- These sweet little water buffalo calves are less
than a week old, but they already play a major role
in the way things work at Fading D farm near Salisbury.
The idea to raise and care for water buffaloes came to David
and Faythe DiLoreto as they were nearing retirement.
Faythe was trained in early childhood education
and had raised three children with Dave.
- I was a family physician
for many years here in Rowan county.
And there came a time when we were looking to
do something different.
We happened to make a family trip to Italy
and not searching for anything there, but just kind of fell
in love with a Buffalo mozzarella while we were there.
And so we got home and said that let's get some more.
And we realized nobody was making it here
in the United States.
- Since that time, the DiLoreto's have located a handful
of Buffalo mozzarella producers in the United States
but none within 500 miles of Rowan county.
- There's one in Maine, one in New York state
one in California, one in Texas and one in Colorado and us.
- The DiLoreto's have a 64 acre tract on the outskirts
of Salisbury, where they are now raising,
milking, and doting on a small herd of female water buffalo
along with their stud named Zee.
- See you don't have to push everybody away.
I can pet the others.
- Mozzarella is not an easy cheese to make
but buffalo mozzarella is even more difficult.
- It was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be.
We make it with a culture rather than with acid
which is a much more difficult process
but it makes much more flavorful cheese.
And it's the traditional way to make a mozzarella.
So it's difficult for one.
The other is the animals.
You know, they're big animals.
They don't produce much milk.
So you're milking a cow, the size of a Holstein
and getting the milk, the amount you would get from a goat.
- But folks who've tasted it swear by it.
- Water buffalo milk is naturally sweet.
So on top of being 9 to 12% butterfat, it's very sweet.
So it, if you drink it
it's almost like drinking a melted milkshake.
It's that nice.
- And that brings us to the gelato freezer.
Grown-ups might come for the mozzarella, but kids come
to the Fading D for the calves,
and the Italian ice cream.
- Mmmm, is that good?
- She's so expressive.
- Mozzarella is a fresh cheese, meaning it's not aged.
It also means it needs to be consumed
soon after it's made.
- As a fresh cheese, the fresher you eat it,
the better it is, now it can be eaten
several weeks after it's made
but the first day after it's made it's at its peak.
- Anybody who's traveled to Italy
and had the mozzarella knows it's completely
worth it to get the fresh cheese as soon
as possible after it's made.
- The best place to get it is right where it's made.
But don't be sad if you want some
and you can't get it at your local grocery.
The trip to Fading D farm
on Saturday pickup day is well worth the effort.
It is possible to find Fading D's
Water buffalo products in stores near the farm.
That information is current at their web address
which will give you at the end of this story
but nothing beats the in-person visit.
Tours are available by appointment
and the DiLoreto's are always excited
for their buffaloes to get all the socialization possible.
Do know that if there are very young unweaned calves
when you visit, you might be put upon to bottle
feed them.
- Fading D farm is at 295 Fading D Farm Road in Salisbury
and their farm store with
all of that delicious mozzarella cheese is open.
For more information, give the farm a call at [980] 330-8189
or visit them online at fadingdfarm.com