This Week ‘Round The Farm

Bringing the Farm to You!

1. Getting in a little cardio with girls. Hunting down baby cows is quite the workout

2. Note to self; running with this herd requires different footwear

3. Roxy was the recipient of an unauthorized haircut. Reminds me of the time I tried to cut my own bang.

4. If your pigs don’t escape at least once, are you really even farming?

What is Labor Day?

Last day of summer? The “Long Weekend”? For those like myself who didn’t know what Labor Day was until I googled it, it appears to be an opposite day of sorts, where we celebrate labor by …. not … doing labor!

It’s actually a holiday established over a hundred years ago to celebrate everything that labor and hard work bring to our culture and country. There have been many hard working folk before us that have help paved the way to where we find ourselves today. This is the day we celebrate that hard work and building of our society, by hopefully not working so as to observe and be part of what we’ve created.

Unfortunately cows, pigs, and chickens don’t observe this holiday, so it’s out to the fields for us. Hope everyone enjoys a long weekend. Holiday or not, don’t work too hard and take some time to enjoy that which hard work has provided.

Kitchen Hacks

Secrets We’ve Learned Preparing Farm Fresh Food.

Like you, we’ve tried many recipes and cooking techniques over the years. Some turned out amazing and were real crowd pleasers. Others were banned from the kitchen and are a yearly reminder of the what could of been. Remember that time you …. Yes dear, you won’t let me forget!

Here we’ll share a few “kitchen hacks” that have worked well for us and hopefully will for you.

1. Boiled Eggs That Won’t peel!!

Nothing is worse than spending 5 minutes trying to peel a hardboiled egg, only be left with a yolk and chunks of shell covered disapointment. Well, try this next time.

Steam your eggs. Thats right. Don’t boil. Steam! We use the steaming pot from this set to steam our eggs. Simply place enough weater in the pot to cover the bottom. Cover and heat to produce steam. Place eggs in for ~ 20 minutes. Then remove the eggs (wear a mitt as the steam can burn) and run under cold water. Viola! Some say to peel the eggs under running water as well, but we’ve found just steaming does the trick.

The fresher the egg, the less seperation you get from the membrane thus eggs that are hard to peel. This really comes in handy with farm fresh eggs (like the ones from Longbottom Farm!) as the membrane between the shell and egg makes it tough to peel. Give steaming a try and thank us on your next market visit.

2. Room Temperature Meat!

What? That sounds like a good way to get sick. Let me explain. We are NOT storing our meat at room temp. Keep frozen or cold until ready to cook. Then, prior to cooking, be sure the meat is completely thawed. Whether it’s been marinating overnight in your favorite marindade, or coated in your favorite rub (our is a garlic clove cut and rubbed on the meat followed by salt, pepper, and rosemary). Whichever you choose, allow to set out and adjust to room temp (~ 1 hour) just before cooking. This will allow some moisture to grab those amazing flavors and pull it into the meat as well as tenderize the meat. So before throwing that semi-frozen or chilled steak on the grill, let it rest a bit a room temp, then grill / braise / slow cook away.

3. Save Those Bones!

“What I’m I going to do with left over bones?” you ask. Feed them to pets? Nope. Play really mean tricks on your landscaper? Nope. What you can do is make delicious soups and broths! Sure, you can use bullion cubes or canned broth, but there is a richness and consistency you can only get from the bones. Bones simmered in an insta-pot, slow-cooker, or stovetop is quick and easy. Throw in some potatoes, carrots, onions, and your favorite spices, and enjoy six hours later. Fall is approaching and what’s better than a warm broth on a cold day. Ok, it’s hot out right now and I’m dreaming of cooler weather, but I digress. Back on track, if you want to stretch your dollar and create a dish you just can’t get in a can, save those bones from next meal and give broth / soup a try!

Hope these help. If you have some kitchen hacks of your own, share them with us here. Also, if you need some delicous cuts of 100% grass-fed beef to experiment with, just head on over to the Online Farm Store.

One of our favorite things about being a small farm is sharing a love of humanely raised, quality food. Interacting with you at the market and on farm tours allows you and I to share techniques, recipes, and stories. We’ve learned so much from you and appreciate your support of us! Until next week, thanks for reading and have an awesome week!