Sausage Stuffed Giant Zucchini

This hearty gluten-free recipe makes good use out of the late summer abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, and basil.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb Nourished With Nature Italian Sausage

  • 1 overgrown zucchini

  • 5-6 fresh tomatoes, diced

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped

  • 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (could use cauliflower rice)

  • 2 cups shredded parmesan

  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Cut zucchini lengthwise and scoop out seeds

  2. Sauté onions and garlic until fragrant

  3. Add in pork sausage and cook until no longer pink

  4. Add in rice, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked

  5. Scoop into zucchini boats, top with shredded parmesan and cover with aluminum foil.

  6. Bake in 350 degree oven until zucchinis are tender.

Enjoy this hearty meal as a quick and easy weeknight dinner. You can make several zucchini boats and freeze them for later in the fall and winter when your zucchinis are done producing.

Homemade Pork Sausage

Homemade is the best!

You can choose your ingredients, tweak your recipe and use your creativity!

I get the question all the time when I’m helping customize half a pig orders, “Well what does the butcher put in the sausages?”

It’s a valid question, and I know that many of our farm customers are particular with ingredients or have certain spices they shouldn’t eat.

Making your own sausages when you order a half a hog is a GREAT OPTION!

It’s easy and I’m going to share with you my favorite two recipes to get you started: Breakfast Sausage and Italian Sausage

 

Blake went to a pig butchery workshop a couple years ago called “The Family Pig” Complete Harvest with the Farmstead Meatsmith where he learned how to butcher, carve, season and preserve a pig from nose to tail.

Even though we do not do this on our farm for our customers, he knows how and learned a lot that we can share with YOU.

The sausage Blake brought home and cooked for me was the best I’ve ever had. And this is what turned me on to seasoning my own sausage!

It was buttery, moist and delicious. The two most important ingredients are salt and fat. I’ve been asking him for a recipe-but there isn’t one.

Basically he said they had a whole slew of spices like salt, sage, paprika, crushed red pepper, rosemary, onions, garlic, green apples and pepper laid out on the table and you mixed and matched your own.

Try something, take a little handful, fry it up to taste test and then go back to the mixing table for tweaking.

So what I’m going to share with you today IS a recipe that you can follow, but know that you totally have permission to taste test, adjust, tweak and add to it.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 Pounds Nourished With Nature Fresh Ground Pork

  • 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar (or dark brown sugar, honey or maple syrup)

  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt (my favorite is Redmond Salt)

  • 1 teaspoon Pepper

  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, freshly chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl and blend well

  2. Add your ground pork to a bowl, sprinkle with half the seasoning, knead with your hands.

  3. Once mixed in, add second half of seasonings and knead again.

  4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the seasonings soak into the meat.

  5. Cook a small test patty by forming a 2” flat disc over medium heat.

  6. Let it cool slightly and enjoy!

HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 Pounds Nourished With Nature Fresh Ground Pork

  • 2 Tablespoons dry red wine (optional)

  • 1/2 Tablespoon Sea Salt (I like Redmond Salt)

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed

  • 1/2 Tablespoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 1 Tablespoon garlic, fresh chopped

  • 1 Tablespoon parsley, fresh chopped

  • 1 Tablespoon oregano, fresh chopped

  • 1 Tablespoon thyme, fresh chopped

  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Mix all herbs and spices together in a small bowl

  2. Add red wine to the ground pork and knead to combine

  3. Sprinkle the herb mixture over the meat and knead to combine

  4. Cook a test patty and adjust your seasonings

  5. Store in the refrigerator for 12 hours to let the seasonings absorb

  6. Fry for a few minutes each side

  7. With any extra, form into 4” round patties and place parchment squares in-between to keep them separate. Place in a plastic bag and freeze for later.

Work in small batches, keep good notes, adjust the ingredients until you are happy.

You can double or triple this recipe too.

Soon you’ll have your own special recipe for homemade breakfast or Italian sausage!

Once you feel confident mixing your own sausage seasonings you’ll love making your own when you ORDER A HALF HOG!

Do you have a favorite recipe? Share in the comments below!

Texas Style Dry Rub & BBQ Sauce

I first got this inspiration out of a summertime grilling magazine and it was for smoking a beef brisket.

What a perfect thing to do for Dad on Father’s Day!

But this dry rub is perfect for a pork roast or a whole chicken too!

You can smoke it, grill it, spatchcock it or even Instant Pot it.

Top it off with your favorite BBQ sauce and your senses will be sending out fireworks!

A little spicy, a little sweet a whole lot of summertime vibes.

This would be delicious on buns as a sandwich, on a bed of fresh greens as a salad or eaten alone with a side of baked beans and cole slaw!

TEXAS STYLE DRY RUB & BBQ SAUCE

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons Paprika

  • 1 Tablespoon Salt

  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

  • 2 Tablespoon Sugar (I used sucanat or coconut sugar)

  • 3 teaspoons Black Pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

 

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl stir together all the dry rub ingredients. Makes about 1/2 cup.

  2. Lift the skin of your chicken by slipping a spoon under the skin and working your way around. Pour some of your dry rub under the skin and massage around until it’s covering the bird. If you don’t do this and just add the dry rub to the skin you’ll loose a lot of your flavor. With it closer to the meat, the skin will cook adding nice juices to the dry rub and help it stay in place.

  3. Sprinkle some dry rub on the outside of your bird too. You may not need to use all of the dry rub, more is not necessarily better, just enough to cover.

  4. If you have a smoker, go for it! Cook it however you like: roast in the oven, Instant Pot it, spatchcock it. I roasted it in the oven for 2 hours at 300 degrees. Remember this works for any large chunk of meat like beef brisket & pork roasts too!

  5. Prepare your BBQ Sauce

  6. When your meat has reached an internal temp of 185-190 and is fall off the bone tender, remove from heat and let rest 20 minutes.

  7. Shred with 2 forks, add BBQ sauce and enjoy!

 

TEXAS STYLE BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 2 Tablespoons NWN pastured pork lard

  • 1 can whole tomatoes with juices, cut up (about 15 oz)

  • 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/4 cup orange juice

  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon Style mustard

  • 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar (could use 1 tbsp brown and 1 tbsp granular)

  • 1 Tablespoon molasses

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a large saucepan saute the onion in the pastured pork lard until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

  2. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, vinegar, orange juice, mustard, sugar, molasses, salt, pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper.

  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until slightly thickened.

  4. Let cool slightly. Using an immersible blender or transfering half at a time to an upright blender, cover and blend until smooth.

Dry rub ingredients

Sprinkle dry rub under chicken’s skin and over top.

Ready to smoke, grill or roast!

Healthy Bone Broth Hot Chocolate

I'm sure you've heard of all the nourishing and healing benefits of bone broth, but have you ever tried it as a hot chocolate?

I know, it sounds odd...

You may be thinking...wait...can bone broth and hot chocolate really go together?

Lets first review the benefits of drinking bone broth:

  • It repairs the microvilli of your intestinal lining, possibly reversing a leaky gut.

  • It fortifies and lubricates your joints because it is high in glucosamine and collagen.

  • It's high in gelatin, a protein with amino acids that supports our digestion.

  • It gives you glowing skin, stronger bones and healthier hair.

  • It's rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur and trace minerals making it a super food for supporting your nervous system.

  • It's easy for your body to digest and absorb.

And somehow Grandmas have known for centuries that it's good for us. They maybe didn't know why exactly but they knew that if someone was sick with a common cold, simmering a big pot of bone broth would be the answer.

This hot chocolate recipe is perfect for a chilly fall day. I promise that there is zero taste of meat or bones, just a sweet, comforting, nourishing treat.

I used chicken necks and feet, but turkey necks and feet that we will be harvesting November 18th for the holidays would be perfect too!

BROTH RECIPE:

- 4 Nourished With Nature chicken or turkey feet, raw
- 4 Nourished With Nature chicken or turkey necks, raw
- 8 quarts cold water
- splash of apple cider vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Cover feet and necks with cold water, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes. This leeches the minerals out of the bones.

  2. Next, fill Instant Pot with water to the max fill line.

  3. Set Instant Pot to Soup/Broth and increase time to 120 minutes.

  4. Once the time is up let the pressure naturally release then strain bones from liquid.

  5. Store in glass jars in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to a year.

* You can also simmer your broth on the stovetop for 18-20 hours if you don't have an Instant Pot or prefer a more traditional way of making broth.

HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

  • One quart unflavored bone broth

  • 1 cup milk (cow, goat, almond, coconut, your choice)

  • 1 cup cream (cow or coconut)

  • 8 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Honey

  • 2 Tbsp Organic Raw Cacao Powder

  • 1 tsp Vanilla

  • 2 drops Young Living Cinnamon or Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat, just until warm.

This treat is so delicious to sip on and you won't feel one bit guilty because we leave out the refined sugars and questionable ingredients.

Nutrient dense bone broth combined with healthy whole food ingredients. Yum!

The only way it can get better is if you top it with these Healthy Homemade Marshmallows!

Enjoy!

Julia

DIY How To Render Pork Lard

Pastured Pork Lard is a wonderfully healthy option for a cooking fat and it’s really easy to make too!

It has a mild neutral flavor, unlike bacon grease. You can saute veggies with it, grease a muffin tin, substitute part of the butter in pie crust recipe. I have also used it for greasing a pan before cooking pancakes.

Pastured Pork Lard contains healthy cholesterol, lots of Vitamin D, it’s minimally processed, it’s local, affordable and sustainable.

If you want to dive deeper into how good it is for you check out this blog post:

7 Healthy Reasons to Eat Lard

It’s also a good time to mention the difference between leaf lard and backfat.

Both are great to render and use for cooking. Leaf lard comes from the fat around the organs of the pig. It tends to be softer and preferred by chefs for pastries.

Back fat comes from the fat on the exterior of the pig. The fat between the muscles of the back and the skin. This is what we are using in the video tutorial. It’s more abundant than the leaf lard and what I use most of the time.

When you buy a half hog, included is the back fat and leaf lard so you might as well utilize it. I never like to waste food, so here we go!

If you are interested in buying a half a hog or buying pastured pork from our farm, please visit our pork page of our website or see what is in stock in our farm store and shop online today!

Tell me in the comments, what is your favorite way to use lard?

Or if you are new to this…

What questions do you have about rendering and cooking with lard?