Savory Barley Beef Stew

This hearty homemade beef stew is the perfect nutritious dinner to cozy up with on a chilly autumn evening.

When the days turn rainy this time of year I love to have a hot pot of soup to feed my family at dinner.

It will warm your belly with the rich juicy chunks of beef, colorful veggies and tender pearl barley.

Ready in less than an hour using an Instant Pot, I ALWAYS double the recipe so we have hot soup for lunch the next day.

This soothing barley beef soup will hit the spot as we venture into the rainy season.

Each spoonful is like an elixir for the soul, as the hot liquid makes its way to your belly, feeling like a warm hug from within.

Visit our farm store this Friday or the Farmer’s Markets on Saturday to pick up some beef stew meat.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Pound Nourished With Nature Beef Stew Meat

  • 2 TBSP Nourished With Nature Beef Tallow

  • 1 white onion, finely chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 4 large carrots, chopped

  • 4 stalks celery, chopped

  • 3 cups chicken stock

  • 3 cups water

  • 1 TBSP tomato paste

  • 1 tsp dried thyme, or 1 sprig fresh

  • 1 tsp dried rosemary, or 1 sprig fresh

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 1/2 cup dry barley

  • 2 cups chopped kale

 

instructions:

  1. Set your stew meat out the night before to thaw. If short on time or using it the same day, thaw in a bowl of warm water, changing the water out a couple times. This can thaw the meat in 30 minutes without damaging, like a microwave does.

  2. Pat your stew meat dry, salt and pepper generously.

  3. Melt the tallow on high heat in the Instant Pot or a cast iron cooking pot.

  4. Brown the meat in the tallow over high heat, until nicely colored on all sides.

  5. Remove the meat and set aside.

  6. Add more tallow if the pan is dry, then sauté the onion, carrot and celery for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant. Salt and pepper generously.

  7. Add the tomato paste along with the chicken broth and water to the pot, stir until it disappears. Add back in the stew meat.

  8. Add the barley, thyme, rosemary and paprika.

  9. If using the Instant Pot, cover and set to “Stew” for 40 minutes

  10. If using a cast iron soup pot on the cooktop, cover and cook on medium heat until the beef is tender.

  11. In the last few minutes of cooking, add in the chopped kale. If using the Instant Pot, once its done cooking, let it natural release for 5 minutes, remove the lid and add in the kale. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. The hot soup will cook the kale sufficiently.

  12. Garnish with parmesan cheese, chopped parsley or fresh thyme. Serve with buttered sourdough bread and enjoy!

**Leave a comment and tell me if you have a favorite addition to Barley Beef Stew or if you plan to make this soon.

How To Cook The Perfect Pork Chop

I know how frustrating it is to spend your money on a farm fresh artisan cut of meat and then feel nervous that you will ruin it when you take it home.

Pork chops can be finicky, if they are overcooked they can dry out and be chewy.

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

In our house pork chops are an easy weeknight meal that gets healthy protein into my kids, FAST.

I created this video with step by step instructions to walk you through cooking the perfect pork chops.

No fancy grill needed.

No marinating.

No injecting.

Just a few simple spices you probably already have on hand.

This method for cooking is SO EASY.

You are going to feel like a pro after just the first time.

Try them topped with this Fresh Garlic Herb Butter for an extra delightful pop of flavor.

I just add a dollop of Fresh Garlic Herb Butter on top when they are resting.

Grab some pork chops from us this week and give it a try for yourself!

We have boneless or bone-in options.

They come in packs of two, so make sure you get enough for your whole family.

If you love saving money and time, consider ordering a half hog.

You automatically get several delicious pork chops with a half hog.

Beef Carne Asada Tacos

These tacos are an easy weeknight meal for your family and they double as perfect party food.

I am a big lover of Mexican food and an ever bigger fan of tacos.

What I love about these carne asada tacos are the fresh ingredients, bold flavor and simple spices.

All you need is a handful of ingredients for this recipe and ideally a hot outdoor grill. Although an indoor grill pan works just fine too.

Carne asada literally translates to “grilled meat” so that can be anything from top round steak to flank or skirt steak. Flank steak seems to be the most common in recipes but because you’ll be thinly slicing and chopping it up into small bite-sized pieces for these tacos, no need to splurge on the fancier cuts.

But what makes these carne asada tacos so flavorful are two things-the marinade and the fire grilled char on the outside.

So here we go…

ingredients:

Marinade-

  • 1 1/2 lbs Nourished With Nature thin cut top round steak (skirt steak or flank steak are great too)

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

  • 3 limes juiced (about 6 Tablespoons)

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • salt and pepper to taste

Tacos-

  • Corn or flour tortillas

  • Avocado

  • Cilantro

  • Cotija cheese

  • White Onion, diced (red or yellow onion would work too)

Lime Crema Sauce-

  • 8 oz sour cream or plain yogurt

  • 1 lime, juiced and zested

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1/4 tsp salt

instructions:

  1. Whisk the oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper together in a bowl.

  2. Add the steak to a glass dish and pour the marinade on top. Make sure both sides of the steak are well coated. Cover and marinate for 1-4 hours in the fridge. You could also use a plastic bag to marinate.

  3. Heat your grill or pan to medium-high heat. If using a pan, coat with a little olive oil. Add the steak and cook for 3 minutes on each side. When it’s still pink inside, remove steak from heat and cover. Let rest for 5 minutes. Steak will continue to cook while resting.

4. Using a sharp knife, slice the steak at an angle against the grain. From there you can chop into small pieces if you like.

5. Load up your tortillas by smashing plain avocado into your tortilla, then add these juicy steak bites, sprinkled with onion, cotija cheese, fresh squeezed lime juice and cilantro.

taco topping ideas:

Beside the essentials listed above there’s always room to jazz up your tacos. Here are a few ways you can do it!

Fresh Sauces: Dollop some chunky pico de gallo or drizzle a little homemade salsa verde over top.

Lime Crema: A mix of 1 lime zested and juiced, 1 garlic clove and a couple dashes of salt added to a cup of creme fraiche, sour cream or plain yogurt.

Cheeses: I love to use cotija cheese for anything Mexican but queso fresco, monterey jack or pepper jack will work too.

Fresh Veggies: Thinly slice some colorful bell peppers or a radish for an extra fresh crunch.

I can’t wait for you to try these Mexican-inspired carne asada tacos!

They are bursting with citrus-y flavor and are perfect for your next summer BBQ or even your next Taco Tuesday!

Meet us at the Corvallis or Albany Farmer’s Market this Saturday 9am-1pm or swing by our Farm Store in Lebanon on Fridays 10am-12pm to grab some carne asada steaks!

The Farmer's Market Team

The 2023 Farmer’s Market has kicked off!

We have hired these lovely ladies to serve you.

It takes a village to run a sustainable farm, and this way you’ll never miss us at the markets.
We have you covered every week of the year, even if we go on vacation one of these ladies will be there.

MEET MISS MEG COLDIRON

I first met Meg a couple years ago at a church activity. It was ladies night out painting class.

I found this picture in my camera roll I had snapped of her painting that night.
I love it.

Little did I know that Meg would answer a Facebook post when I was looking for Farmer’s Market help.

I immediately knew if she was up for the hard work, I could trust her with our business.

Here’s a little more about Meg:

She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.

When she was 21 years old, she moved to Lebanon, Oregon.

She shared that moving from a big city to a small rural town was a huge adjustment!

In 2005 she graduated from Linn-Benton Community College with certificates in Medical Transcription and Medical Office Specialist.

She worked in health care until her daughter was born in 2010 and she decided to be a stay at home mom.

Meg shared,

“When I became a single mom a few years later, I learned that there were a lot of things I would have to learn how to do for myself.

Last year I learned how to preserve the food I grew and seeing all of those jars in storage or in my fridge gives me the best feeling of self-sufficiency.

I know exactly where that food came from and that it’s good for my family!
Which is why I am so excited to be representing Nourished with Nature.

I know exactly where the meat is coming from, how it is raised, and how delicious it is!

I love learning new things.

Testing the waters of self-sufficiency has been one of my biggest goals, so that’s why I now have my own chickens and a small garden.

As a child growing up in the city, I never gave a thought to where my food came from.”


Some other fun facts about Meg…

She loves watching sports (baseball and football mostly). She’s an avid Pokemon Go player. She’s an animal lover, especially dogs, she has three of them.

When she’s not on mom duty, animal care duty, tending to my garden, or playing Pokemon, you can probably find her in her happy place: the forest.

Being in the forest, near a river or creek, brings her such a sense of peace.

She says,

“I feel incredibly blessed to live in such a beautiful valley with many wonderful places to explore. Lastly, but most importantly to me, I love my Savior. I couldn't do any of this without Him.”


Welcome to the team Meg, and thank you for your good work!

MISS JULIA MAGEE

I first met Julia in our Farm Store, as she frequently buys beef liver.

I was instantly at ease in her presence and drawn to her soft kind voice, if you’ve met her you know what I mean.
Julia worked for 42 years as a physical therapist, practicing in seven different states.
She noticed the people she was working with came from all walks of life and of all ages, but she could always trace the root cause of their issue back to:

  • nutrition and

  • emotions

It was obvious that nutrition was either hindering or healing her clients.

And this is what led her to start her own health journey of fueling her body with wholesome foods.

She was naturally draw to our farm.


Julia was born in Alaska, but has lived all over the USA since her dad was in the Air Force for 30 years.
She has lived in Hawaii and has lived in Oregon three different times. She loves the greenery, ocean, mountains and waterfalls that Oregon has to offer.

Julia is a reiki master. She is very attuned to energies and uses that intuition with her pets, garden and friends.

She has an RV that she likes to take road tripping. She loves exploring and traveling and meeting new people.

She often mechanics and tinkers on her RV, teaching herself how to do things so that she can continue learning and growing.

Julia used to have a sailing boat too. She learned to sail as a teenager from her father and then continued her passion of sailing into adulthood.

Julia is working for us because she wants to support our efforts and believes in the direction we are heading.

Please welcome her and say hello if you see her at the market.

I am so grateful to you Julia, thank you!


***And how cool that we have the same name???

Help me give them a warm welcome.

Leave a comment for them below!

Meet Your Farmer's Wife, Julia

When we first started our family I wanted to buy raw milk.

We found a farmer nearby, asked all the vetting questions and felt it was a good fit.

It was important to us that we were getting 100% grass-fed and raw milk from a clean source.

One day we showed up to the farm to pick up milk. While we were waiting, I wandered back to the milking barn.

The cow was in the milking stand munching on a bucket of grain.

There were bags and bags of conventional store bought grain lining the walls too.

Some empty, some full, some half full, so I knew this wasn’t the first time.

What else weren’t they telling me…

I left feeling very skeptical about my farmer.

All of a sudden I couldn’t trust what he told me about how he was producing the milk.

I asked him about it and he said that yes they did feed grain and it was still grass fed milk…hummm…

What in the world?

Even if it was a little white lie that sometimes they fed their grass fed cows grain, I no longer felt like I could trust him.

This is when we decided to buy our own milk cow, and raise our own meats.

I needed to be certain I was getting the food that met our high standards.

I know how it feels to be really picky about getting the best quality food and not quite trusting the source.

I share this story because I want you to know I’ve been on both sides.

Let me share a little more of my past and what part I play on our farm.

I’m affectionately calling myself, “The Farmer’s wife” but we all know know:

“Behind every great man, there is a great woman”

 

A Horse Crazy Girl

As a little girl I adored horses. I grew up with dogs and cats, a big garden and plastic horses.

I was that little girl with nose and hands pressed up against the backseat window whispering, “horrrrrsssseeeessss” whenever we drove.

I begged and begged for my own horse.

When I was 8 years old my mom started taking me to horseback riding lessons.

I fell deeper in love each week I got to hang out at the barn.

I loved brushing tails, cleaning up poo, washing water troughs, and my instructor’s daughter quickly became my best friend.

We played in the rain, rode in the mud, raced up and down the vineyard rows playing cowboys and Indians.

Every spare moment of my time was spent thinking and dreaming about horses.

I was such a lucky girl to have a mom ready to support my passion.

I came home from the barn each time muddy, dusty, exhausted and elated.


My first hose was a black and white pony named Scirocco. He was stubborn and had a mind of his own.

A perfect match for a girl learning to assert herself in the world.

When I was 12 we moved from California to Idaho and I told my mom,

“I either need to take my best friend or this pony, Scirocco.” She bought the pony.

I got my second horse, Monkey, when I was in middle school. She was a special horse.

I trained and showed showed her in 4-H, winning lots of trophies.

She was my loyal and steady partner for 20 years. She passed away last summer and I miss her every day.

I started studying horticulture, because I thought I needed to go to college.

I loved it…but I loved my horses more.

So I went away to a trade school in Colorado to learn Parelli Natural Horsemanship.

I became a certified instructor and taught the Parelli method. I specialized in communication between horse and human.

It was all about building a relationship of trust with your horse.


A Farmer’s Wife

Then I met and married Blake in my mid 20’s

When our first baby came along I chose to have a natural birth with midwives.

During that first pregnancy I started to come to terms with the fact that everything I put in or on my body would get to my unborn baby.

Wow, what a wakeup call!

I cut out the skittles, snickers and sprite.

I started buying raw milk and making my own yogurt.

I learned about the benefits of bone broth.

I started buying organic foods and switching out the dryer sheets for Lavender essential oil.

I started feeding our dogs a raw diet, buying chicken necks and feet from the butcher.

I dove into the world of fermented foods like sauerkraut and sourdough.

This has been a growing and developing skill for the last decade of my health journey.


We bought our first milk cow because we couldn’t trust the farmer we were buying it from.

And it started the “grow your own food” addiction that led me to becoming your farmer too!


So when I say, ”We grow the kind of meat that you can feel confident feeding your kids” it’s true.

And it’s because for the last decade I’ve been living the natural life, it’s bubbling over into sharing our meat with you.


My role on the farm has been in the business planning. I write the emails and study our finances.

I sign us up for mindset coaching, Farmer’s Markets and Expos.

I keep an eye on the farm during the day when Blakes at work.

I create concoctions of natural medicines when a cow has pink eye or mastitis. I do a lot of animal husbandry like mixing up homemade fly spray with essential oils.

If it’s going on my animal that I’m raising for food, I want to know it’s safe enough to eat right now.

This fly spray was for the cows, made out of apple cider vinegar, essential oils and water.

Midwifery on the farm

I’m also Blake’s right hand lady when there are big events like births that need a woman’s touch.


One time when we lived in Colorado we had a pig who was giving birth for the first time.

She was struggling.

She’d been in labor for several hours and had more babies she couldn’t push out. We had bred her too young and her hips were too narrow to let the piglets out.

After lots of trying to reach in and pull, only to be squeezed to numbness, Blake asked me to try because my hands were smaller.

I tried, but also had little luck.

She was not going to make it, and her piglets were not going to make it either.

So we made a very hard decision to put her down, perform a c-section, save the piglets and utilize her meat.

We worked all through the night, delivering piglets, feeding piglets, butchering the sow and freezing the meat so that nothing went to waste.

Harper, our oldest son, was just a baby and he slept through it all.

All went according to plan. I had 10 piglets in my basement that needed bottle fed every 2 hours for a month.

It was like I had 11 children for a short time.

I never imagined that I would be doing that.

Mind you, I loved horses…

But as a mama myself, I felt such a responsibility to help those piglets survive.

And I stood by my farmer husband, at his side the whole night, doing what dirty job needed done.

sheep on the fly

Here’s a funny story Blake tells all the time when he’s bragging about me.

This is what being a “Farmer’s Wife” looks like.

I show up for all the major activities just to put my nurturing eyes on things and make sure all the animals are being handled as gentle as possible.

I throw in my feminine perspective all the time-and Blake’s a good sport about it.

We can now calmly load pigs and cows into the trailer without any foul words flying.

Which is really important because if we are stressed the animals get worked up too.

One day I was lookin for a reason to get out of the house with the kids and I mosied to the sheep barn where Blake was trimming hooves.

I was holding our baby, Calvin on my hip, and popped in for a short visit to offer my - you know- “feminine perspective”.

I was standing there watching him sort sheep in a pretty small corral and as he went to grab a lamb it jumped up to escape.

As it went flying past me, I caught it mid air with one hand, other hand holding the baby on my hip!

I was as shocked as he was. But there I stood, lamb on one side and baby on the other.

4-wheeler birth

One last story about my role on the farm as the “Farmer’s Wife”

This one happened just last week.

We were at the start of our calving season. Blake does night checks every evening before he goes to bed.

I had just brushed my teeth and slid down under my covers when he headed out.

A few minutes later I hear my phone ring…

It’s Blake calling from the pasture. He sounded out of breath and he said,

“I need help, bring a savvy string”

A savvy string is 6’ long thin rope that I used in my horse training days. They are very handy for all kinds of jobs.

I grit my teeth, put on my chore clothes overtop my PJs, grabbed a head-lamp and my savvy string and headed out.

We had a first time mama cow struggling to give birth.

Calves should come out front feet first, with the head following.

This calf was coming out with one front leg and a nose. It was stuck.

Blake tried to reach in and find the other foot, thinking it would slide out easier if both front feet presented.

To no avail.

It was a very tight hip cavity, the leg was nowhere to be found.

We tied a rope to the one front foot we could find and tried to pull.

Sometimes mama’s just need a little help at the very end of a long labor.

Calf wasn’t budging.

Mama was up and down, walking around, trying to adjust herself and slip that baby out.

We were at the very critical turning point in birth where we have to act fast.

We could loose the calf, the cow, or worse…both.

So we got the 4-wheeler and a bigger rope.

We tied the rope onto the machine and I slowly pressed the throttle to creep forward.

I first just held tension, hoping I could assist her contractions.

Then I gave it more gas, pulling even harder, then more.

Finally…the shoulders presented and the calf slipped out the rest of the way. Wshew!

Mama was so relieved and so were we!

A little bit of a traumatic birth but mama recovered beautifully and the calf lived.

WIN-WIN

Sometimes we do really hard things on the farm.

We always do our best, and pray a lot for guidance and support from God above.

We always treat our animals with love and dignity and try to assist the natural rhythm of life.

We steward our animals with care and consideration, honoring that they are living beings, blessing our lives with purpose and nourishment.

As the “Farmer’s Wife” I offer up my feminine perspective often.

I lend an extra set of hands. I do a lot of emailing, communicating and bookwork.

I’m often a great brainstorming buddy and I do lots of running back and forth to the butcher to pick up meat.

All while first being Mom to these three little boys.

Blake and I are a great team.

We believe wholeheartedly that we are raising some of the best nutrient-dense and clean food around.

The animals are cared for spiritually, physically and nutritionally.

Sometimes life on the farm is touchy, just as quickly as an animal is born one can also die.

My hope in sharing these stories was a little peek inside who I am and why I’m qualified to grow your food with integrity.

Do you have any similar stories to add?

I’d love to hear them in the comments.