I Got Beef

I GOT BEEF: nice to MEAT you!

Submitted by Casey Kemp on Feb. 6, 2014
Lifestyle
Food & Beverage

This is a quick tutorial tackling a massive topic: cows. In this town they are all over, so you know they\’re big! Most are also grass-fed and finished, like Clint Victorine\’s Pacific Pastures and Eel River Organic Beef (a topic I covered in a previous post). Let’s look out on the pasture to see what the cows are bringing home.

Now you might think that it is too hard to learn all the parts of a thousand pound creature. In fact, you might be tempted to GRAZE right over it, but trust me: this is going to be simple! You can learn some key concepts to kitchen preparation by studying a bit of anatomy. When you visit the meat counter just find out what general region each piece of meat comes from. Ask the butcher; Google it; and start to understand what cut is used for which purpose.

The shoulders, rump and legs do all the cows’ heavy lifting, so they become tougher as they are used frequently. The closer a cut of beef is to the extremities of the animal (i.e. horns or hooves) the tougher it is going to be.

Tender pieces hang out in the middle; those are prime cuts like Filet Mignon, New York, Ribeye and Sirloin steaks.

Equipped as you are, with a rough anatomy lesson, let’s begin to apply cooking techniques. I\’m going to match up two basic heat applications with the two types of meat we just covered (tough v. tender) to keep things simple.

Tough cuts want to be cooked \”low and slow,\” that means a long time at a low temperature. This process renders out fat so that the lean meat is juicy and falling apart. Oftentimes, this is achieved with an all-day barbeque or smoker that takes a lot of time but renders out the fat entirely so lean meat is literally falling off the bone. This technique is best applied to tough cuts like a shank (i.e. leg), ribs or rump.

My favorite tough cut is the chuck, which comes from the shoulder. It is well marbled, which means a lot of those healthy grass-fed fats. As the fat is rendered into liquid stock it imparts flavor and moisture, while the lean meat pulls apart into a lovely shredded or “pulled” beef texture. It’s easy and foolproof. You can’t overcook a chuck and all the while you are developing afeel for how meat responds to heat. You can use a crock pot, the oven or even cover it on the stovetop.

First the meat tightens up and contracts. After some time though, the piece starts to relax again. (Now things are getting good.) Keep on cooking and you will find that pieces get easier and easier to pull apart. Before long they are falling off the bone and melting in your mouth! When finished, the fat has disappeared entirely and the only thing left is succulent strings of beef with a wonderful au jus. You can make stew, tacos/fajitas or just a big BBQ sandwich! (Don’t forget the coleslaw.)

On the flip side, tender steaks like a “hot/quick” treatment. They can be seared with a short, blistering dose of heat from the grill and served rare on the inside. It is always best to let the meat you are about to cook sit on the counter for a while and come to room temp. I also take this opportunity to apply a littleTed and Barneys (another local product), which is a seasoning that I use on every piece of meat that I cook (because it’s genius). Heat the pan and sear steaks for a minute or two on each side. Now, you can finish them in the broiler at four minutes a side.

Once you’ve learned the concepts inherent in each method, you can mix and match those processes to effectively “freestyle” food preparation with wonderful results! Searing a steak seals in its’ juices. Finishing that steak in a 200 degree oven for ten-twenty minutes (instead of a broiler for four) transitions you to a gentler “low and slow” approach. I especially recommend this option for pork chops, since they tend to dry out faster than beef.

Tulips to Treasure

I’m sending my mom tulips for Mother’s Day. She is at home in Baltimore and I live on the west coast in a small town that has a delightfully mild climate. Arcata, California is known for its giant coastal redwoods, the cool sea, lush grasses that feed our livestock most of the year and, surprisingly, flowers.

The Sun Valley Floral Farm out in the Arcata Bottoms is one of the largest growers of tulips in the country. That seems pretty impressive until you consider the fact that only 20% of cut flowers purchased in the U.S. are actually grown here. I am excited to be able to send home not only a local product, but a uniquely domestic one too. Feeling patriotic? Oh, wait – it’s not July yet. Send your mom an American Grown bouquet this year!

In my family, tulips have a special memory attached to them. When mom sees the big red tulip blossoms, I know they will remind her of my grandfather- her dad. Pop-pop served our country during WWII. After raising four kids and retiring, he and nan-nan started Rothwell Nursery- not for the profit in it, but for joy. Sharing the beauty of flowers was my grandfather’s passion.

Pop-pop planted so many places in Aberdeen, Maryland: funeral homes, on and off ramps, the Decoy Museum and the Ripken Museum too. I remember when I had just gotten my learners’ permit pop-pop let me drive him around town. We drove by median strips he had filled with dandelions and stopped at all of his plantings. I brought my film camera and took pictures of his work. It was a special time where we shared our passions together. I made a book of the pictures and gave it to him. I will always remember that day; as he flipped through the pages of my creation and cried with joy.

His favorite flower was always tulips. When we visited the Ripken Museum he showed me two huge rectangular beds full of red tulips blooming. They were tightly planted and all the same height making a spectacular splash of color! I remember those plantings in particular filled him with great joy.

Upon visiting Sun Valley Farm, I found endless greenhouses full of the same. They so reminded me of pop-pop’s work that I just knew he was there smiling with me. Sun Valley grows their flowers not only on American soil, but in it as well (unlike the hydroponic tulips you get from Holland). It makes for a better quality cut flower. This way, mom has a few extra days to enjoy her bouquet.

My pop-pop had the most generous heart and that is the legacy he left us in each bulb that blooms year after year. My mother shares his open, giving approach to life. When she receives those tulips from me, I know she will remember.

Flowers have this inexplicable way of expressing the sweetness that we feel about someone. When we give a bunch, they carry a certain ‘I don’t know what’ quality that reflects the emotion we want to share. Chances are that your mom will be deeply moved by the gesture. Send her a token of your love & appreciation on Sunday and make sure they are American Grown.

Animal Kin

“Known by the earth, you are. Loved by the earth, you are… There is a confluence of energy that wraps around you that says, ‘I know you. You belong here. It is appropriate that you step upon the planet.'” -Lee Carroll and Kryon Magnetic Service

I have a friend who is both hunter and vegetarian. In the woods, she can kill a deer and eat it; in society, she carefully avoids meat. I crossed the country from a Maryland metropolis to California coast before I experienced the real difference fresh, local, loved food makes- and how great it tastes! I had to dig in the dirt myself to feel what it was. In today’s world we can hardly find restaurants, markets or grocers with ripe, organic, wholesome fruits & vegetables or pastured chicken eggs, grass-fed and finished meats or dairy. It’s important to note that the things we eat, whether plant or animal, deserve basic love and respect in their short life because they have sacrificed for our own greater purpose.

In my homesteading adventures, I have now met chickens, goats, turkey, pig, cow and sheep. I can’t say I sought them out, but once a person starts gardening, sooner or later the farm is going to get your goat! As a meat eater, I have a natural curiosity about my carnivorous ways. So I find myself on the land, prepared to understand the process by hand.

I helped to butcher and process two wild whitetail deer. Respect and honor was given for their sacrifice and we were gracious as we shared deer burgers for lunch in the midst of carving.

I watched a wild boar shot, bled out and butchered by a young man with natural skill. He had acquired and honed these abilities all his life: in the woods with his father. I could see that experience as he swiftly skinned and decapitated the boar. I could feel it as he cut out the animal’s heart, inspected the health of the liver and claimed the animals back straps.

I collected snails while weeding in the garden. Then I used them to bait my hook and caught catfish out of the pond. We filleted three huge fish and put them in the freezer for winter.

For a month, I fed two mother goats and their three kids. We drank the milk they gave, made farmer’s cheese from it and when it was time transported the boy kid to slaughter.

I shepherded sheep to the shearer, skirted their fleeces and sent each ewe packing back to pasture. Two years later, I have learned to wash, spin and crochet this rough material into warm hats and scarves (thank you spinners at Arcata Farmer’s Market).

I harvested chicken and duck eggs and cared for a couple turkeys, but never have I twisted the neck of a foul. Some of these things sound brutal, but the message that I am trying to convey is that death is a necessary and very important part of the cycle. The process of taking a life demands care and respect. Through that action, honor is given and we are sustained. I am proud to know, especially firsthand, the experience and sacrifice of my feast …for us all to come full circle together.

As I seek, so I have found greener pastures, and in them Daisy Mae, a milk cow who lives in Bayside. I mean milk in the most real sense of the word – none of this almond, hemp, coconut, soy, rice …water. I admit that squeezing her juice right from the teat into my jar was …jarring. However, with experience and education, I am learning the beauty and honesty of her raw milk. I am making yogurt, and, you might say: I have found the WHEY.

There is a wordless grace to our relationship with domesticated animals; every time the cow nudges you it’s a reminder that this is a cooperative experience of connecting to source and together gathering sustenance. The practice of milking is very palpable; be careful not to get shit in the bucket. There is a necessary dedication to technique but also care- a syphoning meditation. After three days, we were starting to get along. Daisy Mae’s natural gift is nestled right there: in this stunning relationship that has existed and evolved over too many, many years to count. From it we can place cream, butter and cheese on our table. Thank you, dear.

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And now, here- in Kryon’s words, through Lee Carroll:

“I speak of the precious animals all the time and how they’re here to service humanity and how they do it so completely. I’ve spoken about how some of them are here to be eaten. Many don’t like to hear this, but understand that collectively the animals understand this. They have to be part of the Human food chain, since humanity doesn’t have the ability to grow things fast enough and distribute that food. So that’s a service, you see? For those of you who are vegan, you might say, “I never eat them!” That is a choice for your health. It’s appropriate and accurate, but doesn’t hold true for the survival of the Human race, for animals are needed for Human nourishment and survival at the moment.

So let’s divert for a moment and give you some valuable information about Human consumption of animal life. Many Humans need to eat them, but never understanding that the animal knew this when it came in. Is this too spooky for you? This is known by those who know of animal spirits and can see the sacrifice and appropriateness of this. It was also very well known by the ancients. But here is the question, dear Human: How do you treat them? With that kind of purpose on the planet, how do you treat them before they become your food? How did the ancients treat them? Now that’s a hard question, isn’t it? Let me give you an attribute of truth. Did you know the better they’re treated, the more nutritious they’ll be within your body? “Kryon, please don’t talk about that. We don’t want to think about it.” Dear one, if not me, then who? Listen, if these animals are willing to come and be so grand a part of the life-force of this planet and help it to vibrate higher by keeping you alive so you can make choices, don’t they deserve respect and comfort while they are growing up? The end result will be a far better contribution to your health. Let the scientists lead the way and do some comparison studies to show that the nutritional values increase dramatically when an animal is honored during its short lifetime. The ancients knew this and honored each animal before it became part of their life-force.”

-KRYON, channeled through Lee Carroll
(Click here for Full Text)

Loleta Cheese

This weekend I took a little trip to Loleta Cheese. I went in the morning so that I could enjoy my coffee in the garden sun. First order of the day was cheese sampling. The creamery provided a taste of every variety that they carry and I explored them while peering through the large windows into where the cheese is made in big, absolutely astounding vats!

As I meandered past gift boxes and specialty items, the clerk told everyone about the creamery and its operations. Loleta had a great selection of local jam, mustard and other spreads to accentuate their cheeses. There are activities for kids in the gift shop too, like a scavenger hunt for the garden and coloring books about where your milk comes from.

Out back, the garden was a wondrous place to explore and enjoy. There were lots of little nooks throughout the space and it felt very peaceful to be there. After walking around and peeking into each corner, I sat in the sun awhile.

On the way back out I did some shopping. Made out pretty well too with a cheese board that had built-in wire, a couple bottles of Sonoma County wine and a flyer of local activities happening in Humboldt for the next month. It made a great place for my day trip, since I was looking for something different to do in the area. The drive was a scenic treat all by itself and there is a Bakery right around the corner serving sandwiches! Loleta Creamery & Cheese Shop is sure to please the whole crowd. Stop on down!

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