Delicious Pastured Pork

Posted on by under Farm, pork, Recipes

I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated having a freezer full of meat. It’s like having a convenience store right next door. It reduces stress about what to feed my family and it reduces the amount of trips I take to the grocery store. Time saving – yes!

Having a whole hog wrapped and ready has also increased the health factor in our meals. We have been able to choose how our meat is processed and what ingredients go into our food. It has also led to a few fun new recipes.

Yesterday we tried roasting a slab of side pork and boy was it delicious! side pork
Crispy, meaty, satisfying. Bacon, I’m never coming back. And now we have leftovers that I’m excited to try in an Asian stir fry tomorrow night. I’m not a big fan of cooking, but when I can produce results like this, it gets me excited!

The meat of pastured pigs is a different product than the conventional raised meat you would find in the grocery store. Here’s a little health information I found comparing wild boars (completely pasture raised) and conventionally raised animals (in a large barn with cement floors).

“Because pigs are monogastric animals (single stomach), they have the ability to convert vegetable and plant 18 carbon fatty acids (ALA) to the 20 and 22 carbon fatty acids (EPA and DHA) which reduce inflammation, reduce cardiovascular disease and promote good health for us all when we eat pork. Free ranging pork contains higher concentrations of these beneficial fatty acids than are found in their feed lot produced counterparts.”1

We continue to provide a non-GMO and soy free diet for our hogs as well as hay throughout the winter. They run and enjoy themselves by producing all sorts of havoc on our farm. Trust me, they’ve found lots of good forage as they’ve roamed past their boundaries this winter. Which leads me to make sure they don’t outgrow their welcome around here…

We still have a few half and whole hogs available for our spring butcher dates (March and April). $3 per pound hanging weight. Give us a call and we’ll tell you more: 218..927..1425.

You’ll definitely have to try this recipe with your next order!

Roasted Side Pork

  • Servings: 10-15
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

2-3 pound side pork
For Rub:
1 Tablespoon cracked peppercorns
1 Tablespoon salt (we use Real Salt brand)
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon Chinese five spice powder, or spice of your choiceMix together rub ingredients. Rub generously and completely around the side pork slab. At this point, I recommend placing in the fridge for up to a day to let the seasoning do it’s work.
Once your slab has rested for a time (1 hour to 1 day), place the meat onto a “cooling rack” or other slotted roasting pan on top of a large baking sheet with the fattiest side up. Make sure there are raised sides on the baking sheet so the liquid fat does not drip into the oven. Roast at 325° F for 90 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145° F.  Cool slightly, slice and serve.

1 Cordain, Loren. http://thepaleodiet.com/bacon-anything-left-to-discuss/ June 16, 2014

We’ve Got Goat Meat!

Posted on by under Farm, goat, Pastured pride, Recipes

Last week nearly two hundred pounds of goat meat arrived in our freezer. We were able to get it USDA inspected at a newer local facility in Sturgeon Lake, MN that we really enjoy. Of course we took out a package right away and Mathew cooked up a rack of goat ribs. It was savory and satisfying!

img_1501We found our recipe at mymidlifekitchen.com. With only five ingredients, it was simple,  quick to prepare and warmed the house nicely since it cooked for three hours. Perfect for a winter day in Minnesota!

Ingredients

Check out mymidlifekitchen.com for the full recipe and how to prepare it.

Goat meat is a great source of lean protein, B-12 vitamin and iron. It is also quite versatile if you enjoy a variety of tastes and flavors. According to a Universiy of California blog post, “What is the world’s most popular meat?” goat meat is actually the most commonly consumed meat in the world, with 63% of the world’s population eating it. This article also has a nutritional comparison of various meats, see below. We look forward to trying Indonesian, South American, French, Asian, Middle Eastern and African recipes. Each has their own special spices to add. Please share your favorite recipes with us so we can share them with the world!

Nutrient composition of goat and other types of meat1, 2
Nutrient Goat Chicken Beef Pork Lamb
Calories 122 162 179 180 175
Fat (g) 2.6 6.3 7.9 8.2 8.1
Saturated Fat (g) 0.79 1.7 3.0 2.9 2.9
Protein (g) 23 25 25 25 24
Cholesterol (mg) 63.8 76.0 73.1 73.1 78.2
1 Per 3 oz. of cooked meat
2 USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 14 (2001)

Harper, John M. “What is the world’s most popular meat?” http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3679. November 3, 2010.

Give us a call or send us an email to order some today. We’d love to deliver some Goat Chops, Goat Shoulder Roast, Goat Leg Roast, neck or ground meat. direct to you. Our current price is $10.00 per pound.

Encouraging Thoughtfulness About Our Food Choices

Posted on by under Creation, Farm

 

Warning: The following contains information that may change your food habits. Please don’t hate me if you disagree.

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Ever since watching the documentary Food, Inc. we continually see stories of injustice in the world food system. Further research on GMOs has also gotten me more concerned about the future of our food and how it will affect future generations (see study on molecular difference in corn). For us this is a concern because of what we see in the Bible and how we are called to care for creation. Start in Genesis and you will see God makes all things, makes man in his image, then brings all things under man’s dominion. We have a responsibility to care for God’s creation. Shouldn’t we delight in all that He has made and care for it so that our fields and our guts are not depleted?

We also come to the injustice factor in our food systems. There are many large companies that are not hoping to build up our soil’s health and productivity resulting in healthier plants and animals, but are out to kill off the inconvenient weeds for a short term, yet quite large, profit. Spraying weed killer on my food is not what I would call healthy. The fact that the amount of weed killer only needs to be increased with time also exacerbates the situation, yet further increases the large company’s profit. As we can see in Food, Inc. and other documentaries, farmers have been sued rather than compensated when their field is cross-contaminated with GMO seeds. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is not played out in these situations and many others around the world.

And so I urge you to think more about this whatever your worldview. Read up on different opinions, watch documentaries from your library or there are many free with amazon prime right now or engage those who are interested in the topic.

Another very important factor in food choices is to know your farmer, how they raise their food and if it’s up to your standards. There are so many quality farmers around the state of Minnesota that we have come to know through the Sustainable Farmer’s Association and through the MN Organic Conference. Seek them out. Show them where your support lies.

Reputable reading:

Other reading:

Half A Hog Available

Posted on by under Pastured pride

Unexpectedly, we have half a hog still available. It will be brought to Glen Meats on December 7th and ready to be delivered to you (Minnesota) around December 20th. If you or anyone you know are wanting some Christmas ham or wanting a great gift for a highly cherished family member, please let us know.

Until then, our hogs will be happily running about the pasture and eating non-gmo and soy-free feed to their hearts delight. They will also likely put on a little bit of lard that would make an excellent pie crust and lardons. We are so proud of the finished product and very happy with the way our animals our treated. Please consider half a hog today.

Homemade Sausage

Breakfast Sausage

Posted on by under Recipes

This is a long overdue recipe post mainly because many people have asked for it. There are so many additives in food these days and we have chosen to minimize that in our lives. One way to do that is to make our own breakfast sausage with our ground pork or other ground meats. The following recipe also works well with ground venison and goat (with a few additions). Enjoy!

Breakfast Sausage

  • Servings: 5-7
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon onion flakes
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bacon, side pork or cracklins (optional, but helpful with venison)
Lard or bacon grease for frying

Mix all together and let sit, covered in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Mix again, then form into patties. Melt some lard or bacon grease in a skillet. Fry on medium low heat until they are browned and cooked through. Enjoy!
*This recipe also works well with venison. You may want to add an egg.
*For ground goat meat sausage, add 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 egg.

PORK:  As of today, we have three hogs left and are selling by the half and whole. $3 per pound hanging weight. Give us a call 218 dash 927 dash 1425.

GOAT:  We also have meat goats for sale and sell them whole. They are $5 per pound and ready very soon.

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Here’s a few of our porkers enjoying some fresh pasture. We feed them a non-gmo, soy free grain mix and mineral in addition to their fresh greens and roots.

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Here’s a picture of what the goats enjoy most mornings. They are all fully grass-fed, given goat mineral and a full run of their favorite foods on pasture.

Order soon!

Posted on by under Farm

Chicken! Only a few days left to order for the year. We’ll be taking orders until Sunday, July 3. Also, for those of you who have not seen our most recent newsletter, here’s a link to the page: NEWSLETTER! You’ll be able to find the low down on everything Righteous Oaks Farm. Hope to hear from you soon!

Sales Pitch

Posted on by under Farm, Picture posts

We’ve had some busy weeks, but I suppose that’s the life of a farmer in Spring. We’ve also been busy posting pictures of our days through Facebook and Instagram. Farmer’s Market, Puppies, Rhubarb, Pigs, a Lifespring Church event, and most recently a visit from our AFSA students for four days have been on our list of things to do.

We’ve also been getting the word out about our beef, pork, chickens, goats and maple syrup. If you haven’t ordered yet, let us know what you would like. Take your pick:

  • Half or quarter Grass-fed Beef will be $3.50 per pound (hanging weight) – September or January dates
  • Half or whole Pastured (non-GMO and soy free) Pork will be $3.00 per pound (hanging weight) – November butcher date
  • Packaged pork is $6.50 per pound for ground pork, side pork, pork chops, pork steaks, pork roast, country style ribs or pork spare ribs.
  • Pastured (non-GMO and soy free) Chicken will be 3-5 pounds at $4.00 per pound, frozen and whole, must be pre-ordered this year – available starting in August
  • Whole Grass-fed Goat is $150 per animal plus butcher expenses – One available now, or October through December butcher dates
  • Maple Syrup is also available by the quart for $16

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