Area Dairy Mixing Up Eggnog For Holiday Toasts

POSTED: 8:26 pm EST December 14, 2005

UPDATED: 8:31 pm EST December 14, 2005

ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. -- The sounds of the season may seem silent on the fields of Maple View Farms at sunrise, but if you look and listen closely, you can sense a traditional symbol of holiday cheer in the making.

Eggnog starts at the crack of dawn at the dairy farm, when cows are first milked. The family-run operation starts crafting its holiday beverage in October, mixing sugar, powdered milk, cream and secret spices into vats of fresh milk.

The concoction is mixed for three hours before pasteurization. What's milk in the morning is "nog" by afternoon.

"When you first smell that first batch, it gives you the Christmas feeling," said Roger Nutter, of Maple View Farms.

But the eggnog is more than holiday cheer to the dairy.

The number of family farms continues to decline in North Carolina, and making 400 gallons of eggnog every year is a way for Maple View Farms to diversify and make more money.

Nutter won't reveal the family secret. "We like to be a little old-fashioned. It's nice to step back in time sometimes," he said.

Area eggnog fans can't figure it out either.

"It's a tradition. The nutmeg flavor, it's got a wonderful flavor," Marc Barak said.

"It's good. It's got me in the holiday mood," Katy Richardson said.

Watch the story: http://www.nbc17.com/news/5538513/detail.html