A summer pilgrimage to Oregon's Lillie Belle Farms might be perfect for organic chocolate lovers. The farm grows certified organic raspberries, strawberries, and marionberries and then incorporates them into luscious, gourmet, (almost) certified organic chocolate truffles and bon bons. For a price you can even commission edible, chocolate art by the artist/chef of Lillie Belle.
We know many Organic Note readers are aware of what they consume and so we asked the chef which of the chocolate delights are dairy free. Here's the answer:
We have several things we do that qualify as vegan: hippy crunch,
caramelized almond bars,
crunchy fire bars, and
lillie rocks.
As for our bon bons...
almond fig,
strawberry, marionberry, raspberry, and cherry cordials are all now made without cream--so I guess they qualify too.
All of our chocolate is organic. My farm and the berries I use are organic, as are many, many of the other ingredients: (sugar for toffee, nuts etc etc.)
While we strive to be as organic as possible, and I assure you we are closer to the mark than most companies with the little green sticker...we have yet to go the long mile and certify our products. We plan on getting the bars and the toffees certified this year. The farm already is.
Nice! The non-vegan varieties that sound tantalizingly intriguing include: Nepalese Coffee Bean Ganache, Cinnamon Ganache and Strawberry Balsamic Paté de Fruît. During warm summer months they offer cold packaging for your special order.