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Next butcher date: March 8, 2017

3/4/2017

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Our next butcher date is set for March 8, 2017.  Our butcher shop and crew will be here that day and harvesting some of our beef, pork and lamb. I think our beef may be sold out for March, if so, you can get on the waiting list for April.  We do have 1/2 and whole pork and lamb available for next week's butcher date.  Our all natural pork is $4.00 lb., hanging weight, plus processing. Our all natural lamb is $6.00 lg., hanging weight, plus processing. You choose your custom cut/wrap. Beef is available year around, and is available by the 1/4, 1/2 or whole.  Our 100% grass fed beef is $4.00 lb., hanging weight, plus processing! If you have been wanting to buy local, conscientiously raised and humanely butchered meats~now is the time to take the leap. HAGEN FARM CAN "MEAT" YOUR NEEDS~WE DO THE FARMING, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO!

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Farm to table beef bone broth

3/4/2017

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In every 1/4, half or whole beef you order from us, you can request your portion of what our butcher labels soup bones.  Unfortunately, I have inherited a blood pressure problem, and can really tell when I consume too much salt! Therefore, I LOVE making my own beef bone broth! The health benefits of just sipping on bone broth is all over the internet and I regularly see it now on cooking shows, news etc...Also, I love making the stock to put up in Mason jars for use later. I cool down the jars, and anything that I am not going to sip on, I freeze for later use. I have found that freezing them in smaller mason jars is easier for thawing.  You can even freeze them in ice cube containers!
Here is what I did a few days ago:

Thawed out 2-3 lbs. of our 100% grass fed beef bones
Rinsed off the bones, (there is still beef meat attached), and dried off
Heated up about 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil (you can add more later if need to avoid from sticking)
Browned the bones in the olive oil, turning every so often (med to med-high heat) to brown evenly
While I was browning the meat...
I took a peeler to about 4 carrots and rough cut them into 1/3rds
Cleaned about 4 celery stocks, rough cut into 1/3rds
Sliced an onion into equal parts
I put some parchment paper in a shallow dish, brushed with olive oil
I poured a little more olive oil over the veggies, gave them a good mix to cover and sprinkled the veggies with some salt and peper, and some Bragg brand organic 24 herb and spice seasoning.
I baked the veggies in the oven on 400, until they browned some and got a little caramelized.
Once the meat was browned on all sides, added the browned and somewhat caramelized vegetable mix to the Dutch oven I browned the bones in. Leave all the drippings from the meat before you add the vegetables, gives it flavor.
I covered the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven with as much water it needs to cover all. Be careful not too get too close to the top so it does not boil over. I left about 1 1/2" room.
I added a Bay Leaf
I added about 3 Tbsp. Mother's Earth Apple Cider vinegar
I added about 3 Tbsp chopped garlic ( you can just throw in whole cloves of unpeeled and unchopped garlic, I have done this too).
I let it all come to a slow boil, then transferred it to the oven on 350 for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Ultimately, I like to simmer it in the over for up to 12 hours. I don't always have that time, but you can also make your beef bone broth in the slow cooker, after the browning of the meat and vegetable part of this and cook in low and slow for up to 12 hours!  That method would be a lot safer if you have to leave your home during this time.
I removed the bones/meat and the big chunks of veggies and set them aside.
I strained the liquid through a fine strainer into a large bowl to let cool.
I put a funnel over two large Mason jars, in this case, and sealed them.
You want the broth to gel up overnight in the fridge, that perfect. You will have a layer of fat on the top.  You can scrape it off if you want, you don't have to, before pouring whatever portion you want to heat up.  The gel like broth will turn into a beautiful liquid, perfect for sipping or using in your recipes, such as soups, stews, gravy etc...homemade beef broth adds such a depth of flavor to any recipe! Enjoy!
P.S. The frugal part of me will be using the left over meat on the bones, (I am adding some of our farm raised stew meat), and the vegetables I used to make the broth, as well as more I will bake off, and making beef-vegetable soup for tonight's dinner! I am using some Quinoa that I had made earlier in the week, to make a salad, and have some of just the Quinoa left, I will add as a thickener. I like to see how much use I can get out of my refrigerator ingredients, leftovers, etc...to avoid so much waste. I think I read the average American wastes something like 40% of the food they buy! Egads...I'm trying not to be that average American!

Tip: I do make out menus for the week, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I have been doing this for like 25-30 years.  I has always helped in saving me $ at the grocer. I look to see what I have in my pantry, and plan around it. Since we are fortunate enough to be able to raise our own pork, beef and lamb, I plan meals around that, as well as adding chicken and fish to our diet, and vegetarian meals for a balance. We love leftovers, so if I make soup for dinner one night like I will be for tonight, we will eat it for lunch tomorrow. Making a grocery list for just what you need for those planned meals that week saves a ton of $, avoiding impulse buying...and don't go to the store hungry...it's a diet and budget killer!



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March 04th, 2017

3/4/2017

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It's been a busy 2016 on the farm, and 2017 is shaping up to even busier! Last year, I started my crusade to get myself back in shape, so I joined one of our local CrossFit gyms and won the first bootcamp that I joined! It got me motivated and now as we are into 2017, I continue my Crossfit work outs, and continue to try eating clean, coming up with and scouting out "clean eating"recipes so I won't feel deprived. Even though we are pretty healthy eaters, I never met a potato I didn't like, or corn,bread etc...carbs were my weakness.  Here is a recipe I came up with yesterday for clean eating, mini-omlette's using our farm raised, all natural ground pork. I usually have our butcher shop process our ground pork in two flavors, in this case I used the country breakfast sausage. 
The recipe I came up with:
7 whole eggs
About 1/3 cup just egg whites (I used store bought)...I didn't measure, just eye balled it.
Chopped red onion
Chopped red pepper
Small handful of cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
A couple handfuls of sliced mushrooms (I chopped up)
About three handfuls of fresh washed spinach (dry off well after rinsing) I chopped it up.
Coconut milk (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
About 1 tsp marjoram

I fried up the ground sausage and when it was mostly brown, I added the onion,red pepper,mushrooms. Once it was all cooked and cooled, I added it to the whipped eggs, egg whites and coconut mixture. I added in the fresh chopped spinach. I added in some pepper, and marjoram, and gave it a good mix, to combine it all. I had the oven heated to 350. I sprayed a muffin tin with Canola Oil Spray. I used a 1/2 cup dry measuring cup to evenly distribute the mixture to all 12 muffin tins. I baked them for about 15-20 min. When I took them out of the oven, I let them sit for just a few minutes, ran a knife around the edge and they slipped right out! Perfect! I ate one with some orange and a slice of Dave's Killer bread! I will definitely be adding this to my list of breakfast recipes. I froze the remaining 11 "omlette's", for farmer Jay and I to heat up this week, as we are still in lambing season and breakfast can be hard to fit in! As you can see, you can throw anything in the omlette's, so many possibilities. The egg whites really made them puff up and they were very satisfying and filling. So what if you have egg on your face! Enjoy!
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A summer morning...with some free time!

7/2/2016

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People often ask me what I like to do in my free time. I When I have time, I like to experiment with new recipes, make up my own, cook and bake. So, while Jay was out mowing one of the lower fields this morning, I decided to bake an Apple Streusel.  I had all the ingredients...it was totally worth the time and mess. It turned out awesome! My farm boy likes a little snack with his coffee...so I know he will appreciate that I did this, when he get's in from the field. Off to wash my car...I needed to have some free time, after flipping both the "haycation"homes yesterday. 
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Broccoli salad

6/27/2016

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Although the Pacific Northwest isn't generally known for it's hot weather, you wouldn't know it by looking back at last summer, and seeing how this one has started!  I had thawed out some country pork ribs for dinner and a cold salad, at the end of a hot day, to accompany the grilled ribs I was planning to cook on the smoker...sounded good! So for those of you looking for a nice cold side dish, on a hot summer day, to go with whatever you are grilling...this one is a good one! You can't go wrong with apples and pork!
 
Broccoli salad:
 
3 broccoli florets~washed, dried and cut into bite size pieces, washed and pitted 1 1/2 cups fresh bing cherries, and cut in half.Chopped one half red onion,chopped one large granny smith apple,1/2 cup sunflower seeds, tossed together in a big bowl. For the dressing~1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt, 1/2 cup low fat sour cream,2 Tbsp vinegar,1 Tbsp sugar,salt and pepper to taste. Mix it together with the salad, and refrigerate.  Next time I will add celery and bacon..just for fun, and maybe switch out the sunflower seeds for hazelnuts.
 
Our motto around the farm is...all chores done by cocktail hour. So, I pulled the ribs out of the fridge and smothered them with a dry pork rub, and let them sit for a bit. Just before cocktail hour, I put them on the smoker. I cut some sweet potatoes into thick discs, drizzled them with olive oil,salt and pepper, threw them in the oven to cook. Once they were soft, I smashed them a little with a potato masher, put them back in the oven to cook until a little crispy...and we were ready to eat!
 
 Give it a try! It was super delicious and plenty left for our lunch the next day!
 
From my farm house kitchen to you! Enjoy!
 



 




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May 25th, 2016

5/25/2016

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We get a lot of interest about butcher day on the farm, so I thought I would write to explain how it happens.  I set the butcher dates, usually months in advance, depending on their busy season. If it's deer/elk season, I schedule those months before, as they get so busy. I pre-sell the animals we are going to butcher.  They call me the day before, to let me know what time the crew will be here. Jay usually get's up a little early, and corrals the beef we are going to take.  I sometimes help with this, if he wants my opinion, or there are multiple animals.  You want a one shot kind of butcher, no one that is inexperienced at this...safety and you don't want all your hard work ruined by someone that is a bad shot and you have the animal running around mad, for safety reasons and not to get all that adrenalin running through their blood and into their system! The assistant bleeds them out and Jay transports them to the butcher truck with the loader tractor. They always park at the end of our driveway, near the lamb pen. When they are done with the beef, I am the clean up girl at the barn where they were shot. I immediately get the hose out and wash down the road, as much as I can, and the concrete that leads down to the area they were in holding at. Not only does it look unsightly, but it starts to stink when as it warms up, so if it's not rainy season, I'm right on it. Same with the hogs and lambs. The hogs are taken with a bullet but the lambs, they break their neck...so it's fast and they don't suffer. They are both bled out as well...and I'm in the barn next, hosing off the concrete pads, the walls and wood, if there is anything on them. It's all the butcher's job after that. They remove the heads, stomaches, hoof portions that aren't edible. They remove the tails and cheek meat of the beef for me, as it makes for great stews! The customer is entitled to it if they want it. If they don't I take it. Jay has fond memories of his grandmother Minnie, coming to the farm every week end from Seattle and making the family oxtail stew. The carcass are hung in the sterile butcher truck to their shop, ready to be custom cut and wrapped.
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Butcher time

5/23/2016

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I have been bound and determined to check off my list, to update our site and write blogs regularly. Since butcher our May butcher date is upon us, I thought it a good time to blog about the process. We get a lot of questions about it, so hopefully this will help. We pre-sell our animals for butcher, which is required, unless we have them processed at a USDA processing facility. There is not one in this county yet. There is one in the works, hopefully it will be up and running in the next 1-2 years, as well as a USDA mobile unit. As of now...we can sell beef by the 1/4,1/2,3/4 or whole animal, lamb and pork, by the 1/2 and whole. You choose your custom cut/wrap using our butcher's guideline sheet. There is always wiggle room...so be sure and ask. Processing time on the beef is 10-14 days, as it dry age hangs at our butcher shop before it is custom cut/wrapped, according to your request. The pork processing time is 7-10 days, to allow for the hams and bacon to be cured/smoked. The processing time on the lamb is determined by what day of the week they cut lamb next. All the meats are wrapped in plastic then paper and each individual package is marked what cut it is. The lamb burger and pork sausage are all in rolls, 1 lb.or more, it's up to you. We ask that you have your cut/wrap instructions in on or before butcher day, so that when the shop is ready to process the orders, they have your card in front of them. You provide them with your name,phone # and our name, so they know what farmer you belong to. If you are looking for 100% grass fed beef, and all natural pork and lamb, non-medicated meats, then we would love to be your source.
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Sunday Leg of Lamb and Monday Lamb Stew

6/7/2015

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For you lamb lovers out there! Sunday's I like to make a comfort meal, but without too much fuss and muss!  Last Sunday, at the suggestion of my butcher, who processes all of our meats, I made a fillet of leg of lamb on the bbq. To go with it, earlier in the day, I made a Pineapple Mint Salsa and a Roasted Spring Vegetable with Arugula Pesto! The meal was a hit and quite delicious, everything went together well. If anyone wants the exact recipe, message me and I will post. However, as I mentioned in my first blog last week,, we don't like waste around the farm. Whether it be food, or for instance any materials we use in our daily farming practices. In our leftover food,  we try to find uses for it in in our menu plan for that week. I actually plan our meals around leftovers if I have them and plan accordingly.  It saves $ and is respectful to the animal to consume as much of it as possible.  The scraps of fruit/veggie peelings, bread scraps etc...we save in a composting bin in our kitchen and when it get's full, Jay brings it out to the hogs, about once a day. No meat products, just egg shells,fruits/veggies and bread scraps in the bin. In other instances, Jay will save bailing twine to make emergency repairs to fencing etc...So, we had the leg of lamb dinner, and we had leftover lamb meat.  I am sharing with you, how to make a second meal out of the leftovers, buy making lamb stew~here's what I did. 

Lamb Stew

I cut as much leftover meat off the leg of lamb and set aside.   I sauteed a mirepoux mixture, (chopped onion,celery and carrots) in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, until they were soft, and starting to brown, added some sliced mushrooms that I needed to cook up before they went bad, to the mixture and cooked a few more minutes.  I removed the mixture to a bowl and set aside.  I supplemented the leftover lamb meat with some lamb stew meat. I sauteed the uncooked stew meat in the olive oil and scraps of veggies left in the braising pot. Sear the lamb stew meat on med/high heat until rare, but the outside browns nicely.  I sprinkled the seared lamb with about 3 Tbsp.of flour, and cook a few more min.stirring until the raw taste of the flour cooks off a bit.  I added the leg of lamb leftover meat to the pan, the sauteed lamb stew meat, and  added the cooked vegetables and mushrooms back in. I had a 1/2 bag of frozen peas in the freezer and about 1/4-1/3 bag of frozen green beans, I dumped those in.  I had a half bottle of red wine in the fridge, that I poured in to braise the meat in and scraped off all the good bits off the bottom of the pan, stirring for a few minutes while the wine thickens from the flour added to the meat.  I let that cook on the stove top for a few minutes before adding about 3 Tbsp.of tomato paste, stirred that in to disolve and then added a 32 oz. box of beef stock...this covered all the meat and vegetables well and thinned out the mixture nice. I then added a handful of oranges slices that I had, from my lunch the previous day.  Tip: #1) If I open a bottle of red wine, and the bottle is not consumed fully, (horror), I will refrigerate it to use in cooking later. That way it does not get all vinegarish (is that a word)? Nice for stews, etc...tip #2) If I have them, I will sometimes throw in oranges in stews, and roasts etc..adds a really nice flavor! tip #3) when opening a can of tomato paste, and only using a bit, I put it in a plastic ziploc baggie and throw it in the freezer. When I want to use more of it I open the other end of the can, push it out as far as I want, slice off more and back in the freezer for later, if you aren't using it up). Back to the meal...I then add in the previously sauteed vegetables and mushroom mixture, add a rosemary sprig or two or three and pop it in the oven (or put it on the bbq if the house is too hot already).Bake or bbq at 350 degrees.  I made some roasted/seasoned new potatoes to go with it. We have had numerous meals out of it. Dinner the first night and lunches until it was gone thereafter.  Don't get all wound up on measuring...use what you need to cook up before spoiling, play with it, there is no exact recipe...clean out your refrigerator and freezer and use up what you have! I even pour in some coffee (if Jay hasn't drank the entire pot of coffee from that morning, into my stews and roasts)! ....This is a good example of Farming,Food and Frugality!  Enjoy!



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First Blog...What to expect!

6/2/2015

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I'm finally taking the plunge!  Since having our (the farm's) first web-site built and launched recently, I've danced around it enough, and decided it was time to start writing about this life I stumbled into and love. I don't claim to be a "lifestyle expert", "food expert" or any of the other catchy phrases I see attached to self proclaimed experts of food,lifestyle, and media.  I am however, authentic, and merely want to share what knowledge I have gained, mostly from the time I moved onto the farm, and our experiences, sometimes very funny.  Some days you could just not make up what happens on the farm, and my friends have often encouraged me to write about it...so here I am! I will be blogging about happenings on the farm, the "haycation" homes, where they come from, and the people we meet through hosting their stays on the farm,  food (I love to cook), I am self taught, no formal culinary background.  However, I have a reputation for baking and making some pretty kick ass food and desserts, so I want to share some of that with anyone who is interested. I will be posting recipes for not only our meat customers, but anyone else you wants to learn how to say, make a roast 101, gravy, pie dough etc...the basics and then some. We try to waste little (that's where the frugality part comes in), whether it's in a meal we made (say, a roast, and then planning meals for the next few days eating it up), or in the butchering of an animal, and eating as much of it as we can, with little being wasted, hence oxtail and cheek meat stew!  We raise pork, beef and lamb for meat sales, as you can see from the site.  Jay will be sharing some of what he does now and again, care and feeding of the animals, what is involved in butcher day, chasing animals off a neighbor's lawn and getting them back home, fence repairing (after afore mentioned wandering animal gathering), and just general farming knowledge that he has learned in his 57 years (his lifetime) of living and farming on this very farm. That in itself is so unusual these days and people are always intrigued to hear the story~about this beautiful farm his father bought in 1949 and his parents grew to be one of the most well respected diaries in the area until the year 2000, when they stopped dairying.  We started "bringing back the farm" in the year 2008 and we haven't stopped!  I like to think that people are wanting to live a simpler life, get back to basics and my hope is that in sharing our stories, will be not only just fun to read, but hopefully encouraging others, who are looking to start raising their own animals, raise a garden,start a farm, or just want to experience farm life vicariously through us! I always say when marketing the farm for "haycation stays", come to the farm to disconnect and reconnect! I hope you enjoy my future blogs and you find them at times entertaining, useful and fun to read. I feel like a live in a little slice of heaven on earth and want to share it with you!  I finally know the saying is true..."do what you love and it won't feel like work"! So true!
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    City born and raised, now living among the corn maze. I don't profess to be an expert at anything, but I hope you enjoy what I have learned along the way and landed right where I love...this farm!

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6904 E Lowell Larimer Rd
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