At Nature's Gourmet Farm we have been providing our customers broilers for the past 10 years. Each year we improve our operations to better care for the chickens and provide our customers a product that is full of ALL NATURAL GOODNESS, nutritious, and free of chemicals (healthy).
May kicks off the busiest grilling and barbecuing season of the year. May is also National Hamburger Month where we celebrate this humble meat that became a worldwide sensation. Have you ever wondered about the origins of America's favorite sandwich? Recently on one of our weekly delivery trips Beth read the following article to me from the Meat & Poultry magazine - there was no name attached to the article so I will just type it out for you here.... "Sometimes it's the little things that make a big impact on history.
Thursday & Friday our red meat processing team came together and cut & packed six beef! I could not believe how well marbled they were and how fresh the meat looked and smelled. And, there are FOUR families that will be picking up their half by Monday for their family to enjoy. Since early March our pastures have excelled. I'll share a few pictures plus a short video and narrative when I moved the yearlings last Sunday afternoon to fresh grass. So, when you regularly move the cows they get use to being moved when your out in the pasture. And, since the pasture they were leaving was also where the broiler chickens are means we were out in the pasture several times per day. Yes, they were ready to be moved and let me know about it.
We had several customers respond how they liked the science behind the research. But, the comment that really caught my attention was from George - a really good customer on our 1st Saturday route. Here is what he said: Ben, "I believe your farm produce is as healthy as it gets. My blood analysis from February showed an "optimal" level of Omega 3 (EPA, DPA, DHA) fatty acids of 6.3%. The definition of "optimal" being greater than 5.5%. No need to eat fatty fish or take fish oil supplements. My Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio was 4.9, well within the healthy range of 3.7 to 14.4. Most people eat way too much
Beth and I have been actively farming and selling direct to consumer for about 12 years now. It took us a few years to learn that it is very important to discern who you listen to as well as avoid. That is where I came up with my Four Rules: 1) They must own the land 2) They must own the animal 3) they must use their own capital 4) They must be successful. For me to consider their advice they would have to be able to answer YES to all four rules. A "No" on any of the four kicked them out. This focused my attention only on farms (people) who are doing what we are doing successfully. Through the Grass-Fed Exchange Board Membership I was able to develop a lot of great contacts.
Thursday I got FOOLED!!! RE Mercola article - I read the bullet statements, about half the article - then scrolled back up to see if the article had his "Fact Checked" posted which it did and then continued reading till near the end. Unfortunately, I now wish I had read all the way to the end because that's where the following was posted:
Over three days we were able to process six beef and two pigs. I was really pleased with Jake and our regular team who really stepped up and made it happen. While processing it became evident that there were opportunities for some new products. These include; Beef Grilling Bones We "canoe cut" the length of the bone to expose the maximum amount of marrow. To prepare, roast with salt, pepper and herbs, then spoon the savory filling onto crusty bread for an indulgent treat. Here is the link https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/beef-grilling-bones Beef Meaty Soup Bones - Harvested from the front quarter of our 100% pasture raised beef
Last week I mentioned that our team would be cutting & packing our beef this past Thursday & Friday. Jake of course, with15 years experience, was well prepared for what to expect. And, he complemented our team before he left Friday afternoon that he really enjoyed working with everyone and how hard they worked as well as how eager they were to learn. The ladies that were here helping all had experience is gardening, canning, and processing deer, chickens, and etc. for their families. So, they know about work. Well, late morning on the first day I started hearing conversation amongst the ladies and as I listened the common theme was
At the farm, we all look forward to Spring. Warmer and longer days mean the grass will grow and take care of the cows vs. hay. This is really important because the mama cows start calving early February. This year we had 47 calves born in less than 20 days. Here is a picture of one that was posing for the camera.
Sometime just before I started the 8th grade we moved to what is now the farm. During the summer before we actually moved, my family would drive down from the Richland area and plant, care for, and then harvest a rather large garden. This was my first introduction to "the garden"! And, boy I was not happy.... I especially remember the bush butterbean rows. There were FOUR of them a mile long (or so it seemed). One row was all mine to pick and it took all morning (although it seemed much longer). Beans from all four rows were put into empty 100# feed sacks called croaker sacks. Once the picking was completed then they had to be shelled. Yep!
Remember, last week I mentioned we had some exciting news about our red meat processing plant. Well, here goes... The new plant in Leaksville will also harvest our beef, pork, and lamb - then chill the carcasses a few days before I come and pickup the quarters, etc. and bring back to my plant for further processing. Additionally, last Thursday a butcher by the name of Jake visited our farm & plant and has agreed to work with us to cut/pack our animals. Jake has 15 years of experience and brings a lot of talent to the table.
"I love how your emails are written to friends and not strangers. Makes me feel like part of the community! All our best, Cricket" OK, so today's newsletter is a follow up from our soil test that was completed last December and culminates with a discussion around a farmer field day we hosted at our farm February 21st with Dr. Allen Williams. If you like to garden then you will appreciate the "educational" aspect of today's newsletter. The reason for taking the soil test was to see why our grass was not growing like it should. With the warmer winter
Veteran Owned & Operated
