Blog - Nature's Gourmet Farm

Merry Christmas

If you plan to buy a Custom Beef our upcoming harvest dates are: January 7th February 11th March 11th April 15th Then, will be the Fall of 2018 To reserve, simply place your order, confirm with the deposit, and let me know which date best fits your needs. Did you notice we now have a pickup location for Hattiesburg Clinic? We made our first delivery December 15th and have had very positive feedback. Customer Feedback- Love this place. The beef is great. We love the eggs. We love the lard. Pretty much, we love it all. Great customer service too. Leslie K. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – "Nature can heal if we give Her the chance." --Gabe Brown

Farm Update

Last week Ishared a short video about two things you can do today for your health - 1) be informed and 2) take action. That is how Beth took charge of improving her health. Some specific things shedid was to cut out sugar and processed foods as well as greater emphasis oneating from local farms with naturally raised foods to the greatest extent possible! I followed a similar path for our farm. When we started back in 2009 the mainstream literature my Dad used as well as extension serviceguidance were all about conventional or industrial agriculture practices. These practices create an unhealthy, un-natural addiction tosynthetic fertilizers to make grass grow and herbicides to kill weeds. We quickly learned this addiction was a vicious downward circle. Fortunately, we found The Stockman Grass Farmer and learned about Joel Salatinwho we visited in 2011. Then, V. Mac Baldwin in NC and the Grass Fed Exchange and Gabe Brown in ND who we visited in 2012. As well as many many others along the way. What's important is we had to first peel the onion back and think for ourselves - to look deeper. What we have found "beyond" the mainstream conventional thinking is a "back to Nature" way of looking at our farm. To look at itholistically as an EcoSystem. Across our great country are numerous small farms - success stories - that have kicked the conventional agriculture addiction and converted their farms to a regenerative EcoSystem and are direct marketing their farm products to health-conscious customers straight from the farm and or at convenient pickup locations. This is the model we follow at Nature's Gourmet Farm. We have learned that regenerative is not a destination but is a journey and we work hard every day to be good stewards of God's blessings. Are you interested in going with us on this journey? We will give current customers a $10 store credit for all referrals that signup and make apurchase on our website. Your referral will also receive a $10 store credit. Customer Feedback- I didn't want to write my review too soon since we haven't sampled everything we purchased, but WOW, WOW, WOW! I just couldn't wait! I put a chuck roast in the crock pot yesterday and it was out of this world good! Flavor explosion and melt-in-your-mouth tender! We are still talking about it this morning! (Please pay attention to the cooking tips for grass fed meat and pay attention to liquid...this meat is so lean!) Also made sausage gravy for breakfast - also very lean and no "mystery chunks". Delish! Looking forward to cooking up some of our ribs, chops, bacon...OH MY! Customer service and convenient pick up locations can't be beat! Shelley L. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “When a livestock farmer is willing to “practice complexity”—to choreograph the symbiosis of several different animals, each of which has been allowed to behave and eat as it evolved to—he will find he has little need for machinery, fertilizer, and, most strikingly, chemicals. He finds he has no sanitation problem or any of the diseases that result from raising a single animal in a crowded monoculture andthen feeding it things it wasn’t designed to eat. This is perhaps the greatest efficiency of a farm treated as a biological system: health.” Michael Pollan As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Two Things You Can Do Today For Your Health

Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uGK6vzP5MA&feature=youtu.be

Are You Stocked for the Holidays

I love this time of year when the weather begins to turn and leaves decorate the landscape all around the farm. We also enjoy watching the animals like squirrels preparing for winter by gathering acorns and other nuts to carry them through the cold winter days ahead. For my family, there's a deep sense of satisfaction having grown an abundance of food during the year and knowing that the fruit of our land and labor will be shared with each of you. As the holiday season (and winter) approaches there's no better time to stock your freezer and pantry with a supply of our farm fresh beef &pork from this year's harvest. If you are like me it's a wonderful feeling when your home is stocked with an abundant supply of food to keep yourfamily healthy and nourished all winter long. Here are some hand picked items from inventory that you may want to consider stocking up on: Winter-time Favorites Link Sausage Pattie Sausage Ham Hocks Ham Shank Freezer Stockers (best deals) Half-Beef Custom Processed Quarter Beef 25# Hamburger 15# Chuck Roast 15# Pork Chop Customer Feedback- Love this stuff! Great meat, great customer service. I plan to buy from here for a long time to come! DeAnne R. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – "A farm includes the passion of the farmer's heart, the interest of the farm's customers, the biological activity in the soil, the pleasantness of the air about the farm--it's everything touching, emanating from, and supplying that piece of landscape. A farm is virtually a living organism. The tragedy of our time is that cultural philosophies and market realities are squeezing life's vitality out of most farms. And that is why the average farmer is now 60 years old. Serfdom just doesn't attract the best and brightest."--Joel Salatin As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Video With Steers

View video here: https://youtu.be/DJDA6NwQ0Xo

NGF Laying Hens Update

Upcoming Order Deadlines Madison: Order by Sunday, November 12th, 2017 Pickup Tuesday,Tuesday November 14th, 2017 Hattiesburg Hwy 98 West (11:15 - 11:45) Order by Monday, November 13th, 2017 Pickup Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 Hattiesburg (12:15 - 12:45) Order by Monday, November 13th, 2017 Pickup Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 Picayune (2:15-2:45) Order by Monday, November 13th, 2017 Pickup Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 MS Gulf Coast (3:45-4:15) Order by Monday, November 13th, 2017 Pickup Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 Botismack - a PA Dutch word that means "Food That Taste Of The Land" Product Update – 1) Chicken - We are sold our until next year. Next batch will be available early May 2018. 2) Beef - We have plenty of recently processed beef cuts in our freezer waiting for your order. Do you need larger quantities - then consider our best family value Half Beef-Custom Processed! To learn more visit our store at https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/half-beef-custom-processed Next Processing Date is late November or early December. 3) Pork - We have plenty of pork in stock. For a limited time we will offer Pork Chops on sale. Buy 15 pounds and get 15% off the regular price. Sale price $6.35 per pound. Save $1.15 per pound. Did you know you can pickup your order directly from our farm? Simply place your order and coordinate a time. Farm Update – Nature's Gourmet Farm Laying Hens - visit this link to watch a short video on our hens and how we manage them Coming Soon! Grant's Kitchen & Grill located behind Lowe's on Flowood Drive, Flowood, MS will use Nature's Gourmet Farm beef for their new GrassFed Beef Burger. Here is a video Grant and his team made during their farm visit. https://youtu.be/n0pufyGWaaA Customer Feedback- I am loving your eggs! And I've been through a lot of high end and privately raised eggs. Y'all really do it right!! Sarah K. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “I know my farmers and ranchers around here in Durango. We were just at the farmers' market thismorning... I know exactly how those cows and sheep and eggs are raised. If you don't know where that meat's coming from, it's probably not worth the risk of ingesting it.” ~ Nasha Winters from her interview in Acres U.S.A. titled "Cancer: Fighting Back" As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Grass Fed Beef Cooking Tips

Farm Update – this week I want to use this space to share Grass Fed Beef Cooking Tips. Grass fed beef is full of flavor and extremely tender if cooked right. However, the first time you try it, you might be disappointed. The reason is, like most people, you will get caught up in the excitement and rush home to cook this marvelous piece of beef as if it were the same as conventional grain fed beef. You probably will not account for the leanness of the meat and over cook it. Believe us when we say "guilty as charged". We don't want you to make the same mistake, so we've put together the following grass fed beef cooking tips. 1. Lower the cooking temperature. If your grill, oven or stove top is too hot, you will cook off the beneficial fat and dry this beef out quickly. Low and slow is the way to go with this beef. A general rule of thumb is cut the temperature down by at least 50 degrees. For roasts, cook at 225 degrees or in a crock pot. For steaks, you can sear on medium, but then quickly move to low heat to slowly finish the cooking process. Unlike grain fed beef which requires a higher searing temperature, grass fed beef will sear on medium. 2. Invest in a meat thermometer. Most people can cook a conventional grain fed steak perfectly just by eyeballing it. But with grass fed beef, there's less wiggle room because grass fed beef cooks quickly and can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked in less than a minute. Remove it from the heat source when it is 10 degrees below your desired cooking temperature. Don't worry, it will continue to cook once it's taken off the grill. The suggested internal cooking temperatures for grass fed beef are 120 - 140oFahrenheit (which is lower than the USDAs guidelines for beef which is 145 - 175o). Here's how the grass feed beef cooking guidelines break down: Rare — 120F Medium Rare — 125F Medium — 130F Medium Well — 135F Well — 140F Just remember, if you like your meat more on the medium to well done side, make sure you turn the heat way down to allow the meat to cook slowly. Your patience will be rewarded. Note: These suggested cooking temperatures come from The Grass Fed Gourmet cookbook by Shannon Hayes. Per Shannon the same concept applies to all pasture raised meats. Here's her cooking chart for all pastured meats. Meat Grass Fed Suggested USDA Recommends Beef & Bison 120 - 140o 145 - 175o Ground Beef 160o 160o Veal 125 - 155o 145 - 175o Lamb & Goat 120 - 145o 145 - 175o Pork 145 - 160o 160 - 170o Chicken 165o 165o Turkey 165o 165o 3. Let it rest on the counter top for 10 minutes. While your meat was cooking, all the water molecules were heated up and excited. Resting it allows the juices to redistribute. Cutting into it too soon will allow all the moisture to drain out. The result? More moisture on the plate than in your mouth. 4. Start with steaks and roasts that are at room temperature before cooking. Thaw your meat in the refrigerator, or if you are in a hurry, in an air tight bag submerged in cool water. But never thaw it in the microwave. Once it is thawed, allow it to come to room temperature covered on the counter top before cooking. This prevents the meat from being shocked when you put it on the hot surface. 5. Tenderize. One great way to tenderize grass-fed beef is to use a tenderizing marinade. We got this tip from Stanley Fishman's Tender Grass Fed Meat, Traditional Ways To Cook Healthy Meat cookbook. This basic marinade involves rubbing beef with 2 or more tablespoons of Organic, Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive oil. The unfiltered oil contains enzymes that help tenderize the beef and enhance the flavor. Let the oil soak into the meat for two hours at room temperature (overnight if in the fridge). For some of the tougher cuts of beef, try a more physical approach. Cover the beef with plastic and pound your steak a few times to break down the connective tissue. But no need to pulverize it! A few whacks should do the trick. Follow these tips and you will experience an extremely tender, flavorful and healthful piece of meat. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “The biggest offenders doing damage to our mitochondria are our diets and our lifestyles. This is where we're able to show in the research that upwards of 95 percent of all chronic illness, and especially cancer, is secondary to our diet and lifestyle choices.” ~ Nasha Winters from her interview in Acres U.S.A. titled "Cancer: Fighting Back" As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

The Case for Pasture Based Meats

Product Update – 1) Chicken - We have some 3# and 4# chicken available on our website for October pickup locations. Last batch for 2017 will be available November4th. You can reserve your needs by emailing me how many you want. 2) Beef - Have you ordered your Half Beef-Custom Processed yet? Confirm your order with your deposit today! To learn more visit our store at https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/half-beef-custom-processed Next Processing Date is October 22nd with availability just prior to Thanksgiving. 3) Pork - We have plenty of pork in stock. For a limited time we will offer Pork Chops on sale. Buy 15 pounds and get 15% off the regular price. Sale price $6.35 per pound. Save $1.15 per pound. Did you know you can pickup your order directly from our farm? Simply place your order and coordinate a time. Farm Update – "The Case for Pastured Meats" The two pictures above depict two very different production models. The feedlot picture above shows steers cramped into crowded pens with concrete floors. Animals are forced to lay in their poop & urine, eat a bland GMO corn based diet (that requires huge amounts of fertilizer, chemicals, and water to grow), creates huge ecological & pollution problems, is NOT regenerative or sustainable, mortality rate is 14.2 deaths per 1,000 head (309,560 dead cattle) and 50% of these animals contract respiratory diseases (people tell me you can smell feedlots miles away). Oh, and you are not allowed to visit feedlots and ask questions. The beef feedlot production model is more than $171 Billion in annual sales. At Nature's Gourmet Farm (see previous Blog farm pictures) we believe in Authenticity and Transparency! All of our animals (beef, pork, broilers, and hens) are raised on pasture. Chickens are rotated daily and cattle are rotated based on adaptive grazing strategy. This distributes manure across our pastures to regenerate soil health and never creates ecological or environmental issues. Rotation BREAKS the parasite cycle. Thus, our animals are healthy and DO NOT require antibiotics to stay alive. They breath fresh air, drink clean well water, and eat diverse forages and or NON-GMO Project Verified feed. Oh, we welcome your visit to our farm as well as questions about our operation. The beef pasture based production model is about $5 Billion in annual sales or 2.8% of total beef sales. Acres U.S.A just published an article by Nasha Winters who is a Naturopath, Researcher and Author who resides in Colorado and is the co-author of a lucid, persuasive book called "The Metabolic Approach to Cancer". Her research is referenced and most of it comes directly from the ACS, WHO, and CDC. She states statistically, we have not made any headway in curing cancer since Nixon declared War on Cancer in the early 1970's. Today, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 2.4 women in the US are expected to have cancer in their lifetime. And, you have a 70% chance of having a recurrence. That is very concerning! A couple of quotes from the interview with Nasha: 1) We are extremely fanatical about quality. If it has been industrially farmed, do not eat it. It is notworth it. It is loaded with cancer-causing agents. That's where you see the studies saying meat causes cancer. It's been done with that type of meat or dairy or what-have-you. 2) My colleague, Jess Higgins Kelley, who co-wrote this book with me, calls them four-legged Superfund sites (feedlots). And that is exactly what they are. I know my farmers and ranchers here in Durango....I know exactly how those cows and sheep and eggs are raised. If you don't know where that meat's coming from, it's probably not worth the risk of ingesting it. Read the full interview here: http://ecofarmingdaily.com/ketogenic-diet-fighting-back-against-cancer/ Lastly, a long time customer from Ocean Springs sent me an article regarding Vitamin K2 and its importance in bone health. Interestingly, the ONLY land based source for K2 is from grassfed beef! Imagine that. You can read the full article here: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060113p54.shtml Remember to get your orders in for next weeks delivery. Customer Feedback- Your meat is sooo delicious! T. Sours Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “The earth, which we all have in common, is our deepest bond, and our behavior toward it cannot help but be an earnest reflection of our consideration for each other and for our descendants." Wendell Berry As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Time to Place Your October Orders!

Product Update – 1) Chicken - We have some 3# and 4# chicken available on our website for October pickup locations. Last batch for 2017 will be available November4th. You can reserve your needs by emailing me how many you want. 2) Beef - Have you ordered your Half Beef-Custom Processed yet? Confirm your order with your deposit today! To learn more visit our store at https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/half-beef-custom-processed Next Processing Date is October 22nd 3) Pork - We have plenty of pork in stock. For a limited time we will offer Pork Chops on sale. Buy 15 pounds and get 15% off the regular price. Sale price $6.35 per pound. Save $1.15 per pound. Did you know you can pickup your order directly from our farm? Simply place your order and coordinate a time. We had two customers stop by today. Farm Update – Thankfully, Nate was mostly a non-event here at the farm. We had very little wind and only received an inch of rain (could have used more rain for our cool-season pastures). Otherwise, it has been a very hectic week with much to do. I've continued planting cool season pastures and have another 35 acres planted and have about 60 acres left to plant. Seems there have been a lot of things to break this week that had to be fixed before I could finish daily task! I think it would be hard to farm withoutskills to fix stuff to include welding, plumbing, electrical, etc. We picked up beef from Attala Tuesday and delivered Custom Beef Orders to customers. Additionally, we delivered fresh ground beef to a new restaurant customer in Flowood - name is Grant's Kitchen & Grill located behind Lowe's. He is scheduled to open next weekend so when in the area stop in and try his grassfed beef hamburger with meat supplied by Nature's Gourmet Farm. Not only will you have a nutritious & tasty burger but, you would be supporting our regenerative local farm and Mississippi's economy. Our egg sales have really been doing good and it has been hard to keep up with demand. We had been looking for more hens and finally found some from an Amish family in MO. On top of processing broilers Friday, we also received delivery of 400 hens. As you might guess our older hens were not impressed with having "new" company to move into their space. The first couple of days have been a bit tense between US and THEM. However, they seem to be settling in a little better today. Customer Feedback- Quote Worth Re-Quoting – "The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume large quantities of fat, sugar, and salt; disrupt an essential link to the natural world; and weaken our relationships with family and friends." Michael Pollan in his book titled COOKED As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

GFE Professional Development

Product Update – 1) Chicken - We are out of chicken. Next batch will be available October 7th. You can reserve your needs by emailing me how many you want. 2) Beef - Have you ordered your Half Beef-Custom Processed yet? Confirm your order with your deposit today! To learn more visit our store at https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/half-beef-custom-processed Next Processing Date is October 15th 3) Pork - We have plenty of pork in stock. For a limited time we will offer Pork Chops on sale. Buy 15 pounds and get 15% off the regular price. Sale price $6.35 per pound. Save $1.15 per pound. Did you know you can pickup your order directly from our farm? Simply place your order and coordinate a time. We had two customers stop by today. Farm Update – Professional Development - this is a term used a lot during my military and business career but not so much when you think of farmers! However, I am on the Board for the Grassfed Exchange whose #1 focus is educating all stake holders from farmers to consumers in "regenerative pasture based clean eating". I have just returned from our 9th annual conference in Albany, NY. Attendance was the highest to date and the program was outstanding. I mentioned to Phyllis with Dharma Lea Dairy (the primary supplier to Maple Hill Creamery) that her farm tour was worth the price of the conference. I also want to mention that the GFE through generous sponsors was able to provide travel and or conference fees for 38 new farmers from across America. I had the opportunity to meet these folks which was a blessing. I know of no other organization that is doing more to support the future of grass based agriculture than the Grass-Fed Exchange. I will share more in the weeks to come so stay tuned! Customer Feedback- We've tried Nature's Gourmet Farm's beef, eggs, pork, and sausages, they are all very tasty. The meats are tender and easy to cook. It's good to eat food that's directly from a farm. You can't get anything fresher. Thank you very much, Ben and Beth! Ann T. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “A wise man makes his own decisions. An ignorant man follows the public opinion.” ~ Grantland Rice As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Farm Update

Product Update – 1) Chicken - We are out of chicken. Next batch will be available October 7th. You can reserve your needs by emailing me how many you want. 2) Beef - Have you ordered your Half Beef-Custom Processed yet? This is the most economical option when buying and is perfect for largerfamilies. Confirm your order with your deposit today! Next Processing Date is October 10th 3) Pork - We have plenty of pork in stock. For a limited time we will offer Pork Chops on sale. Buy 15 pounds and get 15% off the regular price. Sale price $6.35 per pound. Save $1.15 per pound. Did you know you can pickup your order directly from our farm? Simply place your order and coordinate a time. Farm Update – First, we what to say thank you to our faithful customers that purchase from our farm. We have had three good months of sales. Your support of our farm with your food dollars is critical for us to regenerate our soils, properly care for the animals, improve our ecological footprint, and sustain operations. For September, >25% of the orders were from first-time buyers! So, we continue to expand our customer base. However, of the 552 folks who have signed up - only about half have ever placed an order. Our top buyer has placed 9-orders to include half beef & pigs annually as well as chicken. If you have not placed any orders we would like to hear from you! Let us know what is preventing you from supporting our farm with your food dollars. Maybe your comments will help us improve our products and or service offered. Today, we had a young family visit our farm after recently hearing about us. They had previously bought from Harvest Box. They left really impressed with our farm operation and took home an order. Lastly, you may remember some time back I mentioned the #1 threat to our business was the lack of private label slaughter & processing inMississippi. Well, the situation has gotten worse. Cascio has closed his doors. Also, State inspectors continue to harass our current processor. And, this week I heard that federal inspectors are "checking up" on MS inspectors and have taken over MS State plant and another plant in North MS. Please remember Archie & Betty in your prayers as they work to persevere! Customer Feedback- I really have enjoyed the products that I have ordered from Nature's Gourmet Farm. I have tried their eggs, ground beef, bacon and T-bone steak and all of them were high quality. I especially like the eggs and ground beef because the price for farm fresh meat and eggs can't be beat and is even less expensive than what I get from the grocery store. Highly recommend. A. Lozano Quote Worth Re-Quoting– “Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.” ~Howard Aiken As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Last Weekend to Order For Sept Sales ends Monday

Product Update – 1) Chicken - We are out of chicken. Next batch will be available October 7th. You can reserve your needs by emailing me how many you want. 2) Beef - Have you ordered your Half Beef-Custom Processed yet? For a limited time save 10%. Now $3.15#. Confirm your order with your deposit today! SALE ENDS MONDAY, Sept 18th. Next Processing Date is October! Ground Beef Sale - Buy 50# and save 7%. SALE ENDS MONDAY, Sept 18th. 3) Pork - We have plenty of pork in stock. For a limited time we will offer Pork Chops on sale. Buy 15 pounds and get 15% off the regular price. Sale price $6.35 per pound. Save $1.15 per pound. Did you know you can pickup your order directly from our farm? Simply place your order and coordinate a time. Farm Update – With September comes Cool-Season planting time. This year we will No-Till Drill about 170 acres. With adaptive grazing where we strip graze the forage down and then come in behind the cows and plant. Our seed mix this year includes Cosque Black Oats, Winter Wheat, Peas, Vetch, and a 4-way Brassica blend for a total of eight varieties and about 115 pounds per acre. Planting started this week and will continue till mid-October or so. One of the keys to Regenerative Agriculture is plant diversity. The seeds we include are a blend of grasses, legumes, and broad leafs. Each variety has a specific purpose in growing soil health as well as feeding livestock. For example, the legumes will provide nitrogen from the atmosphere that will then support the grasses as well as up the available protein in the cattle's diet. By no-tilling the seeds into the soil, we are not disturbing the microbial (biological) population that is vital to making all this work. One of the worst things a farmer can do is disk or tiller the soil. By doing so destroys soil organic matter, kills soil microbes, compacts the dirt, and keeps farmers addicted to Big Ag band-aides (to list a few issues). Additionally, with no-till we not only sequester atmospheric carbon but also retains the carbon in the soil and converts to food for microbes. When soil is disk any carbon captured will be released back into the soil. So, when you support our farm with your food dollars you can be assured you are also supporting regenerative and environmentally friendly farming practices. Customer Feedback- I so enjoy your chickens! Norma L. Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” ~ Ralph Marston As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth