beer braised short ribs and revolutionary eggplant!

Hello all and happy Monday!  Fall is here and the weather couldn't be more glorious!  

So take advantage of this beautiful weather and come out to any of our 3 local markets to see what surprise fall greeneries we have in store for you this week.  That's right!  Slowly but surely, those yummy greens and things are coming in!...

You can also find our delicious and amazingly healthy Piedmontese Grass Fed Beef!    We continue our recipe round up this week with....

beer braised short ribs!

Beef short ribs (especially our exceptionally tender Piedmontese!) are typically more tender and meaty than pork.  And although less known, many folks prefer short ribs over the back ribs.  And unlike the back ribs - "shorties" can be cooked to medium-rare - which is the most flavorful temperature for red meat.  

And they couldn't be easier to make!...try 'em braised with your favorite stout beer!

the recipe.

ingredients.

• 3 lbs short ribs
• 3 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 cans or bottles Guinness or your favorite stout beer
• 3 cups beef stock (try using the beef bone stock recipe from last week!!) 

method.

• Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour until coated.  Shake off the excess flour.
• Heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat in large pot or dutch oven.
• Add ribs and cook until browned on both sides (about 5 min each side).  Remove ribs and set aside.
• Add onion and garlic to skillet - cook and stir until onions are tender (about 5 min)
• Return ribs to pot & pour in beer.
• Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan until all browned pieces are mixed with liquid
• Add beef stock - cover and simmer on low until tender (about 2 hours)

Try adding other aromatics such as carrots and celery! Or over a bed of mashed taters, or accompanied with grilled eggplant or homemade sweet potatoes fries!!

a special note...

And I really cannot sign off today without singing the praises of Nancy Thompson and her amazingly delicious varieties of eggplant!  

I recently made a delicious eggplant parmesan - excited to share my homemade creation with a dear friend.  As we gobbled up what I thought to be a great success - my friend began to chuckle in amazement.  "Dana," she said, "I hate eggplant."  

I was horrified.  Thinking that maybe she was just doing her good friend duties by choking down a meal that was completely unpalatable to her.  But thankfully, she continued, "But this eggplant has really revolutionized my taste for eggplant!"  Phew!

And it had nothing to do with my neophyte cheff-ing abilities which are touch and go at best.  It had EVERYTHING to do with the delicious eggplant.  Take it from me, I have had bitter and tough eggplant...especially in eggplant parmesan, but it's a flavor that I've just assume is part of the eggplant experience.   But Nancy's eggplant is smooth and tender and nutty...and completely versatile.  It's even good raw!

So this weekend - check out Nancy's beautiful and revolutionary eggplants!  But hurry!  Eggplant season may not last!  :)  

And if you're thinking eggplant parm....try it with Blue Moon Creamery's divine mozzarella!

where you can find us this week...

• Tuesday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown watkinsville, 4-7 pm
• Thursday, Central Bishop Market, downtown Bishop, 4-7 pm
• Saturday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown Watkinsville, 8 am - 1 pm

Hope to see y'all this week!

For the love of community and all things farming,

Your local farmers,

Will, Matt, John & Dana

--
The Pastures of Rose Creek, LLC
1051 Rose Creek Drive
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706.254.9391
575.613.2029

dem bones, dem bones...

Hello all! And "Recipe Round Up" continues this week exploring more of our delicious Piedmontese Cuts & Offerings.  Today we take stock in the value of beef bones and why we hold them in such high e-steam..

dem bones, dem bones, dem beef bones...

So why would you want to even buy a bag of bones??  

The answer is stock...bouillon, BROTH!  Whatever you call it, it has a multitude of health benefits...

Since the dawn of time to present - age old sages and healers, modern day medicine, acupuncturists, mid-wives, even your very own grandmother - have heralded homemade broth as the magic elixir...the panacea...the cure all.  In fact, a South American Proverb states, "Good broth will resurrect the dead."  And any chef worth his weight - will tell you that homemade broth is the backbone to almost any classic cuisine.

Meat stocks have played a vital role in food traditions and in handed-down recipes the world over.  Even right here in the South, we use it in soups, stews, and gravies...but as our lives become more and more fast paced we forget what down home cookin' and food for the soul really tastes like, just how easy it can be to make...and most importantly, how important the basics really are.

NOT just another old wives tale...

Move over "Better than Bouillon" cause we have something EVEN BETTER!  

Most of the "over the counter" stock prescriptions rarely carry the same benefits as homemade bone broth.  And only when stock is made from the freshest and healthiest ingredients is it considered a SUPERFOOD.  And here's why...

• Bone Broth is packed full of protein, gelatin, calcium, chondroitin, glucosamine, collagen, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, and numerous other vitamins and minerals.
• Glucosamine and other richly packed glycosaminoglycans, as well as collagen are all vital players in joint health.  and can help in the healing of joint pain and injuries - including rheumatoid arthritis...all found in bone broth!
• Ingesting (instead of injecting!) all that collagen actually improves the quality of your hair, skin, & nails.
• True gelatin - same as the gelatin found in bone broth - is known to help cure gastrointestinal problems, such as, constipation, diarrhea, food sensitivities (including aiding those who are celiac), and even autoimmune diseases.
• Bone broth also carries tons of the amino acid, glycine which aids the liver in detoxification.
• And did I mention that it is also fantastic for bone density, eye and brain function and even helps fight free radical damage?

It is the miracle brew for optimal health!  Use it in....

• slow cooked stews
• delicious bloody marys
• rice (in place or mixed in with the water used!)
• sauteed veggies
• salad dressing
• fondue with it!
• or replace your daily cup of coffee or tea with it and reap all the benefits on a daily basis!!  (Really!  Many people swear by it!)

the recipe.

ingredients

• 2 carrots, chopped medium
• 2 celery stalks, chopped medium
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium
• 7 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3.5 lb of beef bones 
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• water 

method

• Dump the vegetables in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker…
• …drop in the beef bones…
• …tuck in the bay leaves, sprinkle on a wee bit of salt, drizzle the vinegar on the bones…
• …and add enough water to cover everything.
• Program the slow cooker to cook on low for 8-10 hours.
• When it’s ready, pour the broth through a strainer, and discard the solids.
• …store the liquid in a large CorningWare or glass container for later.
• The broth will keep in the fridge for a few days and in the freezer for several months.
• The broth may look jello-y after refrigerated - When you’re ready to use for a recipe or simply as a soup on it's own, reheat on the stove top or microwave
• If you find it is too fatty- scrape the top layer of solidified fat off before re-heating.  Although this should not be such a problem with Piedmontese.

where to find us this week.

• Tuesday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown watkinsville, 4-7 pm
• Thursday, Central Bishop Market, downtown Bishop, 4-7 pm
• Saturday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown Watkinsville, 8 am - 1 pm

Hope to see y'all there!

For the love of community and all things farming,

Your local farmers,

Will, Matt, Dana & John

The Pastures of Rose Creek, LLC
1051 Rose Creek Drive
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706.254.9391
575.613.2029

Recipe Round Up II

Hello everyone! And the "recipe round up" continues this week as we explore more of the lesser known cuts with new and mouth watering recipes using our delicious Piedmontese Beef!  But first...a sneak peak at the fall garden...

everything's coming up...brassicas (and other fall varieties).

And for our more herbivorously (yup - it's really a word) inspired friends - the fall garden is teaming with verdant, new life!  Young kale and arugula greens assert themselves with every inch they grow - onions, cabbages, rutabagas, and beets all boast their emerald and kelly green crowns as they anxiously await the day they are "chosen"-  heralding their maturity and ripeness.  

So - just a few more weeks until a crisp, new composition of greens and things abound our market table!  For now we have you covered with the last of our summer produce - pears, okra, and watermelon, and perhaps a few other surprises!

more for the carnivore.

And for the more carnivorous of us - the Piedmontese continues to be a huge success!  Game day cleaned our remaining Pied. ground beef out this past weekend - leaving our market freezer a much lighter haul on the way home. But not to worry!  We also will be offering our grass fed Limousine-Angus ground beef - which is also sustainably raised, healthy and delicious!!!  

And we still have many Piedmontese cuts to chose from!  Including, tender roasts, cube & round steak, short ribs (for your next game day bbq!), stew meat and stew bones, and much more! 

In fact - it was one of these "lesser known" cuts that turned two "disenchanted-hadn't-eaten-beef-in-two-decades" former beef eaters into regular beef-eatin' customers!

”Beef is back on our menu thanks to Pastures of Rose Creek. We stopped buying commercial beef or eating beef in restaurants years ago. To have access to grass fed and grass finished (no soy) Piedmontese beef is a dream come true because not only do we know where our beef now comes from and how it was humanely raised and fed, we also know our farmers. It just doesn’t get any better than that! We first tried Piedmontese cubed steak and fork tender is an understatement. And the steaks? There are no words to describe the steaks. Unbelievable taste and healthy, too!”  - Larry and Debra Davis

So this week, I will start with a recipe on the Cut that got them hooked - Cube Steak.

wait a minute....cube steak?

Also known as "minute steak" - mostly due to how quickly and easily it cooks - cube steak is usually considered a "lesser" cut.  But let us tell you - there is no such thing with Piedmontese beef!  Make a delicious country fried steak...southern style with creamy gravy, try it Philly Cheese style or parmigiana...or really class is up with...
Spinach & Gorgonzola Stuffed Cube Steak (click the link below!...I highly recommend this website for many delicious ways to prepare your Piedmontese Beef!)
https://www.piedmontese.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipe=spinach-gorgonzola-stuffed-cube-steak&type=Steaks

...Not in the mood for something fancy?  Try our Limousine-Angus ground beef with sloppy joes tonight!

manwich ain't got nothin' on this...

ingredients

• 1 lb limousine-angus ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 3/4 kethcup
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• and if you can get your hands on some...Trae's famous "Candied Peppers" from Kum Quat Mae's, "Hot n' Cheesey"

method

• Over medium heat - starting with the onion, then pepper (candied peppers too if you have 'em), and finally the ground beef - cook the ingredients until beef is "browned"
• Stir in the garlic, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar, mix thoroughly.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 min.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve and enjoy!

where to find us this week.

• Tuesday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown watkinsville, 4-7 pm
• Thursday, Central Bishop Market, downtown Bishop, 4-7 pm
• Saturday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown Watkinsville, 8 am - 1 pm

Hope to see y'all there!

For the love of community and all things farming,

Your local farmers,

Willy P., Savage, the Potter, and Me

recipe round up!

Hey y'all!  

The fall garden is on it's way as the remaining okra and summer veggies hold on for one last hurrah.  Meanwhile, our Piedmontese beef continues to fly out of the freezer.  

Although we are sold out of our steaks there is still a lot that can be done with the lesser-known-not-quite-sure-what-to-do-with, yet still delicious, cuts we have remaining...  This week - I thought I'd focus on a couple of them.... 

the roasts.

Although roasts are traditionally thought of as a cold weather kind of meal - there is still a lot to be done with a roast even in warmer seasons....like TACOS...extend your meal with homemade RAMAN NOODLE SOUP!!  Try any of our roasts with a...

 Lime & Cilantro Roast Taco Recipe

ingredients

• 1 roast (any roast will do!)
• 2 limes
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp cumin

method

• Place roast in an oven safe pot
• Squeeze both limes over the roast
• Add cilantro and cumin
• Fill pot with water up to 1 inch from the base of the pot
• Cover pot with lid and bake at 325 until done (~ 3-4 hours)
• Once cooked and cool enough - shred the beef and add to your taco spread!

The best part is you can save the left over beef broth for a ramen soup!  I don't know about you but I love ramen noodles - but know that all the additives are not very healthy.  This is a great way to make your own, healthy ramen noodles using grass fed beef broth.  Can't get better than that!!

Lime & Cilantro Raman Soup

ingredients

• place beef broth remaining from above roast in a stove top pan or pot
• add water to dilute the broth to your taste
• heat to boil
• add asian style rice noodles to boiling broth and cook until tender (do not over add the noodles as they will quickly suck up all the liquid...the package should tell you the correct broth to noodle ratio)
• serve and top with fresh bean sprouts and hoisin sauce if desired.

round steak.

Pound it and use it like a cube steak for country fried steak or swiss steak OR cut it into strips for a Korean style dish....

Bulgogi Marinade

ingredients

• 1 round steak cut into strips (cut it against the grain)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
• 4 scallions, chopped or minced
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• red chile flakes to your desired heat level (optional)

method

• Put sesame seeds in a hot sauté pan and gently toss until slightly browned  - this take just a few seconds
• Combine all ingredients and mix until sugar is fully dissolved - slightly heating may help dissolve the sugar faster
• Put mixture in a ziplock bag with the beef.  Leave for up to an hour or overnight in the fridge.
• Remove from fridge and let marinade and beef sit out until comes down to room temp
• Empty contents of bag into a hot saute pan and cook on med-high for about 5 minutes.
• Serve on lettuce leaves or rice. Especially delicious served along side Trader Joe's Kimchi -yum! yum!

Try any or all of these recipes this week and pick up your Piedmontese beef and other ingredients this week at any of our 3 local markets....

• Today, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown Wat-ville, 4-7 pm
• Thursday, Central Bishop Marker, downtown Bishop, 4-7 pm
• Saturday, Oconee Farmers Market, downtown Wat-ville, 8 am - 1pm

Hope to see you all there!

For the love of community and all things farming,

Your local farmers,

Will, Matt, John & Dana
The Pastures of Rose Creek, LLC
1051 Rose Creek Drive
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706.254.9391
575.613.2029