Jul 152012
 

Chicken is one of my favorite proteins. Nothing beats a good chicken stock and nutritious soup when feeling under the weather or brings everyone home for Sunday dinner like a slow roasted chicken with root vegetables. And when the heat spikes in the summer it is the go to meat for an easy and light salad.

Here are two of my favorites.

orchard chicken salad

Orchard Chicken Salad

  • 5 boneless, skinless cooked chicken breast, cut into small cubes
  • 2 medium apples, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • salt & pepper, to taste

In a large bowl toss chicken, apples, celery, raisins, and cranberries.

Season with celery salt, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix in mayonnaise.

Serve chilled in lettuce cups or on brioche rolls.

curry chicken salad

 Curry Chicken Salad

  • 4 boneless, skinless cooked chicken breast, cut into small cubes
  • 3/4 cup celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green  parts
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 3/4 cup whole roasted, salted cashews
  • 1 cups mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 6 tablespoons chutney
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder

In a large bowl toss chicken, celery, scallions, raisins, and nuts.

For dressing, mix mayonnaise, white wine, chutney, and curry powder in medium size bowl. Blend until smooth using a hand whisk.

Add dressing to chicken and other ingredients, stir gently until thoroughly coated.

For best results let sit in refrigerator for an hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve chilled in lettuce cups or on brioche rolls.

Here in the South, we don’t have to look hard for a good reason to get together for a summer tea with finger sandwiches. These salads work great on sliced mini croissant rolls or served in preformed wonton cups. Both were a favorite at our local garden club luncheons.

Going to a summer get together? What sandwich tops your list?

 Posted by at 1:26 pm
Jul 142012
 

There are times when new customers approach us at the farmers market and get frustrated when we don’t have a specific type of meat that they are looking for. Pointing to our canvas sign above the coolers, they remind us that we advertise lamb, goat, beef, pork, and poultry. So where is the {fill in the blank}? Often they totally overlook the word seasonal that precedes our offerings.

We don’t blame them, as most Americans never consider their meat supply as seasonal. Between different climates found in the US, imported meat, the ability to harvest meat within a window of time (think weeks/months vs. hours/days for vegetables), and that wonderful invention we call a freezer we are spoiled.  But if you are someone who appreciates local food, it’s time to take a look behind the scenes.

sheep on pastureLAMB

Sheep are wonderful creatures and our favorite livestock here on the farm. As in most places, our sheep naturally lamb in the spring. The spring lamb you eat isn’t really referring to the time it was harvested but when it was born.  We have a huge demand for Easter lamb, and, well, that poses a slight problem. Seldom do we have lambs ready by April or May. The bulk of our lambs are born in January and February and most are harvested at 7 to 9 months. That puts them market ready in September, long after Easter. We have been able to meet the needs of our customers by having a few of our lambs born in the fall.  But that is not an easy task. Sheep breed based on hours of daylight. And try as we may, most like to {snuggle} with the ram between August and November. Picky aren’t they!

GOAT

Goats are a mystery to us most days. There is not a fence that can keep them in (ask Grandma and she’ll point to her garden). We also have a terrible time getting them to breed on our time schedule. Like sheep they are very sensitive to daylight. Several years back an old farmer told us that goats only breed in months with an “R.” Even after confiscating all their daytimers and removing all calendars from the barn — no success. Kidding aside, they definitely have their own schedule and yes, it appears they only breed in months with an “R.” So if they breed in September and October, kid in February and March, we have goat meat available in the fall. Because our herd is relatively small, we haven’t tried lengthening our breeding season into March and April yet.

PORK

We have tried our hand at breeding pigs. We choose two beautiful sows that the kids showed one year. They were calm, easy going, would walk anywhere you wanted them to go. Then they farrowed. And instantly they turned into kill-you-if-they-could beasts. Mean didn’t begin to describe them. With little kids around, we quickly got back out of the pig business.  Now we purchase a group of weaned piglets each spring and fall to raise. Traditionally pork is harvested in the fall when farmers came together as a community for harvesting. The men would scald, hang, and cut up the pork. The women would make sausage, scrapple, and organ meats. It was a flurry of activity. The weather was cool enough to smoke hams and bacon, and it wasn’t so blistering hot over the boiling kettles. Pigs will actually breed any time of year. Our decision for mostly spring born pigs is for two reasons. Our kids like showing market hogs at the county fair in late August. And Farmer (Corey’s Dad) still likes to take an occasional pig to the old timers pig harvest.

calvesBEEF

Finally, here is an animal that is eager to please. Cows breed year round and thus should be able to supply us with beef year round. Like most farmers in Virginia we run a cow/calf operation. Meaning we have a herd of mature cows that calve each year. We then sell the weaned calves as our income source. Ideally calves are all born at the same time so that weaning can be done all at once providing us with a uniform a group to market (uniform equates to higher market prices). Although we do not mind calving the herd in smaller groups throughout the year, there is a snag. Grass is most abundant during the spring. Momma cows eat a lot of grass — a must to produce the milk needed to feed their young calves. Spring is the best time to provide enough green, lush grass for milking cows in a pasture raised system. So it is much cheaper and more efficient to calve in the spring. Our calves are harvested at 18 months, thus giving us our best supplies in the fall.

POULTRY

Most breeds of chickens lay eggs year round. Yeah! Now there is a protein source twelve months a year. They definite drop off in production during the winter months, daylight being the culprit, but they do lay eggs in the winter. Eggs can be incubated year round. Chicks can be born year round. Broilers can be raised year round. The only down side is that there isn’t sustainable pasture in the winter months and they must be supplemented with additional feed. Also cold, drafty, damp weather can be stressful if they are not properly protected.  So when you stop by our farm stand and all we have are chicken and eggs, you now know why.

It is the cycle of life, as most species birth in the spring when natural feed sources are most abundant. As producers we try to control our meat supplies the best we can. But part of subscribing to sustainable agriculture is being able to except what nature does best on its own. So the next time you are enjoying summer grown tomatoes or corn on the cob, we hope you will now add meat to the “seasonal” category too.

Each of us associates particular foods with certain times of the year. I love spicy sausage links fresh from the butcher with sauerkraut and creamy potato soup on the first chilly day in autumn. What is your favorite seasonal meat dish?

 Posted by at 1:34 pm
Jun 242012
 

chicken barbequeAs the weather turns hotter, the count down begins. For those of you who have not found your way to the Clarke County Fair, I would definitely add it to your summer fun list! Yes, there are carnival rides, rodeos, petting zoos and all that exciting fair stuff, but the crowning jewel of the whole event, bar none, is the Chicken BBQ. Marinated just right. Slow cooked all day. Mouthwatering at its finest. For us, it has become the final exclamation point on a summer well spent.

Although the official barbeque recipe used by Clarke County Ruritan members is top secret, here are a few recipes I have collected over the years.  The following sauce recipes are enough to grill 10 halves, so you may want to reduce the recipes by half or store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We recommend salting the broiler halves before cooking, so salt is not included in any of the recipes. By the way, these sauces also work well on pork, lamb, goat, and beef!

Garrison’s Famous Broiler Barbecue Sauce
2 c. cider vinegar
½ t. red pepper
1 c. vegetable oil
½ t. garlic powder
1 t. Tabasco

Spicy and Sweet Barbecue Sauce
1½ c. water
¼ t. Tabasco
1 c. vinegar
¼ t. paprika
½ c. vegetable oil
¼ t. black or red pepper
1 lemon or 1 oz. juice
¼ t. onion powder
2 T. brown sugar
¼ t. garlic powder

New England Sauce
2 c. vinegar
1 c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
2 t. black or red pepper

Chicken Barbecue Sauce
1 c. vinegar
2 t. Tabasco sauce
1 c. vegetable oil
3 t. prepared mustard
1 c. tomato catsup
1 lemon or 1 oz. juice
4 T. worcestershire sauce
¼ t. red or black pepper
2 T. sugar

Deviled Chicken
2½ c. vegetable oil
1 t. black pepper
¾ c. prepared mustard
1 t. red pepper
4 t. dry mustard
½ t. onion or garlic powder

Fruit Barbecue Sauce
1½ c. frozen pineapple juice concentrate
¼ c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
1 T. sugar
½ c. lemon juice
½ t. ginger

Spicy Chick-N-Que Sauce
1 c. water
2 T. chili or curry powder
1 c. vegetable oil
3 T. sugar
1 c. vinegar
2 t. red or black pepper
½ t. garlic powder
1 t. dry mustard
½ t. onion powder
¼ t. cayenne pepper
2 T. worcestershire sauce
2 T. Tabasco sauce
2 T. paprika

Do-It-Yourself Sauce

Use 1½ to 2 cups vinegar and 1 to 1½ cups oil as a basic mixture. Add other ingredients, listed or not listed in the above recipes, to season to your taste.

Many of these were developed by Ed Garrison, retired Extension Poultry Specialist with the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service.

 Posted by at 2:18 am
Aug 242011
 
There is nothing better than having pints and quarts of chicken stock in the freezer for a quick pot of soup, a pan of gravy, or for making risotto. It’s easy to do and doesn’t take much extra effort.I make it regularly now for farmers markets, but it has been a regular staple in my freezer for years. Whenever you have leftover chicken carcasses put them in a ziplock bag and throw them in the freezer. When you get 2 or 3 follow the simple recipe below.

Chicken Stock

  • Bones from 2-3 whole chickens
  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 carrots peeled and cut in half
  • 4 celery stalks cut in half
  • 2 smashed whole garlic cloves
  • 3-4 springs of thyme
  • 3-4 springs of parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon of whole black peppercorn

Add everything to a stock pot and cover with enough cold water to completely cover chicken plus 2 additonal inches. Start on medium low heat until pot begins to steam but not boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 6-8 hours or overnight.

When stock is ready, let cool slightly and then double strain to remove bones, vegetables, and herbs.

I find that I have the best flavor if I properly season the chicken before roasting and add the chicken skins to the stock pot. If you like your stock a bit darker and more intense, try roasting your chicken on a bed of vegetables and add these to the stock pot as well.

If you decide to add the chicken skin to your stock you will see an increase in fat. As a rule, I do not skim the fat off my stock before freezing. First, I think it helps to preserve the flavors of the stock while in the freezer. And second, it is much easier to remove when I take the stock out of the freezer and before it thaws.

Next time you purchase whole broilers from Virginia Lamb… remember save those bones! In no time you will have your own great tasting chicken stock in the freezer!

Enjoy!

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 Posted by at 2:38 pm