Clear up the confusion about Dry and Wet aging

Before I raised our own beef, this goes back over 20 years ago.    I never paid any attention to how meat was raised much less butchered.  I knew nothing about aging of meat, honestly I knew nothing about raising animals.

Since then I've learned a lot and I'm always finding out something new.    What also comes with new information is controversy.   It also comes with misleading marketing to get your attention.  I get it.   I do.   I also know marketing is key to any successful business.   Farms are a business that produces a product to sell marketing is part of that business.  I'm not a marketing expert but I do have quite a bit of training lately in that area.   I wish I could just be the person raising your food but as a small operation I have to do many things.  Like write articles to share information with you, help you make the most of our products and just to let you in on what it takes to raise food  here in CNY.

We have chosen to sell not to wholesalers or restaurants but to YOU so YOU can feed your body and your family good food.   I'm taking this space to clear up a few things from my perspective and knowledge.  

All beef you can buy from a farmer either at the farmers market by the cut or when you buy large amounts like a 1/2 beef it will be DRY AGED.   Period.  Fact.  It has to be DRY AGED there is no other option for all of us selling to you.    There is Wet aging and I explain that at the end.

 It is most often USDA inspected which is a good thing.   

But what is aging about?   In the most basic of terms aging is the carcass hanging in a temperature and humidity controlled refrigerated room as it cools and then this time it is there aids in the breakdown of the muscle to increase the flavor and texture, it will also lose some moisture. 

There is lots of controversy and heated arguments abound over how long beef needs to be aged for the best result.  I avoid arguments when I can so instead I'll share how ours is aged.

Simply:  Our is aged anywhere from 9-12 days.  This is what our USDA inspected butcher prefers and with real 100% Grass fed Beef it needs nothing longer- in my opinion and talking about OUR BEEF.    Longer time actually means more loss of moisture and can result in loss of meat.   With our Grassfed Beef we don't want to lose any moisture or fat or meat, it doesn't need to lose anything!!!!

Some beef may actually need longer aging times usually because of the fat on the carcass and internal moisture which often resulted from the GRAINS and CORN it was fed.  Our beef has never been fed any grain or corn in any form at all, ever.  

Is Aging important?  Sure it is without it the beef quality will be dismal.   But it is one very small part of a multi year process of putting steak or burger on your plate.   What really matters TO US is that the animal was raised well on great grasses which is it's natural diet.  This takes TWO YEARS from birth to finish to raise good beef on grass alone in CNY.   It also takes a lot of land and some really good management from us.  Twenty years of experience is what each of us has and our son was raised on this.   20x3=60 years experience.   Something we are really proud of.

There is another type of aging that is now used and only found in grocery stores it's called Wet Aging.   You would see this as a sealed package where the oxygen has been removed and often a liquid has been injected into the package and meat.   Often that liquid is a water and sodium solution sometimes it also has sugar and seasonings.  So if you choose that package read the label and see if there is an additive.    The Wet aging since the Oxygen is removed now can be "preserved" longer so it is safe for eating for a longer period of time.   Great so the stores don't lose money when meat "goes bad" and it's convenient for you plus some food safety problems are avoided.  All those are good things.     Meat from small farms who are selling to YOU don't use wet aging, it's only done in those massive factories processing the meat.   It's not an option and not one we'd be interested in at our scale anyways.

You can decided what you prefer and what matters to you.  

Thank you for reading and I hope this helps you understand just a little of what we do and why we do it and how we do it.  

Eat better meat which nourishes your body naturally and tastes great!

How to cook the perfect 100% Grassfed Steak

Steak from completely Grass Fed Beef is a delight.   What we have found in almost 20 years of not just raising the beef but eating it is that cooking it really is really easy.    

Creekside Meadows Grassfed Ribeye with Asparagus, mushrooms and wild harvested Ramps.

Yes, it's easy.  What causes many problems is for decades cooking in the US has changed, yes it has.  Cookbooks are all about infusing flavor and making simple techniques seem complicated.   

Truly Grassfed Beef does not need to be infused with flavor with added marinades, dry rubs, fancy sauces.   Go simple.   Then you can play around with a bit more later on.

Steaks- always have to be thawed completely.  No exceptions.   You can thaw quickly in a cool water bath in a few hours or a few days in the refrigerator.    

IMPORTANT  Once thawed  your steak needs to come to room temperature.  This can take 30-90 minutes. 

Liberally use a coarse salt.  I like Syracuse Salt Company infused salts.  My favorites are the garlic salt, espresso salt and the alderwood smoked ones.   Or use plain salt then some fresh ground pepper.   THEN let the steaks come to room temperature.   Whenever I have skipped this step my steak has more chew than I prefer.  

Pat the steak dry.  

GRILLING:   One side of the grill should be nice and hot this is where you will sear the steak a minute or so on each side to seal those juices in. THEN move it to the cooler side of the grill to finish for a few minutes with the lid closed.    Wen cooking a thinner like 1" thick steak, this can literally take 3-5 minutes for a medium steak.  Remove to a warm plate and tent with foil.  This is also important as the juices will redistribute in the meat and not pour out all over the plate.  The steak will also continue to cook a few more degrees.

See the juices? You DON"T WANT TO SEE THIS!   I cut the steak too early and just after I took it off the heat.  Those juices are not supposed to be making a mess on the plate.  Rest the steak and no mess!

PAN COOKING:   I adore cast iron pans and use them often.  I have an old glass top electric range and yes I use cast iron on it.   I prefer gas stoves but haven't replaced this one yet.  

So the cast iron pan must be hot, a tad bit of olive oil, lard or tallow in the bottom should shimmer.    Pat dry the steak and sear on each side a minute or 2.  Then immediately turn the bunner to low.  If using electric this is stricky as it's slow to respond but gas works best.    

Let the steak finish for a few minutes, remove and tent for a few minutes.     

I found that what works even better is once the steak is seared then place pan and steak in a preheated 350F oven to finish- no lid.   Remove steak to warm plate and tent to rest.  

I prefer steak at medium but please don't go more well done as it's just not right.  The steak will be tough and dry which has just wasted our 2 years of caring and grazing for this animal plus the 9 months it's mother carried it and the 2+ years we raised that mother on the farm.  

See nothing fancy.  It's really so simple.    

Now once you have that down you can play with more seasonings if you need to.

Me?  I prefer just to enjoy that delectable full beef flavor the way it's intended.  

So where can YOU get 100%Grassfed Steak?   

Creekside Meadows Farm is the farm!   Find us every Saturday May-October at the Cazenovia Farmers Market, Cazenovia NY.  

We carry Tbones, Ribeyes, Porterhouse, NY Strip, Flank, Skirt, Sirloin.    Supplies do vary but we can fit you with a great steak or burger or chop or sausage.....

We also deliver for those times when we know your Saturday is too busy to make it to us.   AND the farmstore is open Sundays  12-2pm.   

Cooking a great Grassfed Steak doesn't need a grill.    My cast iron skillet is used everyday and makes a great steak too.   From pancakes, to eggs, to veggies to steak.......... cast iron all the way baby!

Breakfast Pizza

Eggs are abundant from many farms and backyard flocks so grab some extra dozens and enjoy eggs with some breakfast sausages and bacon.   I found this recipe from King Arthur Flour and I found the sauce to be a winner and a different than most versions out there.   

This makes 1 pizza but since it uses 1/2 pound sausage and our sausage comes in 1 pound why not just make TWO and have awesome leftovers since you do all this work and fire up the oven just do another meal at the same time.  Plus use up those delicious eggs and pack on some good protein for all day energy. 

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE PIZZA

1 pizza dough.   Store bought or homemade whatever works for you.

1/2 pound Creekside Meadows Farm Breakfast Sausage

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced peppers.  I don't care for the peppers so I did mushrooms instead
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk or half & half
• 4 to 6 large eggs,
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.  roll out pizza dough to 14 inch circle or 12x16 rectangle and place on greased or parchment lined pizza pan or cooking sheet.   You can let it rise for a thicker crust or not for a thinner crust.    

In a medium  hot skillet with a dab of butter cook the onions and peppers then add the sausage.    Break up the sausage and cook until done/browned.   Remove from pan, drain and set aside.    Keep drippings in skillet.  There should only be about 1 tablespoon or so, dump an excess but keep all those browned bits in there.  

Back to the skillet on medium heat.   Add 3 tablespoons butter to the drippings and 3 tablespoons flour mix well and cook 3-4 minutes, don't let it brown.   Whisk in the cup of milk and simmer until thickened. 

Crack eggs in separate bowl.   Slowly add eggs to the sauce, whisking away and cooked until soft set.  Be careful as you don't want them to done as they will turn rubbery in the oven.  

Pour mixture over the pizza dough then top with sausage and both cheeses.  Back at 400F for 15-18 minutes until browned and bubbly.   

Additions:   Add in some ham or bacon for extra yum.   Top with salsa.......  even add in some zucchini or spinach when you are cooking the sausage.   

Another version is to use muffin tins for individual breakfast muffins that you line with pieces of pizza dough or even biscuit dough, then fill with the mixtures and bake the same.    Great version for on the go or finger food kids usually gobble up fast.    

Cider Beef Stew

This is so yummy and really simple which I think the best things are!  Thanks to Mary P and her hubby who shared this.

CIDER BEEF STEW

2 pounds Creekside Meadows Grassfed Beef Stew Meat

3 large onions, peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons drippings, bacon fat, lard, tallow or olive oil if you must

3 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 cups Apple Cider

1 tablespoon ketchup

3 large potatoes cut into quarters (or use baby new ones)

4 medium carrots peeled and chunked

EDITED: Add 3-4 cups beef stock also. When I wrote the originally I forgot to add that important part. I apologize.

Brown the onions in hot drippings/fat, remove then brown the beef well.   Return the onions to pot with beef.  Combine flour, salt, pepper, thyme and add mixture gradually to meat.  Stir in cider and ketchup. Cover and cook slowly until almost tender about 2 hours.   Add potatoes and carrots and simmer 30 minutes until tender.     

SLOW COOKER.  Just do the browning first in a separate pan and add to slow cooker, deglazing the pan with cider so you don't lose all those yummy browned bits.  Simmer on low for 6-8 hours.  

INSTANTPOT.    Do all the same as above just use the stew setting for 35 minutes.   

Find our beef stew at the farm Saturdays and Sundays in April  12-2pm.    Stew meat is also featured in our new meat packs and bundle for April.   

click HERE for where to purchase or try our delivery!

Join our email for more tips , recipes and special offers.  Plus our latest Free Guide for cooking Grassfed and Pastured Meats.  

April, my 2nd favorite month of the year.

May is usually my favorite month of the year because it's really spring time, grass is growing, the trees are leaved out, we are planting and it's just a beautiful month.  

April is my 2nd favorite just because we know any snow that happens won't be here long, the grass greens up fast, and the birds are singing no matter the weather.  

We have another great run of the maple season right now.  We had an early run the end of February and the peak is right now.   We have now bottled more than last year and set to likely double what we did last year.  Wooohhoooo!     We now have 12 oz glass jugs, quart glass jars, quart plastic, 1/2 gallon jugs, 8 oz and 3 oz jugs.  All sizes and the plastic jugs are great for shipping to loved ones.    All are discounted $1 this week while we are still boiling.   

I started things in the greenhouse yesterday, about a week late but a bout of bronchitis slowed me down.   It's better but a wake up call that March is always a tough month to get through and I didn't take care as I should.   TIme to slow down and breath deeply.  

The ground is thawed and everywhere is a muddy mess.  Once it dries up we'll be plowing to break ground for the gardens and get some early items in like spinach, kale, carrots, scallions, peas and so on.    Pussy willows have popped out and wild leeks won't be long behind.   

April is a good month for stews and bone broth.    Letting the slow cooker, dutch oven or instant pot do the work for you.    Our beef bone stash is slowly dwindling so if you need them come get them this weekend before we are out until July.   Remember to save all your bones from any pork, beef or chicken and make stock for soups and stews or just sipping.   

I found that cooking with homemade bone broth is so delicious and rejunating to my joints.   My bone density tests are always excellent and I never take supplements.   

Eating good food nourishes your body and can eliminate the need for pricy supplements and medications.   Make the change and if you already have, then work on others.    It's tough to see women my age having broken bones that won't heal and taking expensive supplements only to find they are still low in calcium and iron.   You can do so much to  improve that by simple steps like nutrient dense meats.    Red meat always gets a bad rap only because testing is done on conventional low quality grain fed, confined animals.  

Not only will the meat taste better, you'll feel better, you'll feel satisfied and I can honestly say my bones are strong and my joints doing great.   

Enjoy what you eat and stop the fads, the quick cures, the no gluten junk, cut back on sugar and put some hardiness back in your day.    Your body can't absorb nutrients from vegetables as well as it can from good quality forage based meats, plus those meats have things you have to have for your brain to function at it's best.      

Save a farm, save the land, save your bones, eat some good meat and enjoy it.  

Apple Maple Roasted Ham

The best way to have  the perfect ham is to start with high quality Pasture Raised Pork.   We’ve been raising our pork at our farm for over 15 years now and how it is raised makes a world of difference for a delicious meal.  

I know you are might find a Ham a bit daunting to roast but it's really just a few steps to perfection.

First you need a ham.    Creekside Meadows Farm Pasture Raised Hams are smoked and flash frozen because they aren’t held in a saline solution like store hams.  It can take 2-4 days to thaw in your refrigerator depending on the size so plan ahead. 

Quick Thaw:   If you are running late you can still make it happen the day before as follows: You need a large pot or container to hold the entire ham still in the plastic wrapping fill the container with cold water and replace the water every 30 minutes with more cold water.  Thawing will take 5-6 hours and maybe longer for a larger ham.  Then just refrigerate until ready for roasting.

Preheat the oven to 325F.  

Skin off:  Trim all the skin off the ham and trim fat to about 1/4 to 1/2 thick.

 Skin on:  If your ham doesn't have much of a fat layer or is very thin, leaving the skin might be a better choice.  You will need to score all the skin in a crisscross patter deep to the meat.  You want a lot of the crisscross so later on the glaze can penetrate.

Place ham in a roasting pan preferably on a rack so it doesn't stick to the pan.  If you plan to glaze it line the pan with foil for easier clean up.  Add about ½ cup of f water to the pan depending on the pan size, a larger roasting pan could use 1 cup of water.  Roast at 325F until internal temperature reaches a minimum of 130F.   This can take 15 minutes per pound.   Add more water to the pan if it evaporates.

Once the ham is the proper temperature which on a larger ham may take  a little extra time, remove ham from the oven.  Increase oven temperature to 425F.   Prepare the glaze.

APPLE MAPLE GLAZE  (or try the tangy orange one at the bottom)

2 cups apple cider 

     heat in a saucepan on medium high, stirring often until reduced to 1/2 cup

add 1/2 cup apple jelly 

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup whole grain brown mustard

   Stir well and simmer until warmed thoroughly

Once ham has reached 130F internal temperature.   Increase the oven to 425 and spread the glaze generously over the entire ham.   Roast for 20 minutes and baste a few times during that time with the pan juices.  

Remove from oven, place on a platter and let it rest about 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.  Drizzle a little of the remaining pan juices over ham before serving.

UPDATE IN 2019

This winter I’ve cooked up a few hams in my slow cooker and played with other ingredients.

it takes about 6 or so hours on low in my slow cooker for a 5 pound boneless ham. Every slow cooker is different so be prepared for times a little different.

1 thawed smoked boneless ham from a good local farmer

1-2 cups cup apple cider (not juice)

1/2 cup maple syrup

Optional: a couple big spoon fulls of orange marmalade.

do you need cider and maple? Nope, but we like the flavors. You could instead just add some water instead. Hams like ours have tons of flavor so anything you add can be subtle to enhance that built in flavor.

That’s it. SLow cook on low for 6 -8 hours.

Remove ham, let rest a bit, remove the tie or net, and slice.

The remaining juices can be poured over the ham or reduce it down by simmering until it’s thicker works nice too.

I find that I will cook the ham the day before and slice it the next day then rewarm with the juices just before a big family meal.

Disclosure: I can get stressed and forget things like plugging in the slow cooker, or setting it on warm not low…….. so I try to do somethings ahead of time. Then who cares if my old oven dies the day of the meal (that happened one year….).

TANGY ORANGE GLAZE

6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed well and finely diced

8 ounces orange marmalade

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1 cup light brown sugar (or maple sugar or turbinado or sucanat)

1 orange zested

1 /4 cup fresh orange juice.

Heat all ingredients in pan on medium until mixed well.    When ham has reached 130F, increase oven temp to 425F, glaze the ham all over.   Roast another 20 minutes and baste with any extra pan juices a few times.  

This glaze works well in the slow cooker too but add about a cup of water then pour glaze over top of ham so it can soak in while it cooks.

Simple Steps to Improve Digestion

Maybe you often have an "off " stomach or indigestion or wonder are you allergic to some foods.   What you may consider is how you eat your food and the quality of  your food.  

1.   Chew your food, chewing releases digestive juices needed to properly digest your food.  Americans seem to be averse to using their pearly whites which is sad because they are designed for chewing and the first step in good digestion.

2.  Stop Juicing and drinking so many smoothies.  Often when you juicy vegetables and fruits there is the pile of fiber leftover.   That fiber is essential to your digestive health.    I sure do love carrot juice but eating carrots is the better option for my health.    If I have to juice 5 carrots to get a glass of juice and 2 cups of fiber is leftover- this is not a good thing.  

3.  Throw out the protein powders, the whey powder, the bone broth powders.   These are highly processed with preservatives and not as good for you as you are led to believe.

4.  Get your protein from high quality well raised meats, cook it the way it needs to be cooked and CHEW IT.   This blog is packed with recipes on how we cook our meats here at the farm.   Plus you can purchase our meats directly from us and I'm happy to help you choose the right cuts plus walk you through some simple cooking methods. 

4.  Make your own broth or stock.  Use it in your cooking for soups, stews, cooking vegetables in, cooking rice in, drink it plain.   It is great for your digestion and great for your joints if you have pain there, mine is greatly improved since adding our own homemade broths to my everyday cooking.

Here is a very simple way to make your own broth.  It's not fancy, it gets the job done and my joints feel so much better since I started this.  

CREEKSIDE MEADOWS BONE BROTH:

6 or so pounds of roasted bones.   Chicken, Pork, Beef, Lamb- a mix of any you have on hand.  Save all the bones from any meals or stop at the farmstore for some beef bones.  

A big onion or some small ones.  I use up the ones that are starting to sprout or get soft this time of year.   Cut into chunks, skin on

1 big ugly carrot or some small ones.   Go for the ones that aren't so great to eat fresh

a few cups of greens, anything.  Kale, lettuce, chard, parsley, spinach.   Whatever you have around to use up.  

If you want you can add an apple or a peach too.  

a glug of Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar- optional.   They say it helps pull minerals out of the bones but then I read it doesn't.   

2 quarts of water or more to just cover things in the pot.   

I prefer using the slow cooker, put on low and let it simmer all day and often overnight.   Or on low on the stove top but keep an eye to add more water as it will evaporate.   

the longer you simmer it the more flavor.  

Instantpot.  I set it for 90 minutes and let it naturally release.   Simple.

Once your simmering/cooking is done.    Let it cool a bit, strain and chill.  Any fat will firm up on the top and remove it the next day.   Now is a great time to do this as I put the pot in the cold garage overnight instead of using of fridge space.    After you remove the fat you can now portion it out in containers or ice cube trays.  I usually do 1 or 2 cup containers and a few trays of cubes and freeze them.    

Use for soups, stews, add to a roast as it cooks, cooking rice or potatoes, saute veggies and add a cube or two of broth for a little extra flavor, or just warm up some and sip in a cup for an easy simple pick  you up especially if your stomach is a bit off.   Feel the icky coming on?   Sip some broth often and keep your nutrition up to fight it off, skip the syrups and pills and magic cure alls.  Boost your body when it needs it, let it do what it's designed to do- be healthy.

Seriously my knees and hips rarely give me problems anymore since I went to broth a few years ago.  Our meals never tasted better and less things to purchase from the stores with questionable ingredients or sources.  

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It's snowing again

Last week the farm received 25 inches of snow on Friday, since then we've had a bit more here and there.  It's snowing now.  The roads are clear though.   

I have a beef brisket brining in my fridge for our own Corned Beef to enjoy next weekend.   

Tonight for dinner is Slow Roasted Herb Crusted Grass Fed London Broil with Mashed Potatoes from the root cellar and some garlic sauteed green beans (frozen from last years garden).   Pretty simple and it's in the oven roasting at 200F right now.  

The store was quiet today with on of my favorite customers stopping in for his 2nd brisket- this time for his son who intrigued about making his own Corned Beef too.   John gave me some good advice on Ginger Beef that a NYTimes Corned Beef recipe calls for.  

Still time to corn your beef for next week so stop in and grab one and eat good meat instead of that gross brined for months stuff from dubious origins in the stores.  ick.

I attended a FSMA training class in Liverpool this past week.  Food Safety and Modernization Act is the first ever of it's kind for vegetable production in the USA.  It's massive, it's been in the works for years and applies to just about every size of farm.   Different size farms have different levels of to comply with.   Size of farm is determined by income from vegetables and fruit not by acreage.  We fall under the very small farm at the moment due to vegetables currently on the lower end of production.  Well for a year or two more.   I have to say I've sat through meeting like this before or had to listen to talks and NONE really had a grasp on the facts.   This one did plus had representatives from NYS to answer questions.   Hosted by NOFA- NY and much appreciated.   Too bad few attended as many feel they are exempt or already know it all.  We'll see how it goes.   I know what we have to comply with and what records we need to have.  Lots to work on.  

Anyways, our hay mow is getting empty as the cows are eating it all!   We should have enough to feed them another month but may have to buy a few hundred bales or so if grazing is later this year.   Often we can graze around April 15 or 20th, but we never know how spring goes.  

I'm finally getting the seed orders done and ordered.   Green house starts up in 2 weeks so I best get all done fast.   We had alot of issues last year with cucumber diseases and the dreaded cucumber beetle not just eating plants but spreading the disease.  I plan to give that the heave ho and conquer the problems this year.  

I've tried many years to grow brocolli but we have another bad pest destroying it and I'm really finished with buying expensive row cover just to have it tear.  The organic alternatives are yes spraying it with organic treatments and honestly I hate spraying ANYTHING no matter organic or not.    No brocolli this  year until I come to terms with it all.   Yes, organic farms do spray things on their crops.  It's not a secret but for some reason people really do think organic is magical, like we dance around and wave a magic wand to save all our crops from disease and pests.  Not so.  oh man not so.    So Organics have many standards and any thing to be used does go through a pretty intensive review of the ingredients and those sources.   Any sprays that are especially effective and organic approved are very expensive. I have to make sure it's the treatment I want, is there something else to address first or do we grow enough of say Brocolli to make the spray worthwhile.  Right now.  No.   I've tried a clay based one and wasn't happy with it.   Row cover tears so lets in the dreaded wasp and then row cover is polyester and well.......    more and more not compostable products that go to a land fill.  I'm a bit sick of it.   This year will be more beneficial plants put in to bring in beneficial insects to go after some pests but also major fertility boost with lots more compost and lots of crop rotations.  

it means growing lots more of some things like tomatoes, beans, potatoes, carrots, greens, corn, spinach, lettuce, onions and less brocolli for one thing.   Sorry if you want organic it comes at a difficult price.  Luckily I know a few farms that grow it exceptionally well so we can all shop with them.  

It all has me wondering if the dreaded wasp that takes out brocolli (and other in that family) is just sprayed with one spraying of one chemical and it dies, is that so bad?   Because organic doesn't always have an effective treatment, so cost is up, harvest is way down and where are we?  We are left with massive infestations of pests too.   Huh....... It has me wondering if a little is such a bad thing?   Time to do some research and talk to my conventional growing friends on what they use and work on improving our land here maybe I'll find a better solution that we are all happy with.    Maybe but I will miss you Ms. Brocolli cut fresh with my own hands after months of nurturing you along from seed in the greenhouse to planting outdoors.  sigh........   

I'm headed out to help my men clean up an old nasty willow hedgerow that we are taking out so we can fix some drainage in that area.  No worries it will grow back but needed some renovation anyways.    The new shoots will pop up many feet in teh summer and by next year fill in nicely.   The woodchips are added to the cows bedding pack, which will be composted this summer then spread on the fields and gardens next year.   Pretty cool circle there.   

Take care all.  Come to the farm for good meat or let us deliver.   You need to eat and Eating well matters.   Or just be happy buying from a large company that ships in meat from literally a half a world away.  Sad.  

So be happy,  Choose local food first.  Your Health Matters and Your farms are doing good things that matter.    

Hugs!

Brined Pork Chops with Cream Sauce

I know some people avoid pork chops because they think they are dry and they can be when overcooked.    I found out the best way for a tender and juicy chop.......Now Brining Pork Chops is something I do often.  They come out so juicy that it's worth the extra step.  The Cream sauce with rosemary is delectable, lick the plate clean kind of sauce.  Some brine say to boil the water, add the salt and cool it.  I'm lost by then.  Too many steps.  My farmer friend and cookbook author Shannon Hayes keeps it simple and she has saved me from dry chops ever since.  Let's all say thanks Shannon for leading the way to saving Pasture Raised Chops plus giving us this totally easy but a tad fancy recipe. 

Elegant for company or any family dinner.  Serves 2 but double or triples easily.   One thing to remember is when cooking the chops have a large enough skillet that the chops are not crowded or use 2 skillets when making a  larger recipe.   Crowding can lower the heat and cause them to sweat which toughens the chop.  Have enough space and adjust heat for a good constant sizzle to the pan.   Oh boy can I make chops sweat and ruin them, I now pay attention!  NO SWEATING ALLOWED!

2 Creekside Meadows Bone in Pork Chops  1 inch to 1 1/2 inch thickness

1 3/4 cup water

2 tablespoon coarse salt

3 tablespoons maple sugar, tubinado or sucanat sugar or even brown sugar (light preferably)

1 cup dry white wine  ( a vegetable or chicken broth works fine)

1 /2 teaspoon dried rosemary

3 tablespoons sour cream or Creme fraiche 

2 tablespoons butter.

Mix, water, salt and sugar, in small casserole or ziploc bag, add chops.  Refrigerate 4-6 hours.  

When ready to cook, remove chops, rinse and pat dry.  Allow to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.   Heat skillet on medium/high, add butter and brown chops 2-3 minutes each side.  Reduce heat to medium low.  You want them still sizzling , if too low they will seat and dry out.   Sizzle!  Cover and cook until internal 145F- 160F about 6-10 minutes.   Thinner chops may cook quicker so watch it and don't over cook them.  It's better to put them back to cook a bit more than too much!   A good thermometer is essential.  I have a nifty one with a remote and love it.  Scroll down to an early post with my link to amazon.

Remove chops from skillet and keep warm.  Pour off extra fat from pan and turn heat to medium high, add wine and rosemary, bring to a boil.   Wisk or use wooden spoon to loosen brown bits from pan.  Lower heat to simmer until reduced by half and syrupy, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and quickly wisk in the sour cream.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.   Pour over chops when served.    I served with fresh apple sauce and sauteed green beans.

Adapted from Long Way on a Little by Shannon Hayes.   

Maple Syrup Braised Sausages

What a wonderful way to enjoy more Maple Syrup along with Creekside Meadows Sausages!

Makes a quick family dinner every body will enjoy or a favorite here for spring lunches when we are really busy, I can get this together quickly and still do a few more things while it's in the oven.  Pair with some roasted carrots or sauteed green beans, roasted fingerling potatoes, he last of the winter squash, fresh baked bread....... 

Budget friendly, great family meal.  Serves about 6 people and easy to double or triple for a crowd.  I often make this half with sweet sausage and half with hot sausage for hungry farmers who want some more spice.  Any leftovers reheat easily.

2 pounds Creekside Meadows Sweet Italian Sausage link, cut into 8-10 pieces

OR  Breakfast sausage, bulk type formed into 8 patties.

Also works great for hot italian sausage.    

6 tart type apples.  Granny smith or Spy for example.  Peeled, cored and cut into large chunks or quartered.

1/4 cup maple Syrup  (if you can't use this or heaven forbid out of it, the recipe still is delicious)

Brown the sausages  a few minutes each side in a hot skillet with a couple tablespoons of butter or lard.    If you have an dutch oven that works even better.   

Remove sausages to a casserole dish drizzle with maple syrup and roast covered for 30-40 minutes at 35F.  If you have an ovenproof skillet use that. 

Apples should be tender, serve sausages topped with the apples and pan juices.  

Recipe adapted from Long Way on a Little and Grassfed Gourmet by Shannon Hayes.

Honey & Apple Country Ribs

A yummy dinner for a couple.  Takes a few minutes to prep then enjoy a glass of adult beverage or a stroll while it roasts away.  

from Grassfed Gourmet by Shannon Hayes

Serves 2 but often is doubled or more here at the farm.  

1 package small Creekside Meadows Country Ribs, or double recipe for larger package.

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 teaspoons rubbed sage

1 tablespoon butter, lard or tallow

1/3 cup apple cider (or juice)

1 tart apple.  cored and cut into thick slices- skin on

1 small onion peeled and sliced into rings

1/4 cup raisins (or not)

2 tablespoons honey

combine salt, pepper and sage, rub into the meat.  Add butter (lard or tallow) to a hot oven proof skillet, sear ribs on boths sides about 2 minutes each side.   Remove from heat and add in the cider, apple, onions and raisins (or not) and drizzle honey over it all.    Roast at 350F for 1 1/2 hours or until fork tender.   

Healthy Homemade Corned Beef

Corned beef with Grassfed Beef is so easy, delicious and better for you than store bought.   

Brisket is a cut we love here at the farm.  It's one of those low temperature all day roasts that when done right melts in your mouth.  I love it because it's a put it in the oven or slow cooker and forget about it until 8 or so hours later.   Corned beef is made with brisket that is brined.   

Corned beef has always alarmed me because it's sitting in this brine in a sealed package at the store for an unknown amount of time.  Do we know when it was put in there?  And really now that I raise beef for a living I have to wonder what kind of cut needs to be in a brine for that long to actually be edible?  It's likely from an old dairy cow and so tough a few weeks/months in a brine is needed.  Ugh.  We can all do better.

Our beef briskets are in stock now and we cut them in half so are about 2 to 2 1/2  pounds each.  Most recipes call for a 4-5 pound brisket which is a whole brisket- you can do any size you want.   2 pieces brine better than 1!!!!   

Any experienced briner can talk to me about some larger briskets available at the farm. 

Onto the good stuff.:

Creekside Meadows Grassfed Corned Beef

    from Long Way on a Little by Shannon Hayes   

1 Brisket    2-5 pounds

large ziploc bag and dish/bowl/pot to hold it.   The brisket will be in this brining and ziplocs can leak. 

2 quarts water

1  - 12 ounce bottle of beer - I've seen recipes without this addition  but remember the alcohol will evaporate, it's added for depth of flavor.

1 1/2 cups coarse salt

5 bay leaves

3 tablespoon pickling spices

1 cup maple sugar, sucanat or tubinado sugar, or unrefined sugar.

6 whole allspice berries

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 whole star anise (I used 1/2 teaspoon anise seed)

1 large onion chopped

In a pot put water, salt, beer, pickling spices, 3 bay leaves & sugar.  Bring to boil and simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved.  Let it cool.  Place brisket in a ziploc bag and add the cooled mixture.  Place bag in a container like casserole dish or bowl in case it leaks (it can leak) Refrigerate for 5-7 days.  7 days is best.  Turn bag over every day or 2  and make sure the meat is covered by the brine.    You can also have the brisket in a covered glass container for the duration but it needs enough to completely cover it and needs to be flipp it daily.  

On morning of the day you are ready to cook it, remove the brisket and discard the brine and bag.   Rinse the brisket and place brisket in a slow cooker, add onion, 2 bay leaves, allspice, peppercorn and star anise.  Completely cover with water-1-2 quarts just enough to cover the meat.   Cook on low 8-10 hours until fall apart tender. This can also be done on stove top on low heat just make sure to keep the meat covered with water and cook, covered long enough that it's fall apart tender.  This part it hard for me because the smell is so good and I want it sooner than it's ready.  

It's so worth the time to brine your own high quality beef brisket and know exactly the ingredients.  

If you don't have pickling spices or anise, I have extra on hand to share.

Coming soon is another version with the curing salt which gives the meat more of a pink color we associate corned beef with and it also enhances the flavor.  

More Cookbooks by Shannon Hayes, fellow NY farmer and author can be found at:    http://theradicalhomemaker.net/books/  

Is it winter or is it spring?

This weekend was quiet at the farmstore with many people either on vacation, sick or attending many sport events.  It's also fairly typical of a February weekend out here in the boonies.

The store is being re-organized to make a separate space for our maple syrup finishing and area to sit and relax.  We also have added a corner spot as you enter that has most of our media articles about the farm so visitors can read up a bit about our history, recipe cards, cookbooks, soaps, popcorn and area for 2018 syrups.  I'm always lax about getting printed articles put into frames but did a bunch over the weekend.  Last year we had 2 videos shot here, more on those later.  

Sap Season is likely starting.  It's frigid this morning but the sun is out and the next few days we will have temps from 40 up into the 60's.   I may need to get out the shorts for working in the sugar shack!   Sap was dripping last night.   So how and when does sap run?   Ideally we need the sun to be out and temperatures to regularly above freezing.  In simpletst terms, this tells the trees it's spring and to start sending sap up the tree to the branches to feed the growth of leaves.  

1 year ago today the sap was running here on the farm and we were collecting sap.   So right on time. 

Saturday and Sunday Matt and Cam finished up running hundreds of feet of sap line and tapped 115 trees on our hillside.   We also have about 60 next door, so we will be making a lot more syrup this year.   Good thing because we only have 1 quart left from last year!   

Sap Season usually has it's starts and stops.  We can have some for a few days and then temperatures will drop below freezing and things will halt.   A few days or even weeks later it will start up again.    Generally once trees are tapped we have 6 weeks that the holes stay open and allow sap collection.  Anything after that the tree will grow and close the hole, if we want  collect after that it means retapping the hole which we can do in a few hours all our trees.  We haven't done this yet in the 4 years we've done syrup. 

Herb Crusted Pork Loin Roast

Pork Loin Roast

Simple an amazingly simple roast and so many ways to be prepared.  

Popular for grilling and oven roasting.  I know roasts can be intimidating and many think they take a long time or only for those fancy french chefs.   Ha.  so not true!

The thing I have found over the years is yes I can overcook these babies easily.  Key is a low oven temperature AND my newest tool.   An ovenproof remote thermometer.   See below for the link to mine.

So how do we get boneless loin roasts and why do we get them?  

Our pigs as you know are born and raised on the farm.   When they are to size we bring them to our USDA butcher for processing.  It's the only way we can legally sell our pork by the individual cut.  We've been using this butcher for over 15 years now and they do a nice job.  Almost perfect usually.

Over the years they've worked with us to help us figure out cuts that customers are familiar with and will find easy to prepare while also being the right size for meals.  

Chops and loin roasts are from the loin and many butchers just cut the loin all as chops but there are different types of chops, some have white and dark meat with more bone, some have more marbled meat but still quite a bit of bone and then there are my favorite the center cut which is the classic chop look.  White meat and small bone.

 We have only the center of the loin cut for chops, I call them center cut but I find some call them rib chops.  On one end of the loin we have cut Country ribs and the other end we have them debone a small 2-3 pound roast.  Over the years we've had to introduce customers to these cuts because they often don't see them or overlook them at the store or unfamiliar with cooking them.  It doesn't help that some cookbooks call them different things either!  

Country ribs are in the simplest term (I'm keeping it very very simple) a butterflied chop from the rib end, some dark meat, some white meat and a small amount of bone.   Quite versatile.  More on them in a later blog.

Chops- I've posted before on them and more coming soon.   

Boneless Loin Roast

I know many people are intimidated by cooking whole roast. That big hunk of meat may seem too much or you think it take too long to cook or is only for fancy french chefs- ha! It's really pretty simple and of course delicious.  

SLOW ROASTED HERB CRUSTED BONELESS PORK LOIN ROAST

2 1/2-3 pound boneless pork loin roast from Creekside Meadows Farm.  Thawed and at room temperature about an hour.  Really it's bad to put a cold roast in the oven=tough.

2 tablespoons dried Rosemary leaves- not ground.  If using ground cut in half

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 whole garlic cloves- crushed and very finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons lard (or butter).

1 onion chopped fine

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1/4 to 3/4 cup chicken broth

1 Apple.  Preferable a tart cooking type like Granny Smith or Spy if you can, non-tart apples will be milder results but it's okay.  Peeled and diced

Grind or crumble the herbs by hand or grinder, add in the salt and garlic.   I then add in a bit of olive oil or lard, mixing with my fingers to make  slightly wet rub.   You can also do this in a grinder for a finer rub which is often better but it's up to you.  Don't stress on it.  

Our boneless roasts are netted.  Remove the net by just sliding it off, don't cut it you will be using it.  Using  sharp knife butterfly the roast, basically cut through one side and leave the other side intact so you can open it like a book.  Smear the inside with 1 tablespoon of the lard (or butter if you must).  then spread about 1/2 the herb mix all over the inside.  Fold the roast up and slide the netting back over it.   Okay if you messed up the netting use some cotton kitchen twine to tie it up nicely. 

I do this to help keep the inside of the roast really moist and add more flavor.  Some of our roasts have a good layer of fat on the outside for a juicier finish but sometimes they do get over trimmed.   It happens.   When I roast one with not much outside fat cover I use lard on the outside and inside of the roast.  So make adjustments if you need to.   

Smear the outside with remainder of the herb mixture. Rub it in really well.  This is where it helps if you made your rub really fine in a grinder so all that garlic is fine and sticks better.   

Heat up an ovenproof skillet or dutch oven, add a few tablespoons of lard or olive oil.  Once it's sizzling add the roast and brown the top and sides evenly about 2 or so minutes each side.   Get a good sear to seal in those juices BUT don't sear the bottom, you don't need to.  

Remove to a plate.  Add a bit of lard or oil to the pan.  Add in the apple and onion, cook, stirring often until the onion is soft and lightly browned.   Stir in the wine, a 1/2 teaspoon more thyme or some fresh springs and the bay leaf.  Place roast back in the pan.  Cover tightly and roast at 225F for 50-80 minutes.  Until internal temperature is 145.  If you don't have tight fitting lid use some heavy foil and seal as tightly as you can.  

Then put on your wish list a good oven proof skillet with lid or a dutch oven- no need for fancy just decent quality.  These can often be found at estate and garage sales and thrift shops instead of buying new. 

 I find it's best to have an oven proof thermometer in the roast so you can easily check the temperature and not overcook.   See below about my new thermometer.  Tent and let it rest 15-20 minutes before slicing.  

For a nice sauce.  Pour off the juices into a measuring cup, but use a strainer to get out the thyme and bay leaf,  add chicken broth until you have about 1 1/4 cups.   Pour back into the pan and simmer over medium heat.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.     

You now have the most perfect roast with a delicious pan sauce in a bit over an hour.  

Herb Crusted Creekside Meadows Pork Loin Roast

Delicious

Oven Proof Thermometers.   

All meat thermometers are not the same and many are just not meant to be in the oven.  You can find these at any kitchen supply place or high end grocery stores or do what I do and check out Amazon.

It's a ThermoPro TP-07    $35.955

ThermoPro TP-07 Wireless Remote Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer for Grilling Oven Kitchen Smoker BBQ Grill Thermometer with Probe, 300 Feet Range

ThermoPro

Buy on Amazon

Sap Season & updates

Sap Season is likely staring here in a few days.  Next week looks like perfect weather for the sap to start running in our maple trees.  We added on 100+ taps on our hillside.   When you come to the farm you'll see a blue line snaking it's way up the hill and into the trees. That is the main supply line.  Smaller tubing will connect the taps in the trees to the main line.  Sap will flow down hill right into our storage tank the boiled to become syrup.   

As we boil we will try to post hours when we are open for visitors to stop in and see how we do things.  Syrup will be for sale as we finish it.   

Glass Quart jars are $17  (reg. $18.50)

12oz glass jugs are $9 (reg. $10)

We also bottle in some plastic on a limited basis.   Other sizes smaller and large available by pre-order only.  Just ask.  

1/2 gallon plastic jugs are $25  

1/2 pints $5

Grading: In the past most of our syrup has been medium to dark.

UPDATES:  A lot of snow melted and now there is mud but the forecast said we will freeze later today but thaw out for next week.   Spring is getting here.  

The hay we feed the cows is getting lower and lower, less than a thousand bales left but enough until spring grazing time.  The dogs enjoy the space in the barn to play while I haul bales to the cows.  We have a slick set up this year where we are feeding them from above them.  We can toss hay into their feeders from above their heads making for easier and much cleaner work for us.

A group of pigs went to the butcher and meat coming back in a few weeks.   We still have plenty of sausage and roasts for your table so come on out and fill up.   Some nice packages to make your choices easier are available.

Did you know pigs raised outdoors store Vit D in their fat and meat, mostly in the fat.  This is why cooking with lard and cooking pork with fat is a big benefit to your health in the winter when Vit d is often lower in our bodies.  Vitamins and minerals from our animals meat is also a bio-available source unlike many supplements that your body may not be able to readily absorb.   

Plus our pork isn't in packages full of saline solutions which the industry calls sneakily "enhanced pork".    Have you seen this?   I don't hit the meat part of the store often but golly there is a lot of it out there.   Amazing and sad.  

So as you plan you meals we hope we are feeding you well.  Let us know what we can do to help make it easier for you.    We deliver in the area every week for free! 

Sausage and Veggies skillet dinner

Simple and delicious.

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Creekside Meadows Sweet Italian Sausage & Veggie Skillet Dinner

I used a pound of our sweet italian sausage but this easily works with hot sausage, breakfast sausage, chorizo, kielbasa what every seasoning you want.

1 pound sweet italian sausage- Creekside Meadows Farm of course!

3-4 servings

7-8 small potatoes, or 4-5 medium.  I used red and fingerlings mixed.   Diced about 1/4" thick, nickel to quarter sized.  

1 small onion diced

2 large carrots, or 3-4 medium

1/2 cup yellow beans

1/2 cup thick sliced zucchini

large handful of spinach

In a large skillet start cooking up the sausage with a little olive oil or lard.  I removed the sausage from the casing for a crumbled sausage but you can easily just do slices also.   Once it's starting to brown I added in the onions, carrots and potatoes, cook 3 minutes then add the beans and zucchini.  Stir often.  When veggies are done add the spinach and cook until wilted. 

I added absolutely no seasoning at all.  If you aren't comfortable cooking the meat with the veggies simply cook it separately.   

As you can see there is alot you can adjust to your taste, different sausage type and all sorts of vegetables (even kale- which I detest!).  I also like this over some rice. 

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It's not all about food and eating. It's about nurturing the land for our food.

It's about the land.  No matter what a farmer grows their success depends on the land and how it is cared for.    The Creekside Meadows Farmers look at our land differently than just about every other farmer in our area.   The land is where the food we eat comes from no matter if it's the potatoes, lettuce, peas or grass to feed our cows.   If that land is not cared for the nutrients in the food is compromised.

We have always been a diversifed nurturing land healing grass based farm.    
Diversified:  Because we have never and will never produce only 1 thing.   Our land is diversified and as such areas of the farm produce different things.  The wooded areas produce timber for us to make lumber to build items or buildings, the flatter grounds are mostly pasture for the grazing cows, the smaller flat areas are utilized for vegetable production, the border areas of brush and uneven ground is perfect for pigs as is some of our wooded areas and so on.  
Nurturing:  We aren't here to just harvest, take away and force the land into submission to our what we want it to do.  We look at it to see what it can be utilized for or if it needs to be left alone, how long does it need for rest periods before we utilize it again.  
Land healing:   Some areas of the farm were worked hard previous to us so we have been careful nurture it, heal it and regenerate it.  Some areas were dumping grounds that we have cleaned up.  Some areas were severely eroded due to poor crop and land management.  Creeks and ditches were diverted to move water fast away from the fields.  We have worked to correct that and let the water slow down, soak in and effective halt the erosion.  Grass is key to this.
Grass based.   Grass holds dirt in place and then dirt/soil isn't eroding away and going into a creek moving north and forever gone from the farm.  We rely on grass and other soil coverage techniques to hold our soil here and regenerate the land.

We aren't importing fertilizers for our pastures and meadows.  We have used our livestock carefully to bring back nutrients naturally to the land and using rest periods to let mother nature, the microbes, the worms, the bacteria, the fungi all that and more to bring back balance in our soils.
Have you gone by a farm that has fence and under the wire the grass is brown/burned?  That's an herbicide at use.  You will never see that here on this farm ever.    We more our fences but usually our cows graze so well they keep it clear as they should.
An educated farmer who thinks outside of conventional agriculture, a farmer who can study their land, study their plants, spend time in the outdoors understanding their animals is the one that relies not on chemicals to change things.  That farmer takes what they learned and applies it to the root of the problem.  If in an invasive weed is a problem on the land, a good farmer will take the time to understand why that plant is there, where it came from, how it grows and is it really such a bad thing?  
I know farms inundated with a particular nasty thistle plant and they chop it at it with hoes, plow it up spray the heck out of it and still it comes back.  They have never figured out why it's there or how to "attack" that plant so it doesn't want to grow there anymore.  

These are things I look for in successful farmers that I look up to.  There are very few of them.

We do our best here to be examples of smart caring farmers and this often means we aren't seen much nor recognized in the community as much.    It's because we are on our land and nurturing it.  We don't always have time to socialize and nurture some relationships that probably we should but we just can't always manage it.

This is why we have our farmstore open all winter this year so YOU can come see us at our place and soak up some of our farm's positive energy and we can take you out to see the land through our eyes.   Come on out and let us show you a little bit of our process and you can take home the bounty from the farm to nurture and feed your family.

It really matters to connect to your food and connect with your farmers on their turf-  Us farmers need it just as much as you do!

Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs

50 minutes to easy supremely tender and delicious Korean style short ribs.  Of course use only 100% grassfed Beef.
 Seriously, I am amazed how wonderful these were.  Fall off the bone tender and scrumptious.

Short ribs are often a lower priced cut and one we only carry for part of the winter.  These have always needed a low slow heat so the meat has time to become tender.  It is really worth the wait.
Some people complain  they are too fatty and on some animals they are even though all of ours are completely grass fed.

I was pretty eager to try these in my Instantpot and did this afternoon.  

35 minutes pressurized and 15 minutes natural release.   Prep time was minimal and no extra time to brown the meat.  Let me say I was concerned the recipes I was reading said no browning when all my other grassfed cookbooks and meat cookbooks said to brown for the slow roast, browning is often a key thing to bring out more flavor.  No worries they were PERFECT.

This is a hearty simple versatile weekday dinner using the instant pot when you get home or slow cooker while you are at work.    
Recipe can be doubled as long as there is room in your Instant pot.
Serves 2-3 people.

Korean Style Grass Fed Beef Short Ribs
3 pounds Creekside Meadows Grassfed Short Ribs- give or take a little.
1/2 cup hearty homemade beef broth
1/4 cup tamari  
    *If using store bought not so flavorful broth/stock use more tamari and less broth but still total 1 cup of liquid. Or use all tamari Soy sauce can be used too I just prefer Tamari
5-6 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger (can use more if you like)
1/2 cup brown sugar (or honey or turbado)
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar

Place ribs in the pot.  Mix remaining ingredients then pour over the ribs.  
Use the Manual setting on your instant pot, set to 35 minutes.   Once it is done let it naturally release at least 15 minutes. Mine went longer as I was doing errands.  The keep warm feature keeps it ready for you.

Remove ribs carefully as the bones will fall off!

Pour off the liquid and use to make a light gravy or just au jus.   There will be fat that you can pour off using a fat separator or chill briefly then skim off.  
Serve over some garlic mashed potatoes!

Short ribs are known for being a little fatty and putting some people off but I found the fat MELTED making the meat even more tender and juicy.  

The "korean" style seasonings make for a very rich broth and extremely flavorful beef. 

One very simple recipe and hearty for cold frigid winters.  

Easy to do any weeknight dinner.

If not using the instant pot, I do recommend browning the ribs before adding all ingredients to your slow cooker.   Cook on low for 7-8 hours.  

Good Fat from Good Grassfed Only Beef is 

Healthy and your body needs it in the winter.  

Lots of Vitamin K2!