Milking a holiday tradition: A microdairy takes on eggnog

To mark the holiday season, Day 6 has been taking a look at a tradition many love — or love to hate — at this time of year: eggnog. 

We kicked off the series with a taste-testing of three commercial versions of the beverage, and got a food historian to trace the origins of the stuff you can buy at the store.

This week, we go straight to the source: a family-run, eggnog-producing microdairy. Marianne den Haan's family has been making eggnog at Sheldon Creek Dairy in Loretto, Ont., since 2012, blending the fresh milk from their cows with just the right mix of spices.

While Sheldon Creek's bottled eggnog is popular at markets and specialty food shops across Ontario, what does den Haan say to those who declare they can't stand the drink?

"So do I! But have you tried ours?" she quips.

She's just kidding, however — which is certainly a good thing given that Sheldon Creek begins getting ready to  produce their famous eggnog as early as the summertime.

"You know, it's funny — the other day, someone actually called us 'eggnog farmers,' and I thought that was so fitting for this time of year, because literally our lives are totally overcome with production of eggnog, and how much milk and how [many] ingredients we need each day," she says.

Recipe for success

Sheldon Creek Dairy, which also produces whole milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, kefir, labneh and frozen yogurt from the milk of its 55 cows, began as a farm in 1953 before focusing on dairy in 2012.

Of all their products, eggnog has quickly become a specialty. The family got into the business of making the Christmastime beverage after hitting on what they believe is the perfect recipe.

"I can actually remember sitting down with my family at the dinner table and I think we had 25 different flavour options," den Haan explains. "We sat down and we drank eggnog. And some of it was more creamy, some of it was more of that nutmeg aftertaste. Some of it was cinnamon and cloves.

Someone actually called us 'eggnog farmers,' and I thought that was so fitting for this time of year.- Marianne den Haan, Sheldon Creek Dairy

"And afterwards we all came to the conclusion that the recipe which we use today was the best that was on the table that day, and we've been very fortunate because we've got a lot of eggnog lovers who will buy Sheldon Creek Dairy at this time of year and share it as their holiday tradition."

Many who despise eggnog likely shudder at the thought of the viscous product available in cartons at the local grocer, but they might actually enjoy Sheldon Creek's version, which aims to highlight the dairy's fresh milk.

"[It] doesn't have the same mouthfeel as the traditional eggnog that you might find on the shelf," den Haan notes. "It very much has a creamy taste to it, but that ... creaminess that sticks on the sides of your mouth, it's not there, because we use whole milk."

Farm fresh

Fresh is also the order of the day when it comes to the production process at Sheldon Creek — the eggnog that gets made in the morning is heading out the door by the evening.

"We milk the cows in the morning and then we move the milk over to our dairy facility and once the milk is moved into the big bulk tank, we add a funnel and a pump and we start mixing our ingredients," den Haan explains. 

"Once it's all mixed together into that big funnel, we turn on the pump and it kind of becomes like a blender. So it blends the eggnog ingredients into the milk. Once there's a huge vat of eggnog made, then we pasteurize the milk at 72 degrees Celsius for 16 seconds and then it gets cooled off right down to four degrees [and] gets put into another tank. We bottle it off and then we put it on our delivery vans and drive it to you."

Sometimes we get [eggnog inquiries] in June, and I'm like, 'It's June, and it's 25 degrees outside!'- Marianne den Haan

Sheldon Creek's eggnog is available in glass bottles, or a two-litre jug "for those real eggnog lovers."

Speaking of eggnog enthusiasts, den Haan points out that the dairy begins sourcing ingredients for its eggnog in June and July and then starts rolling out the product at the end of October for Halloween.

Wait — isn't that the wrong holiday?

"Have you met an eggnog lover?" den Haan exclaims, laughing. "They are dedicated — they're waiting at the door to say, 'Is eggnog ready yet?' Sometimes we get [inquiries] in June, and I'm like, 'It's June, and it's 25 degrees outside!'"

'A good balance'

den Haan has tried other commercial eggnogs, but insists Sheldon Creek's version bests most ready-made options.

"It's just thick — too thick!" she says of most store-bought eggnog. "Sometimes a little too spicy — too much on the nutmeg or too much on the cloves. I like a balance. A good balance is really what makes a good eggnog, I think."

The dairy is currently still in the midst of eggnog production, but den Haan's looking forward to raising a glass at the holiday table herself once the last bottle rolls off the Sheldon Creek line.

"One more week — we can see the light at the end of the eggnog tunnel."

To hear the full interview with Sheldon Creek Dairy's Marianne den Haan, download our podcast or click the 'Listen' button at the top of this page.