Hello All! This week, the weekly blog was delayed - but oh!, is it worth the wait!!!
We
are very excited to finally reveal the best kept secret on our farm -
heck, the best kept secret in the beef business too! The ace up our
sleeve, our secret weapon, our blessing - Piedmontese Beef.
As many of you already know, we are a
burgeoning grass fed beef farm and are very excited to be selling our
first "by the cut" Piedmontese beef at the market!
an introduction to our beef business.
What you may not have known is that we raise two varieties of beef cows:
One you may already be familiar with - the Limousine Angus cross
- a delicious, more traditional style of grass fed meat of which we
have sold and will continue to sell in bulk orders (as it comes
available by the 1/4, 1/2, and whole). We also look forward to selling
this meat's ground beef at market!
The other? Our new and exclusive Northern Italian heritage breed Piedmontese.
A rare and valuable breed known for containing less cholesterol and fat
than poultry while preserving unsurpassed tenderness and flavor.
This week we sell our Piedmontese beef at the market
by the cut - meaning you can purchase by the individual cut and style
of meat.
Read on to learn more about this
rare and exciting breed and look for it this Saturday at our market
table!
FROM THE PIEDMONT OF ITALY TO THE PIEDMONT OF GEORGIA...
ancient origins.
25,000
years ago - the Late Stone Age. A time when homo neanderthalensis and
homo sapiens coexisted in a primordial world...wooly mammoths lumbered
along and saber tooth cats moved stealthily. The last of the glacial
period was still at its peak and the very first colonization of North
America was taking place.
It was during this time, some 25,000 years ago, that
historians trace the first migration of what is today known as
"Piedmontese" cattle into the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy.
naturally lean & tender.
It
wasn't until much later (the 1870's in fact), that the "double
muscling" trait was identified. "Double muscling" is a trait directly
linked to a natural variation in the myostatin gene - a trait unique to
the Piedmontese breed.
The result? Beef containing LESS cholesterol
and fat than poultry while preserving unsurpassed tenderness and
flavor. This gene is rich in protein and vitamins, while consistently
reducing fat and yielding tender beef without "stringy fibers."
rare & valuable.
In the U.S., it all started in the 1970's with a few progressive farmers, 1 bull & 4 cows brought over directly from Italy.
Today, the Piedmontese population is at 15,000 - totaling less than 1% of all cattle in the U.S.
For
the sake of genetic preservation, Piedmontese are still a rarity in the
world outside of northern Italy. There, in the rolling hills of the
Italian Piedmont a small association of farmers maintain tight control
of what may be "the most unique gene pool of any breed of cattle in the
world."
hybrid vigor.
We
are one of the only Piedmontese Beef operations in the state of
Georgia. Our Piedmontese beeves are sired by our magnificent and gentle
bull, Alrigo - Italian for "Ruler of the Estate." ...Or Al for short -
a purebred Piedmontese bull, bred to "mom's" of various breeds who are
chosen for their propensity to grass finishing and flavor.
We choose to crossbreed in order to tailor our beef
for superior qualities. The "double muscling" gene, however, is
dominant and is the influencing factor in our Piedmontese beef.
You won't find a healthier, more tender & succulent piece of beef anywhere else!
dinner for two.
This week we offer a "Dinner for Two" special for $40 - a great deal for
2 gourmet steaks and a roasted fig recipe!! (recipe and ingredients
all inclusive)...
- 2 piedmontese ribeye steaks (0.5-0.7 lbs each)
- Roasted figs - featuring goat cheese from Blue Moon Creamery & honey from Covenant Valley Farm!
- 1 lb field Peas & Okra
So pick up your dinner tomorrow at our market table! (offerings are limited)
this week at the market.
Piedmontese Beef! - all cuts AND look for our limited offer - "dinner for two"
Lim-Flex ground beef
cucumbers
tomatos
okra
asparagus & field beans
new mexico green chiles
figs
watermelon
pears
farm fresh eggs
Hope to see y'all there!
For the love of community and all things farming,
Your local farmers,
Will, Matt, John & Dana
