Announcing our Second Season!

Dear Friends and Customers,
We’ve been working on a few changes for the next season of our meat CSA.  We’ve read the survey results and taken to heart much of the feedback we’ve received.  Thanks again to those of you who responded.

New CSA Season
We’ve decided to roll right into February with our second season!  We are now open to take orders for this season, which will run from February through June.  Ordering will work a little differently than last season.  There are now three options for ordering.  You can choose to order online, paying by credit card.  Or you can fill out a hard copy of the order form, included in the January delivery and mail it to us along with a check.  Or, you can choose to pay by check on our website. To do this, you will make the appropriate selection and then receive an email invoice for your order, which you will need to print out and mail along with payment.

New Share Pickup Time
In the next season, we will be at the delivery sites from 5 to 6pm. According to our survey, this will work for most of you. If you absolutely cannot make it between those times but would still like to receive a share, contact us and we’ll try to work out an alternate arrangement.

Pastured Pork
We are now offering more diversity in share options. New for next season - a pork-included share and a chicken-only share.  The pork for these shares comes form our pigs, which are raised on pasture, with plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and space to run.  They eat a variety of pasture forage along with grain and whey.  See our website (www.northmountainpastures.com) for more information about how our pork is raised and the nutritional benefits of eating pastured pork.  Pricing of the different options can be found on the website and in the order form (opposite).

Eggs
Our eggs from hens on pasture were more of a hit than we expected.  We found that our chickens couldn’t keep up with the demand!  The Coulter family, who supplies the CSA with grassfed organic beef and lamb, picked up the slack.  Their chickens roam freely on pasture, just as ours do, scratching through the green grass for seeds and insects.  These eggs have nice rich yellow yolks.  Pricing for eggs in the coming season will be $3.50/dozen.

Contact Information Changes
Matthew Smith continues to be a huge help with the CSA, and we could not have gotten started without him.  He is currently busy with his full time job, and we are currently in our “rest” season since it is winter.  For customer service or if you have any questions, please call or email Brooks or Anna, whose contact information is in the footer of this newsletter.

Recipes
In these monthly newsletters, you’ll find a recipe for one of the products we offer, so you can better cook the familiar cuts, and learn more about unfamiliar cuts of meat in your share.  The cuts of meat vary from share to share, so we’ll try to cover cooking instructions for as many different cuts as possible. Check our website’s blog for additional information on cooking.

Simple Hearty Beef Stew
This is a simplified version of Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.  A wonderful way to warm up and feel comforted in these cold days of winter!
Ingredients:
3 lb beef roast, cut into chunks (chuck, london broil,  
      or beef cubes work well.  Each lb serves 3 people)
optional: 6 oz. chopped bacon, 1 lb mushrooms
2 sliced carrots and/or potatoes
1 sliced onion
3 cups dry red wine such as Chianti
2 cups beef stock or water
2 cloves garlic, ½ t thyme, 1 crumbled bay leaf

Brown the bacon, if using, in a heavy pot.  Remove from the pan, leaving the fat.  Heat this lard or a bit of oil in the pan to almost smoking.  Dry the chunks of beef and sauté them in the pan until browned on all sides. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside with the bacon.  Brown your chopped vegetables in the same pan, then discard the oil or fat.  Return the meat to the pot and toss together with 1 t salt and ½ t pepper.  (Optional at this point: stir in 2 T flour or arrowroot, and brown a bit more in 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, stirring once. This continues to brown the meat and give it a crust, but leave it out if you’re pressed for time.)

Pour in the wine and stock (just enough stock to cover the meat), add garlic and herbs, cover and cook in the oven at 325 until meat is fork tender (about 2.5 to 3 hours). You could also do this in the crockpot on low. The stew should be at a slow simmer the whole time. Serve with rice, noodles, bread, or potatoes, a parsley garnish, and/or some sautéed mushrooms added at the end

Happy Meat Eating!

Anna, Brooks, and Matt