Alice Park’s article, What’s Lurking in Your Meat and Poultry? Probably Staph, published in Time Magazine reports on a study that shows the presence of a new multi-drug resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. This Bacteria is reportedly not even monitored by the US Department of Agriculture as it has not been previously known as a food born pathogen. Researchers conclude that the cause of this now drug resistant bacteria is the overuse of antibiotics particularly to increase production yields. Take a moment to read this article and give yourself a pat on the back for using Broadview Ranch and our naturally raised meats. http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/15/whats-lurking-in-your-meat-and-poultry-probably-staph/

We have always been concerned for our animals’ welfare. That is how we were raised. Over the past few years, the farm shifted to rotational grazing, added pigs and chickens and began selling meat directly to consumers. This has brought the difference between natural stockmanship and industrial farming in stark contrast. We were a bit surprised. It seems so obvious that happy animals are a pleasure to be around; that calm animals have fewer illnesses and injuries; and that trusting animals are easier to handle. Research proves calm animals tast better. Adrenaline, uric acid, and other chemicals released during the ‘flight or fight’ reaction rushes to the meat. These chemicals just do not taste good. This is not new information but it seems the modern age has forgotten it. What we thought was old-fashioned good stewardship of the animals and land has turned out to be cutting edge. Besides we just like it when our animals are happy.

Country Folks Magazine recently published an article on Broadview Ranch. Check out the article and the good folks at Country Folks by following the link below:

Broadview Ranch loosens reins on Mother Nature

Merry Christmas

from

Broadview Ranch

My daily email from Cooking.com today was a bunch of ground beef recipes, great for quick weeknight dinners. The only problem with cooking ground beef can be the questionable health of the meat you get in the grocery store. Besides the high fat content there have been countless incidence of disease in industrial ground beef. Luckily, with Broadview Ranch ground beef you are getting lean ground cuts from a single healthy grass fed and finished steer. Be sure to take advantage of our ground beef discount – only $4.50/lb on orders of 20lbs or more. Combine that with a 10% discount on orders over $200 and you are looking at $4.05/lb for healthy delicious ground beef: not a bad way to feed your family.

In honor of spring I thought I’d share one of Lucy’s favorite lullabies – Winter’s Come and Gone.
Karri says that Lucy is becoming adept at faking sleep so I’ll stop singing to her.  I think I sound just like Gillian.

Usually I don’t follow recipes, I just get in the kitchen and give it a shot hoping something decent comes out. Today however, I cooked something good enough I felt the need to share so here goes my first try at recipe writing.

Roast

3lb Broadview Chuck Roast

1 large yellow onion – roughly chopped

2 large carrots – peeled and chopped

1 large can of dices tomatoes

1 large can beef broth

couple healthy dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Risotto

Arborio rice

Butter/Olive Oil

Wine – I happen to have used a pinot noir rose

Cheese – I used some Gruyere and sharp cheddar I had left over from burgers

First place the chuck roast, onions, carrots, and tomatoes in a crock pot. Barely cover with beef broth and then add Worcestershire sauce and a bit of salt and pepper. Turn on high for 6 hours.

Then when you are about 30 minutes from dinner time. Melt the butter and oil together in a sauce pan and add the rice. Allow the rice to slightly brown on medium heat then add a cup or two of the wine which the rice will almost immediately drink up. Then ladle broth from the roast into the rice, just covering it and then allowing to absorb and repeating again. My broth was pretty thick so I would alternate a ladle of hot water every other time. It take a bit of patience to slowly add the liquid, never more than just covering the rice and never letting it dry out. Continue until the rice has softened but still holds its form. Melt the cheese by stirring into the hot rice right at the end.

By far the most important part of the meal is plating. I used two forks to pull nice chucks of beef off the roast an piled them together, topped with some of the onions and carrots and then placed a nice pile of the thick risotto just beside. The pairing was incredible with a nice glass of wine. Good luck!

On the front page of the NY Times website today was this article on Beef Products Inc. which came up with the brilliant idea of injecting industrial beef with ammonia to kill E. coli and salmonella. More disturbing even than the fact that industrial beef contained these bacteria or was pumped full of ammonia, is the fact that it was an unsuccessful treatment. If you ever wondered why you buy from Broadview Ranch you need look no further. These are the frightening side effects of trying to industrialize food production. Thankfully we’re able to op out of the system and eat safe, healthy and delicious meats from the farm.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html?_r=1&hp