The End of an Era

January 19, 2017 – 3:24 pm

No, we aren’t talking about the Obamas (though a deep gratitude for their leadership and grace), but the end of another era here at the farm. Perhaps a team nearly as famous, our first herd of goats and the queens of that herd, Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly.

Photo by Rose Wall

The chaos of the fall and holidays delayed documentation of this event, but the farmers (including several farmer emeriti) said goodbye to Ingrid (Bergman) and Grace (Kelly) and other lesser known stars of our milking team.

Grace, Ingrid and the rest of the gals will be accepting visitors before the concert!

Grace & Ingrid showing off their pregnancy

The day we brought them to Royal there were culls from other goat dairies and Vermont Chevon, the fall is when farmers make tough decisions about culling. Several of our goats either were difficult to milk or had missed getting pregnant.

grace adn ingrid last days on goat pasture

Grace and Ingrid were still producing delicious milk. However they were more than 10 years old and the stiffness in their gate and toll evident in recent kidding seasons made us commit earlier this year to send them to slaughter so their comfort could be ensured even while still providing for the farm via farmer lunch meat.

Laura and grace last month for the goats

Photo by Rose Wall

These gals were always our joy, dependable every day for leadership in and out from pasture, their milk delicious and copious and most of all for their dignified patience in stardom as they were central to hundreds of lattes on the hoof and photo ops.

aoelus quartet scrag musicians at the farm latte

Aoelus quartet after a Scrag Mountain Music Concert at the farm for lattes

Grace, the radio star

They were part of our starter flock and have been with us for 9 seasons.

No matter how charismatic future goats are we will miss these gals forever.

grace grazing goat Ingrid goat and buckwheat

Enjoy some moments from the Grace & Ingrid movie star ear.

: photo by Rose Wall

: A young Grace Kelly

: Ingrid, our first fall

: Selfie with Grace and Ingrid in first days on farm by Zannah

new animals first days grace adn ingrid and goat kid dolly046: First days on farm

: Queens even in earliest days

: a young Grace by Rob Spring

: Photo by Rose Wall

: Alexa: One with Excel and the goats

: with their Boris

: Not wanting to by missed by Photographer Tom Atwood

: Grace Flirting with photographer Tom Atwood

: Ingrid with first 2 of 3

: Ah, triplets

: Grace and Grace

: Grace modeling Very Pregnant

: saying goodbye

: Last milking

By Laura | Posted in Stories from the Farm | Tagged goats, gratitude | Comments Off

At the Farmstand: Jan 19-26

January 19, 2017 – 2:50 pm

Frozen chard bombs We have dug out some of the boxes of frozen summer! We have frozen chard, kale, broccoli, spinach and bok choy in the farmstand this week in various sizes and shapes. This year we froze some of the greens into easy to use balls as well as the typically vacuum sealed quart and gallon size bags. You can take them out in volume needed, through them whole into soups or chop them up while still partially frozen to put into the sauté pan.

And there are fresh greens as well, not bad for January.

This week at our Farmstand you can find:

• Eggs

Fresh/Stored Veggies & Herbs

• Arugula
• Beets
• Bok Choy, Fresh and Frozen
• Broccoli, Frozen
• Cabbage, Red & Green
• Carrots
• Chard, Frozen
• Delicata Squash
• Garlic
• Ginger, Baby (frozen)
• Kale, fresh & Frozen
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Pumpkins, Pie (Winter Luxury)
• Salad Mix
• Spinach, Frozen
• Stir Fry/Braising Greens, Fresh
• Winter Squash: Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival Acorn & Spaghetti Squash

Meats

• Bacon, Maple Smoked
• Beer Brats
• Bones, Pork & Goat
• Farmhouse Maple Breakfast Sausage (bulk)
• Chicken, Roasting
• Chicken, Stewing Hens
• Country Style Ribs (Sliced Shoulder Roasts)
• Fat, Pork Leaf
• Fat, Pork Back
• Goat Shoulder Chops* (good for stew)
• Ground Pork
• Ham Hock Ends
• Ham Roasts & Steaks
• Italian Pork Sausage, bulk
• Pork Jowl
• Leg of Goat Roasts
• Loin Roasts, Goat (small)
• Offals – Trotters, hearts, liver, kidneys, necks, etc.
• Pork Chops
• Ribs/Rack, Goat
• Ribs, Pork
• Shanks, Goat
• Turkey, Whole
• Turkey Drumettes & Drumsticks
• Turkey Thighs

Pantry & Prepared Foods

• Pickled Beets
• Beet puree
• Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary Mix
• Bone Broth, Chicken, Pork and Turkey
• Bread & Butter Squash Pickles
• Mexican Pickled Carrots, Taqueria Style
• Dilly Beans
• Jalapeños, pickled
• Lard (Leaf & Regular)
• Lemon Pickles
• Pâté, Chicken & Turkey Sage
• Pepperoncini
• Pesto
• Asian Style Plum Sauce
• Heirloom Tomato Salsa
• Tomolives (pickled green cherry tomatoes)
• Dried Hot Peppers
• Dried Tomatoes

From our Farm Friends

• Honey, Brookfield Bees
• Maple Syrup, Brookfield Bees
• BEANS! – King of the Early from Morningstar Meadows Farm
• Cider Syrup, Brookfield Bees

This Week’s Member Special

All of the above is available for members and retail shoppers, but we also offer some specials for our members. To learn more about our flexible, free Choice Farm Share memberships, see the details on our website.
• Goat Shoulder Chops, bone-in, really great for goat stews

By Laura | Posted in Available at our Farm Stand | Comments Off

Roasted Goat Loin

January 19, 2017 – 11:55 am

goat loin roasted and cut These are small (3/4 -1 lb each) but a treat and really offer 2 different meals. The bone-in goat loin roasts are essentially the goat tenderloin, but still on the bone . A goat sized T-bone, but not cut into steaks.

The loins can be roasted whole as a quick cook, then cut the tenderloin off for meal 1. That will leave you with a decent amount of meat still on the bone, which could be gnawed off or could go into a soup or stew so all the meat falls off the bone.

Here is how we did the quick Roast, adapted from US Wellness Meats Roasted Lamb Loin with English Herbs. You can also do it a bit slower with potatoes or veggies.

Ingredients

Goat Loin Roasts
Fat of choice
Fresh or Dried Herbs (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Savory and/or thyme)
Salt

Directions

1-2 hours before cooking, take loin roast(s) out of fridge to get to room temperature. At this point you can also rub them with a bit of fat (poultry, pork, or olive oil) that has been mixed with some herbs on hand (thyme, rosemary, parsley, savory, sage), 1-2 teaspoons per pound, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Place bone side down in a small roasting pan, we found a cast iron pan worked perfectly, and let rest for a few hours.

goat loin roast rubbed ready for oven

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pan in oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until thermometer reads 140 degrees, which should offer you some rare/medium rare meat. It was about 16 minutes for us using a convection oven.

roasted goat loin

Pull out of oven, let rest for a few minutes then cut between the meat and the bones, which will give you a cylinder of delicious boneless meat.

cutting goat tenderloin off of bone

Cut the meat into serving pieces and enjoy!

goat loin roast dinner

Set aside the bones for a stew, perhaps this Mexican Jalisco style Goat Stew.

goat loin bones after tenderloin is cut off

This cut has puzzled us for awhile, but we are now sold! It was tender and tasty, very reminiscent of lamb.

By Laura | Posted in Eating from the Farm: Cooking Ideas | Tagged goat, roast | Comments Off

Mexican Jalisco Style Goat Stew

January 18, 2017 – 11:55 am

mexican goat stew with fresh cilantro Also called Goat Birria in some recipes.

We adapted this recipe from one in Saveur magazine. Their recipe may have a stronger pepper flavor, which I think might be excellent. I was a bit short on time and the right peppers to make the pepper sauce element so adapted based on what was in our spice drawer. We also added beans and potatoes to make it more of a full stew instead of a soupish/stew served with tortillas. Both of them offer a stew that is lighter than most, due in large part to the tomatillos.

Ingredients

Bone-in goat meat – Remnants of 2 goat loin roasts worked great, could also use bone in stew or shoulder chops
1 onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 quart of pureed tomatillos
2-3 T Fat – ideally lard or roasted pork fat, but poultry fat would work too
2-3 teaspoons crushed pepper (aleppo, ancho or whatever you have; chili powder would also work)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 inch piece of ginger (or ginger powder), chopped
Salt, to taste (more if starting with raw meat, less if your roast had some) we did 1-2 t coarse
1 1/2 cups of stock (our gelatinous trotter broth was awesome, but any good stock/broth will be good)
1-2 lbs potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
beans, cooked (optional)
fresh cilantro for topping if available

Directions

Melt fat in a dutch oven or soup pot – something big enough to hold the entire stew and that has a good cover. Chop onion and chop or press garlic and saute in the fat. Once they are nicely soft add the pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Stir briefly to toast, then add the cider vinegar, oregano, ginger, salt and tomatillos. Stir.

Add the stock and the goat meat. If you are starting with raw meat, best to brown it first either with the onions or in another pan. Ideally if it is bone-in meat, the meat is mostly submerged in the liquids. Cover and simmer. In total, ideally 1.5 to 2 hours depending on what kind of meat and size you are using. Check and stir periodically, rotating meat if necessary.

goat loin bones cooking in birria stock

After about an hour or so, add the potatoes. Keep cooking until the potatoes are tender, 30-40 minutes depending on size. Once meat seems to be easily coming off the bone and near when potatoes are done, take meat & bones out. Place on a cutting board and let cool a few moments. While meat is cooling, taste the broth and make any additions you desire. Add beans if using so they heat through. Leave stew simmering.

Cut/pull meat off of the bones and/or shred. Add meat back to the stew. Stir and then serve with chopped cilantro on top.

mexican goat stew

By Laura | Posted in Eating from the Farm: Cooking Ideas | Tagged goat, soup, stew | Comments Off

At the Farmstand: Jan 12-18

January 12, 2017 – 8:45 am

Frozen chard bombs Farmstand is re-stocked with a set of greens, not bad for January! The greens are fairing decently with these up and down temps. Offerings this week include some fresh cilantro, great for tacos or to pep up our canned salsa.

We also have some of our frozen greens out and available. This year we froze some of the kale and chard into easier to use balls. You can take them out in volume needed, through them whole into soups or chop them up while still partially frozen to through into the sauté pan.