The Plum Life at the Pastures of Rose Creek: The Almighty Egg

Hello to all from The Pastures of Rose Creek!

Hope this email finds everyone well! We have had a busy, busy, busy week! And if it weren't for the amazing and talented Francie Power's (home from DC), this email would not be going out this week! Francie is one more vitally important person of the Power's family. She has made it back home for a bit to help out around the family farm and in addition to the many weeds she has picked and seeds she has sown - she has also written the "Feature of the Week" - The Almighty Egg! That's right folks - the eggs are FINALLY here and being sold at our market table....read on to find more about why our pasture raised eggs are so good for you!

And now news from the farm....

FEATURE OF THE WEEK: The Almighty EGG!!!

Humanely produced, ecologically sound, and mighty tasty!

Eggs are here at the Pastures of Rose Creek!

Like our cows, our hens are raised without the negatives – antibiotics, steroids, fetid air, and cages – and enjoy only the positives - delectable bugs, fresh air, and sunshine.

Introducing the “Egg Mobile”

We’ve realized that truly happy and healthy hens like to forage for their food – and the pastures on our farm serve as a veritable grass and insect smorgasbord. Eating these tasty vittles not only make the little ladies extremely happy, it helps us keep the insect population down, provides us with natural fertilizer, and of course brings our customers extremely high-quality, nutrient-rich eggs.

To keep the scenery changing and the all-you-can-eat buffet plentiful, we regularly move our hens around our pastures in their deluxe “egg mobile.” This funny looking and beautifully painted structure (thanks Dana!) is basically a hen house on wheels.

The egg mobile allows our hens the freedom to forage during the day while giving them a peaceful place to lay their eggs. When the light starts fading, the hens climb up the ladder into their egg mobile and we shut the door. It is quite amusing to watch this happening.

Orange is the new gold

Pasturing our chickens is also what makes our yolks so intensely orange. Why orange yolks, you say?

Egg yolks can range from pale yellow to deep orange. Free-range hens, like ours, have the opportunity to eat more pigmented foods and the pigment is then transferred to the yolk giving them a deeper hue.

Orange yolks mean higher levels of chlorophyll in the diet. Harkening back to high school biology, chlorophyll is the material that makes photosynthesis happen in plants and is a detoxifier. All this means is that our chickens are eating large quantities of green material. Good for you because magnesium is a major component of chlorophyll as are B – vitamins.

More good news

Eggs have the highest quality protein of any food - 7 whopping grams to be precise. As a nutritional source of vitamin D, eggs rank second only to fish liver oils – add in some iron, vitamins A and B2 - and what you have is a mighty tasty super food!

THIS WEEK'S HARVEST...

Aji Dulce Peppers

Americana peppers (bell peppers with a kick)

Arugula

Banana Peppers

Beets

Basil

Bell Peppers

Eggplant

Kale

New Mexico Green Chiles

Mixed Greens

Okra

Radishes (Red and White varities)

Tabasco peppers

Thai Dragon Peppers

Turnips

**Come check out other surprise veggies we may have to offer!**

HAPPENINGS:

GRASS FED BEEF - Well, let's all give a big thanks to T-Bone - the wonderful steer who has dedicated his life to becoming the tastiest beef the side of the Mississippi. He is the 2nd of our beef to be sold and will soon find himself on the plates of many satisfied customers.

And a big thank you to all of you for the support and interest in our grass fed beef! Although we are temporarily sold out, we are excited to know that there is such a high demand and interest in healthy, environmentally sound beef. After working the cows this week and weighing some of the up and coming steers and heifers - it look like we will have more cows ready for your dinner table by January at the latest! So go ahead and put your order in today and reserve your beef! These last cows went FAST!

Feel free to stop on by the Watkinsville Farmer's Market or give one of us a call/email if you have any questions about our grass fed beef! Dana Bradford: 575.613.2029 or Will Powers: 706.254.9391

"I was so excited to find out there was local grass fed beef available in Monroe. Only a week after placing my order for 1/4 of a cow, it was delivered to my door! Let me say, it did NOT disappoint. My husband and I have cooked it several times already and it is absolutely delicious, not to mention better for you than the beef you find in the grocery store. Will, John, and Dana at the Pastures of Rose Creek were a joy to work with. They made the process easy and convenient. We are extremely pleased and cant thank you enough!" -Meredith Bowman, Monroe

BAKED GOODS by Dana (Watkinsville Market):

No biscotti this week - tooooooo busy! But keep an eye out next week for 'em!