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Ladies in Beef….
….is an organization in England which promotes beef consumption…and our very own Juliet Cleave is right in the center of things (as usual). Right now they’re doing a television campaign plugging roasts as an easy mid-week meal. What could be better than a roast in the crockpot….toss in whatever you find in the refrigerator and bins and…voila!
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Made in the USA….
….Traditional Devon America™ reached another milestone with the birth of this little bull calf. TDA is a partnership of three American breeders focused on importing traditional English Red Devon genetics to the United States. The dam of this calf….one of the first English embryos conceived at a clinic in Oxford and the daughter of two British Devon champions….was Tilbrook Castiller. Cashtiller was particularly note-worthy for the great bulls she produced. The AI sire of this little guy was Ashott Barton Millennium Falcon, but we’ll do him a favor and call him Falcon, for short. He’s just over 12 hours old in these photos but we’re hopeful. We calve our heifers…
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Thistle Hill goes global…Part Three….
We mentioned the other day the number of overseas visitors to this website and checked again today to find we have added three more countries to the list: Nepal Nigeria Madagascar Welcome friends! As we say in Virginia: “Y’all come back, y’hear!?”
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How good is Thistle Hill pork???
Well, modesty has not been one of my more noticeable traits. But even I had to blush reading this rave review we received about our most recent pork from Brooke Henley of Middletown, Maryland. The pork is heavenly! What an animal! And the processing is amazing too! So far we’ve sampled two cuts of bacon (definitely will be the first thing we run out of!), pork chops, and a ham steak. Photographic evidence attached! This is one of the 2″ thick chops and yes, we’ve just sliced it open. You’re looking at it from the end. One chop was enough for both of us and we had a little bit leftover.…
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Thistle Hill goes “global”…Part Two….
….by coincidence, the same day of our South Africans visit, (see Global Part One below) we received an email from all the way around the globe in New Zealand. We’re always surprised at the readership this blog receives in far-away places….and gratified when we hear from afar. Frankly, it makes me a bit ashamed that I don’t devote more time to our Blog to make it more deserving of your attention. But here’s the note we received from Helena Barrio: Although originally from Devon, I now live with my family in New Zealand. We farm a small stud in the north island. I love Devon cattle, and I too am…
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Thistle Hill goes “global”….
….we really enjoy entertaining visitors at Thistle Hill. We always learn more from our guests than they ever learn from us. Just a fresh set of eyes makes us see things we just never focused on. This week we hosted a delegation of cattle and dairymen and women from South Africa and they brought with them an agronomist from Australia, Christine Jones. The group had skipped breakfast and arrived from Washington torn between our pastures and our buffet. Food won out! I haven’t had beer for breakfast, much less burgers and brats, since I was flying for SAC, but Thistle Hill meats are perfect any time. Stomachs satisfied, they set out…
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Round-up (glysophate) is just about everywhere…
….we’ve made the point here that genetically-modified foods may or may not pose a health risk, but there’s no doubt that the wide-spread use of Monsanto’s Round-up in raising GMO crops certainly does. It’s also true that wheat farmers apply heavy doses of Round-up in their fields….and right before harvest….though wheat is not a GMO crop. And Dr. Joseph Mercola believes the increased use of Round-up is linked to the increased incidence of celiac disease. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/14/glyphosate-celiac-disease-connection.aspx
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Commercial Devon herd for sale…
….Bill Roberts of 12 Stones Grasslands Farm tells us he’s been asked to market a herd of part-Devon cows and a Devon bull. There are 26 1/2 and 3/4 Devon in the group (part Angus) and 15 young 7/8s heifers calved earlier this year. Bill has marketed feeders from this herd and seen tremendous cut-out and carcass quality. This sounds like a good opportunity if you’ve been wanting to get in the grass fed business. Contact Bill at 12stonesgrasslandbeef@gmail.com.
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Thistle Hill Alumni…Tennessee Chapter….
….we’re always gratified to see how Regina and Tom Tesnow take our genetics to the next level. Their Tomina Farm in Waynesboro, Tennessee probably has more Thistle Hill cows…and their progeny…than we do. Well, not quite. And they’ve blended to some other great lines, particularly Bill Roberts’ 12 Stones Grassland Beef. Their first big catch was our THF Magic, followed by THF Casino, the brother of our herd bull, Jackpot. (You beginning sense there’s a theme, here?) And now, with the real test of a bull, Regina has sent us pictures of Casino‘s progeny. We’ve included two of his bull calves below. (We’re currently out of bulls so we suggest you…
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Customer comments….
Lori S…. “❤ it! Best sausage gravy ever!” And Lori included a picture. How about the recipe? Lori “tried” our sausage and has now ordered a half pig. Lindsay S…. “My husband absolutely loves the sausage. His all-time favorite!” Now about Thistle Hill beef: Dr. Elizabeth M…. “You have the best meat in town. I love promoting your farm in my waiting room.” If you haven’t ordered your beef and pork for the Fall, don’t delay. We have just a half-pig available plus a limited number of Beef Boxes and Pork Paks. Pigs are priced starting at $6 per pound with added charges for smoking and for links and patties. …