Ever messed up a great grassfed steak? Cooked a Brisket into leather? Burgers gone bad? Burnt chicken breasts? I have ruined them all!
Saturday, June 19th I (Jay) will be having a grilling class, talking about the best techniques to a great grilling experience every time. We will be cooking steaks, thicker cuts like Tri-Tip, Sir Loin, burgers and more.
There will be chips and salsa, discounts on all steak purchases and special quest blacksmith and local knife maker Kyle, will have a selection of locally made knives for sale!
Join us for a great afternoon of fun grilling and hanging out at the farm. Events starts at 2pm. Cost is $15.00
I snapped this photo of Callahan a couple years ago in our back yard. Just a kid climbing trees…but then the metaphor hit me and every time I see this photo it challenges me to see where I am bogged down in details and to re focus on the big picture.
This is so hard to do this time of year at the Farm. Spring brings… well everything on a seasonal farm. Planting, baby chicks, new groups of cattle, projects, new customers, our event season, to name a few. It is a challenging time not to get so bogged down in everyday execution we forget our why… our big picture driver. Serving our customers & community!
Thanks for all your support and we look forward to seeing you at the farm.
Our 17 year old son JW loves working on the farm and last week he told me he just loves to work together with his Dad. I was teary! (Don’t judge) I have had many conversations in the past few years with other parents who wish their kids enjoyed being with them. That is often the plight of parents with teenagers. It seems they go from loving us one day to thinking we are irrelevant, old and un cool the next. Now, I am not saying JW thinks we are cool… cause he doesn’t (and he’s right) but He does love to work and get dirty with us. Why? To keep it short… Grace!
Teenagers do stuff, go through stuff and get involved in stuff that is bad for them. It happens… how we handle this as parents determines if they will turn to us or run from us. This doesn’t mean we shield them from consequences but we don’t push them away when these consequences hit. Providing an environment of love and acceptance even when they fail. We give them love and affection when affectionately loving a teenager is hard!
A couple weeks ago we had a friend out to the farm to snap photos of the scenery and life at Brite Creek Farm. We are not good at slowing down so photo shoots are not high on the priority list. I guess neither is marketing but that’s another post.
This photo was not staged… but caught…as we prepped for a few of the staged shots. We all busted up when we saw the “caught chaos”. Farming and life with teenagers resembles controlled chaos at best and this photo represents a lot of what life is on the farm. Including the one beautiful, poised and smiling face pointed right where it should be while the rest of us…try to figure out what the heck is going on.
Mom’s you are the anchor in our chaos. Life is still not normal and uncertain but Moms… you bring the peace, stability and joy the rest of desperately need.
One of the first responses from new customers when we tell
them about our grassfed, grass finished beef is “don’t all cattle eat
grass”? It is a logical question based
on what we see driving down the long and open roads of the west. Cattle grazing
on rolling hills or in green meadows gives us this pristine picture and we
assume these cattle will spend all their days grazing these rangelands many of
which are not useable for other type of crop production. But, in the 1950’s the finishing or fattening
of cattle (which produces the marbling or inter muscular fat) changed from grass
based to corn or grain based due to cheaper cost, abundant grain, and faster
growth of the animals. My dad started in
the cattle business in early 1970’s and built an operation around grazing
cattle and sending them to the feedlot for finishing.
Today 99% of cattle
are being fed and finished this way using feedlots or CAFO (Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operations). Factory efficiency, homogeny and “fast fat” is the name of
the game but does this system produce the healthiest beef, is it best for the
environment, do consumers want choices that supply them with healthy products
and the story they assume when they see those cattle on the rolling hills and
green meadows?
In the early 2000’s studies began to show a significant
difference between grain finished and grass finished beef. Grass finished beef
was: significantly higher in the Omega 3 fatty acids (similar levels to those
found in fish… which everyone’s Dr tells the them to eat), higher in vitamins A
and E, lower in overall fat and very high in CLA’s (Conjugated Linoleic Acids)
elements our bodies use to fight bad cells such as cancer. As little as 3 weeks of grain finishing will
change these chemical components of the muscle and fat meaning that grass-based
finishing is required to produce the healthiest beef possible. The data for the
health benefits of grass finished meat products, cheeses and dairy products
continues to grow.
Benefits of pasture or grass finished beef goes far beyond
our own health. The positive impact on our environment by reducing fossil fuels
used to harvest, haul feeds, clean feedlot pens and move animals is real.
Pasture based farms have better soil (see my last article), less runoff, soil
erosion and green house gas emissions.
Lastly, cattle living in CAFO’s are not as
healthy as animals raised and finished on green grass pastures. Feedlot cattle
require large amounts of antibiotics fed in feed and water to remain healthy in
their artificial environment thick with dust, manure and insects. Research is mounting that the large amounts
of subtherapeutic antibiotic use in CAFO produced cattle is a leading cause of
antibiotics resistance in humans. With grain finishing cattle stomachs become
more acidic due to the large amounts of grain being digested. This produces
bacteria such as E. coli more resistant to the acid in our own stomach
increasing our exposure to potentially harmful bacteria. Green grass and
movement of animals is nature’s way of keeping their environment… and ours,
hygienic, producing healthy food, healthier environments and healthier people!
Chickens in the winter make me mad! We are out every day moving them, feeding them, water them, saying sweet things to them, for what…little reward. Their egg production goes way down, they stop producing like they should …or maybe they are doing exactly what they should be doing. Chickens lay fewer eggs in the winter then the summer. There are a lot of reasons why, but while collecting eggs the other day I thought…”Wow maybe chickens know something we don’t” Chickens naturally rest their bodies during the dark days of winter gradually laying more and more eggs as the days get longer. They rested for a little but, gave their bodies a break and now they are back at it! They do no worry about the fact that we are doing all we can to take care of them, they do not feel guilty for slowing down their production, even though we feed them the same great food, they allow their bodies a rest. Can you imagine, taking a few months every year to go on sabbatical. Slow down, let yourself rejuvenate, replenish, realign and not feeling guilty or stressed that you’re not doing enough. Worrying people are expecting you to be productive. Not chickens, they just go with it, not worrying about a thing, giving themselves a break…. maybe I need to do the same? Maybe you do to? Maybe on those days I feel tired, I need to stop, read a book, sit in the sun, take a nap! Maybe on the days I don’t feel well, I need to be okay with moving slower or needing a little extra care. Maybe on the days I am out of ideas, I need to just be okay being quiet and allowing God to rejuvenate me. Maybe I just need to move to the rhythms of grace. Not perform, not produce, not be perfect. Just be! And on the day’s I feel great, well that’s just fine too! Looking forward to spring!
