This new monthly column highlights the rich agricultural heritage of our region by featuring a local farmer or food producer, along with a submission of one of their favorite seasonal recipes.

An avid yogurt consumer, I discovered Wake Robin yogurt at the Auburn Wegmans this past summer. I had not previously heard of the brand and decided to give it a taste. Now both my husband and I are converts - it's a breakfast staple in our household, sprinkled with a handful of granola and sliced bananas. The maple flavor is our favorite. The side of the container tells a bit about the farm's story, but I was curious to learn more, so I recently stopped by the farm.

Wake Robin (named for a spring-blooming native wildflower) is a family owned and operated dairy farm in Jordan. It produces small batches of Ccream on topV whole-milk yogurt in plain, vanilla and maple-flavored quarts year-round. It offers milk seasonally for sale.

Husband and wife team Meg and Bruce Schader work together (sometimes with their young son, Hugh, in tow) to create a unique product, one that is distinct from most commercial yogurt varieties found on the supermarket shelf: their product is created on the premises, completely from scratch - from the milk produced by their herd of Jersey cows to the labels they affix by hand. This allows the couple to exert quality control every step along the process.

Another unique aspect of the farm is that most of the time the herd is out grazing on grass; in the colder months they eat baled hay with just a little grain to keep their protein up. (Unfortunately, I was not able to meet the "girls" in person as they were shacked up in the barn on the freezing cold day I paid my visit.) Bruce asserts this diet results in a more healthful product, full of Beta-Carotene.

"Sometimes during the grazing months of May through November, the milk is so rich with nutrients it appears more yellow than white," he said.

The ingredients in their yogurt are simple, plain and healthful: just whole milk, yogurt cultures, maple syrup and vanilla. No artificial ingredients, preservatives, fillers or stabilizers - such as pectin or milk solids, which are often found in commercial yogurt brands - are added.

The farmers started their dairy operation about one year ago after seven years growing vegetables and cut-flowers. The transition was natural, as Bruce grew up on a conventional dairy farm about a mile down the road from their current location, while Meg studied agricultural science at Cornell University.

Yogurt production provides them with a year-round income, and they feel it has a lot of potential as a business venture.

However, one of their biggest challenges is remaining a small, two-person operation in the face of market pressure to expand distribution and compete with the national brands. The Schaders are committed to remaining family-run in order to continue crafting rich, creamy high-quality dairy products.

Julia Reich, of Scipio Center, is owner of Julia Reich Design, a graphic design studio, and self-proclaimed "foodie," with interests in cooking (and eating).

Where to find

Wake Robin yogurt is available locally at Wegmans in Auburn, Owen Orchards in Weedsport, the Skaneateles P&C and the Big M supermarkets in Jordan, Elbridge and Weedsport, among other venues.