July CSA Newsletter

Grilled grass fed steak with smashed potatoes and asparagus, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Perfect meal for July?!

It is going to be a little hot with a touch of steamy! We have been checking the weather and it looks a little warm for sending shares out next week. Normally, up to 80F for overnight shipments are pretty safe but when you are at 90F, it quickly becomes an impossible task to keep that frozen meat frozen.

Due to the hot weather that is forecast for us, we are offering to ship your share this week!

Let us know if you would like your share now or are OK with waiting to ship on the 11th ( weather providing). There are bonuses to being CSA members. Bones & fat ( beef, pork & lamb) as well as organs ( liver, heart & tongue) are available in 1 & 2 lb increments and are FREE with your share. They are not unlimited, but if we have them, just ask and we will include.

We also have a few neat cuts, like Mutton ( we love it! ), cheek bacon ( so delicate), oxtails and smoked or fresh pork hocks. They can be included in your share in lieu of another cut. Going to let you know monthly what we available, just speak up as it is first come, first serve.

This, your SECOND share of the Summer season and is scheduled to be shipped on the first coolish days we get! Please let us know if you would like your share shipped early, this week or wait until July 11th.
– – John, Kassandra, Eathon & Cole

June

Well, as I write this we have a crew killing chickens and I have to hurry and get this newsletter out. Foul will be called if I lollygag to much! The big walk-in freezer is finally done! I have no pics yet to share, but it is immense and so very nice. Having it will make storing our yearly supply of chicken plus the beef, lamb and pork so much more feasible. 8 o'clock Ranch

The finished product, we don’t look as clean when we are done.

Two breeding rams are due to arrive next week from Virginia. They are quite the find, European genetics which should bring a smaller, more compact frame that is very hardy. We love the large Suffolks an how graceful they look, but getting up and over all of our rocks and hills needs a more spunky animal. Slowly, but surely we are heading that way! Stocky Suffolk ram on pasture

Cute and thick!

Sometime in August our new barn kit should arrive! Our old, old milking barn has housed who knows how many animals in its lifetime. After having someone come and inspect it, we discovered it wasn’t cared for as well as it should. Several main beams and roof attachments are seriously compromised. This spring we purchased a 30×48 foot steel building that will eventually become the ranch shop/equipment storage but for right now, will house animals as we clear our the old barn and bring her down. She isn’t done thought! Plenty of life still left in her, we will reuse as much of her lovely timbers for or next barn project.

Pastured laying hens grazing at 8 O'clock Ranch Cole & Eathon’s hens grazing

These are for our most popular share, the Half Mixed. If you have a Full Mixed, we usually double the quantities. If you have another share ( half beef, half pork, etc. they will be different than what is below). Your first month of choices are below,

You are more than welcome to request other cuts on any of these shares, if we can, it will be substituted!

July Option 1 for Half Mixed

Bone-in Pork Roast ( Shoulder or Ham)
Ground Beef
Kielbasa, Bacon OR Pork Stew/Kabob
Beef Stew OR Lamb Shoulder Steak
Boneless Pork Chops
Top Round or Sandwich Steak
Sirloin or Sirloin Tip Steak
NY Strip, Ribeye, Filet Mignon OR Lamb Chops

July Option 2 for Half Mixed

Beef Roast ( bone-in or boneless Chuck )
Ground Beef
Ground Pork
Bacon or Hot dogs
Bone-in Pork Chops
Sandwich Steak
Spareribs, Country Style or Baby Back Ribs
BL Pork Loin roast, Lamb Leg Steak OR Pork Tenderloin

August Option 1 for Half Mixed

Beef Roast (Bottom Round, London Broil, Brisket, Eye of Round)
Ground Beef
Ground Pork
Pork Stew/Kabob OR Bacon
Bone-in Pork Chops
Pork Shoulder/Ham (Fresh or Cured) Steaks OR Smoked Pork Cheeks
Pork Spareribs
NY Strip, Ribeye, Filet Mignon OR BL Leg of Lamb

August Option 2 for Half Mixed

Cured Ham/Shoulder roast OR Lamb Shoulder roast
Ground Beef
Mild, Sweet or Hot Pork Sausage
Beef Stew
Boneless Pork Chops
Osso Buco/Chuck Steak
Sirloin OR Sirloin Tip Steak
T-bone, Rib or Porterhouse Steaks

Thank you for sharing our harvest!

– – Kassandra and everyone from 8 O’clock Ranch

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