From the Butcher
Adam Lambert
Curing Room Preparation
These past few months have been an adventure for us. We have learned so much from our customers about what they want to eat and how they want to eat it. That influences the products I cut and produce. At least we seem to think alike. The demand for dry cured charcuterie seems to be…
Butchery is so much more than cutting meat
Sausage making is a big part of our weekly routine. Trevor and I can hustle through the fresh cuts and get an animal trimmed out fairly quickly. That’s when the work begins. Sausage isn’t just ground meat and seasonings. There are both chemical and physical reactions that must occur to properly break down the meat…
More than steaks
We’ve figured out we have some great cooks as customers. And, we are anticipating lots of requests for steaks for Valentine’s weekend. So of course, we made extra demi-glace to put on the shelves and brought in an extra steer to help “meat” the demand. Trevor always harks on the economics of farming, and he…
Breaking Down the Roasts
Two weeks ago I explained a little about the chuck and how I am seaming it out. Since then, we’ve had a lot of questions about what are the different cuts and how to prepare them. The chuck is the front shoulder of the steer. It is complex with a lot of muscles, some worked…
The Family Pot Roast
I grew up in Brook Park. A pot roast was family dinner. Whether you called it a 7 bone roast, an English roast, a chuck roast, or simply a beef chuck pot roast, it was whatever mom threw in the slow cooker. For those of you unfamiliar with beef carcass nomenclature, the chuck is the front…
A FARMER'S PERSPECTIVE
TREVOR CLATTERBUCK
The Farm in Early Spring
There is so much to talk about right now with the farm. Spring is finally hear and we are embracing the rains. It is still too early to do much field work. Any vegetables would be at the risk of frost. While it would be nice to start plowing and working the soils, the rains…
A Warm Winter. Mud and Maple Sap.
There is one truth known to all farmers about a good, cold winter. The ground will be hard and your pastures will be protected. I’ve even heard of frozen ground referred to as “poor man’s concrete.” When the ground thaws, and it rains a lot (like we have had recently), you have mud. And lots…
Planning Ahead
Adam mentioned anticipating a demand on steaks. Because we dry age our beef at least 14 days before cutting, that means we had to harvest an additional animal two weeks ago to prepare. But how about predicting demand 3 years out? That’s what farmers need to do. When Adam and I started thinking about this…
Happy Hens
Our passion is for pasture raised meats. If you’ve been to the meat counter, you’ve probably heard Todd, Adam, or I talking about grassfed beef or heritage pork roaming in the woods. But have you ever thought of our chickens? Our meat chickens – referred to as broilers – are raised only in the summer…
Grass-fed Beef
Adam will probably agree with me. We are stunned at the quality of our beef so far. I and the staff at Wholesome Valley Farm – Aden and Leon – have been experimenting with genetics for the last 3 years. I think the genetics and selection of high protein grasses are producing well marbled, tender…