Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

Newsletter 2016 0924

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

September 28, 2016

Upcoming Order Deadlines

MADISON:
Order by Sunday, October 16, 2016
Pickup Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Hattiesburg & Hattiesburg Hwy 98 West
Order by Monday, October 17, 2016
Pickup Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Biloxi & Gulfport
Order by Monday October 17, 2016
Pickup Thursday, October 20, 2016

Remember, you can place an order and or update an existing order until midnight of the order date. Visit our online store at www.naturesgourmetfarm.com

Maybe you remember your teacher encouraging you to ask questions during school because “if you have a question then most likely someone else does as well”.

Lately there have been several questions regarding availability and ordering. I can understand the confusion as we have shifted how we do business from strictly “custom” sales (availability) during a few months per year to now also include bundled sales via our online store.

First, the difference between custom and bundled.

Custom orders are where the customer is basically buying the animal directly from the farm. In most cases the farmer delivers the animal to the processor. The customer instructs how they want the animal processed and pays the processor for his work when they pick up their order. Custom applies ONLY to half & whole orders – either beef or pork.


Availability:
1.Pigs- we have set a 5-month rotation meaning we will have pigs available every 5-months. Pigs are available for October 2016 processing thus we are taking deposits now. Half of the pigs have been sold since we advertised them last week. So, if you want a pig do not delay! Here is the link https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/pork-half-custom-processed Next available will be March 2017. Then August 2017 and so on.
2.Beef- typically available late May through mid-September annually

Bundled orders include half, ground share, and variety shares. Bundles are pre-packaged based on weight and sold for a known or set price. Processing cost are included in the bundle price. Very similar to buying from your grocery’s meat case. Bundles are available for ordering throughout the year as long as we have not sold out.

Chicken: when we added chicken 3-years ago we only sold as fresh. Regulations limit us to 1,000 chickens per year. We raise 8-batches of 125 each and process every 4-weeks beginning early May – November. Processing is done on Friday’s and we meet customers the next morning in Hattiesburg for delivery. Customers order fresh my emailing me how many they want and for what date. We freeze extras and sell from our online store for delivery to any of the 5-pickup locations listed.

Ordering: our online store is open beginning the day after the pickup date until a few days before the pickup date. This gives us a few days to pack your order and make ready for delivery without last minute changes that we may or may not know about – and making for unhappy customers when we arrive with something different.

Remember, you can order as little as 10# of beef, 25# of pork, or 1-chicken. The store will not let you place an order for an “out of stock” item.

Hope this helps!

Last week we delivered two Beef Half – Custom Processed orders to long time customers. The orders were processed by our new processor - Attala. Here are initial comments:

Ok. I'm with Beth. We had a sirloin last night and it was AWESOME!! Next to my grandmother 's homemade ice cream the best thing I've eaten!! Definitely a good move to go with this processor! Barbara

The ground beef was great and we put a new york strip on the grill last night. It was delicious! Very tender and great taste. Very pleased!! Thanks so much, Angela

Visit our online store to learn more about our farm, products, pickup locations AND ordering. https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/

More from the blog

Beef Update & A New Product

Beef Update – Typically this time of year folks are hesitant to buy bulk beef for their freezer due to hurricane risk. That is why we have delayed our next custom half & whole beef processing until September. If you are interested, our next harvest will be September 2nd with pickup on September 22nd. If you want to be included then please email me your name, email, and cell number to be added to our wait list - and be the first folks contacted and guaranteed to receive an order. Beef prices continue to increase and hit a new All-Time high this week fueled by strong demand and limited supply. For example, based on what a 700 pound steer sold for at the Hattiesburg Stockyard Monday, I could make more than feeding him till he weighs 1100 pounds and sell as packaged beef - but our mission is to provide nutrient-dense, clean food to our customers. Effective immediately custom beef half and whole prices will increase $0.50 to $6.25 per pound based on the hanging weight. Retail cuts will increase for September deliveries as well.

Real Health Is NOT A Pill. It's A Practice!

Two Great Must Read Articles – Typically I don't make a big deal about articles we have read, but these two are so good that I felt they needed to be shared. The first is by Joel Salatin titled "Food Think" that is part of his The Lunatic Farmer blog. You can read the full article at this link. The second article is one Beth forwarded to me from the Health Viewpoints section of Epoch Times titled "Americans Spend Trillions on Health Care but Remain Unwell - Here's Why" Dr. Yang, FAPA, a board certified psychiatrist, begins by stating the difference between treating disease and building true health lies in a proactive and preventative lifestyle. Note - Beth and I would agree with other folks who commented that his article is spot on and very important for folks to read and understand. You can read at this link.

What's Your Favorite Sausage?

Sausages – so, we are looking to our customers for Sausage Inspiration! Since we added pigs to our farm in 2015 (wow- 10 years ago) we have sold basically the same five sausage flavors. The Patty & Regular Link sell pretty good, the Cajun & Cracked Black Pepper sell fair and the Jalapeno not so much. When you look around there are many various flavors available.