As the summer chugs on here, I have a laundry list of things that I would like to share with you this week. So let’s start with some financial prepayment option. A reminder that we are running our Prepayment option for the next month. Pretty simple setup, prepay $1,000 to your farm account and we will add a $100 bonus to your account as a thank you for your support.
Many years ago we bid adios to the old school CSA model of having to pay for an entire season up front. It actually is easier for us to budget as well as for you to budget not having all the income for the year at one time. With that said, it helps us in our planning to know how many people we need to feed. And the prepayment options offers us a little snapshot of how much food we will need to grow. Email for more info.
From the field. Things are looking good despite all the heavy rains. More weeding than usual, but we will dig out of it. Late July is always an interesting time for me to wrap my mind around. You see, in farming you have to be planting your cool season plants during the hottest time of the year. And conversely, you have to plant your tomatoes in January. You cannot miss these planting windows or you will miss the window to plant them in the fields and get a crop. So we are busy getting lettuce, greens, and other cool season crops into the greenhouse and ready for a transplant by mid-August.
From your garden: Fall in New Mexico is the Best time for planting perennial plants without a doubt. Warm days and mild nights make for a nice welcoming committee as plants hit the ground. The spring is too manic and windy with crazy temperature swings. We just do not see those in the fall. So, get your pencils out and think about any new plants/trees your casa might need. Plants will be established by the winter and then take off next spring.
From the (pig) pen. When I was a little tike (and less hairy), my family would get a cow share from a rancher near Chama. We would then fill the freezer in the fall for a winter full of food and basketball games. This filling of the freezer was a norm. It was just what we did.
But over the years, 24 hour box stores have made getting meats so available that now many people shop for meats in their PJs. The thought of that alone probably makes some cave(wo)man roll over in their grave. Now I am not saying we all need to go back to hunting like our favorite ancestor, Kerflapjack, but I think we are missing an opportunity to have a great food experience.
Sure this filling of the freezer was/is not as convenient as wearing slippers to shop for meat, but it made our family be more creative in planning our meals. And with creativity comes the opportunity for family interaction and fun. Just like the CSA pushes your comfort levels with produce (what the heck is a sweet turnip?), I am seeing that we can begin to do this more with meats.
Quick example, roasts. I can admit that I have not cooked many roasts in my life. Recently, I pushed my comfort boundary and decided to try one. Not in the slow cooker, but on the grill which I had never done. I was nervous that I would make beef jerky. But I didn’t. It was amazing. Dry rub, on the grill at 220 degrees for a couple hours, thinly sliced with green chile sauce on fresh bread. Tough to beat.
So here is where I see some new offerings coming your way. This late summer and fall, I want to put some “rancher packs” together so that you can get amazing value on the highest quality meats around. If you can use your freezer instead of us having to use our freezer, then there is money to be saved for you. And as I mentioned, I think there is an experience to bring back to the kitchen.
Farmer Monte