The Vital Voice

Born in Halletesville, TX (10 miles outside Shiner, TX), Lick Honest Ice Creams Owner, Anthony Sobotik, was always fascinated by food.

He painstakingly perfected 30 flavors of ice cream over a year, experimenting with recipes from old family cookbooks and determined to focus on locally sourced ingredients. Flavors like Grapefruit Ginger, Roasted Beets with Fresh Mint and Homemade Eggnog with Brandy really showcase what local farmers have to offer.

“We use low-temperature pasteurized milk from Texas Daily Harvest and fruits and veggies from local farms,” he explained. “All the bowls and spoons are also bio-compostable.”

When it came to cones, Sobotik didn’t want a store-bought feel. “The edges aren’t perfect. Ours are more light, more delicate,” he said. Though most Lick Ice Creams don’t use eggs (there are also always a few dairy-free, vegan options) there are seasonal flavors (like Egg Nog) that do. Vital Farms eggs add an extra richness, courtesy of our South Austin, pasture-raised hens.

Visit Lick Ice Creams at 2032 South Lamar in Austin, TX to try their incredibly crisp, flavorful cones and super fresh, unique ice creams.

Matt O’Hayer, CEO of Vital Farms, just returned from Savannah, GA, where the National Organic Standards Board voted unanimously to require 2 square feet of outdoor space, with at least 50% vegetative cover, for laying hens. In addition, they increased the inside space requirement to 2 sq ft (up from 1.2 sq ft.). This was a hard fought battle for abysmal spacing, but a huge increase from no legal requirement for outdoor access for organic hens, as was the case.

Follow this link to a PDF of the adopted regulations

Before this becomes law, it must get the approval of the National Organic Program which is under the auspices of the Secretary of Agriculture. Along the way, various government entities such as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must bless these rules. It is at the OMB that we expect the big factory organic egg farms, which oppose any outdoor access by hens, to work their lobbying magic and get this overturned. They have invested heavily in massive aviary cage complexes which will be hard to utilize under the new rules and they will claim financial hardship if they can’t continue to keep their birds inside these glorified cages.

Just to put this new NOSB requirement  into perspective: Vital Farms’ hens live outdoors during the day on 100-400 total square feet of pasture, per bird. Thank you for your continued support of pasture-raised, Certified Humane®, environmentally responsible egg farming.

Garden Veggie Frittata

(We love this for breakfast with a side of fruit, or lunch/dinner with a small salad. Enjoy!)

Serves 6

To prepare: Gather your veggies & eggs and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.