I've been driving by this farm on Rockbridge road for months and I finally decided to stop in and see what all the talk is about. The business is tucked away in a custom-made shop behind a trailer.
Dennis Galloway is the owner and the passionate hands-on operator. He learned the trade from his father decades ago and left the dental profession in Nashville so he could live in the country and do what he loves.
His country hams are legendary. He gets the pork from Mennonite farmers in Kentucky, then uses a secret, old-fashioned method and process to rub and cure it, a process that can take up to a year. He explained to me in person how most 'country hams' in the grocery store are just injected with a saline solution and then sent to 'cure' on grocery store shelves.
He sent a sample of some bacon home for me to try. I had the Wife cook it up next to store-bought bacon and we did a blind test with the family. Every single person who tried it said the Galloway Farms bacon was superior in taste and texture. We found it to have a deeper, more full flavor, and a smokiness to it that was lacking in the store brand.
I love the idea that I have access to natural foods grown by local farmers. Check out Galloway Farms for some outstanding ham, bacon, jams, cheese and all sorts of other goodies. read more