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Sometimes I wonder….
….if it’s worth the fight. The government, which of course is vitally concerned about the food you eat, (sarcasm intended) has come up with still more regulations. What they say, of course, is they’re only thinking of you. But what they’re doing of course, is trying another end run that will favor Big Ag and penalize those small farmers who actually care about the quality of the food we eat. What Uncle Sam plans to do is “inspect” producers and processors in high risk areas. And the cost of us high risk farmers will be $13,000 a year. Big Ag, which makes billions and is the cause of all the…
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Hay wars….
…we wrote before about the devastating effect of the drought on our friends who are cattlemen in the mid-section of the country. Most ran out of grass this summer and were forced to severely cut back their herds and even liquidate. Now that it’s winter, and time to feed hay, the situation has become even more dire. Hay rustlers have become a serious problem. And so have the Chinese. The Stockman Grass Farmer reports that the Chinese are able to outbid American cattleman for American hay. It seems it costs just $30 a ton to transport hay by container ship to the Far East. Shipping that same ton of hay…
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Tough but tasty….
….one of the curious things we have noticed about meat, at least to our palate, is that there seems to be a correlation between tough and tasty. That was first brought to our attention by our butcher, Doug Aylesworth of Blue Ridge meats. It was he who first suggested we try marketing chuck steaks. Frankly, we got cold feet after the first cuts arrived back here. More recently, we’ve decided that Doug was right, but they do require careful preparation. Our daughter-in-law, Barbara, came up with a recipe from her mother recently…a recipe for beef stroganoff. It’s simple and, she assures us, delicious. Barbara is one of the best cooks…
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New Year’s resolutions….
….have never been our thing. There was a time in my life that I did “get into” cognitive psychology and found the affirmation and visualization process very rewarding. It’s something I use to this day. But here are some New Year’s resolutions that are useful and easy to keep….particularly #3 and #4! http://www.marksdailyapple.com/21-simple-things-to-do-to-prepare-for-a-successful-2013/#axzz2GGTsTHG6?utm_source=Jan+6+Newsletter+-+New+Template&utm_campaign=121223&utm_medium=email If you live in the Fauquier county area, I’m generally pretty happy with the fresh seafood at Wegman’s but our favorite purveyors of things like fresh salmon, halibut and Rockfish are “The Merry Moo” in Sperryville and “The Town Duck” in Warrenton. Both suggest ordering in advance and I’d suggest getting on their email distribution. I’m reminded…
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We’re doomed….
…when people like this are not only permitted to vote but write newspaper columns. This San Francisco (where else) newspaper man has some advice for hunters. If the print is too small on your screen, I quote: “To all you hunters who kill animals for food, shame on you; you ought to go to the store and buy the meat that was made there, where no animals were harmed.”
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Diet advice that makes sense…
A number of bloggers in recent months have discovered Gary Taubes, a science writer, who has analyzed the popular advice on dieting and concluded it just doesn’t make sense. Taubes first book was really an investigative tour de force, debunking the basic “calories in-calories out” approach. He even questioned the benefits of exercise. He has a more popular version of his research out now and, if you’ve never had much luck losing weight and keeping it off, you may want to check it out. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307474259/?tag=powlin-20 Confession: having enjoyed my own cooking too much in recent years, I decided it was time to reverse course. Since the day after Thanksgiving, I’ve…
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Real food costs too much….
…though that’s not how it’s usually put. But it does drive those of us raising natural food nuts. The country is going broke paying for Medicare, Obamacare and all the other cars. Our kids have to be drugged to sit still. And the rest of us are on chemo or statins or whatever. The cost is enormous but we object to paying a little more for healthy food. Go figure. We should do a better job of explaining, I guess, but you hate to be up on a soapbox all the time lecturing. Wooz still tries; I just walk away. Down in Texas though, I came upon a young couple…
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How the best chefs do it….
….cook a steak, that is. With our boxed beef we include a sheet of cooking tips including our way of preparing a steak. But we ran across this on the internet and think we’ll give it a try. Note that this chef recommends grass fed beef for real beef flavor. http://offthemeathook.com/2011/02/meeeeeeeeeaaaat-how-to-cook-steaks-on-your-stovetop-that-taste-better-than-in-a-fancy-restaurant/
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Cooking brisket….
When children, grandchildren and great-grandchild get together for Christmas Eve dinner, you need a substantial piece of meat. Brisket, I think, is the perfect choice. Several of our Thistle Hill customers report they also had wonderful meals this year, slow-cooking our grass fed brisket. So I share Wooz’ “old family recipe”, which is certainly old if not family. It’s from a cookbook published in 1958 with a Wooz twist. Here’s her version: Every once in a while a great recipe meets a great piece of meat and the result is pleasing to all. This Christmas Eve we tried an old recipe with a perfect brisket from our own Thistle Hill Devon…
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The looming meat “cliff”….
…and we could be falling off that, too. Kit Pharo linked to the drought monitor today and it demonstrates that while the drought over much of the country is forgotten….it certainly isn’t gone! http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/12_week.gif The drought has forced many ranchers we know in the Midwest and West to cut back their herds or even close down completely. The increased number of cattle going to slaughter earlier in the year has kept cattle prices fairly low, despite the high cost of corn. But now the overall national herd is at record low numbers and demand has been forcing cattle prices (and beef) to rise. But the worst is yet to come. …