Life is better together...

I know you have many options when it’s time to buy food.

Walmart and Safeway have delivery options so you don’t have to leave your house to grocery shop.

The world is at your fingertips on Amazon Prime, practically anything you could think of is available delivered to your doorstep in 2 days.

Our lives are increasingly more busy, we can squeeze in more and more into each day because the simple things can be taken care of with a few clicks of our smartphones.

But with all these conveniences I feel we are drifting apart as a community. I see how we are slipping into more seclusion and deeper isolation. We are giving up our human need for community in exchange to be more busy.

One of the most fulfilling times in my day is when I get to connect with you, our farm customers, face to face.

We get to engage in meaningful conversation, we have common ground of wanting to eat well and be responsible stewards of the land.

We get to swap recipes and share life’s wisdom.

Many of you share the entrepreneurial spirit that I do and we chat about what having your own business is like.

I love seeing you because it affirms that what we are doing is meaningful work.

No we don’t ship our products, we want to see you face to face.

No we don’t have a self serve stand or farm store employees, we want to hug your neck.

No we don’t have you pick up your meat from the butcher, we want you to see the place that grew your food.

We want to look into your eyes with joy and thank you for supporting the movement of eating local.

It feeds my soul and reminds me of my crucial need for human connection, friendship and sharing life.

We are unlike other generations or cultures where families stay living close to each, or even share a home with grandparents. We need to be careful not to isolate, but to stay social and engaged.

I love hearing how our foods are improving your son’s health so that he can come off his diabetes medication. I love hearing how our egg yolks are your babies first food. I love hearing how you are using our grass fed beef bones to make broth to heal from a bone marrow donation you just went through for your brother.

I truly believe life is better when you are able to come out to our farm. We need to visit face to face. I need to hear your story. I need to share life with you. It deepens our core need for human connection. It’s a beautiful thing.

Please visit the farm often, come to our classes and come work beside us on October 19th for our Fall Farm Work Day & Harvest Feast 9am-1pm.

Paleo Friendly Braised Lamb Shanks

When you are looking for a hearty nourishing meal that is packed with flavor and can be thrown in the Instapot or croc pot before heading out the door this is a great choice! Your food can be tasty, nutritious and meet all your diet choices, plus knowing your farmer and having a personal touchpoint for where your food comes from can put your mind at ease.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package (2) Nourished With Nature lamb shanks

• 1 medium onion coarsely chopped

• 3-4 medium carrots cut into 1-2” pieces

• 1-2 stalks celery cut into 1” pieces

• 1 cup white wine or chicken broth

• 3-4 cloves whole or crushed garlic

• 2-3 Tbsp Nourished With Nature forest raised pork lard

• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

How to Make It:

Thaw and thoroughly dry shanks with a paper towel. Add lard to a dutch oven and heat until just before smoking (370 degrees). Salt and pepper shanks to taste, then brown in hot lard until all sides have a dark brown color. Remove from heat and add white wine to deglaze dutch oven. Then add remaining ingredients on top. Cover dutch oven with lid and braise in 300 degree oven 3 hours or until meat easily slides off bone. Reserve juices to serve with mashed potatoes and green salad. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Bleu Cheese Lamb Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground Nourished With Nature lamb

• 2-3 oz organic Bleu cheese

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 2 tsp minced fresh mint

• 2 tsp organic Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp chopped rosemary 

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• salt & pepper to taste

• Spinach for serving on buns

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Form patties and place on high heat grill. Allow patties to grill to medium rare. (Try not to overcook as Bleu cheese will run out of burger if over cooked).

Yields 4  ¼ lb burgers.

Serve with Tzaziki Sauce on a hamburger bun.

---

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup organic plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

• 1/3 cup (1 medium cucumber) peeled, seeds removed, drained, then chopped finely

• 4 tsp lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp minced fresh dill

• 1-2 cloves finely minced garlic

• 1-2 tsp salt for draining cucumber

How to Make It:

Place large chunks of cucumber in a colander and generously salt. Let drain 30 minutes. Dry thoroughly with paper towel, then mince.

Combine all ingredients and serve on top of your Bleu Cheese Lamb Burgers!

Single Pan Greek Lamb Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 2T  Nourished With Nature pork lard (super healthy fat and leaves no taste of pork or bacon)

• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (2 1/2 cups)

• 1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into ½” cubes

• 3 cloves crushed garlic

• 1 lb ground Nourished With Nature lamb

• 1 cup Basmati rice, uncooked

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 16 oz homemade Chicken Broth (super easy, ask for the recipe if you don’t already make your own)

• 2 medium tomatoes diced (yellow or red work great)

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

• 2T fresh mint, chopped

• 3T fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 tsp salt

How to Make It:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat sauté squash, onion, garlic and lamb for 5 minutes, stirring to crumble lamb.

2. Add cinnamon and rice, sauté another 2 minutes.

3. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil.

4. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

5. Remove from heat, stir in chopped tomato, 3 Tbsp parsley, mint, lemon juice and salt.

6. Cover and let stand 5 minutes, sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp parsley.

Serve with a steamed veggie, greek salad or fruit salad and enjoy only having to clean up one pan!

*You could easily make this a paleo dish by leaving out the rice and stuffing the meat mixture into tomatoes or bell peppers and bake in the oven at 350 deg until the veggies are tender.

Eggs Benedict with Homemade Hollandaise

This is a traditional Easter morning breakfast at our house, BUT after a failed attempt at homemade Hollandaise sauce as a newly wed I put the idea on a shelf.

Until recently

I got my cooking courage back up and I found this easy EASY, EASY process for making it!

Try it! It’s incredibly simple!

And sooooo rich, creamy, decadent and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound NWN Canadian Bacon

• 2 dozen NWN Pastured Eggs

• 1-6 pack Organic English Muffins (Dave’s Killer Bread is my favorite)

• 1 cup or 2 sticks Butter (my favorite is Kerrygold)

• 1 whole lemon, juiced

• Cayenne Pepper or Paprika to garnish

• Chopped chives or green onions to garnish

Instructions:

1. Poach your eggs. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a splash of apple cider vinegar. This helps the egg whites stick together. With a spoon begin stirring the water in a large circular motion, like you’re creating a tornado. When the tornado is really swirling crack an egg, or two or three into the water. The tornado helps wrap the egg around itself and keep the whites together too. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, cover with an upside down plate to keep warm. Just before serving you’re going to add the eggs back into hot water to finish cooking so they are hot when you’re ready to eat. Nobody likes cold eggs! Repeat process until you have enough poached eggs to feed your crew. I found that three eggs was the max I could crack into my swirling water before it lost momentum.

2. Broil English Muffins and Canadian Bacon. This sounds like a cultural gathering of all breakfast foods! We are going to leave out the French Fries though :) Lightly butter your English muffin halves and add an equal number of slices of Canadian Bacon to a tray and place under a low broil setting in the oven. Broil just until warm and slightly golden. You may want to flip the Canadian Bacon half way through. Turn oven off but leave muffins and bacon in to keep warm.

3. Make Hollandaise Sauce. In a small saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter until sizzling but don’t let it brown. Separate 3 eggs and place the yolks into a blender (or a pitcher so you can use your submersible blender). Pulse the blender of low just until combined. With the blender running continuously, pour the hot butter very slowly into the eggs, then immediately begin pouring in the lemon juice. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if you like a little spice. Simple right!!!???

4. Plunge your poached eggs back into hot water for a minute to finish cooking them. If you like a runny yolk, just lift the egg out of the water with a slotted spoon and press on it to see if it’s squishy. You’re looking for a consistency the same as pushing on the fleshy part of the palm of your hand, at the base of your thumb. If you prefer your yolks cooked all the way through use the push test again and this time you’re looking for a firmness similar to the feeling if you were to push on the top of your hand.

5. Assembly Time. Place a half of an English Muffin, then your slice of Canadian Bacon, then your poached egg. Top with your Hollandaise Sauce and garnish with fresh chopped chives (I just grabbed these from the garden) or Paprika.

6. Serve with a side of asparagus (seasonably on time as a spring veggie) or a fruit salad.

7. Enjoy! You did it! Not so intimidating after all right???

Nourished With Nature Canadian Bacon

Broil the buttered English Muffins and Canadian Bacon

Make the Hollandaise Sauce using a submersible blender.

Use fresh chives or green onions for garnish.

Top with paprika, cayenne or chives for a pretty picture!

Remember to visit our Farm Store to pick up all your fixings for your Easter Feast!