July 2024 CSA Newsletter

Summer Snoozing

Siestas are key. They might not be long, maybe 20 minutes, other days a full hour to put your feet up and rest. Early mornings are a must on the ranch. We release the chicks from their predator haven ( shed) to fresh grass and their grain breakfast. Then onto the piggies who get checked & fed. They quickly return to their cool wallow for their own version of a siesta ( MUCH longer than ours.) Beef are watered, moved to a new pasture and spend the first few hours of sunrise filling their first stomach compartment until they all start to lay down and chewing their cud. Late mornings are more than just frowned upon. However, once all that is done plus whatever other fence repair, mowing hay, digging ponds, or fixing equipment we lunch and siesta. Those few minutes make the rest of the day not just possible, but enjoyable.

Our crew from last year included a friend of the Stutman’s, Pierre from Cameroon!

Time to make sure our knives are sharp, the freezer is ready, our scale is accurate, labels and packaging is ready and/or ordered & coming. Chicken harvest is upon us. It is going to be a bit different this year, our crew from the Stutzman family has either married, are expecting a baby, moved or have jobs they just can’t get away from. This year it will just be John, Eathon, Cole & I to run the various jobs and I’m looking forward to it. It can be SO much fun to have a large crew, and we have had some huge ones. You get so much done and it feels like a huge accomplishment at the end of the day but it is also a ton of prep for that crew. Times are a changin… as they say, might as well roll with it!

Our Summer Shipping Schedule is below! Share invoices come out on the 21st of every month and I will post this newsletter on our blog shortly after. I will also email you the link so you don’t miss the news. If the first shipping date doesn’t work for you, just let us know and we can arrange a later ship day. Here is the upcoming schedule!

July Shares Shipping; June 25th
August Shares Shipping; July 30th
September Shares Shipping; August 27th
October Shares Shipping ; September 24th *Tentatively*

We drive all of your shares/orders about 3 hours south which allows those precious boxes to arrive the following day at your home. Less time in transit means the meat arrives cold and ready for your freezer. We can ship from the ranch on other weeks, however we do not offer coverage on losses or thawed meat. Please email or call if you would like to discuss a different schedule. Also, we are happy to double up on a month if you will be away the next delivery date.

Share options for this month ( below is an example share for a Small Beef, Pork & Chicken, your share may be different) are pretty flexible, let us know if you would like to switch out any cuts or need something for a special dinner. Chicken should restock in mid-July!

Pork Roast ( BI or BL) Shoulder or Ham
Ground Beef or Beef Patties ( 1/4# or 1/3#)
Ground Pork or Pork Sausages ( Breakfast, Sweet or Hot Italian, Chorizo or Kielbasa)
Beef Kabob, Top Round or Cube Steak or Extra Ground beef/Patties
Top Sirloin or Sirloin Tip Steak
NY Strip, Rib, Ribeye, T-bone, or Porterhouse Steaks
Beef Short Ribs, Osso Bucco or LAMB – Currently remaining; Ground Lamb, Shanks, Stew, Kabob or Chops.

You can also add; Maple Syrup, Honey, Meat Sticks, Jerky, and Sausage to your share. Just email us with what you are looking to add and we do the rest!

Fresh picked and delicious!!

Summer meals are simple, but delightful. Eating with the season has been a slow process for me. I loved strawberries and those plastic containers with reddish fruit called to me in February when everything was crisp and far, far to cold for the summery weather I was imagining. However, that crisp fruit without the pungent waft of summers bounty was a sad excuse and I have finally given them up. Eating in season means harvesting and storing for winter. I picked 40 quarts of strawberries and then cut and froze them this past week. Winter will yield us fragrant strawberry deserts than will remind me of the strawberry field and the sun beating down, warming my back as I pop a luxurious ruby berry into my mouth. For summer, a quick pork steak drenched in crumbs and herbs, a green salad with fennel and dill, topped with sliced strawberries and some vinaigrette, a slice of hard cheese… those meals are so simple and satisfying.

Happy July 4th!

Kassandra