{"id":3742,"date":"2015-02-04T08:56:10","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T13:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=3742"},"modified":"2015-02-04T08:56:49","modified_gmt":"2015-02-04T13:56:49","slug":"on-your-table-the-country-butcher-keeps-it-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=3742","title":{"rendered":"On Your Table: The Country Butcher keeps it local"},"content":{"rendered":"

Locally sourced foods and old-fashioned service make for a Kennett standout<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Cathy Branciaroli<\/strong><\/span>, Food Correspondent, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dan Boxler of the Country Butcher in Kennett shows off his case of dry aged beef. The shop has been a staple in southern Chester County for a generation and features locally grown and raised foods combined with attentive customer service.<\/p><\/div>\n

KENNETT \u2014 Stepping into the Country Butcher shop in Kennett Square is like a blast from the past.\u00a0 The place is filled with locally grown produce, cheeses made in Chester and Lancaster Counties, meats from area farmers along with freshly made sandwiches, baked goods and deli items.\u00a0 The employees are knowledgeable and helpful. You almost can\u2019t help yourself, loading up a grocery bag full of ingredients to prepare for dinner tonite, or maybe tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Myself, it was the dry aged beef.\u00a0 More specifically it was the dry aged rib-eye.\u00a0 Owner Dan Boxler, who was born and raised in the area and has been running the business with his wife Dorothy since 1982, helped me pick out and purchase two huge bone-in cowboy steaks to take home to my meat-loving husband.\u00a0 \u00a0When I got home, we browned them in a cast iron skillet then threw them in the oven for a few minutes while my husband saut\u00e9ed Kennett Square button mushrooms with white wine and Dijon mustard to use as a sauce.\u00a0 A simple salad with spring lettuce and balsamic dressing finished the meal.<\/p>\n

Dining on dry aged beef is an experience worth having.\u00a0 Dry aging changes beef in two ways. First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle. This concentrates the flavor and taste. Second, the beef\u2019s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to a more tender cut of meat.<\/p>\n

The process of dry aging usually also promotes growth of a certain mold on the external surface of the meat. This does not cause spoilage, but actually forms an external crust on the meat’s surface, which Dan was kind enough to trim off so that the meat was prepared for roasting.<\/p>\n

During my visit and while Dan and I were discussing what cuts of meat might be the best choice, a long-time customer, Walt Wrzesniewski weighed in on what makes the place special.\u00a0 He said that quality and enthusiasm differentiates The Country Butcher. He especially praised sincere employees for their helpful attention.<\/p>\n

The Country Butcher was built on the simple idea that their customers value the very finest quality foods in a welcoming and warm environment. They started by offering their customers the first USDA prime meats available in the area. In addition to the meats, they also offer 17 varieties of hand-made sausages, including a chopped brisket filled Philly Steak variety as well as healthier chicken and turkey options.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe place is built around the meat\u201d but we\u2019ve expanded with the deli and bakery,\u201d Dan told me.\u00a0 \u201cWe buy sides of beef from area farmers and do our own processing.\u00a0 We know the breed, the history of the farmer and how the meat was raised or fed.\u00a0 More than ever, folks want to know about what they are buying.\u00a0 Customers are health conscious and are knowledgeable about what they are purchasing.\u00a0 They also want to purchase from local growers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, my friend Susan Hoffman, of Over the Top Farm, provides locally grown eggs from free range heritage chickens in season. \u201cRight now, the girls aren\u2019t laying too much but they will be come spring,\u201d she told me.\u00a0 \u201cThey need stronger and more sustained sunshine so that they will be inspired to lay eggs.\u00a0 But it will be worth the wait.\u00a0 The yolks from these eggs are the color of sunshine.\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but locally grown meat, eggs from free range chickens and local produce make for a wonderful menu at breakfast, lunch or dinner.<\/p>\n

The Country Butcher Market is located at 145 S. Walnut Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 and is open Tues. – Thurs. 8 – 6 , Friday 8 \u2013 7, Saturday 8 \u2013 4.\u00a0 The caf\u00e9 is open from 7am.\u00a0 Both establishments are closed Sunday & Monday. Telephone is 610.444.5980.<\/p>\n

Cathy Branciaroli also writes about her adventures in the kitchen on her blog <\/i>Delaware Girl Eats<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Locally sourced foods and old-fashioned service make for a Kennett standout By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times KENNETT \u2014 Stepping into the Country Butcher shop in Kennett Square is like a blast from the past.\u00a0 The place is filled with locally grown produce, cheeses made in Chester and Lancaster Counties, meats from area farmers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,8],"tags":[251,2612,2613,2614,2615],"class_list":["post-3742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-featured","tag-kennett","tag-local-foods","tag-meat","tag-produce","tag-the-country-butcher"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3743,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742\/revisions\/3743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}