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Lorie's Mississippi Kitchen

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

July 2, 2017

Product Update

1) Have you ordered your half beef yet? The first ones will go to the processor June 25th. Individual cuts of our Premium Grass Fed beef is priced competitively with grain fed cuts at Corner Market & Winn Dixie and 28% less than other  grass fed farms. Save up to 35% more at NGF when you choose to buy a whole or half beef. Confirm your order with a deposit is all that is needed to reserve your premium grass-fed beef.

2) Our next batch of pigs will go to market July 16th. Thus, we have opened up orders for half & whole orders (Custom Processed). NOTE: due to an issue with our pig breeder this will be the last batch of custom processed pigs for 2017. The next batch will be Feb-Mar 2018.

Farm Updates –

Bloomberg article: earlier this spring you may remember I mentioned that the #1 threat to my business was lack of slaughter facilities. Well, Joel Salatin recently posted an article from Bloomberg news "In 1967 there were 9,627 livestock (cattle, calf, hog and sheep) slaughtering establishments in the U.S. That same year, Congress passed the Wholesome Meat Act, requiring producers to use a USDA-inspected facility if they sell meat across state lines. A mass consolidation of the meat industry followed. Today, commodity meat is dominated by large companies. Just four companies sell about 85% of America's beef and the pork and chicken markets are similarly controlled by huge corporations. By 2016, there were only about 1,100 federally inspected meat and poultry slaughterhouses in the country." "The explanations for the struggles of the small slaughterhouses vary but inevitably come down to two interrelated factors—regulations that favor large meatpackers and uneven enforcement of those regulations." Read the article here https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-23/there-aren-t-enough-slaughterhouses-to-support-the-farm-to-table-economy

Do you follow Nature's Gourmet Farm Facebook page? I few days ago I posted a recipe using our Premium Grass Fed Rump Roast from Lorie's Mississippi Kitchen (photo above). Follow this link for recipe details and be sure to visit our online store to place your order. BTW, a Chuck, Shoulder, or Loin Tip roast would also be a good choice. http://loriesmississippikitchen.com/2017/06/roast-beef-in-fresh-tomato-gravy-gluten-and-grain-free.html

Eggs - thanks to the many customers who have mentioned how much they enjoy our eggs. Your encouraging words are especially appreciated when gathering eggs on a rainy day like today. Have you tried our eggs?

Quote Worth Re-Quoting – 

“I never could understand why farmers disc their land. That is what we do to build roadbeds to compact the dirt." A Highway Construction Engineer

More from the blog

What If Pigs Could Talk

Well, at Nature's Gourmet Farm our pigs may not speak English, but their body language sure says a lot. Notice our pigs! See how content they are napping - they would say how nice the morning is and glad to enjoy the shade in our natural environment. The soft dirt is so relaxing. We have heard that some pigs live in cramped and confined spaces on hard concrete. Why would any farmer treat their pigs like that?

Farm Happenings!

Celebrity Visitor – Tuesday afternoon I had the opportunity to meet one of the nicest guys here on our farm. CJ called me about ten days earlier to ask if he could come and see our farm. Seems his family owns a farm near Bassfield, MS and they were needing to make some changes. As you know, I’m eager to help anyone who would like to farm as Mississippi certainly needs more folks raising food to feed our communities – and since he was interested in Regenerative Pasture Raised animals that was even better.

Clean Sheets

Family Bible– This is about a personal story I would like to share this Easter (Jesus’ Resurrection). My dad’s oldest sister is 102 years old and not as sharp as she once was even though she has the most content personality of anyone I’ve ever known in her limited condition. Recently her middle son, my 1st cousin, asked me if I would be interested in two Simmons Family Bibles – well of course, I replied. The oldest Bible goes back four generations and includes names, dates, etc. for birthdays, marriages, deaths. And the penmanship is amazing! The second Family Bible is two generations old and belonged to my dad’s parents.