Friday, July 2nd, at 11:59 pm, is the deadline for the Thursday, July 8th delivery of LWF. Click here to order.
Note from Nancy:
New Product News
SWEET SPRING FARM – raising goats and making fresh chevres: We are happy to announce that in addition to the delicious, locally made fresh goats’ milk cheeses you can currently enjoy from Sweet Spring Farm, that soon you will also be able to try goat (chevon) roasts, and steaks from the farm as well. Keep an eye out when you place your next order to see the variety of cuts available.
LEWIS WAITE FARM has a few new cuts available, one of which is a RANCH STEAKS but what exactly is a ranch steak? Here’s the answer: Ranch steak is the name given to the center cut steak from boneless chuck shoulder, which is typically cut between ½ inch (1.3 cm) to one inch (2.5 cm) thick, weighing 10 ounces or less, with excess fat trimmed away. This cut of meat may also be called boneless chuck shoulder steak, shoulder petite, and shoulder center steak, though the name ranch steak is commonly applied at butcher shops and grocery stores. The ranch steak is best prepared braised or grilled, but can also be broiled.
Also New are CHUCK EYE STEAKS – The chuck eye steak is a smaller cut from the chuck eye roast. It is best when braised, but it can be grilled or broiled if it is not overcooked. The chuck eye steak is also known as the boneless chuck slice or boneless chuck fillet steak. This is one of the more tender cuts from the chuck section, so you can cook it in liquid or roast it in the oven. This steak is good, considering it’s a chuck steak. In fact, it’s tender enough to grill or broil, provided that you marinate it overnight first.
SIRLOIN HEART FILETS, the center of the sirloin cut thinly and ranging from a half pound to a pound. There will be a dozen of so of these available per month. These are tender and flavorful when quickly grilled like a flank or skirt steak. As they are thin, it could be easy to overcook. These help the dinner prep to be fast if you are in a hurry.
Large SOUP BONES trimmed of meat in all shapes and sizes from the joints to provide collagens and BEEF NECK BONES with sweet meat to add flavor and nutrition to your to your broths and sauces.
We have HAMBURGER PATTIES now too. They are our same great ground beef made about a third of a pound each and are packed 4 per package, not stacked, so they can be taken out one at a time if necessary.
BEEF BRATWURST is packed 4 short links per package and weigh around a pound per package. The ingredients include beef, water, salt, bratwurst spices, pepper and other spices in hog casings.
SMOKED BEEF KIELBASA is a single big link ranging in size from a pound to a pound and a half, mostly around a pound and a quarter. The ingredients include beef, water, salt, garlic, black pepper, white pepper, organic carrot fiber, in hog casings and these are smoked with no nitrites.
More good news about the PORK HOT DOGS (and soon to come beef hot dogs); we have convinced our sausage and hot dogs makers to eliminate all sodium phosphate salts – which they initially said “had to be there”. The first batch of pork hot dogs had this ingredient but now the second batch has organic cornstarch in its place. Unfortunately the labelers forgot to say organic, but Debbie assures me that it is organic. So now I can feel better about having them make our all beef hot dogs soon.
We are very happy with our new processing partners at Eagle Bridge Custom Meats.
We also have a special announcement about Gillis Acres Farm. Unfortunately, Avé and Brian have chosen to remove their offerings from our products as of July first. Avé Maria is the only cheesemaker at the farm with the occasional help of her daughter. The timing of our schedule of deliveries does not coincide with the schedule Ave has set for all the steps in her cheese making. As she insists on the freshest and best milk, yogurt and cheese that she can provide, she cannot do it all in a timely manner and has made this decision. We are sorry to see their products go and wish them the best in their endeavors.
In other news, we are going to Philadelphia on the weekend of June 19 for 3 days to attend my nephew Chris’ wedding. Chris worked here at the farm a couple years back and spent a few months between inside jobs to get some fresh air, work up a sweat and help us out for a time. It will be a wonderful get together for our family and the large family of Teresa, the bride. My family is spread from Glencoe MD, to Wellesley MA, to Charlotte VT, to Warren ME and back to Philly PA. So the times everyone gets together are not that often. Plus we’ll be all dressed up and festive and have lots of time to be together. Six of us are driving to PA together in a mini van which will also be a lot of fun! We hope that MaryNell and Bill get us singing and everything.
Back at the farm, Jayme will be taking care of the two dogs, Dylan is watching the herds of pigs and cattle, Gabriel is bottle feeding one of the twin calves (our second set of twins in 2 years – not that common!), and Shadow, our alpha dog, will be making sure the barn cats don’t get into her food. Writing up the chore list is always a big task. It is hard to save and use over as each season is different and each group of animals changes and has different requirements. The pigs have their new pasture and laneway now. The cows are at the Lewis farm by our house so things will be very convenient. We have seven new calves now and about 40 more to be born so things could get busy searching for calves and mothers to count them each day. The twins are a particular challenge as the mother will care for the calves as long as they are strong enough to fend off any competition from each other. So now that the little one has learned to drink, we are re-introducing her to mom today so we can see how it goes. Let’s all hope for a calm weekend!
I’ve got a lot of loose ends to wrap up today so I’ll make this short and wish you all a wonderful first day of summer – coming up soon!
Something Tasty
Marinated Ranch Steak
Serves 4
½ c. onion, finely chopped
½ c. cilantro, chopped
3 T. Worchester sauce
3 T. tequila
3 T. olive oil
¼ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 t. chili powder
½ t. cumin
4 ranch steaks
1. Combine all ingredients except the steaks in a ziptop bag, stirring with a spoon until completely incorporated.
2. Add steaks and seal bag. Place on plate in refrigerator over night.
3. Remove steaks and allow them to come to room temperature.
4. Grill rare to medium-rare.
A Great Read: Farmer Jane
Farmer Jane by Temra Costa is a look at 26 women in the sustainable food industry who are working toward a more holistic food system in America – a system that ensures our health with wholesome natural foods, protects the earth and wildlife, treats farm workers fairly and stimulates local economies. This interesting and inspiring book includes sections that show how you can join these women, whether you want to start a farm, open a food business, found an organization or simply become a sustainable-food consumer.
Take Action!
There are many issues near and dear to our hearts on the EARTH JUSTICE organization’s action list. See what topics this responsible organization is working on that may be in your interests too!
http://earthjustice.org/
best wishes,
Alan & Nancy Brown
135 Lewis Hill Lane
Town of Jackson
Greenwich, NY 12834
Lewis Waite Farm
Grass-Fed Grass-Finished Beef
Natural Pork
http://csalewiswaitefarm.com/
www.lewiswaitefarm.com
518-692-3120 or 518-692-9208