July Meat Share

Our new meat share will start this week just in time for July 4th weekend and there still are a few spots left. If you pick up at the farm and wanted to sign up, hopefully you were able to find someone to talk to and if you have your share delivered later in the week, send us an e-mail ASAP to let us know you'd like to sign up. The way it works is that it will be $50 a month for 4 months ($200 total). Each month you'll receive a package of our certified organic meat that we have selected. Each package will include one of our chickens, about 2 pounds of ground beef, and then a mix of other beef and pork cuts (chops, steaks, bacon, ham, etc.) that we pick for you. Each package will have a total retail value of $55-60 (so you'll be saving 10-15% off retail prices). We'll also be posting some suggestions about how to prepare the meat.

We'll be doing the meat shares the first week of each month. This first one is a week early to make sure that you've got your meat in time for 4th of July grilling.

This month's share includes:
1 4-6 pound pasture-raised chicken
2 pounds (roughly) of grass-fed ground beef
1-2 pounds Top Round, Sirloin Tip, or London Broil Steak
1-2 pounds Pork Chops

Preparation tips and recipes:
All of these meats are great on the grill but here are a few tips anyway.

Top Round Steak - Top Round steak is slightly tougher than steaks from the loin but has great flavor which lends itself well to marinating. It is very lean and thus care should be taken not to overcook it (it's best cooked rare or medium-rare). It can be cut up into cubes for kabobs, sliced thinly for a stir fry (with your scallions and bok choy) or grilled whole. Here's a recipe for a teriyaki marinade that I often use.

1 1/2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
5 or 6 cloves garlic, pressed
2-inch piece ginger root, grated
1/3 cup white wine
4 whole scallions, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

Poke steak with a knife or fork before marinating to tenderize and to better allow marinade to penetrate the meat. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Trim fat from meat & marinate 2 to 4 hours. Drain & pat dry & grill over high heat. Slice against the grain. This marinade works particularly well with the steak but is great also with the chicken (cut into quarters before marinating) or the pork chops.

Sirloin Tip Steak - Sirloin Tip is very similar to Top Round steak so like Top Round, it's especially good for marinating, stir-frying or putting on kabobs (this is the cut that is used for "steak tips").

London Broil - London Broil technically refers to a way of preparing steaks rather than a particular cut but it is gradually being used more and more to refer to a steak cut from the shoulder (or chuck). This steak is valued for its flavor. It can be slightly tough, especially if not prepared correctly. It's best marinated and cooked quickly at high heat (on the grill or under the broiler). It then should be sliced thinly against the grain, before serving.

Please let us know what you think of the meat share and if you have any recipes or other ideas that you'd like to pass along to others. Hopefully there weren't any complications Friday with the pick-ups and have a great 4th!