot “mini-dairy” equipment as they make the creamery’s line of products.

Most of the milk they produce is CreamLine or non-homogenized. Homogenizing the milk breaks up the fat globules and disperses them throughout the milk. CreamLine milk appeals to people who want a little more natural product, Heatwole said.

In addition to the CreamLine and homogenized milk, the creamery also makes chocolate and strawberry milk, flavored teas and drinks.

In the creamery store’s glass doored shelves, rows of thick glass bottles hold whole milk, two percent milk and skim, as well as buttermilk. After placing a deposit, people can either keep the decorated glass bottles or return them for another full bottle.

Across from the milk, an open refrigerator bin holds the many cartons of yogurt ‹ in flavors of strawberry, raspberry, butter pecan, maple and caramel. Dairy dips sit next to the yogurt and offer spreads in honey mustard, blue cheese, taco fiesta and French onions flavors.

The creamery, which opened last September, recently moved into a second building. The green-roofed building will house the ice cream parlor and bakery area as well as new offerings of deli sandwiches on homemade bread and cheese and jams and jellies.

Heatwole is hoping to put a new spin on the ice cream parlor idea by serving slices of freshly baked pies with homemade ice cream, and unique treats like root beer floats made with homemade ice cream.

The upper floor will house crafters from the area and beyond, Heatwole said. Crafts will include quilts, woven rugs, aprons, hand towels, wooden chests and boxes.

The creamery has already garnered interest from the community.

“I like fresh vegetables and I was delighted when they opened the dairy,” said Jane Musto of New Market. “They had something like this in Pennsylvania and it kind of tickled me and reminded me of home.”

Steve Freed bottles chocolate milk at Shenville Creamery. The facility is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

The creamery offers milk in returnable bottles.

If You Go!

Shenville Creamery is open from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free and guided tours of the farm are available for $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for children at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact them at (877) 600-7440 or at www.shenville.com .  Can’t make the drive? Catch the Shenville Creamery at the Wednesday farmer’s market at the Augusta County Government Center. Directions: Take I-81 north to exit 257 at Mauzy. Turn left onto U.S. 11 and right at the stoplight onto Va. 259 to Timberville. In Timberville, just after crossing the railroad tracks, turn right onto Church Street. Shenville Creamery is 1.2 miles on the right.