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At the heart of our herd…
TDA7, daughter of the great Tilbrook Cashtiller who is still the finest cow of any breed we’ve ever seen! We flushed Cashtiller twice in England and nine years ago TDA7 was born here along with five sisters and two brothers. TDA7, like her mama, has aged gracefully…udders still as correct as a three-year-old. Our friend and veteran cattleman Bill Roberts spotted 7’s dam Cashtiller on a visit to Gavin Hunter’s Tillbrook farm near Cambridge, England, and his judgment was confirmed by pictures and then our first visit along with 50 other Devon breeders on the 2010 tour. It was then that we formed a friendship with Tillbrook’s Gavin Hunter and…
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The Thistle Hill Alumni Club…
…and a recent graduate…Equinox. He’s a combination of our top English lines. Equinox is not quite two years old and at 900 pounds has a lot of growth yet to come. But he went right to work covering the herd at Spring Pastures farm in Maryland. The Equinox pedigree includes such top names as Falcon, Cashtiller, Buttercup…all the result of a ten year search we made through Devon country in their native England. That dark ruby red haircoat and the spotless muzzle are two guarantees of a pure traditional Devon! This is the second bull we sent to Spring Pastures Farm and owners Brooke Henley and Tom Garnett. Reddi was…
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King David reigns…
…over the American part of our herd anyway. He is now in his third year and making stunning growth…300 pounds and 2.5 more inches scrotal growth…in recent months. King David is the result of crossing one of our pure English bulls with an American cow. The idea was to mate the best to the best…hoping in the process to reduce the size of our cows just a little. Obviously we’re pleased with the result. This fall will show us more about his impact on frame scores. Meanwhile he is one of several cows we’ve been leasing. Talk to Church about that: (214) 802-1283 David
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There’s nothing we like better…
…almost…than seeing the final result of what we do at Thistle Hill on a customer’s table. (Well maybe being invited over for dinner is a little better!) Thanks to Jim Houck, he orders halves and wholes to share with his family, for sending this photo of a Thistle Hill rib roast. Jim says the flavor was “amazing”! Not many of our customers ask for the standing rib…preferring smaller steaks instead. But Jim is a contractor and needs his protein! We’re about to harvest a beevein a few days but there’s only a quarter left! Contact Church quick for your amazing eating experience! And contact Jim if you need a contractor. …
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The unappreciated steak…
…but not here at Thistle Hill. Others can have their filet or rib eye but no steak tastes better to me than the Delmonico! Church liberated a couple of Delmonicos from the freezer the other day…and started with a short marinade. He followed with his favorite cooking method which is Sous Vide and then a quick flash searing on the grill. The result using that technique is a perfect steak every time! If you’ve wondered, the Delmonico was introduced at a New York restaurant of the same name back in the 1800s. The Baked Alaska also originated there…as did Lobster ala Newberg and clam chowder. And if you’re a fan…
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The parade of bulls…
…this time features a young bull exactly one year old, F100. He’s a combination of English genetics. The sire is the great English champion Cutcombe Jaunty. The dam was selected by Wooz on what turned out to be her final visit to England. She choose an Ashott Barton Tulip heifer which in turn we mated to Jaunty. All this in a clinic outside Oxford. The resultant embryo was shipped to Virginia where we implanted it in a top Thistle Hill cow…in our Rotokawa line, in turn from New Zealand. That recip is a vital part of the whole process. So there you have F100…a citizen of the world! When we…
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The nonsense about meat…
…which mostly we ignore because, like politics, it’s an argument you can’t win. Vegans who first based their belief on animal cruelty, eventually branched out to make health claims which weren’t substantiated by any evidence. Now, though, comes the results of another massive research project which cannot find any link between red meat and cancer, heart disease or diabetes. In fact, the researchers also gave a pass to processed meats. There’s also an interesting side note: the scientists say it was hard to come up with any conclusions because all the basic research that has fueled the opposition to red meat is flawed. David
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It’s not too late…
…to purchase Thistle Hill burger for summer grilling. Our family gets great satisfaction in reading notes like this one from Bill E. It’s almost like we’re at the Outer Banks, too! We have the whole family at the beach in North Carolina for the week. We brought down 7 lbs of our most recent thistle hill ground beef. Our son made hamburgers for everyone. Of course they were spectacular and got added kudos when I told the family that this was local grass fed beef from my neighbor. Bill E. Thistle Hill Farm complete price list. Or call or write Church at (214) 802-1283 or info@thistlehill.net David
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Perfect for summer grilling…
…just in time for your family cookout: Thistle Hill steaks, ribs and burgers. For the first time we’re offering individual packages…no longer only bulk sales! You owe it to your family to try delicious, healthful grass fed Devon beef. Our animals are raised and finished without supplements, pesticides, herbicides or antibiotics. Hamburger is wrapped in individual one-pound packages for just $7.50/pound. Steaks start at $15/pound. Yes, and there are bulk discounts! Farm pickup weekends and by appointment. Email ahead and your order will be waiting but we urge you to allow some time to look around. Fun for the kids and you’ll learn why Thistle Hill meat is simply better.…