I raise grassfed beef in Wisconsin. My sister and brother process fish in Seward Alaska.
Seward Ak is a beautiful place and if I wasn't a farmer, I would be in AK all summer wearing rubber boots and filleting fish on the docks in Seward. Well, drinking coffee on the docks in Seward and then filleting fish - wearing rubber boots of course.
Seward is very much your quintessential Alaskan town. Cori and I got up most mornings and walked along the harbor with our coffees. We, like most tourists I'm sure, just couldn't get enough of the harbor, the mountains, and glaciers.
I even saw the northern lights! It was a beautiful display, mostly green lights that just sort of moved across the sky. It was perfect because Andy and I talked about seeing the northern lights but didn't really think that we would. Then wouldn't you know it, me and Andy were the only ones awake to see them that night. The experience is definitely one of my most memorable moments and I am so glad Andy and I were together to see it.
So why am I telling you all about Seward AK in December? Well, this holiday season I am offering surf and turf boxes. These boxes include Dungeness crab and grassfed steaks!
This Crab comes straight from Captain Jacks in Seward Ak. Kristen and Allen (my siblings) have owned Captain Jacks going on 4 years now. They mostly process (fillet and pack) salmon, but they have all sorts of fish and seafood available.
Cori and I were in a triathlon over the weekend to raise money for brain cancer research. This is a cause that hits very close to our family. My husband Chris was diagnosed with brain cancer last fall. We have all been fighting this fight for almost a year now. There have been highs and lows in the last year. We are trying to focus on the highs and put the lows in the rear view mirror!
One huge blessing and high point of our year came in the form of a mentor for my kids. Olivia Dietzel is Cori and Andys distance track coach. She is also a professional triathlete and an engineer at John Deere. She also had a father with brain cancer. Olivia started the Mind Over Matter foundation to benefit brain cancer research. All proceeds go to the University of Iowa Hospitals and clinics.
Olivia organized the first annual Mind Over Matter triathlon over the weekend and Cori and I were in it. We swam, bike, ran our way to podium finishes and raised money for brain cancer research while doing it.
I have not done triathlon for years! When Olivia asked me, for the first time, to do it, I couldn’t say no fast enough. I told her I am not in that kind of shape, I am 44 years old, my husband has brain cancer, my list of reasons went on forever! Then she asked a few more times, every time I said no and I just want to watch Cori do it.
Then Olivia sent me a direct message on social media and told me about how she was able to do a triathlon with her dad before he passed and how that meant so much to her and she still has the memories of that day. I thought about it for a few days and even though I am not the parent with brain Cancer, Cori does have a parent with cancer and this is an opportunity for us to mend and bond as a family being affected by cancer.
So after some swim practices with Cori and her high school triathlon team, and some pointers from Olivia on swimming. I had already been biking almost everyday this summer and just a few runs around my farm trail. I was ready to compete. And by ready, I mean, I probably won’t die. Also, I have done this before many times, it’s just been a while. I have my 70.3 Ironman medal on my bathroom mirror and the date is 2015. So that’s about how long it’s been.
Cori got into the water just a little before me. I saw her on the bike route when we passed each other after her turn around. I saw her on the run again after she passed the turn around and gave her a big high five. She stayed ahead of me probably by 5 minutes or so. I saw her much more by participating than I ever would’ve just by spectating. We saw Chris and Andy at every transition and then the finish.
Then during awards Cori and I were on the podium in our age groups. Both getting 3rd. Cori competed in the girls 19 and under group. I was in women 40-49. Granted my age group was not huge but there was a handful of us. I was just thrilled I didn’t have to walk and I saw Cori lots of times. I saw Chris and Andy lots of times and even though Andy says he will never do it, I think between Olivia and I, we will probably get him talked into it some day.
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This one is a family delight. Not a difficult process, and it feels like a fancy meal from a restaurant. It also packs a lot of flavor! Pair with baguette style bread and a local craft beer!
cooking twine keeps the meat rolled up and all the good flavorful ingredients where they belong. The flank roll is cooked indirectly so that everything is evenly cooked and not just the outside. Total cooking time on the grill is about 20-30 minutes, low and slow is key. Have oil ready to keep the meat from drying out and an instant read thermometer is a must for this one.
Ingredients:
These are a custom grind so no buying already ground from the store! You can grind in the food processor in small batches or use a grinding attachment on your mixer.
Awesome burgers!
Serve with the works: Cheese slices, tomatoes, lettuce, special burger sauce*, and kettle chips.
Things have gone badly for us in the last few months, and by badly, I mean I've thrown up while doing my chores, I've begged God to reconsider this path, and just having days of dark and no hope, kind of bad.
Chris has brain cancer. He was diagnosed in September. Before his diagnosis, there were very obvious signs that things were off. In late September his symptoms turned physical and after falling twice in one morning during and after chores, once not being able to get up right away, he finally told me that he hasn't been feeling well and all the symptoms he has been experiencing for a few months now.
By the time we went to the emergency room, he had a baseball sized tumor in the right hemisphere, front lobe of his brain. Right hemisphere is responsible for the lack of strength on the left side of his body. His hand, arm, leg and foot were all having problems. The frontal lobe is concerned with personality, decision making, self control, empathy, these were the other symptoms we were seeing and the personality symptoms presented before the physical symptoms.
After the tumor was removed, the pathology report told us that it is cancer and he will have to start treatment. We will be driving to Madison everyday for treatment toward the end of the month and going through the holidays. We need prayers for him. The prognosis is not great, but we trust that, he will stay strong and healthy for as long as he possibly can, God will give us the timeline we need, and statistics are beat all the time.
Along with western medicine, I have farmer friends from all over, I can count on for the highest quality and most nutrient dense ingredients out there. Chris is in good hands, and will stay working and farming for the foreseeable future.
We have had wonderful neighbors and family stand with us and help us by showing up and doing the hard jobs that farms require. Animals still need to be managed, corn needs to be picked. Farms don't stop when farmers are sick. So many have asked us what we need and if they can help. We need prayers right now for peace and hope and of course health.
Thank You!
]]>Apples
My second or maybe third favorite thing to raise. It's a toss up. If I can grow it and make something wonderful with it, it's my favorite thing to raise.
Apple crisp was one of the first things I learned to make when I was young. Martha Stewart made apple crisp in jail - just a little FYI on apple crisp. I've often wondered if I would be able to make appIe crisp in jail without a recipe. I think I would.
I had apple trees on my farm growing up. My grandma and I used to pick apples by the bushels and go in the house and start making our magic. Grandmas specialty was sauce and would make plenty for us to enjoy with dinner for weeks to come.
Grandma would peel apples by hand with a small Pioneer pairing knife. I always used an apple peeler but I do break them a lot. I now have the pioneer pairing knife because grandma is in the nursing home and I went into her kitchen and found it- no one else wanted it. I asked. I have been practicing my hand peeling I can't hold a candle to grandma. It's harder than it looks and takes a steady hand.
I still have my original apple crisp recipe from my youth. I make different variations now, but this recipe has always been my favorite. It came from a 4-h recipe book called Tricks for Treats. In that book, this was the recipe I made the most.
Try it and Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 C Rolled Oats
1/2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C butter
4 C peeled sliced apples
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°
2. Place rolled oats, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to blend.
3. Add soft butter and blend with a pastry blender or fork.
4. Arrange peeled sliced apples in a 9x9 baking dish or 10" skillet.
5. Spread oatmeal mixture on top of apples and press lightly.
6. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is brown and apples are tender. Test with a fork.
7. Serve warm with ice cream!
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I was once asked if bone broth tastes good. I didn't know what to say. No. It doesn't taste good. If it did, everyone would drink it. And isn't that just the way life is? Not everything is easy and fun and in the food world - not everything "tastes good" by the average American standard.
I am no nutritionist but i did get my information from a nutritionist/butcher/farmer @Kate_kavanaugh. You may, at first glance, look at those credentials and think what kind of quack nutritionist do you follow? But all of those professions are very closely related. If you want the best nutrition on earth - grow it, raise it, process it, and share it with others!
Bone broth aids in, sleep, mood regulation, anxiety, gut health, joint health, skin health, and wound healing. The nutrients that have been proven to be players in these functions are also found in bone broth and are as follows...
Glycine, collagen, glutamine, and gelatin
So you have to decide, do you want to make bone broth to drink for medicinal purposes? Or do you want to use bone broth primarily in your cooking?
For medicinal purposes: You want a more concentrated batch. Think - more bones, and especially bones like knuckle bones.
For cooking purposes: You want more liquid. More watered down.
Side note: When making soup and the recipe calls for 8 cups of bone broth - they mean store bought and that is not what you are making. Use half or less of your homemade, and for the rest, use water. When making Chicken noodle soup, just use water because boiling your chicken carcass is making broth. If you are making chicken noodle soup without a chicken carcass - DON'T, your wasting your time.
Please notice that I did not say recipe. This is only a guide because there are as many variations as there are cooks out there. I have gotten some great recipes to make broth and I can follow them to a T and they turn out different every time. So all you need is a basic guide and you do what you like.
Broth for medicinal purposes: fill bones almost to the top of your stock pot or crock pot. fill the pot with water. Add your vinegar, let simmer for 24-48 hrs. Turn off your heat. Let cool. spoon out all bones and large pieces. Pour broth into a large container through cheese cloth to further strain. Set container in refrigerator until completely cool and fat layer has formed on top. Remove fat layer. Freeze broth in ziplock bags dividing into desired increments. If you would like to use this concentrated broth in cooking, just water it down to recipe specifications.
Broth for cooking: Use 2-3 meaty soup bones, 5 lbs of knuckle, marrow, and chicken bones. Place in stock pot and fill with water. follow instructions above.
I hope you try to make broth at home. Just remember it's not going to "taste good", you will have to make yourself have a cup everyday, it's not a magic healer, and when it's "working" you probably wont even know. It is a tool in your healthy lifestyle tool kit. And it's a heck of a lot better than paying a company halfway across the country to make products that claim to have the same nutrition that you can locally source, control quality, and store and package as minimally and reusable as you want. When you think about those factors it's worth your time to make it.
*If you would like a more complete guide and resource to making bone broth follow this link Western Daughters Butcher Shop. Kates Bone Broth guide has A LOT of very specific nutrition information that I just barely scratched the surface of in this post.
]]>Luckily, a few days ago, my Amish neighbor knocked on my door with a recent local newspaper article in his hand about my grassfed beef farm. When I opened the door, he asked "is this you?" I confirmed the article was about my farm, and he proceeded to introduce himself.
He told me about his new small scale pastured poultry farm that he and his family started and asked if I would like to partner with them in selling their chicken. I wanted to see their farm of course to see how they are rotating and managing their birds, because I am very interested in how animals are raised and so are my customers.
A week later I went to their farm and was impressed with their management. They had small numbers of birds in each hutch. The hutches were clean and the birds looked very healthy and happy in their spaces. I could tell that they were moved everyday to fresh pasture. The space they were in was clean and the space they left behind was not over manipulated by the birds. Just some manure and fewer bugs left in their wake.
The birds are taken to a USDA inspected facility for processing and are shrink wrapped. For the time being, I am offering whole birds on my website and in an affordable Beef and Chicken box.
I am so excited to offer pasture raised chicken! I have tried some myself, they are great and come in very manageable sizes (4-6lbs).
Here is the link to the Chicken and Beef Box!
]]>The county fair was an important part of my childhood. My siblings and I showed beef cattle. My sister also took her art, and I took my cooking projects. While our interests were emerging at that age, we of course needed parental pushing from time to time to get our work done, but between the cooking and the working with our animals, it pretty much filled our summer schedule.
Now my kids also take animals to the fair. Cori takes her art as well and along with cattle and sheep the kids also take poultry. This year poultry did not show due to avian flu.😔
At the fair, once animals are in place, kids have to stay at the fair and keep their animals clean and fed. When it's time to show, they clean their animals and get them ready to be shown in the ring with a judge. Each animal species has a specific way it is to be shown. The animal is judged on body composition and overall marketability. It is up to the person doing the showing to make the animal look as good and settled as he or she possibly can.
Toward the end of the week, is the livestock auction. This is when the kids sell their market animals. At our fair we have good community support and kids can expect to receive a dollar or so above market price. Market price is dictated by the commodity market for that species and dependent on trading factors such as supply, demand, weather trends in the country, and many other factors. Right now beef is trading at $1.45 or so. That is $1.45/lb live animal. Sheep are trading at $1.00/lb live animal.
Andy received $3.00/lb for his steer and Cori got $10.00/lb for her sheep. So these prices are way above market and we are so thankful that we have buyers at the fair willing to bid at these prices. This money helps these farm kids go to college - many of whom have intentions of majoring in an agricultural field. So this auction is a good way to boost our local agricultural community and it's great to see so much support.
The kids of course have feed bills and Cori has to pay for her animal because we didn't own this lamb, but at these prices even after all costs, the kids still made a profit. We teach the kids that in farming, if you aren't making money, you don't have a business - you have an expensive hobby, and it's too much work to be a hobby.
We had a great fair this year and the kids have shown animals for about 8 years and still have 2 and 3 years left. Cori will now stick with sheep and Andy will keep showing cattle.
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Everyday this time of year, I go out to move my cattle. We have a pasture rotation schedule that we keep through the summer and into fall.
Most days they are happy to see me. They usually start to line up when they hear the Gator coming. Cattle enjoy routine and of course, fresh grass.
We move all of the time because it's good for them, and It's good for my farm. Cattle are notoriously naughty when left to their own devices. They are followers and are extremely habit oriented. They do the same thing time after time after time. If left alone they will start to make trails, they will only eat their favorite things, and they will go to their favorite locations to sleep and rest.
If you make them move, they have to change their routines. It also allows for other animals, pollinators, insects and birds to come into the pasture and enjoy the habitat that a healthy pasture offers.
It's important cattle don't overstay their welcome in any one area. I have 32 acres of pasture that I manage. That essentially gives us 32 days of moving before we start again. 32 days is a good amount of rest for any given paddock and is a good practice for all involved.
]]>It is just about go time in the garden beds. Our last frost free date in Southern Wisconsin is May 15. Some say Mothers Day, but that has not been foolproof the last few years. Starting in May, I start check my weather app and when we get a 10 day stretch with no nights even close to 30 we are pretty safe. Even low 40s can be a problem.
Have you ever wanted to make a commitment to garden organically? It really is not very hard to have a home organic garden. It does take time, planning, and patience, but so does growing anything.
Good luck with your home garden this year. Growing your own food even if it just a little, helps us all remember how difficult food is to grow and helps us to think about and respect the food we eat. 👩🌾
]]>I decided that I needed to switch my store platform last year sometime. I was getting a lot of questions and confusion about my online store so I finally made the decision that I needed to make the switch to an easier online shopping process.
So let me give you a quick introduction/ tour and then I will also let you know what you can expect from the farm in the coming months.
If you are brand new to the farm, make sure you sign up to my email list so you can get all announcements first. Also if you are fairly new around here, go to the My Story page to learn my story and why I farm. If you have questions about how shipping works and shipping schedules, go the the Shipping and Farm Pickup page. If you are ready to shop go ahead and find the grassfed beef box that suits you and your family.
There is one set back to my new shopping experience and that is, if you are a previous customer, you will have to make a new account/ profile. Sorry about that!
The benefit to my new website is that it is a much easier shopping experience. You will be able to get in, get your beef, and check out very quickly and with fewer glitches. I really hope that you enjoy your local grassfed beef shopping experience and as always, let me know if you have any problems and I will definitely help you out.
]]>This recipe can also be done one of two ways, you can use Grazin’ Beef Farm Chuck Roast or Stew Meat. Either one will work. If time allows, I recommend using the low setting on your slow cooker. When cooking grass-fed beef, always use the low setting if you are able and usually cook it to the longer part of the time frame like 7-9 hrs usually requires the full 9hrs. Low and slow wins the race.
Perfect time to try this recipe so give it a shot!
Steak and Asparagus are springtime taste bud satisfiers. Asparagus starts popping its head out of the soil in April in Wisconsin. We wait and we watch our asparagus patches for the green little tips to start showing up. When they do, we are thrilled and start firing up the grills.
This recipe is made in a single skillet and can be done on the stove top. Save the grilling for next time. Give it a try!