Beef. It's What's for Dinner, Part 1

Eating local is trendy. It's good for the environment and boosts the local economy. Farmers' markets and CSAs bring consumers closer to growers, and big box distributing companies get pushed back to the periphery. We've joined this bandwagon recently, and we're learning how to find local foods to replace our pre-packaged favorites. More of our money goes into the local farmers' markets and the co-op down the street than to Safeway or Costco, and we're doing better at growing more of our own food.

Let's be clear; we are not obsessed. Sure, it's great to purchase local foods as much as possible, but we love chocolate. I love tea. Olive oil is a must, and Aimee couldn't live without orange juice. We have our weaknesses. One of those is steak.

I was a vegetarian for seven years. I wasn't always loyal to the soybean. I ate fish and chicken when I was low on protein, but I stayed clear of beef and pig meats the whole time. It wasn't out of conscientious objection or environmental reasons, it was because my body just couldn't handle some foods well. When you're at the point of putting A-1 steak sauce on tofu, you know it's time to give meat another chance.

Enter the girlfriend who could not survive without steak. She would eat steak every night of the week and be content. She eats steak for breakfast on Christmas day. When we go out, steak is her favorite thing to order. Let's just say, steak has a stable home with us. So where does one find local beef?

A quick google search will get you started on local farms and ranches producting grass-fed beef in your area. We found several, and we decided to buy half a side of beef for our first attempt. On the Lamb Farm in Arlington has been helpful and friendly every step of the way. We ordered our quarter of a cow and a whole lamb back in February, paid a small deposit, and waited. The call came about three weeks ago. Our cow was headed to Del Fox Meats to be cut to our specifications. Three weeks of aging and a lot of butcher paper later, WE HAVE STEAK!

A second chest freezer found a home in the basement. We also installed extra shelving for all the processing of jams and pickles we're doing this year. How much space does 180 pounds of beef take up? How long will it last us? Those are all questions we're trying to answer. We'll keep you posted as we learn.

While I was up north collecting a quarter of a cow, I also stopped in at Eagle Haven Winery and picked up a case of their Pinot Noir (above) and another case of Sangiovese (below). They give a fantastic discount when you buy in bulk! Their bottles of wine range from $20 to $25 a piece, but we spent around $14 per bottle by buying them by the case. The Pinot Noir is grown in their own vineyards. It doesn't get much more local than that.

As we stock up for the fall and winter to come, it's comforting to see that running out of wine will not be a problem we face for a few months at least. And, if all else fails, Aimee is putting together quite the collection of locally based fruit alcohols! We'll tell you more about that in another post.

The Gem of the University District

This is the first in a series of posts about the Puget Sound farmers markets. We visit a few different ones each week depending on what we need, which market has something unique, which day we can scamper off with canvas bags in hand, and where we plan on being that day. You never know which market you'll find us at, but keep your eyes open and say hello if you spot us! To find the farmers market closest to you, or to go on adventures like we do, check out Puget Sound Fresh, Seattle's Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, or Snohomish County Farmers Markets.

The University District Farmers Market is a great chance for people in the city to get to know their growers up close and personal. Located in the parking lot of the University Heights Center for the Community, at the corner of University Way and NE 50th Street, the U District market keeps going year round.The following shots were taken about two weeks ago on a cloudy, very typical Seattle day. That didn't deter the crowds one bit. For anyone concerned about the popularity of farmers markets, look no further!

Tomatoes are finally coming in, so salads don't have to be boring anymore.

Brightly colored swiss chard seems to make everyone smile.

Hothouse cucumbers are likely to jump into your bag before you realize it. They're worth stopping for.

Who doesn't love a towering pyramid of baby carrots? The big carrots won't be in until much later, but these tiny spears of orange brighten up salads and cole slaw with crunch and mild flavor. Have you ever thought about how cheap carrots are in the grocery store? Try growing them at home and you'll quickly see that the effort they require should generate a little more income.

Rainier cherries are everywhere this time of year. Lighter and easier to eat by the dozen, these pacific northwest classics belong in your lunch bag for as long as you can keep them.

While we're not big fans of bing cherries, they sure do add a punch of color you can't ignore.

Tumbling peas and perky broccoli provide plenty of ideas for summer salads, lunches, dinners, and creative quiches. Don't be afraid to try something new. You may just decide you like kohlrabi, celeriac, or rutabagas. If you're wrong, your chickens, compost bin, or worm compsters will help you move on.

Toboton Creek Farm is a great source of boer goat, and their eggs are HUGE!

If you have yet to try goat, stick to something safe and easy. We tried goat bratwurst first, and we fell in love. Four in a pack will set you back $16, but they're absolutely worth every penny. Ask for them early before they sell out.

Berries are everywhere. If you can't make it out to a u-pick farm, be sure to buy them by the half or whole flat at the farmers market. Rinse, slice, add plain yogurt (from a local dairy, of course), sprinkle with granola, and make all your co-workers jealous as you feast after staff meetings. We go through a full flat of berries every week, topped with Grace Harbor Farms' plain yogurt. Our local co-op even stocks some locally produced granolas. Could everyone stop including coconut though? Some of us are allergic.

After watching Aimee drool over those raspberries, I knew they wouldn't last long on the car ride home.

If you haven't started making batches of jams and preserves, the time is ripe! Always be sure to ask local berry farmers if they'll give you a discount for buying lots and lots (like the three half flats we brought home yesterday), or if they have any slightly squished fruit which is still perfect for jam.

We've been blown away by the juices, ciders, wines, and vinegars available from Rockridge Orchards, and you'll be a convert, too. They provide sips of all the juices they sell, and those gorgeous bottles are good for a deposit on your return visit. We're never going back to the soulless vinegars sold in commercial grocery stores now that we've tried their apple cider vinegar.

Have you ordered your heritage turkey for Thanksgiving yet? Jerry and Janelle at Stokesberry Sustainable Farm in Olympia are happy to take your order now. We have a turkey reserved (which requires a small deposit and a smidge of reliability), and we're hoping to convince our extended family to go local for our feast this year.

Olsen Farms is a great place to pick up grass-fed meats. They're extremely helpful and willing to talk about their products, so don't be shy!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Grass-fed meat is pricey stuff. Before you turn up your nose at a $15 per pound top sirloin, think about what goes into the beef you consume. Grass-fed animals are happier, healthier, and their meat is better for you. Not only does grass-fed meat provide you with a great supply of omega 3 fatty acids, it also leaves your full belly with that warm, satisfied feeling of doing something right for cows, farmers, and the environment.

Bustin' Out of the Brooder Box

The babies are growing like mad. Seriously. This isn't our first batch of chicks, so I know what I'm talking about. Our older girls fattened up at a steady pace, but they took their time, one feather before the next. Not so for the new generation! We figure that the youngest (Dark Meat and Light Meat) are about three weeks old, seeing as we brought them home a little over three weeks ago. Winona and the three Sussex are clearly older, and we think the Sussex are probably two weeks ahead of their sisters. But really, at five weeks of age how many chicks look like this??

Meet Milla. She's the largest of the Speckled Sussex girls, and she's pretty much in charge in Brooder Box Land. Just check out that comb! And wattles?? At five weeks? She and the other no-name Sussex are getting pretty desperate to see the world beyond their plywood walls. They get a handful of weeds every couple of days, which leads to lots of fun, chasing, munching, and scratching, but it's not a fair representation of free ranging. It's already clear that these ladies will not like to be contained.

Sussex are a dual purpose breed, which means they lay great eggs but you can also raise them for meat. Prior to the major industrialization of the poultry industry in England, they were the bird to raise in your backyard or farmyard flock. They have a reputation for being calm, friendly, and hearty, qualities that definitely jive with our way of urban farming. Meat birds also have a reputation for eating tons of food and growing at a frightening pace. Milla is proving that to be true. While she won't be a chicken dinner in our household, we'll be using this opportunity to learn more about dual purpose chickens for our future farm. Ultimately we would like to have our own supply of meat birds in addition to layers. A single breed that provides both of those would simplify matters.

As for little Winona, things are looking up! You can see her bum eye in the picture above. Originally she could only open it part of the way. She can clearly see, and she frequently squints at me with that eye from the brooder box, but we were concerned that the muscles around it were damaged. Her recovery is at 99.9% now, and we think she'll be just fine by the time everyone gets moved out to the big coop.

She may look a little scruffy, but those big girl feathers will fill her out soon. This week we'll be raising the heat lamp in the brooder box by a few inches. Baby chicks need a warm, draft free environment in which to grow up. A heat lamp on one side of the brooder box gives them a warm place to cuddle and sleep, but there's also plenty of room to venture into cooler temps. Since our kids are a mixture of ages, we need a mixture of temperatures to keep them happy and healthy. As their adult feathers grow and replace their baby fluff, they can tolerate cooler, more varied weather. While most books say to decrease the brooder box temp by five degrees per week, I find it's easier to judge the temperature by the chicks' behavior. If they crowd under the lamp they're cold. If they steer clear of it, it's too hot. A good combination of napping, scurrying, and chirping means all is well.

This weekend we attended the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I'll post a few pictures of the tulips in a few days, but the other highlights of our journey included the following.

Golden Glen Creamery is a small, family owned farm in Bow, Washington. They produce milk in glass bottles, flavored butters, and several types of artisan cheeses. They keep gurnseys and holsteins, but with a total herd of about 80 cattle, they are very small in comparison to the large dairies in Washington State. We've been buying their whole, cream-top milk at our local co-op, and we really recommend their chocolate and strawberry milk! The cinnamon butter is heavenly on toast, and their aged cheddar is delightful on a whole grain cracker. Aimee and I toured their facility, and, despite the pouring rain, still had a great time seeing the cows, calves, and cheese-making ladies.

You can find Golden Glen products at PCC, some Whole Foods stores, and many small co-ops in the region. Want to see more dairy cows hard at work? Be sure to visit their farm on June 27th for their open house. We'll probably be there, too!

Hemlock Highlands Ranch is one of the only producers of Scottish Highland cattle. They're a very old heritage breed, hearty, tolerant, and docile. We got to pet a six week old baby, and he was twice the size of our biggest dog, Aengus! His coat was soft and long and pale, much like the bull pictured above. While we have already pre-ordered half a side of beef from another local farmer who raises grass-fed cattle and sheep, Hemlock Highlands will be on our list of farms to try out in the future.

Right across the road is Eagle Haven Winery, producer of several types of local wines. We were impressed by their Sangiovese (an Italian red wine), Apple wine (from their very own apples), and the exceptional Pinot Noir, also grown right there on highway 20. We bought a bottle of each and will likely return to buy by the case.

The bounty of Skagit County sure did surprise us this weekend. Our first forays into eating locally are going well, and the beginning of farmer's market season is right around the corner. It feels so positive to step into the tiny store on a family farm and buy milk and cheese from the very people who milked the cows and stirred the curds by hand. I'm looking forward to more discoveries like the ones we had this weekend.