CSA Update! on August 15th, 2010

This weeks selections included:

Tomatoes, onions, green pepper, trombocinni squash, eggplant, oregano, cherry tomatoes, and peaches. 

It looks like tomatoe sauce week!  Nothing compares to the flavor of a homemade spaghetti sauce.  My kids love to churn the sauce press we have which takes out the skins.  You can also dip the tomatoes in boiling water to blanch them and then remove the peels but in a pinch I don’t mind a tomatoe sauce with the peel. 

4 cups tomatoes — peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium red or white onion — minced
1 1/2 teaspoons basil (fresh if possible)  or you could use extra oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1 can tomato paste — (6 oz) Helps thicken the sauce- you could also use just the tomatoes and cook it down on the stove top
4 garlic cloves — crushed
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 dash red pepper

A few seconds were available for separate pick up: tomatoes and peaches.  When we have seconds or produce that does not meet a great standard, we will offer it separately.  We eat a lot of the imperfections around here.  They are still wonderful but deteriorate quickly.  Tomatoes have been difficult this year.  With the heavy rains, most have been splitting.  They are still great when you cut away the bad.  They are also great to cook with.  Organic fruit is another item that perfection is difficult to come by.  I am quite fine eating a peach that has a bad spot in it knowing that it was not sprayed with pesticides.  I just cut away the damage.  For some though, this is undesirable and we don’t want the seconds to cloud the appearance of the box.  Please help yourself to any extras that are sitting in the twinkie that you would like.  

We have moved into a low spot for CSA boxes.  Hopefully it won’t last long.  The purpose of a CSA is to share the growing season with you.  You get the satisfaction of being connected to the farm in a way that is not possible if just purchasing by the pound.  I have talked with so many produce farms that are struggling this year.  It has been a difficult growing season.  There were a few months in late spring, early summer that the rains kept everyone out of the field.  It was not possible to keep planting and the weeds grew and grew.  Now we are seeing the back side of that difficult time in that things should be coming in strong but the seeds were delayed getting in the ground.  We are left with the longer term crops that were planted early and are now maturing.  We have been planting for a strong fall season in hopes to share in great abundance with you then.  Thank you for your patience.  It is good to share frustration with others yet we rest assured that the thankfulness for the gift of the good food we do have is there.         

Next week during class we will have a follow up on meat processing at the processing facility:  A whole pig, cow, lamb? Meat cuts.

Please RSVP if you will be joining us.  Some classes warrant a minimum class size to carry on.  It is important that I know who to contact if a problem arises.

Great Customers! Thank you to La Scala in downtown Lafayette. on August 8th, 2010

The secret to a successful company is in the customers that it serves.  We are especially fortunate to deal with wonderful people.  This week I felt blessed to have one of the restaurants we serve feature us along side their business in the TGIF section of the Journal and Courier on their dime.  If you live in Lafayette and have not eaten at La ScalaRestaurant downtown, I hope you will make it a regular dining experience.  The owners are truely dedicated to local agriculture and healthful food.

At the Farm, Market, or Retail Processing Outlet on August 8th, 2010

We are pleased to expand the availability of locally produced meat from our farm and other sustainable growers.  Give us a call and let us help you make the choices that best meet the need of your family.

Let us know if you need a wholesale or retail price list (naturally raised or our new locally raised price list).  Call (765) 324-2161.

Newly processed this week……This week we will be processing certified organic beef, grassfed lamb, and naturally fed pastured poultry for retail as well as toll processed freezer beef and pork (for our customers to take back for their own customers).    Once again, our pasture raised chicken will be processed on Thursday and available fresh or frozen.  These chickens have been raised on pasture and fed non GMO grains without the feed additives and antibiotics we want to avoid.  Now is the time to get your order in.  Beef grown by Certified Organic Randle Farms will go into our retail on Monday.  Get your order in for any specific cut first thing Monday.  Grassfed lamb will be cut on Friday.  Whether you want a whole, half, or rack of lamb we can get it wrapped right for you.       

Coming Soon:  In the next few weeks we will continue processing grass fed beef and lamb.  This is the best time of year for grassfed meats as the benefit of the summer grass has been maximized before we go into the heat of August when the growth slows down.  The best possible marbling and tenderness can be had with the health benefits of high CLA’s and Omega 3’s.  If you have been thinking about a half a beef or a whole lamb, now is the time to get in your order.  We also have a few certified organic beef ready to cut that were fed a very minimal amount of certified organic corn for a tender meat product.   

We have……….

100 % Grass fed Beef                                                                 Local Naturally Raised Beef

• Ground beef                                        $5.50/lb                       $3.49/lb
• chuck roast                                         $5.25/lb                        $3.50/lb
• arm roast                                             $5.25/lb                        $3.25/lb
• rump roast                                          $5.75/lb                       $3.75/lb
• cubed steak                                         $5.50/lb                       $3.49/lb
• sirloin steaks                                       $9.50/lb                       $5.59/lb
• rib steak                                                 $13.00/lb                    $8.99 (rib eye)/lb
• porterhouse and T-bones               $15.50/lb                     $9.30/lb
• beef liver                                                 $4.00/lb                      $2.00/lb
• soup bones                                             $3.00/lb                      $1.89/lb
• quarter side, halves, or whole beefs priced at $3.50/lb plus processing
• Local, naturally raised beef halves or quarter side at $2.25/lb

eggs $4.50/dozen.   Yolks are nearly orange with all the good greens the chickens enjoy.  These hens have been fed organic grains.  We have 400 pullets that have just started laying to ensure a good supply.  Please let us know if you want to sign up for an egg subscription.  We are currently accepting new egg customers.  

 Organically fed  and pasture raised chicken-                             Naturally fed and Pastured Chicken

(fed certified organic feed and pastured for nutrient density)          (Pastured for nutrient density; fed non gmo feed)

• whole               $4.80/lb                                                                          $3.50/lb
• breasts            $8.50/lb                                                                           $7.00/lb
• thighs               $6.00/lb                                                                          $5.00/lb
• drumsticks     $5.50/’b                                                                           $4.50/lb
• wings                 $4.00/lb                                                                         $3.00/lb
• broth pieces  $3.00/lb                                                                          $2.00/lb

Pastured heritage turkey  ($5.95/lb) on special for $3.95′lb for 20 + lb turkeys.  Also taking orders for fresh Thanksgiving turkeys

100% grassfed lamb  Still taking orders for whole or half lambs to be cut to your specifications.  $5.50/lb plus processing

The following cuts are available from the freezer.     

Pork- Still taking orders for whole or half pigs to be cut to your specifications.  Cuts are now available from the freezer.

Pastured and fed organic grains                                                 Locally raised pork

• sausage            $6.00/lb                                                           $4.00/lb  no msg   italian, house breakfast, hot Italian, maple
• pork burgers $6.o0/lb                                                          $3.99/lb
• ham                   $5.00/lb                                                            $4.50/lb  celery juice cured.  No salt nitrates
• bacon               $5.00/’b                                                             $4.50/lb celery juice cured.  No salt nitrates
• fresh side        $5.00/lb                                                          
• loin chops       $7.50/lb                                                          $3.60/lb
• steaks                $5.o0/lb 
• shanks               $4.00/lb
• bratwursts       $9.00/lb                                                         $4.50/lb
•  Wholes or halves at $3.15/lb                                           Wholes or halves at $1.25/lb plus processing

 Cow and goat shares-signing folks up for shares as we have a few cows who just calved.

Educational CSA- It is time to sign up for our 20 week CSA which includes a weekly bountiful offering of vegetables as well as registration in workshops to be held on Saturdays from 2PM to 3:30 PM.  Attend all, one, or just enjoy wonderful local produce for 20 weeks.  $55o for the season.  Visit our CSA page  for more information.

Meat CSA- Can’t decide what to get started with?  Let us make those decisions for you and reap the benefit of healthful meats right away.  Buying our meats makes your place a good place to eat.  (Tagline by our 12 year old son, Conner.)  For more information look at our CSA page.  We will provide you with a complete menu for the week with all the meats to go with (and vegetables through the growing season.)

This is a great time to make sure we have your order on file so that as soon as we process we can fill your order.  We want to grow exactly what you want us to grow.  Let us know what you would like.  Call (765)436-2186 (farm), (765) 324-2161(retail and processing division), or email Jessica.

We look forward to seeing you at the farm anytime by appointment, at our new retail location during business hours, or at your delivery site at a prearranged time.  For Lafayette customers, we will be at Sagamore West Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 3:00- 6:30 PM or you can find our products at Nature’s Pharm and by dining at La Scala Restaurant.  For Indianapolis pick up ease, we will be at the Traders Point Creamery on Fridays from 4 t0 8.  Enjoy our products through the Traders Point Creamery Restaurant.  Our newest distribution point is through Farm Fresh Delivery.  They have a fantastic operation; make sure you look it up.  We look forward to seeing you soon.

Class Time: Meat Processing 101 on August 8th, 2010

Two years worth of research led us to understanding that processing is the real bottleneck in local food availability.  Fortunately others are seeing the same thing and it has even been deemed “cool” to butcher by Time Magazine.  Let’s look at the processing industry in it’s entirety……..

What do we process?
How are we different?
What you should think about before choosing your meat.
Tours of the processing facility.

Whether you are new to thinking about local foods or a seasoned veteran, we will have something for you. 

Please RSVP to jessica@thisoldfarminc.com.

Please note:  we will meet at the processing facility.  Directions can be obtained by going to the processing page and clicking on the address

Cost $15 with a $5 discount for any good farm implement (ie shovel, pitch fork, hose etc.)

CSA Update on August 8th, 2010

This weeks selections included:

Red new potatoes, onions, green pepper, trombocinni squash, eggplant, oregano and cherry tomatoes. 

A few extras were available for separate pick up: tomatoes, peaches, and plums.  When we have seconds or produce that does not meet a great standard, we will offer it separately.  We eat a lot of the imperfections around here.  They are still wonderful but deteriorate quickly.  Tomatoes have been difficult this year.  With the heavy rains, most have been splitting.  They are still great when you cut away the bad.  They are also great to cook with.  Organic fruit is another item that perfection is difficult to come by.  I am quite fine eating a peach that has a bad spot in it knowing that it was not sprayed with pesticides.  I just cut away the damage.  For some though, this is undesirable and we don’t want the seconds to cloud the appearance of the box.  Please help yourself to any extras that are sitting in the twinkie that you would like.  

We have moved into a low spot for CSA boxes.  Hopefully it won’t last long.  The purpose of a CSA is to share the growing season with you.  You get the satisfaction of being connected to the farm in a way that is not possible if just purchasing by the pound.  I have talked with so many produce farms that are struggling this year.  It has been a difficult growing season.  There were a few months in late spring, early summer that the rains kept everyone out of the field.  It was not possible to keep planting and the weeds grew and grew.  Now we are seeing the back side of that difficult time in that things should be coming in strong but the seeds were delayed getting in the ground.  We are left with the longer term crops that were planted early and are now maturing.  We have been planting for a strong fall season in hopes to share in great abundance with you then.  Thank you for your patience.  It is good to share frustration with others yet we rest assured that the thankfulness for the gift of the good food we do have is there.         

Next week during class we will talk about processing.  Please RSVP if you will be joining us.  Some classes warrant a minimum class size to carry on.  It is important that I know who to contact if a problem arises.  Some classes warrant a minimum class size to carry on.  This week, our son Conner broke his arm and caused a shift in schedule.  He has been a real trooper.