In your share

• Chicken
• Hamburger
• Pork chops
• Lamb chops
• Italian sausage
• Short ribs
• Beef liver

On the Farm

Our thoughts this month have been dominated by the unexpected death of our beloved goat, Scooter. If you’ve ever had a tour of our farm, you have certainly met her and remember her fondly, as she was a goat like no other. She was born in the summer of 2015, and her first week was uneventful and no different than any other baby goat on our farm. But, on day 7 of her life she decided to test out the electric fence and got herself tangled in it, but only for about 20 seconds, as I was nearby and heard her cry for help. After turning the fence off and untangling her, I could see that she wasn’t moving her back legs, so I took her to the house, thinking she would be fine in an hour or so. She never recovered the use of her back legs, and after four months as a house goat, we realized that we needed to learn how to be parents of a special needs goat. She adapted amazingly well and developed a personality that was more like a dog than a goat, winning over the hearts of nearly every person who visited. It was like losing a family member when Linda found her dead last week. We take solace in the fact that she defied the odds and had a much longer life than any of us ever anticipated and that she packed many lifetimes’ worth of experiences in her 8 years, but the barn sure feels empty without her cute vocalizations and demands for animal crackers.

It’s almost hard to write about anything else after that, but I do want to let you know about a fun event that is happening on Labor Day weekend. It is called Love, Oregon https://loveoregonproject.com/ and is a celebration of what makes Oregon special, particularly the junction of food, music, and our amazing outdoor spaces. We will even be presenting a workshop there where we’ll talk about farming in the way we can help combat climate change. Brunches and dinners are included In the ticket price, and those alone are worth the price of admission; but you’ll also get to experience some intimate performances by some up-and-coming musicians, attend some unique workshops, and make new friends in the beautiful woods of Camp Colton. If you don’t yet have plans for that weekend, check out the website and join us there!

Finally, this is the last month of the summer season, so if you are not on the annual plan and haven’t yet renewed for the fall season, make sure to visit our online store to renew.

Recipe

This is the first time we’ve ever included organ meat in the share, but we’ve had a surprising number of requests recently, so we are giving it a try. We know it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but liver is often called the most nutrient-dense food, so figuring out ways to include it in your diet can have positive health benefits. Pate is a common method of preparation to make it more palatable, and you can look up lots of recipes online for that, but we wanted to try something different.

“Beef Liver Fries” from https://www.saintjohnsorganicfarm.com/

Ingredients

• 1 lb grass-fed beef liver
• 2 – 2 1/2 c flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• roughly 2  c buttermilk, milk, or whey
• roughly 1 c beef tallow, enough to be at least 1/2 inch deep in frying dish – Avocado, coconut, or another high temperature oil can also be used

Directions

1. Slice liver into 1/4 – 1/2 inch wide strips. Place into food storage container and cover with buttermilk, milk, or whey. I used about 1 cup. Place in refrigerator and allow to soak for at least 2 hours, or overnight and continue the preparation the following day.
2. Drain liver and pat dry.
3. Mix together flour, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a shallow bowl. Pour remaining 1 cup buttermilk, milk, or whey into another small bowl.
4. To batter the liver, roll one slice in seasoned flour, dip in milk, and roll in flour again. Place slice on cooling rack. Repeat until all liver slices are battered.
5. In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (I used cast iron), melt tallow on medium heat. When tallow is about 350 degrees, it’s ready to use. If you don’t have a thermometer, sprinkle a pinch of flour on the tallow. If it sizzles and swirls, it’s ready.
6. Place 2-3 paper towels on baking sheet with  unused cooling rack on top. This will be where the fried liver will rest after cooking. The paper towels will help absorb any extra fat.
7. Using tongs, slowly add 3-5 battered liver slices to the hot tallow. The tallow should sizzle and bubble around the liver. Be careful not to crowd the pan, as that will cause the tallow to cool and prevent it from cooking properly. 3-5 slices worked well for my pan.
8. The liver will cook quickly. Using tongs, slowly flip each liver slice after 1.5 – 2 minutes. Cook another 1-2 minutes and transfer to cooling rack. Repeat until all liver is fried.

Dip in garlic aioli or any other of your favorite dipping sauces