Farm Updates & Sale Items

Farm Updates! - Last week I mentioned we had added a lot of new customers on our website. Well, for January delivery day we had a "record number" of orders placed and 25% were 1st time orders. Several of our regular folks contacted me that they had to much going on or wanted to wait until eggs were available to place their order or there would have been many more. We are very appreciative of the confidence placed in us to provide your family quality beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

Sale Items! - Winter months are good "slow cooker" months. So, we have put all of our beef roast on sale for 15% off the regular price. This includes" Chuck, Shoulder, Rump, Loin Tip, and Brisket Roast. Beth says roast are one of her favorite cuts to fix. They make excellent (and easy) meals and any leftovers can be made into pulled beef for sandwiches, Mexican dishes, and etc. Roast are a versatile cut that can be cooked in crockpots, dutch cast iron ovens, or in a cast iron pan (covered) on your stove top. If you have not tried our roast before maybe this will be your incentive. Try one of each cut and see which one you like best.

Expectations! - What are your expectations when you buy pastured beef, pork, chicken, and eggs? Some folks expect pasture based (Grass Fed) to taste like Confined Animal Feeding Operations (industrial AG model) and are disappointed. The industrial AG model supplies 95% or more of the food sold in restaurants, grocery stores, and etc. Fast Food chain restaurants like McD's expects a hamburger bought in Hattiesburg to taste the same as a hamburger bought in any McD's location worldwide. Thus, CAFO's control the environment where the animal is raised - often never seeing sunshine and feed them a bland corn/soy based diet that in many cases is not healthy for their system. The animals are also forced to live in their dung which breeds disease and are fed antibiotics to keep them alive until ready for slaughter.

On the other hand, at Nature's Gourmet Farm our pasture based animals are raised outside on pasture. The taste of the product will vary on our farm based on what the animal has to eat as well as season to season and from year to year because of weather and a host of other factors. We plant diverse forage pastures for all of our animals so they can select what is best for them. They have healthy sunshine, fresh water, and are rotated across the farm so they are not living in their dung. Our rotation breaks the parasite cycle so we do not need antibiotics to keep them alive.

On our farm, we could choose to farm based on the CAFO model but, that goes against our values and beliefs. As a regenerative farm, we have had to learn a whole new way to farm. And, sometimes things don't work. For example, our first 75 acres of winter grass we planted failed. Does that mean we quit? Absolutely not. We will evaluate and learn from our mistakes and move forward.

So, when you consider your expectations between Pastured Based and CAFO raised animals please consider these five basic reasons to buy Nature's Gourmet Farm pasture raised:

1) It is better for the animals
2) It is better for the land
3) It is better for our community
4) It is better for the people
5) It is better for you!

Customer Feedback- "Hi! I'm brand new to ordering from Nature's Gourmet. (My family and I are moving from Indiana to Hattiesburg on January 2nd.) Thank you for your dedication in providing us with healthy food and treating animals the way they were intended to be cared for. We've been long time supporters of local farms with similar standards to yours in Indiana and Connecticut. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find like minded farmers. I can't tell you enough how you have made my transition MUCH easier (can't place a value on peace of mind when it comes to food quality). I'm anxious to start cooking in my new kitchen! More importantly, I look forward to meeting my new farmers on the 9th!!" Ashley H.

Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.” ~ Wayne Huizenga

Thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm.
Ben & Beth