Life Cycle Of A Turkey

Take a little peek inside the life of a turkey on our farm.

Life for these birds is beautiful and blissful as they get to live a natural life.

Come along with me on a four month journey watching how they grow and change.

I love to look at these pictures through a filter of GRATITUDE rather than getting sad that they ended up on my dinner table.

Grateful that my food lived a natural life, rather than a life of confinement.

Grateful that I can eat food that I don’t have to feel guilty about.

Grateful that I can celebrate the holidays with my family and enjoy homegrown turkey.

So here we go…Life Cycle Of Your Thanksgiving Turkey

In August we pick up day old chicks from a local hatchery called Jenks here in Tangent, Oregon.

The turkey poults go into a warm 90 degree brooder with food and water for their first month of life.

The poults get daily pets and visits from our kids.

When they have lost all their chick fuzz and are fully feathered they graduate out of the brooder onto the pasture.

By September they are growing into teenage turkeys, curious and brave.

When the turkeys are about 3 months old they have doubled in size and start to “strut their stuff”.

They get to roost at night in their turkey tractor. They fly up on their own and pick a spot to sleep.

They enjoy eating different types of grasses and foraging for grubs, bugs and seeds. This makes their meat high in Vitamin D and Omega 3’s

They live on pasture and under the bright warm autumn sun.

By November the chilly mornings bring frost, but the turkeys continue to graze and roam, like they would in the wild.

By Thanksgiving the turkeys are four months old, fully mature and ready to butcher.

Then you come to our farm to pickup your Thanksgiving Turkey. It’s the highlight of our year. We overflow with gratitude and thankfulness that we get to be a part of nourishing your family.

We hand over the fresh turkey to your family, with rich gratitude that you trust us to raise nutritious happy meat.

Getting to give hugs and exchange smiles makes all the hard work well worth it for us.

You get to take home your bird and decide on a special recipe! Some years we’ve spatchcocked it. This is when you cut it in half, lay it flat and roast it on a pan. Some years we brine and smoke it. Some years we have pieced it out and made several meals. Last year when we had just our immediate family, we made a sausage stuffed roulade with the breast meat.

Next week I’ll share my favorite ways to cook our pasture raised turkey, so be on the lookout.

For now, click the link below and get your Holiday Turkey reserved.

With gratitude,

Julia

P.S. Comment below your favorite way to cook a turkey!

Rich Balsamic Roast Beef

Roasts are good any time of year, but the changing fall colors and autumn winds just beg me to throw a roast in the croc pot to simmer all day.

Having a hearty, flavorful dinner ready when you get home means that you can eat a little earlier.

After filling your belly you can spend extra time relaxing and winding down with your loved ones.

The changing seasons, cooler weather and fluctuating sunshine can be stressful on our bodies and often this is when we can come down with a cold.

The remedy? More nutrient dense foods, more rest and less stress.

That’s where this recipe comes in.

Rich Balsamic Roast Beef needs to be on your menu this weekend.

It’s that good. Seriously.

This roast is packed with tangy flavor, it stays juicy and falls apart easily.

Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. Yum.

Use the shredded pieces as leftovers for French dip sandwiches, burritos or tacos.

ingredients:

• 1 Nourished With Nature Beef Sirloin Tip Roast or Cross Rib Roast

• 2 Tbsp Nourished With Nature Rendered Beef Tallow

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

• 1 Tbsp coconut aminos

• 1 Tbsp honey

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

instructions:

1. Thaw your roast completely by leaving in a bowl in the sink overnight. Remove any strings if your roast has them.

2. Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Melt your tallow and brown the roast on all sides so it has a nice crispy outer crust. If using a croc pot, do this in a cast iron pan on the stovetop.

3. Slice the roast into 2” pieces. This is so that the flavors of the balsamic sauce can reach all bits of the meat.

4. Place the roast in bottom of the Instant Pot or croc pot.

5. Mix all of the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the top.

6. Set the timer of the Instant Pot to cook on high for 45 minutes. If using a croc pot cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

7. Once the roast has cooked, remove from pot onto a serving dish and break apart lightly with two forks. Then ladle 1/2 a cup of the liquid in the bottom of your pot over the shredded meat.

8. Enjoy!

I’d love to hear back from you!

Leave a comment below…what are your favorite fall comfort foods?

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…

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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!