SHARON – A Massachusetts dairy bar is hard at work this holiday season, making thousands of bottles of eggnog, just as it has for generations.
Making egg nog since 1932
The holidays are meant to relax and unwind. The days before are often filled with the opposite; people are busy and busy preparing for those family traditions. It’s been that way at Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon since 1932.
“It’s a long history. We think we know the recipe pretty well,” says Mark Parrish, company president.
Right now they are busy bottling rich, creamy eggnog that is part of so many families’ holiday essentials.
Rob McCarthy makes sure the lawyer gets made and where it goes. In a 750-gallon tank, the four main ingredients are mixed: milk, cream, sugar and eggs.
Estimated 50,000 bottles this year
“Last year was our highest level [output]allowing up to 40,000 bottles to be produced. This year I think it will be around 50,000,” McCarthy said.
It’s an intense process to make something so simple. After being mixed, the still is pasteurized or sterilized. From there it is homogenized or mixed. Finally, it is bottled and prepared for delivery to area supermarkets or to customers’ front doors.
“It’s been about 80 years since we bottled eggnog. We make it here, bottle it and deliver it,” Parrish said.
That’s generations of work to make the eggnog, which has become as much a tradition as mistletoe and holly.
“We offer the customer not only nostalgia, but also the quality of the product,” Parrish said.
