So what do you get with a quarter or half of beef?

I've posted before about things to know before buying a half or quarter. But often the next questions is how much beef do you get in that order? It has taken me ages, but I finally took the time to photograph and document a quarter of beef (this is also called a split side of beef). I rarely open my customer's boxes, but since this customer runs this blog, I figured it would be ok. :) So, this is what the quarter of beef for Sarah looks like. She and Michael customized their order based on their cooking style, the fact that summer BBQ season is almost here and the fact that there will be an infant keeping them busy very soon.

This is how their quarter broke down by weight of the individual cuts:

Filet Mignon - 2.64 lbs

Top Sirloin - 7.56 lbs

Rib Eye Steak, boneless - 6.1 lbs

New York Strip Steak - 6.09 lbs

Flat Iron Steaks - 2.56 lbs

Tri Tip - 2.55 lbs

Sirloin Tip Steaks - 3.24 lbs

Cross Rib Steak - 3.48 lbs

Carne Asada - 5.49 lbs

Chuck Roast - 7.88 lbs

Rump Roast - 3.1 lbs

Fajita Strips - 3 lbs

Ground Beef - 65 lbs of ground beef.

*Note that most people won't usually get that much ground beef but with a baby arriving soon, we kept it simple for them. They could have kept briskets as roasts, shanks as roasts and another roast from the round to have more roasts and less ground beef.

 

So they ended up with just over 53 lbs of cuts and 65 lbs of ground beef for 118 total pounds. That is actually pretty heavy for a split half or quarter of beef. 90-100 lbs is more common, this just happened to be a big steer.

This is what their ground beef looks like, all in one pound packages.

Next is the line up of "higher end" steaks - filets in the front, rib eyes next, New Yorks behind and lastly the top sirloin steaks. The steaks are all packaged two to a package and all are 1 1/4 inches thick, standard for us.

Below are the tri tip, sirloin tip, cross rib steak and flat iron steaks. These are all great on the BBQ. A cross rib steak and sirloin tip steak both do well with a marinade, quick BBQ and served no more than medium. Note that there is no flank or skirt steak. Since there is only one tri tip, one skirt steak and one flank steak per side of beef, we divide these as equally as possible between the two quarters - one get the tri tip and the other the flank and skirt steak.

Finally we have the roasts. In the back - or top of the photo are the rump roasts and chuck roasts. The Chuck roast is the fattest of the roasts but very, very flavorful and super easy to 'set and forget' in the crockpot. Below those are the carne asada and at the bottom are the fajita strips.

Very tough times call for very tough choices

I posted just a couple weeks ago about this devastating drought facing California. We are the driest the state has been for as long as records have been kept. It is so bad that tree rings are being used for drought comparisons and according to that, we are the driest that California has been in 400 years.

No water means no crops, no farming and no food being grown.

We farm a variety of crops so this impacts us very drastically. As it sits right now, we will not be able to farm this year. Unless we get a Miraculous March, there will simply not be enough water to grow our crops.

One of the crops we grow is beef. We raise beef cows and have been growing our herd for almost 10 years. We have carefully selected cows and bulls to grow a high quality herd. Many of these cows we have owned for their entire lives and we take great pride in the care that we provide for them. We have put substantial "blood, sweat and tears" into growing our herd of cows. We grew this herd from nothing and they mean a lot to us.

For the last 5 years we have been finishing some of our cattle each year to provide beef to our amazing customers at local farmers markets and direct to their door. We have built a loyal customer base by bringing them great quality beef all year long. But that is about to come to a stand still.

Because we have no water, there is no grass growing. With no grass we have no food growing for the cows to eat. We make and store hay - dried grass - to supplement them and keep that on hand for dry times. But this is more that just a dry time and we are rapidly using up our supply of supplemental cow food. With lots of mouths to feed and not enough food for them, we are forced to start selling off some of these cows.

We started this process slowly but are now forced to speed the process up. Next to go are the young cattle (steers) who would have been finished on grass and grain for our farmers market customers during the course of the year. By selling these steers we can hopefully keep our cows fed longer and prevent having to sell the cows too. 

Keep praying for rain, every bit we get will help farmers and ranchers in California and help all of those who rely on the water and food we produce.

6 tips to save money on meat

If you are looking to save money on your grocery bill, sometimes you will find people encouraging you to eat less meat. In my household we love our veggies, but we don't sacrifice the meat. Here are a few suggestions to make the most out of the meat in your grocery budget.

1. Labels - This is the first place to start with almost any food. Note that the dates on packages are usually sell by dates not "use by" dates. The butcher will mark down meat that is close to the sell by date, usually noted with an extra sticker on the package. Grab up these reduced price packages! Either cook with them right away or package them up for your freezer.
   
2. Lower priced cuts - If you are working on cutting down your grocery bill you can often do that by changing the cuts of beef that you purchase. Skip the steaks and look for roasts. Roasts are suited for cooking low and slow. Ideally the crock pot (for maximum energy savings) for several hours with some liquid (broth or wine), onions and any seasonings you like. If you are new to roasts start with the chuck roast, one of my personal favorites and so easy to use.
3. Don't fear big roasts - Bring home a big roast for the crock pot and make it into a new meal the second day. The first night enjoy pot roast and the second night shred the leftovers and make a new dinner. My favorite second day roast meals are pulled sandwiches and enchiladas. Saves you time and stretches your meat dollar.
4. Buy in bulk - Don't be afraid of the large packages to get better savings. Divide them up into portions that fit your family and freeze them. Use good quality freezer bags to prevent freezer burn and label your bags for organization.
5. Buy a half or quarter of a cow - This is a great way to buy in bulk and get it direct from the farmer. There are a few things to consider so check out this previous post on buying beef in bulk - http://houseagbuilt.blogspot.com/2012/03/so-you-want-to-buy-half-cow.html.
6. Talk to the butcher - Don't be afraid to talk to your butcher. Ask for their suggestions of inexpensive cuts. You might hear about the flat iron steak or cross rib steaks which are some of my favorite budget friendly steaks. You may also get some new ideas on cooking or tips about cuts that are on sale.

Hope you enjoyed these quick tips on stretching your grocery dollar at the meat counter! Feel free to share your ideas too!

So a drought - what does it mean?

Yesterday a state of emergency was declared in California due to the horrible drought conditions. We are officially in a severe drought. But what does it mean to farmers and to consumers?

First, it is important to know that we have been in a drought for a couple years thanks to reduced winter rainfall. The severity of the drought has depended on your geography - it wasn't as terrible up north. But this winter we have had essentially no rain, most reports indicate only 10-15% of normal. This is really bad as this satellite comparison of the snowpack shows. Remember that 2013 was low too, we are just that much lower now.

Above visual from outsideonline.com

As cattle ranchers, this is a huge problem. Cows need to eat 365 days per year. We can't choose to not feed them when water is short. No rain means no native winter feed grew for the cattle. Because of this most ranchers have been feeding their cattle hay this winter, so hay prices are up and there is less hay available. Now, we are looking at very limited water for the summer, which will mean we will have very little feed growing this summer.

Since cows need to eat, this means that people will have to sell cows to reduce the number of mouths they have to feed. There simply will not be enough to go around for the cows in California.

As an example, pictured below is a small field of winter hay that we planted this fall. I took this less than an hour ago. If you zoom, you will see a tiny bit of green. This is less than 10% of the field that actually grew. And the current height of this feed is actually too short for a cow to eat, so it serves no value. Normally a winter crop like this helps as both a cover crop and as feed for our cows. You can see nothing is covered this winter.

We are small farmers and yet this drought is having a huge impact on our farm. We will have less than half the amount of beef as normal for sale to our customers this year at the farmers market. Knowing the water situation was not good, we sold most of our young calves last month. Those calves can be fed in other states where they have more feed.

But we will soon be forced to sell more of our 'mother cows' (the ones who produce calves for us each year). We have been building our herd for close to 10 years now, so selling these cows is going to be difficult. 

So what will this drought mean to you? Here in California we are blessed with fantastic local food. You will see less of our California food this year. There just isn't enough water to grow it. Some areas of California will have their water reduced by 95% this year - that translates directly into less California food for you to enjoy. Food prices will rise and local selection will be limited. More of your grocery store options will be coming from out of the state and country.

Your home will also feel this drought. Water rates are on the rise for cities as they face shortages as well. You will be paying more for even your home water this year.

Finally we are at terrible risk for some devastating wildfires. Fire season starting in January instead of June is very bad news.

So, this is bad. Pray for it or dance for it or just hope for it but we need some divine intervention and water. And, conserve (more posts about how to conserve coming soon)!

Why I'm comfortable being a meat eater

I got into a discussion on a friend’s Facebook page today with one of their friends about humane farming practices, particularly slaughter. Here is essentially what I shared with my experience as a farmer and why I’m comfortable being a meat eater.

All animals – and people – live and die. That is the basic fact of life. They can either die and provide nourishment to another or they die in vain. In Mother Nature, there is no such thing as humane slaughter. When a wolf or a coyote kills a rabbit or deer, the act is brutal. There is suffering. Mother Nature is brutal. She is graphic. I’d love to see some undercover video of that – or just check out National Geographic.

In farming, we harvest (kill) our animals in the most humane way possible to prevent stressing the animal. Not only is it the right thing to do, animals who are stressed at harvest can yield meat that is inedible. So a stressful slaughter would cost a farmer money. Not only do our morals encourage humane harvesting, economics encourage it too.

I’ve been able to witness animals be butchered by small local butchers and I have also seen the kill floor of a large beef processing company. I’ve heard some people worry that seeing an animal killed would make them a vegetarian. For me, it actually made me more comfortable with the process. It is calm, very quiet and quick.

Sometimes an animal dies as a result of sickness and never gets to be a part of the food chain. I absolutely hate to see animals die for no reason. An animal that dies from sickness provides no nourishment and has essentially died in vain. To me, these animals that die without a purpose are tragic. As farmers, we all work to prevent these deaths with no purpose. And yes, it hurts economically when an animal dies in vain too.

For people who are concerned about how meat is raised or animals slaughtered you have a few options. You can become a vegetarian or vegan or you can get to know a farmer. I’d encourage you to get to know the farmer. We are good people, doing the best we can by these animals.

I love cows, I love raising them and I love to eat them too. As a farmer I respect them in life and in death and for the nourishment they provide to me, my family, and my customers. I’m a life long beef eater and animal lover.

So you want to buy a half a cow…

Many people are getting more interested in purchasing their meat in bulk and often from local sources. If you are interested in purchasing your meat direct from the farmer, are interested in natural or organic meats, and wanting a to find a better value that purchasing at the farmer’s market, purchasing a half or quarter could be just the solution for you.

There are a few things to keep in mind when considering the purchase of a half or quarter beef.

• Freezer space – when purchasing a half or quarter cow direct from the farmer you will need to be able to store all of it. The farmer will not store the meat for you. That means you need a freezer. A quarter of beef needs about 4-5 cubic feet of freezer space. A half or side of beef will need 8 – 10 cubic feet. You can often find a freezer big enough for a quarter of beef at a home improvement store for about $200 or find a used one for about $100 on craigslist.
• Payment – Buying your beef in bulk can be a great deal but you will need to pay for it in full at delivery. Most farmers will require a deposit when you order your beef. Be ready to send in a deposit for up to half the price of the beef when you make your order.
• Waiting time – Beef animals are 16-20 months old when they are harvested/butchered. So a farmer has to be planning way ahead of time when they are finishing them for direct marketing. This means you will need to order your beef in advance, usually several months in advance. Grass finished beef is only available seasonally – usually in the summer and thus will typically have the longest wait time. Grain finished beef can be raised year round and will have a shorter wait time.
• Local – Local is a relative term. Depending on the type of beef (natural or organic, Angus or heritage) you are looking for, the nearest producer who is direct marketing their beef in this way may be a few miles – or few hours – down the road. You may need to make a road trip to pick up your beef.
• Diversity of cuts – When purchasing beef by the half or quarter you will probably be receiving some cuts that you have never seen before. You will quickly learn that a side of beef only has one skirt and one flank steak for example. Use this as an opportunity to try all of these delicious cuts and you will enjoy the surprising diversity of cuts.

• 

  Beef Cuts

  courtesy

  of www.cattlewomen.org

How much beef will you get?

This will depend on the breed of animal you purchase and the way that you choose to have it cut and wrapped. If you choose to have more roasts and steaks be kept with the bone, you will have more weight (and volume/space) of meat to put in your freezer.

Our beef halves usually deliver about 170-200 lbs of meat into the freezer. A quarter of beef will deliver 85 to 100 lbs of meat to your freezer.

So how much does a half cow (side of beef) cost?

That will depend on where you live and the type of beef you are looking for.

We sell Black Angus beef and we raise it “naturally” which means we do not use any additional hormones and do not treat our calves with antibiotics. Our cattle are pasture raised and grain finished. We sell a quarter of beef for $600 and a half of beef for $1150. That includes the processing and harvest fees (getting the beef butchered and meat cut and wrapped) at a USDA inspected facility and local delivery.  More details can be found on our website at www.douglassranch.com

But you may not live near us. Some places the beef will be a bit more, or less expensive. Grass fed beef is more expensive and organic beef will also be more expensive. Some farmers sell their beef based on a hanging weight (which is the weight of the carcass with bone and trim and weights much more than what you will get in your freezer) and some charge the processing fee separately or in addition to the cost of the beef animal. But in general, a half a beef will probably cost between $1150 and $1300.

There is a great website to help you find producers in your area – www.localharvest.org. You can search by product and zip code to find just what you are looking for. Good luck shopping! You may find just the combination of production practices, price and location that you are looking for!

Hunk of Meat Monday - clod tender roast

 I love an easy meal and for this meal you only need a few things.  Baby carrots, 2 packets of onion soup mix, 1 cup of water, and one roast (this is a Douglass Ranch clod tender roast that is about 2.5 pounds).

Fill the bottom of the crock pot with carrots 

(you can use potatoes too but I have tons of carrots so I wanted to sue them up)

Put the hunk of meat on top (this is a 2.5 pound roast)

Add 2 packets of onion soup mix and 1 cup water.

Set on low for 6 hours. 

 Your house will smell amazing, take the roast out and cut it. 

 Dinner - a salad, clod tender roast, and roast carrots. 

It was delicious!

Hunk of Meat Monday - 2 Meals from 1 Slow Cooked Roast

As a busy mom, I LOVE my slow cooker. I actually developed a love for it while in college because it is so easy and simple to use. Today I am such a fan of the slow cooker that I have 3 of them. Small, medium and large. My medium slow cooker is over 10 years old and is a base model version. It is the hardest to clean since the ceramic part does not remove for cleaning, but it is my favorite and works like a champ! If you have yet to develop a fondness for the slow cooker, take the time to try something out. It is so easy to do that you are sure to become hooked!

An additional benefit to using the slow cooker is that is uses very little energy and will not heat up your house in the way that an oven will. So it is great to use for hearty meals in the winter but also for summer meals that won't warm up your house and can save you money too.

One of my favorite uses of the slow cooker it to make one crock pot roast into two meals. This is what I do:

Meal 1
* 3-5 lb roast. The type of roast you use probably depends on what you have in the freezer, and how lean you prefer your beef. If you want something lean select a roast from the round such as a london broil or bottom round roast. When using a lean cut expect to add more liquid to the slow cooker. But if you prefer the flavor of something with more fat, select a chuck roast.
* Seasonings - I have a roast seasoning that our local butcher shop sells. The local butcher is a great source for great rubs and marinaded!
* Onions if you like them
* Carrots, Potatoes, even Turnips can used
* Worcestershire sauce and or broth

Remove the roast from the packaging and generously season it before placing it in the slow cooker. Layer on onions if you like and additional vegetables if you like. Add a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce and, if you are using a lean roast, add a cup or so of broth.

 *horrible photo of the seasoned roast. I will have to use the blue crock pot for photos next time.

Set on low or cook - depending on why type of slow cooker you have - and leave it alone for 8 to 10 hours. I prepare this the night before, refrigerate it overnight and turn it on to cook when I leave in the morning.

8-10 hours later your house will smell amazing and dinner will be practically done. Simply take the roast out (carefully as it will be hot and the roast falling apart) and slice it. Serve it pot roast style with carrots and potatoes if desired and a green salad or green beans.

Meal 2
As long as you planned on cooking a large enough roast that you have nearly half of it left over, you can turn the leftovers into BBQ beef sandwiches the next night. If you don't have enough left for a meal - make BBQ sandwiches for lunch.
* leftover roast - shredded by hand or with a fork.
* onions - again optional but we slice and cook our onions down to bring out their sweet flavor and serve them in the sandwich
* BBQ sauce - home-made or store bought, whatever works for you
* Condiments - ketchup, mustard and possibly mayo
* Buns or Dinner rolls

Warm up the shredded beef on low to low-medium heat. Stir the meat often to allow for even warming. Add BBQ sauce. I like to add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and some mustard too. You may also need to add a bit of water depending on how you like your sauce. Allow it to simmer on low for a few minutes while you toast the buns. Spoon the warm beef and BBQ sauce over the toasted buns. If desired add the onions and cheese.

We serve the BBQ sandwiches with sweet potato fries.

Two days of easy delicious meals!

You can use a pork roast if you prefer but will need to add more liquid. Most pork roasts are pretty lean. A great liquid to add is apple or pineapple juice if you have them, both are great compliments to pork.

Hunk of Meat Monday: Leftovers

I had been putting out leftover beef in continers in the freezer.  Didn't know what I was going to do with it until I decided to try this:

Put the meat (mine is still frozen) in the slow cooker.  There is some chuck roast, something else, and a sirloin steak.

Cover with a can a BBQ sauce.

Set on low for 8 hours. 

Michael came home from hunting and said the house smells amazing and wanted to know what it was.  I told him leftovers and he looked at me like I was crazy and asked from when. 

When it is done pull it out and shreed it (the chuck shredded without my help).

You can put it on hamburger buns for sloppy joes, put it over pasta, use it in tortillas, or whatever else you want!

Yum!  Great use of leftovers without eating the same thing again!

Hunk of Meat AND Wordless Wednesday

Our Christmas Eve dinner:

YUM!  What did you have?

Chuck Roast and Baby Carrots

I LOVE my slow cooker ... all I have to do is set it up to cook in the morning and dinner will be ready when I get home!  Coming home to the smell of dinner is always great.  I use it about once a week in the winter. 

This time I cooked a chuck roast. 

Put the chuck roast in.

Add some baby carrots

Baby carrots are NOT carrots that are young, they are cut up and peeled carrots. 

Here is a great little video showing how baby carrots are made:

If you want to know about the "inventor" of baby carrots - here is more than you will ever need to know about baby carrots.

Now, back to the slow cooker ...

Cut up some red potatoes and add them.

Add a cup of water and some salt, pepper, and garlic powder (I put about 1/2 tsp of each).

Put the lid on, set it to low for 8 hours. 

Come back after a long long day at work and enjoy!  The meat just falls apart. 

Linked to Hunk of Meat Monday - check out the rest of the links too!

Vegetable and Meat Lasagna

Vegetable and Meat Lasagna

adapted from this recipe

Gather your ingredients, you will need (I doubled the batch so that is why you see double of everything):

1 pound ground beef

2 tbs. dried onion (or about 1/2 a small onion)

2 tsp. minced garlic (or 4 cloves)

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes (Italian style)

1 (12 oz) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tbs. dried basil

3 cups cottage cheese

1 tbs. dried parsley

1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

1 carrots - shredded

10 oz spinach - chopped

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 cups mozzarella cheese

1 box oven ready lasagna noodles

You will also need containers (I use 6 cups and I LOVE them), and aluminum foil to wrap them for the freezer. I decided to not use the cling wrap and the freezer tape and instead to use gallon sized freezer bags. 

Brown meat (1 pound ground beef)

The beef I use has hardly any fat (I drained it and it was a little over an ounce) but it your meat has a lot of fat then you can drain it off.

Add onions (2 tbs dried) and garlic (2 tsp minced) and cook for 3 minutes. 

Add the stewed tomatoes (14.5 oz can), tomato paste (12 oz can), tomato sauce (15 ox can), and basil (1 tbs.). 

Put the lid on and simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir often (ever 3-5 minutes).

Meanwhile ...

If you haven't chopped the spinach or shredded the carrot - now would be the perfect time.

Mix together the cottage cheese (3 cups), parsley (1 tbs dried), Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 cups), shredded carrot, chopped spinach (10 oz), eggs (2), salt, and pepper (1/2 tsp each).

Line your pans with foil. 

Get the lasagna noodles (1 box) and the mozzarella cheese (4 cups).

When the sauce is done your house will smell amazing.  You will want to eat the entire pot, but just eat a spoonful or two!

Start assembling.  I like to put a little sauce on the bottom.

then a layer or noodles,

a few scoops of the cheese and spinach mixture - spread it around,

A few scoops of the sauce,

and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese. 

Repeat the layers. 

Put aluminum foil over the top.

Then add the lid. 

Stack them up (this recipe will make 3 of this size or 1 full sized),

And stick them in the freezer.

This next step is only is you want to freeze the lasagna without the containers (this is the first time I am trying this).

After the lasagna has frozen solid, let it thaw for a few minutes on the counter and pry it from the container.  It is pretty easy when it has thawed for a few minutes.  Wrap the whole thing in foil again. 

Write the cooking directions on the outside of a gallon sized freezer bag.  Cook at 350 for 45 - 60 minutes, then take the top foil off and cook an additional 10 minutes (to brown the cheese on the top). 

then stack them up in the freezer. 

When you are ready to enjoy -  pull it out of the freezer and put back into the container the night before to let it thaw out a bit in the fridge.  Then cook as directed above. 

The cheese is a little too brown because I took the foil off when I started cooking it, but it was still amazing!

I love the added vegetables in the lasagna.  I always see recipes for meat OR vegetable lasagna and this is a great combination of both meat and veggies!  Adding the veggies makes it a complete meal and even Micheal (Mr. Picky-Poo) loves this lasagna.  Even his meat and potatoes only, I hate veggies, brother liked this lasagna.  So, I would say it is a keeper!  I doubled the batch and now I have 5 lasagnas in the freezer so I don't have to cook one night a week for a few weeks and we had dinner to take over to Paula's!

Serve it with a side salad and some garlic french bread and enjoy!

Here is the recipe again just in case you just want the text version:

Vegetable and Meat Lasagna

1 pound ground beef

brown, then add

2 tbs. dried onion (or about 1/2 a small onion)

2 tsp. minced garlic (or 4 cloves)

add

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomoatoes (italian style)

1 (12 oz) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tbs. dried basil

and simmer for 30 minutes.

Combine

3 cups cottage cheese

1 tbs. dried parsley

1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

1 carrots - shredded

10 oz spinach - chopped

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

and set aside. 

Layer sauce, cottage cheese mixture and  

4 cups mozzorella cheese

1 box oven ready lasagna noodles

Freeze or cook at 350 for 45-60 minutes then cook an additional 10 minutes to brown cheese on top. 

Enjoy!

Just a note on price - for one batch, the ingedients cost $15.79, it made 3 containers - each will give us dinner and two lunches (6 servings) which makes it $0.88 a serving! 

I linked to Hunk of Meat Mondays at Beyer Beware, Made by You Monday at Skip to My Lou, and One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons.