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Newsletter 2017 0121

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

January 20, 2017

Good News! While prices at retail continue to go up, here at Nature’s Gourmet Farm we will keep our prices for 2017 the same as 2016. While we have to make a profit to stay in business, our first objective is to work hard to make our product affordable to as many families as possible.

Speaking of price – did you know that buying a half Custom Processed beef or pork offers the best value for your food dollar? In fact, when compared to equivalent product at Whole Foods, our beef is less than HALF the price. And, we are locally raised – and meet you with your order.

Convenience – When I was growing up, having a stand-alone freezer was commonplace. During the garden season families worked to put up fresh vegetables and made usually one trip for local freezer beef and/or pork for the year. Meals were planned based on what was available in the freezer vs. a trip to the local grocer.

However, not so much today. Freezers are the exception. Meals are planned more by the day or week and shoppers drive to the grocer to purchase food for only a short period of time – typically returning weekly to do the same thing. Seems to me that having a freezer is a lot more convenient than having to make weekly trips & decisions on what to buy while standing in front of the meat counter (I wonder if impulse buying causes any waste or overspending in this process?).

Many families are stressed in time and finances. Would a freezer help?

Quality – Many folks find our farm because they are concerned about the impact of industrial ag & processed food quality. They know food production systems have changed drastically and are directly responsible for the increase in disease. In fact, NON-GMO Project Verified retail partners report that NON-GMO products are the fastest dollar growth trend in their stores. A 2014 survey found 80% seek out non-GMO products with 56% saying non-GMO was key to brand buying.

Here is a recent Google Review from Ann: Best beef ever !! We are a family of five so we go through a lot of meat ! My daughter ( Now 6 ) Has never liked beef , I really felt like she would be a vegetarian . I bought my first grass fed cow meat and well....She ate beef and cleaned her plate (WHAAATTT !!!! ) That should say a lot on its own . Well , so far , everything that I have tried has been so tender and so good, I don't think i could ever buy store bought beef again !

At Nature’s Gourmet Farm, we are committed to raising premium quality beef, pork, and chicken. Our animals are raised on diverse forage pastures and will never be fed any GMO products of any kind.

You can read more customer comments from our homepage.

Last week I announced we are taking deposits for Custom Process Pork that will be processed mid-March. I have updated what you can expect to receive based on actual results from recent animals. Select Pork Half - Custom Processed to review and place your order.

Also, it's that time again to get on the list to reserve your fresh broilers! We receive our first chicks Feb 24 and each 4 weeks thereafter through September.

Fresh Broilers will be available on the following Saturdays for pickup in Hattiesburg:

April 22

May 20

June 17

July 15

August 12

September 9

October 7

November 4

To reserve your broilers simply email me at sales@naturesgourmetfarm.com and let me know the quantity you want to reserve by date. There should be 125 or so available per date. Any leftovers will be sold through our website.

Recipes have been added to our website. Simply go to our homepage and click the tab near the top of the page. Many of the recipes came directly from our customers.

Thank you for supporting your local farmer.

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.