Ridgemeade, Where Ecology Becomes Flavor
TERROIR
Ridgemeade sits on the Lake Erie ridge where the soils still remember glacial retreat and the winds shape everything that grows. That geography is not an incidental detail… it is the beginning of every flavor conversation. What we raise here tastes the way it does because of that ridge… because of the plants that choose to grow here… because of how the animals move through it.
FLAVOR + NUTRITION
Our work with lamb started from a personal search for clean, nutrient-dense food, the kind you cannot find in a label claim. Extensive training in ancestral health coaching only confirmed for us what chefs already know… nutrition and flavor are not separate pursuits. They rise from the same source… living soil. That realization pulled us straight into regenerative agriculture… not as a concept but as a daily discipline.
THE JAMISONS
That discipline did not come from theory alone. Our approach was shaped in direct conversation with the work of John and Sukey Jamison, whose pasture-based lamb program set the benchmark for what American grass-finished lamb could be when flavor, animal welfare, and ecological restraint were held together rather than traded off. Their influence was not a template to copy but a set of non-negotiables… respect the grass, move the animals, never rush the finish, and let the land speak for itself. What we practice here is our own ridge answering those same questions.
OUR FLOCK
The sheep rotate through native pasture in a pattern shaped by weather, forage growth, and recovery cycles. Orchardgrass, clover, chicory, plantain, dandelion, yarrow, and the herbal volunteers that come with healthy soil form the backbone of their diet. No drugs. No pesticides. No synthetic fertilizers. Nothing that interrupts the ecological conversation between soil, forage, and ruminant.
LANDSCAPE TRANSLATED THROUGH MEAT
From a flavor standpoint, this is where the real work begins. When the pasture is diverse, the fat develops nuance. When the animals move often, the muscle structure develops integrity without toughness. When the forage reflects the mineral signature of this particular ridge, the lamb carries a clarity and sweetness that is impossible to fabricate. It is the same principle Dan Barber returns to again and again… flavor is a landscape translated through an animal.
NATURAL FINISHING
By the time our lambs reach their finishing window, the pasture is doing all the heavy lifting. Seasonal clover pushes sweetness. Chicory contributes a quiet bitterness that balances the fat. The late summer herbs add aromatics that stay with the meat all the way through a long roast. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is forced. The flavor is not a marketing idea… it is the inevitable outcome of a functioning ecology.
HARVEST
Harvest happens only when the animals have reached their natural peak… when the fat is clean and dense… when the muscle has matured but not tightened. We work with processors who understand that the final handling is as important as the feed. The carcasses cool slowly. The trim is clean. The result is lamb with an unmistakable terroir… a mineral brightness… a finish that lingers rather than coats.
The Invitation
Reserved for those who taste the difference between grass-fed and terroir-fed.
Ridgemeade Lamb is available only to select chefs, restaurants, and private clients. We believe relationships, not transactions, sustain good food. Our Private Client Registry is how we ensure that Ridgemeade lamb reaches only those who understand and respect the craft behind it. Membership is limited by what the land produces each season, not by marketing demand.
Clients receive seasonal availability updates and first allocation on custom-finished lambs. We work closely with chefs to tailor carcass size, fat profile, cut specs, and dry-aging to their kitchens. In return, we ask for partnership — menu transparency, honest feedback, and shared commitment to flavor born of care.
We deliver directly so the chain of custody stays intact. You know where it came from. You know how it was raised. You know what shaped the flavor. When you cook with Ridgemeade lamb you are not working with a commodity ingredient… you are working with the entire biological and climatic logic of this ridge. The plate becomes a place where ecology and craft meet.
If you would like samples or want to walk the pasture before committing to a menu placement, the gate is open. Flavor comes from the ground up… and this ground has something to say.
Specs
Beed - Katahdin Hair Sheep – mild, clean flavor
Finish Options
~ Silk (105–115 lb, 7–10 day dry age)
~ Savor (120–135 lb, 10–14 day dry age)
Grazing System - Adaptive, rotational; forage logged weekly
Processing - USDA-inspected artisan butcher, Vacuum-sealed primal cuts
Delivery - Bi-Weekly regional route (Wednesdays/Fridays), 2-Day Anywhere in the Continental US Guaranteed with our Farm Fresh to Chef Guarantee, Overnight courier available
Consistency Data - Carcass pH 5.7–5.9., IMF 3–4%, 0 antibiotic / 0 corn/soy / drugs.
Testimonials / Endorsements
“It tastes like what we all remember Jamison lamb tasting like — even better — clean, mineral, alive!”
— Chef Nathan S., Private Yacht Mystique“They’re raising sheep the way winemakers talk about vines — with reverence, data, and passion.”
— Chef Rick D., Pittsburgh
For Chefs & Private Clients
Ridgemeade Lamb is offered in limited seasonal allocations to select chefs and private buyers who value provenance and consistency.
Allocations open twice yearly—spring and autumn—and are reserved on a first-confirmed basis. Every harvest reflects a single season’s growth on our Lake Erie pastures, ensuring traceability, flavor integrity, and the unmistakable terroir of place.
For Private Clients, each whole or half share includes a detailed cut map, yield guide, and preparation notes developed in collaboration with our chef partners.
