In your share this month: 

• Chicken 
• Ribs 
• Ground beef 
• Bacon 
• Italian sausage 
• Lamb shoulder steaks 

On the farm 

With the rain switch suddenly turning off last month, we’ve now settled into the normal summer routine, with the benefit of lots of green grass from all that moisture. Our continued efforts to build organic matter in the soil not only help with that grass growth but also in retaining more of the water that falls onto our property before it has a chance to run off. It’s estimated that each 1% increase in soil organic matter will hold an additional 24,000 gallons of water per acre, and through our multi-species intensive rotational grazing we estimate we’ve seen an overall increase of 2-3% in the nearly two decades we’ve been at this. I’m proud of those numbers, but I still feel like we have the capacity to do much more. Trying to figure out what techniques are working and new ideas to try to help keep the scientist part of my brain engaged even while I’m doing the most mundane daily chores. This year we experimented with a custom-made 16-seed blend of forage and cover crops that we sowed in areas the pigs had turned over and, in some spots, where the pasture seemed a little less-than-robust. We will observe how those areas do throughout the remainder of the year and into next spring to decide what changes we need to make to our mix.  

But the big excitement has been babies, one expected and two surprises. The first surprise came in the form of an approximately 5-week-old kitten that was crying for attention near the end of our driveway. It took us a couple of days to find it, and it definitely seemed like it was the product of a local feral cat, but he warmed up to us within a day and now we have a third cat in our house! Curiously enough, five years ago, in that exact same spot at the end of our driveway was another five-week-old kitten crying out for help, he is now the senior member of our feline family. 

The second surprise was a baby goat whose mom was apparently spooked by fireworks on the night of the 4th and delivered her baby two weeks early. The normal range is plus or minus five days, so this little boy was very weak by the time we found it the next morning. He was too weak to even take a bottle, so we had to tube feed him to even get some milk into his system. Since he could hardly stand on his own, let alone walk, we couldn’t leave him with the rest of the herd because he would certainly not survive. So, another baby in the house! He’s doing much better now, still showing some signs of weakness, but we fully expect him to grow up perfectly normal. 

The third baby was expected, we just didn’t know when. We had purchased three beef cows this spring, two of which were pregnant, but with unknown due dates. Since these cows are at our rental pasture a couple of miles away, we do not have eyes on them as frequently, but we could see the signs that momma was getting close. On the 9^th we found a beautiful jet-black baby girl laying out in the field; when we started approaching mom came charging over as if to say, “don’t get near my baby!” Both are quite healthy and if I can get back in the habit of posting anything on Instagram, I’ll get some photos of all the babies up there.  

Ingredient Spotlight: Lamb shoulder 

The shoulder of a lamb is a flavorful piece of meat, but since it is a muscle that sees a lot of activity, it can be a bit tough if not prepared correctly. Cuts like this are where cooking with a sous vide machine really pays dividends, as that allows you to cook the meat, vacuum sealed in a bag, at a low temperature but for a long time. These can be cooked at 132 degrees for two hours Follow that with a quick sear in a pan or on the grill and it’s done. You can create an herb rub using rosemary, sea salt, garlic, black pepper, and olive oil to put inside the bag before you vacuum seal it to get those flavors well-incorporated into the meat. Slice into the skin of the cut and massage the rub all over the meat. If you are looking to use this as an excuse to purchase a sous vide machine, you can now find them as low as $60 or so, but I would suggest looking up the New York Times Wirecutter article to read their recommendations. We have the Joule and do like it, the only possible downside to it is that it can only be controlled through your phone via Bluetooth connection. But if you are ok with that, the compact size and power of it make it an excellent choice.  

In the absence of a sous vide machine, you can prepare them in a slow cooker. Use the same rub as above, then rest it atop onion wedges, pour in a small amount of liquid (water, broth, a little red wine, etc.), and cook on low for 4-6 hours, then remove the chops and put them under the broiler at 500 degrees for just 1-2 minutes until brown and the fat is crisped.