All natural salami, made with pride and traditional techniques? Yes, please!

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December 9, 2022

It has been a long and exhausting process trying to find someone who can provide us with salami to our standards. Alas, we finally found Nello’s.

Miller’s Bio Farm has teamed up with Nello’s Specialty Meats to bring you some amazing all natural salami!

Nello’s family emigrated from Sicily in the 1960’s in search of a better life. Thirty years ago, Nello found his mentor, Guenther “Hank” Schineller, a German born sausage maker. It took persistence to get Hank to mentor him, but ultimately, Hank would show him the art of the wurst. Nello has also worked with world class charcuterie crafters Luigi Pintore and Pietro Castoldi from Pagani Fertelli to help him perfect his charcuterie recipes and making process.

At Nello’s, it’s all about tradition, from the ingredients to the aging process.

The groundwork of Nello’s recipes and work is built on centuries of knowledge from the old-world. Moreover, from the help of those at Pagani Fertelli, Nello is able to source high quality ingredients straight from Italy.

Like the Tuscan Finocchiona salame, which contains wild fennel seeds straight from the Tuscan hills of Italy. The wild fennel pulls menthol from the soil giving it a unique and special taste you cant find in store.

Coming from Italy, the ingredients are held to EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) standards, which are much higher than its American counterparts.

As well, Nello does not use synthetic lab-produced nitrates and nitrites in his cured meats. Instead, he uses naturally occurring nitrates that come from celery juice powder.

A spicy secret

A common practice by charcuterie makers is hiding what spices they use to protect their recipes. The same goes for Nello. His recipes are proprietary, handcrafted, and time tested.

This comes with one down side. Transparency. Miller’s Bio Farm wholeheartedly believes in transparency and telling you everything about where your food comes from. We are making an exception, because the salame is delicious and we know the quality Nello is putting out there.

We know that some of the best herbs and spices are being used to make our salamis, but we don’t know the exact spice ingredients. But, Nello did give us a sneak peek into his spice room - look at just a small sample of the large variety he carries!

You might be wondering, “What is considered a ‘spice?’” Let's look at what the USDA’s definition is. Per USDA: “General Definition - Aromatic vegetable substances, in the whole, broken, or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition. They are true to name and from them no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed.” Think of things like cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, fennel seed, ginger, peppers, etc. These are all ingredients that the USDA allows to be hidden under “spices”.

A difference you can taste

When I first spoke to Nello, he asked a question, “When you go to a restaurant and get seasoned or spiced food, do you first taste the seasoning or the meat?” More often than not, people say the seasoning. Well, in Europe, it's the opposite. They want to taste the meat before they taste the spice or seasoning.

Nello’s salami is based on this European style. When trying the salami, the first thing you’ll notice is that the taste of the meat is at the forefront and that the spice hits the back of your palate. Truly a difference you can taste!!

Specialty meats for everyone

Another Amazing thing about Nello’s is that he can also make all natural, salt cured cold cuts! Have you seen our new sliced smoked turkey breast? It’s our pastured corn & soy free turkey breast put in a simple Redmond salt brine and then it’s smoked.

And, we now carry air dried cured meats like our new bresaola, which features hints of juniper and cinnamon.

Check out some of the other stuff curing at Nello’s right now! There’s more to come!

Pastured Meat

Cooking

What are phytoestrogens and how can we limit them in our food sources?

With all the artificial ingredients, processed junk, and fillers in our food today, do phytoestrogens really deserve our attention? Let's take a closer look at what they are and share some practical ways you can reduce how much you're getting in your everyday meals.

From farm to fork: Understanding the value of sustainable pork

Raising Pork the Old-Fashioned Way: Miller's Bio Farm's Commitment to Quality At Miller's Bio Farm, we're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're bringing back the farming practices that sustained communities for generations. As an Amish farm, we understand that good stewardship of the land and animals isn't just about business; it's about honoring creation and providing wholesome food for families. When you buy pork from us, you're getting more than just meat. You're getting the result of careful, intentional farming that puts the well-being of our animals, our land, and your family first. Let's be honest: most grocery store pork comes wrapped in pretty words like "natural" and "humanely raised," but these labels often don't mean much. It's easy to put nice words on a package, much harder to actually do the work of raising animals properly. We'd like to show you how we do things differently here at Miller's Bio Farm. What Makes Our Pork Different Good pork starts with good practices. For us, that means healthy soil, happy animals, responsible harvesting, and thoughtful management of everything that happens on our farm. Here's what that looks like in practice: Pasture-Raised the Way Nature Intended Pigs aren't meant to spend their lives standing on concrete in windowless buildings. They're curious, intelligent animals that need fresh air, sunshine, and room to express their natural behaviors, rooting in the dirt, foraging for food, and socializing with other pigs. On our farm, hogs live outdoors on pasture in the woods where they can do exactly that. We move them regularly to fresh ground, which keeps them healthy and gives the land time to rest and regenerate. This practice, sometimes called rotational grazing is farming wisdom that's been passed down for centuries. When pigs root and forage on fresh pasture, they're naturally fertilizing the soil and helping plants grow back stronger. The land becomes more fertile season after season, storing carbon and building topsoil instead of depleting it. No chemical fertilizers needed, just pigs doing what pigs do best. This kind of farming takes more work than confining animals in one place, but it produces better results for everyone involved: healthier pigs, healthier land, and better tasting pork. Raising Animals with Respect Our approach to animal care reflects our values as an Amish farming community. We believe animals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their lives. Processing with Care When harvest time comes, we work with a small processor who shares our commitment to humane treatment. Our animals are handled calmly and respectfully, with immediate stunning to ensure they feel no distress. This isn't just the right thing to do, it also affects meat quality. Animals that are stressed at slaughter produce tougher, less flavorful meat. Properly handled animals yield tender, delicious pork that you can taste the difference in. Studies also confirm what traditional farmers have long known: animals raised on pasture produce meat with better nutritional profiles, including higher omega-3 fatty acids and more vitamins. Wholesome Feed, No Shortcuts We raise heritage breed pigs, traditional breeds known for their hardiness and flavor. These animals thrive on pasture with supplemental non-GMO grain, and they don't need antibiotics or growth hormones to stay healthy. In industrial pork production, antibiotics are mixed into feed daily to prevent disease in overcrowded conditions. This practice is creating drug-resistant bacteria that threaten public health, a problem we don't contribute to. Our pigs build strong immune systems naturally through good nutrition, clean living conditions, and low-stress environments. It's the way farming worked for centuries before shortcuts became the norm. Caring for God's Creation As stewards of the land, we take seriously our responsibility to leave it better than we found it. That's not just good farming, it's part of our calling. Building Soil, Not Destroying It Industrial agriculture depletes soil through intensive tilling, chemical dependence, and continuous monoculture cropping. This approach might boost short-term production, but it's not sustainable. We farm differently. Our rotational grazing actually improves soil health year after year. As pigs move across pasture, they naturally incorporate organic matter into the ground. Rest periods allow plants to regrow with deeper roots, which prevents erosion and captures carbon from the atmosphere. The result is living, fertile soil teeming with beneficial microorganisms soil that produces nutritious forage without synthetic inputs. Handling Waste Responsibly Large scale pig operations often store waste in enormous lagoons that leak pollutants into water supplies and release harmful gases into the air. These systems create environmental and health problems for surrounding communities. Our approach couldn't be more different. Because our pigs are spread across pasture and woodlands in manageable groups, their manure distributes naturally as valuable fertilizer rather than concentrating into a waste problem. When winter weather requires us to bring pigs into shelter, we bed them deeply with straw or wood shavings. This creates a composting effect that safely breaks down manure without environmental contamination. We also plant diverse pasture species specifically chosen to absorb nutrients and maintain ecological balance. Not all pigs like to go in the open shelter in the winter time and that's perfectly fine with us! The Real Story Behind Your Pork Chop Many people wonder which type of meat is most environmentally friendly. The truth is, it's not so much about whether you're eating pork, beef, or chicken, it's about how that animal was raised. Take beef as an example. You've probably heard that cattle are terrible for the environment. That criticism applies to feedlot operations where thousands of cattle are confined in small spaces and fed grain-heavy diets. But cattle raised properly on well managed pasture actually improve the land and sequester carbon. The animal itself isn't the problem; the farming method is. The same principle applies to pork. Factory farmed pork has serious environmental and ethical problems. Pasture raised pork from a regenerative farm like ours is a completely different product. One challenge specific to pork is that pigs need grain as part of their diet, they can't survive on grass alone like cattle can. This means sustainable pork production requires access to sustainably grown grain, ideally non-GMO corn and soybeans from farmers practicing regenerative agriculture. On our farm, we're committed to sourcing feed from responsible growers who share our values of soil health, biodiversity, and chemical free farming. What You're Really Buying When you purchase pork from Miller's Bio Farm, you're not just buying bacon or pork chops. You're supporting a way of farming that's been proven over generations, one that respects animals, regenerates land, and produces genuinely nutritious food. We're proud to raise pork the right way, even though it's more work. Because at the end of the day, that's what good stewardship looks like. And that's something worth bringing home to your table. Check out our: ✔️Corn & Soy Free ✔️ Vaccine, Drug, GMO-Free ✔️Heritage Breeds ✔️Woodland Raised PORK COLLECTION HERE: https://millersbiofarm.com/sto...

Eggnog's Medieval Magic

Well now, friends, let me tell you about eggnog - it's no yolk, this drink has been around forever! While history scholars are still whisking through different stories, most agree it sprouted from a Medieval drink called posset. Posset was hot milk curdled with wine or beer, served in a two-handled pot when folks caught the sniffles. Yup, that's right, I said sniffles. The warmth would settle your bones, the milk kept your strength up better than a day of plowing, and the alcohol and spices worked like nature's own medicine chest. Posset recipes were as varied as quilting patterns, every homestead had their own way to make it, and from this patchwork of kitchen wisdom grew a whole crop of milk based treasures, including... eggnog itself. Eggnog is a rich, chilled, sweet dairy drink that'll make you smile like you just finished morning milking. It's made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and spices, simple as that! Most folks only raise a glass during a short spell around Christmas. It was those fancy British folks in the 1700s who turned eggnog into a holiday tradition. They'd add expensive spirits and spices to milk to preserve it through winter (yep, aged eggnog, just like preserving pickles in the cellar). Eventually, eggnog crossed the ocean to the Thirteen Colonies. As times changed and food became easier to come by, common folk adopted it as a cherished holiday drink. Today, food is everywhere you look, but finding the right kind is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Store-bought eggnog is stacked in every store, but I won't hitch my wagon to it. Store-bought eggnog is cooked up in factories to taste good and stay the same every time. But it's packed with additives, loaded with more sugar than a honey wagon, and has less than 2% egg yolks. Might as well call it milknog! And don't get me started on all that pasteurization business. If you've got the time, eggnog is easier than feeding chickens. Here's what you need: 4 egg yolks (fresh from the henhouse) ⅓ cup maple syrup (the real stuff, tapped honest) 2 cups raw milk (straight from Bessie, if you're blessed) 1 cup raw cream 1 tsp nutmeg (or whatever spices suit your fancy) 3 oz bourbon or rum (if you're of a mind to) You can mix these ingredients raw (like we do on the farm) or you can warm it up. Your barn, your rules. For a fuller eggnog, beat those yolks until they lighten like sunrise. Then fold in the rest. For a frothy eggnog that'll make you grin like a cat in the creamery, beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form, then stir them into your finished batch. I highly recommend doing this whether you bought it from a farm stand or made it yourself. It's wonderful. So please, enjoy your eggnog this winter season. When you raise your glass, think on what you're celebrating. Toast to home remedies, good health, the wisdom of those who came before us, and honest food that comes from the land.

All natural salami, made with pride and traditional techniques? Yes, please!

It has been a long and exhausting process trying to find someone who can provide us with salami to our standards. Alas, we finally found Nello’s.

At Nello’s, it’s all about tradition, from the ingredients to the aging process.

A spicy secret

A difference you can taste

Specialty meats for everyone

More from the blog

What are phytoestrogens and how can we limit them in our food sources?

From farm to fork: Understanding the value of sustainable pork

Eggnog's Medieval Magic

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566