A California Winter Garden

If you live in a climate that allows it and have never had a winter garden - you are missing out!
A winter garden in California is so simple and such an easy way to get some fresh produce in the winter. We have a cool enough winter without much frost.

3 young broccoli plants - volunteers from last year

We have grown broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and lettuce. Lettuce and broccoli have been the most successful for us. Both are super easy. You can usually find broccoli starts at the local hardware store (or you could start them by seed but we have better luck with starts) and lettuce seed is equally easy to find. We like to purchase the salad bowl seed packs that include a mix of varieties.

All we do is plant them, maybe fertilize them, cover them if a deep frost is coming (we have only done this twice ever) and harvest. :) Unless it gets super dry like the last year or so, we don't even water them. Sometimes I forget we even have them.

Healthy broccoli plants

For best results get your starts in the ground October 1st. Lettuce can be sown later and sown again mid winter for many, many harvests. Don't plant too much lettuce as you can't preserve it well. And don't be afraid to thin your lettuce early and thin heavily. We forgot to plant lettuce this year so no photos.

How about you - do you have a winter garden?

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.

Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

 We were given some asparagus a few weeks ago.  Asparagus is a favorite around here and normally we boil it or grill it - grilling is my favorite!  It is so easy!  But, since we had about 6 bunches of asparagus I had to come up with a new way to eat it. 

I like asparagus as a side dish, but decided to try it in a pasta dish.  Here is what I did:

You need:

- 2 cups penne pasta

- 1 bunch asparagus cut

- 2 chicken breasts

- 2 tablespoons flour

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 1 cup milk

- garlic

- Parmesan cheese

1. Boil water, add pasta and cook for about 6 minutes.  Add asparagus then cook until asparagus is done. 

2. Meanwhile - cut the chicken up into cubes and cook with the garlic. Set aside when done

3.  Make white sauce - add butter to pan and let it melt (over medium heat). Stir in flour and let boil, add milk and stir until thickened.  Add some minced garlic (to taste). 

4. By this time everything should be cooked - mix it all together and you are done!  

I really liked this but Michael doesn't like the asparagus in with the pasta.  I made double what we would eat so I could freeze some for lunch.  I portioned the leftovers into containers and froze them.  They reheat well but the asparagus doesn't look as good when reheated - it still tastes just fine but it looks a little deflated. 

If I make this again - I would marinate the chicken before hand and add some more garlic to the sauce.  

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!

Simple Porkchops

 Michael LOVES pork chops, so for Valentines Day I made pork chops for dinner.

 I sprinkled pepper and garlic salt and pressed the spices into both sides.  Then brown on one side, flipped over and cooked through on the other side.  When I cook meat, I go by temp not time, but it took about 10 minutes.

Simple pork chops served with butternut squash and french bread.  Simple yet amazing dinner!

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 Monday: Roast Duck

Duck season started a few weekends ago, which means two things; 1) Michael will be gone every weekend until duck season is over and 2) Our freezer will be full of ducks in no time.  Since we still have a few ducks from last year I thought I would experiment and roast a duck. So, here goes. 

I read online that ducks need to be cooked slow and low . . . but I also read that they need to be cooked fast and high. I decided to go with slow and slow (since I read that advice first and it was in the oven when I read the other advice - lol).  Ducks are very fatty, so you need to pierce the skin all over the bird so the fat will run off.  Honestly, this was the most difficult part of the whole process - I had to sharpen my knife then I sliced slits all over the bird. 

Then just salt and pepper. 

Put it on a roasting pan (you want the fat to drip off).

I cooked it at 350 for 3 hours.  After each hour take it out and poke holes where the fat is not dripping off. 

And it is done!

Michael sliced it up for us.

I was really worried that the duck was going to be gross or I was going to mess it up, so I made some heavy sides to go with it - rice, garlic mashed potatoes, and sourdough bread. 

We had my mom over for dinner and the duck WAS GOOD!  I was so impressed!!  It was pretty easy to make (the cutting was the hardest part and that wasn't hard at all), but takes a long time - I had to leave work right after the kids left so I could start dinner.  It was good too - Michael and mom liked it too!

How do you cook duck?

Hunk of Meat Monday: Pork Chops

Michael LOVES pork chops. 

My favorite defrosting method - putting the meat in a bowl of cold water.  It defrosts them quickly and that helps since I never remember to take the meat out of the freezer a couple days before (it takes a few days to defrost in our fridge). 

Here they are!

Four chops for two people - we took them for lunch the next day (and I forgot to eat lunch - it happens when I work through lunch and recess, my stomach doesn't realize it until the kids leave)

I made a spice rub with garlic powder, pepper, oregano, and some salt.  But, you can use anything you like!  Cinnamon and brown sugar sounds really good right now.

A rub is so easy - you literally just rub it on, turn the hunk of meat over and rub it on the other side.

Get the pan hot, and put the pork on.  Let it cook for a few minutes.

Turn it over and brown the other side.

At this point you can put it in the oven to cook it the rest of the way, but I didn't want to heat up the house - today I do, but I cooked these a few weeks ago.  I just put the lid on and added some water (so it wouldn't burn on the bottom). 

I like to use a meat thermometer to check to see if it is done, but i think I need a new one because this has to be wrong.  I over cooked it, so if you use a thermometer make sure it works! 

Here are the pork chops served with fried zuchini and roasted potatoes.

Enjoy!  What are hunk of meat did you enjoy this evening?

- linking up to Hunk of Meat Monday over at Beyer Beware -

Hunk of Meat Monday: Chicken Kabobs

I LOVE kabobs - they are easy to make and are a balanced meal on a stick.

Michael prepped everything while I was cleaning the house yesterday.

We had red potatoes, orange and yellow bell peppers, and green bell peppers.

We had onions and mushrooms and chicken chunks.

You can make kabobs with anything you want and put them on the stick in an order you want.  They are pretty versatile. 

Then, put them on the grill - turning as needed.

And enjoy!  We served them with garlic bread.

Next time we will marinate our chicken, so if you are going to be making kabobs make sure to marinate your meat!

What do you like on your kabobs?