The time a customer made me cry

It’s true.

Just a couple weeks ago one of my favorite customers was here at our house picking up his eighth beef and after he was loaded up and headed to his truck, he stopped in driveway and said:

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this-the reason I buy from you is because I can tell by looking at your hands you work hard. And I like to support people who are working hard.”

Boom. My eyes started to well up and I couldn’t talk for a minute.

The thoughts that were swirling around in my head were:

This guy is my kind of guy if he can read what my hands look like and infer our work ethic.
Our work ethic is our character and he is appreciating who we are.
And that is why he is buying from us-because he appreciates who we are as people.
Wow.

More thoughts in my mind:

I know that you have many choices for where to buy your meat and eggs.
I know that our products are priced higher than what you can buy in the grocery store.
I know that buying from us is not always convenient if we aren’t selling at your neighborhood market.
But you do it anyway because you appreciate our character.

And when I could talk again I said, “Thank you. Thank you for seeing that.”

We do work extra hard. Blake is up before the sun every day doing chores, he goes to his day job at the grass seed company 8-5 and then he comes home and does more farm chores until dark. Saturdays are spent at the farmer’s market, Sunday is a day of moving cows, moving fence, weaning sows, and hopefully a nap.

My role is caring for the kiddos, marketing and interacting with customers, filling orders, updating our inventory, managing the farm store here at our house and keeping the homefront running smoothly. Plus I have a health and wellness coaching business on the side, oh and we are property managers for 3 rental properties here in Lebanon…because obviously a farm isn’t enough, haha.

We work hard because we believe we can DO GREAT THINGS.

We work hard because there was a time we received a hand out and it made us feel like the scum of the earth.

We work hard because we never want to hand over our destiny by relying on someone else to take care of us.

Let me share that story with you.

We had just moved to Oregon to start our farm and follow our dream of making that our full time gig. It was June of 2017 and I was 9 months pregnant with our youngest son. So we were in a new place, with a new baby coming, a new business under foot and no income.

The birth center in Corvallis where I was planning on having the baby suggested we sign up for Oregon Health Plan (probably so they knew they would get paid). Without an income we definitely qualified, but then the Oregon Trail food money started coming too. I did not remember asking for that assistance.

It was the most icky feeling when I would buy groceries to whip out that Oregon Trail card. Or to stand in the line at the farmer’s market to trade plastic for wooden food tokens.

I can’t explain it any better than I felt icky using money I didn’t earn to buy my family food.

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I do need to pause here and give thanks for the assistance in a time when we truly did need it. It was a blessing, it served a purpose, and I pass no judgement on others who also utilize this assistance for a short time.

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So we had the baby, Blake got a temporary job driving forklift at a grass seed company and we started building our farm customer base.

We got rid of that food assistance ASAP. I planted a garden, we got chickens, we joined the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce. We invested in marketing courses, we built our website, we delivered free eggs to community businesses to let them know we were here.

Blake stayed with that temporary job and moved up to working at the research farm of the grass seed company. Four years later and he’s still there, as the farm manager.

Our farm continues to grow, we continue to work three or four jobs between Blake and I to make ends meet.

We believe in this work, we feel good providing quality meats and eggs to our community.

We rest our heads at night with a peace that we are giving it our all and working our tails off in the process.

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We focus on keeping our mindset positive and progressive. We have hard days but we remind ourselves of where we have come from and where we are going and that ANYTHING is possible.

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We are super grateful for the good people like you that come into our lives who we get to raise food for.

These little interactions where a customer recognizes by the wrinkles on our hands and the dirt under our fingernails that we are working hard and putting our everything into it, makes our work so much sweeter.

So thank you for sharing your life with us.

Thank you for being our customers.

And thank you for taking the time to read this and let me pour out my heart to you.

I’d love to hear if you’ve ever had a time when someone appreciated your work and told you about it?

Yours Naturally,

Julia

Why Mental Health of our Hogs Matter

Today I felt impressed to share with you a little about HOW the mental health of our hogs affects your meat.

There is energy in everything around us. A ray of light, a flower, a field of green grass. A positive thought, a negative thought.

Energy is transferable.

When you read a disturbing headline or hear some bad news it will effect your energy and your mood.

Think for a minute if you watched a really inspirational movie and afterwards you are are on cloud 9, feeling inspired and moved.

You were energetically impacted by that movie.

Lets translate that to the food you consume.

It holds energy too.

A fresh green bean from the garden or farmer’s market has more life energy than a can of green beans off a shelf.

A pork chop from a hog raised indoors, under artificial lights, crowded with it’s siblings, all screeching and squealing at mealtime will have a different energy than a hog raised in an oak forest.

It only makes sense that if the animal you are eating lived a traumatic life that can transfer to you, either in taste or actual energy.

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The mental health of our hogs matter.

To you, to us, to them.

Both Blake and I come from careers in animal behavior and psychology. I studied natural horsemanship and taught my students to read their horses subtle body language. I taught them how to read the ears, eyes, tail, breathing, and sweat patterns of their horses.

Blake came from a career of Wildlife Biology. Also heavy in studying wildlife behavior and patterns. There is a certain savvy that comes from being a student of animals and studying their behavior, living amongst them, and working with them.

I'm sure you have that level of understanding in your area of expertise too.

Just the other day, as we were talking about how natural our pigs live, what a good life they have, and how contrary it is to how grocery store pork is raised, he told me this story:

When he was a young man he was volunteering at a zoo in Germany. His task for the day was to fill in a trench 12" wide in the bears pen. The bear had worn this ditch along the fenceline of his enclosure by pacing back and forth. He remembers that the bear would walk down to one end, stand up on its haunches and pivot the other direction and walk to the other end. Back and forth all day long until it wore a path. That bear was not in a good space mentally. The artificial environment, although humans thought it was pretty and clean, was not what the animal needed.

Pigs who live in confinement have similar displaced behaviors. Things like chewing on the tails of other pigs, excessive squealing, chewing on the bars, frothing at the mouth, climbing over pen walls.

So the solution in that world is clipping teeth, docking tails, building bars that go over the tops of pens and wearing protective ear muffs when they go into the pig barns.

Confinement hogs also live on metal or plastic slats so the manure can be washed through. Their sewage sits in a lagoon underneath them. The odor of any confinement farm is often a big complaint of neighbors, not to mention unpleasant for the hogs.

Blake remembers how noisy it was in the pig barn at feeding time growing up 30 years ago. His dad had 500 pigs at one point, raised conventionally indoors. It was an ear piercing squeal that put you on edge, and is probably part of the reason he is hard of hearing.

Not here on our farm.

Our pigs live in a 5 acre oak grove, in the fresh open air. They enjoy the natural rhythms of sunlight and darkness.

They have logs to turn over, grasses to munch, grubs to dig for, acorns to discover and lots of room to move about.

They live on the dirt, they may even eat the dirt to build their immunity. If they find a patch of clay or charcoal they might eat that too.

They don't need antibiotics, and to catch wind of their poo you have to basically be standing overtop a pile.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, you already have found our farm, but your work is in telling others why you buy from us rather than the cheap meat at Costco or Safeway.

Your contribution can be in sharing the difference between conventional animal farming at the expense of the animal’s well being and what we do.

Please send this blog to a friend who wants to be tuned in energetically to their food.

I’m curious, had you ever thought about energy transferring to you through the food you eat?

What You Get With 1/4 Beef

Buying in bulk can be daunting but I promise you the benefits outweigh the risks. I am here to walk you thorough the process, explain what comes with 1/4 beef, and how it saves you money.

You will love the convenience and peace of mind that comes along with having your own 1/4 beef in your freezer.

A quarter is not the only bulk beef you can buy though! It comes in eighths, halves and wholes also.

So let me explain the differences:

Quarters:

• A quarter beef is recommended for families with 1-2 adults and small children, as long as you also eat other proteins like chicken, pork, lamb, eggs, otherwise you may need a half.

• Will easily fit into a 5-7 cubic foot chest freezer or would take up a quarter of small upright freezer.

• Includes a variety of steaks, roasts, ground beef, organ meat and bones.

• Customizable with how thick you want your steaks, how many per package and roast package size.

• Hanging weight of a quarter ranges between 125-200 pounds, and packaged weight ranges between 90-150 pounds. If you need clarification on the different weights read this: 3 Types of Weights

• You save about $100 buying a quarter verses buying the individual cuts that would come in a quarter. You end up paying about $9/lb for all the cuts across the board, which is the price of our least expensive cut: ground beef. So you are getting the prime cuts like New York Steaks or Ribeye Steaks, which are normally valued at $23-$25/lb for ground beef price, $9/lb.

Here are the typical cuts that come in a quarter beef:

(4-6) Ribeye Steaks

(1-2) Tenderloin Steaks

(2-4) T-Bone Steaks (or New York Steaks + Tenderloin)

(1-2) Sirloin Tip Steaks

(2-3) Top Sirloin Steaks

(1-2) Cross Rib Roasts

(2-3) Top Round Roasts

(4-5) Chuck Roasts

(1-2) Short Ribs

(1-2) bags of broth bones

(40-50) Ground Beef

(2-3) Osso Bucco (aka Beef Shanks)

(1-2) packages liver

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Halves:

• Buying a half you save about $200. You end up paying about $9/lb for all the cuts across the board, which is the price of our least expensive cut-ground beef. So you are getting the prime cuts like New York, Tenderloin and Ribeye Steaks, which are normally valued at $23-$30/lb for ground beef price, $9/lb.

• Recommended for families with 2 adults and 2+ middle school or high school age kids. Also great for families who do not eat other meats such as pork, lamb or chicken.

• With a half beef you double all the cuts above plus:

(1-2) Brisket

(1) Flank Steak

(1) Tri Tip Roast

(2) Skirt Steaks

(1-2) Beef Cheeks

(1-2 lbs) Heart

(1-2) Kidney

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Wholes:

• For large families with 2-4 adults and 2+ teenage kids with big appetites. Great for multigeneration families living together. A lot of families even split up a whole beef when they aren’t living together. The price per pound hanging weight does drop for halves and wholes. And you save about $400 buying a whole beef verses buying individual cuts.

• The only way to get an oxtail is to order a whole beef, sorry friends, there is only one of those per animal!

• Plan on 16-17 cubic feet of freezer space for a whole beef. This would be an entire upright freezer or a medium sized chest freezer.

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Eighths:

• An eighth is a few steaks, a couple roasts and mostly ground beef. You save about $50 buying this way.

• It’s a great sampling of our meats if you’ve never bought in bulk before. Good for single adults or households with 2 adults, or even one adult and one small child.

• An eighth beef can fit in the top freezer portion of a fridge/freezer combo with room left over. It needs about 3 cubic feet.

• Here’s what comes typically in an eighth:

(1) Sirloin Tip Steak

(1) New York Steak

(1) Tenderloin Steak

(2) Ribeye Steaks

(12-15) Ground Beef

(3-4) Stew Meat

(1) Chuck Roast

(1) Sirloin Tip Roast

(1) Broth Bones

(1-2) Osso Bucco

Hopefully this helps give you an idea of what comes with an eighth, quarter, half or whole beef.

Our premium Grass Fed and Finished Beef will be so nice to have at home in your freezer. Less trips to the grocery store, more peace of mind knowing your stocked up for the year.

When you buy in bulk you save money and time, you’re not picking up a piece here and there but the once a year purchase has you covered.

How it works is you first put down a deposit for the quantity of beef you want. You will be put on our waitlist for the next available butcher date, so the sooner you want your beef, the sooner you should reserve it.

Thanks for supporting our family farm and for valuing your health enough to eat Grass Fed meats!

3 Types of Weights: Live, Hanging and Packaged

Often times when you are getting ready to buy in bulk with a half, quarter or eighth beef the question comes up “what is the hanging weight, and why is it different than what I take home?”

It’s easy to get confused about the difference between hanging weight and packaged weight, so I thought I would clear that up.

When we sell in bulk the measurement we use to calculate cost is hanging weight, but there are actually 3 types of weights to be aware of: live weight, hanging weight and packaged weight.

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Live Weight is how much the cow, pig or lamb weighs when it’s alive, on the hoof. Similar to how we weight ourselves, it’s pretty straight forward.

Hanging Weight is a weight the butcher gives us after the animal has been killed, blood drained, head, hide, feet, entrails & organs removed. The hanging weight is usually about 60% of the live weight. So if a cow weighs 1000 lbs live weight its hanging weight will be 600 lbs. A half share would be 300 lbs, a quarter would be 150 lbs and an eighth would be 75 lbs (approximately). This is also the weight the butcher uses to charge us for cutting/wrapping fees. When you buy in bulk we cover all the standard butchering fees in the you pay us. The hanging weight is the most consistent way to measure the carcass before getting into customizing the cuts.

Packaged Weight or sometimes referred to as Final Weight or Take Home Weight is how much you, the customer, take home after it has been packaged. This is usually 60-65% of the hanging weight. The loss comes from 2 places: `water loss and bone loss. Water loss occurs during the dry aging process where the beef is allowed to hang for 10-14 days to tenderize. The second place you might loose weight is from cutting the meat off the bones. So the more boneless cuts the customer requests the less the packaged weight will be. It’s important to point out that lower weight doesn’t mean you are receiving less meat, but rather than you are receiving fewer bones. If you request marrow or knuckle bones for making broth you retain some of this weight.

This is a guide to go by, but always an approximation. The weights vary between individual animals and butchering style. While we try to use the same butcher to stay consistent, we occasionally use other butchers who offer a variety of cuts and more timely butchering appointments.

Hopefully this information was helpful if you’re considering buying a beef share. As always, reach out if you have any questions!

Simple Tuscan Soup

This recipe comes together quickly for a homemade weeknight meal that you don’t have to spend hours making.

It uses Nourished With Nature Pastured Pork + homemade chicken broth and a few other fresh ingredients that make it hardy, warm, nutrient dense and customizable to your diet preferences.

Serves 4, double it for lunch leftovers!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Nourished With Nature Italian or Fresh Ground Pork Sausage

• 1 Tbsp Nourished With Nature Pork Lard

• 1 large onion (or 3 small if they are homegrown)

• 1 head of garlic (or 8 cloves) pressed or diced

• 2 Tbsp dried Italian Herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary)

• 4 medium size russet potatoes (can substitute cauliflower), peeled and diced into 1” chunks

• 2 Quarts Chicken Broth made from Nourished With Nature pastured chickens (about 8 cups)

• 1 bunch of fresh spinach (kale or chard also work), washed and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Over medium to high heat cook pork sausage with lard in large stock pot, browning then crumbling until it’s cooked all the way through.

2. Add in onion and cook 1-2 minutes until translucent

3. Add in garlic and dried herbs and cook until you can smell the garlic becoming fragrant

4. Add in diced potatoes

5. Add in broth and simmer until potatoes are cooked through (about 10 min)

6. Turn off heat and add in chopped spinach, allowing to wilt

7. Serve up into bowls and enjoy!

Cook pork sausage in a large stock pot over medium high heat, browning and crumbling

Dice up onion, garlic and herbs and add into sausage.

Cook onions and garlic with sausage until translucent and fragrant.

Add in your diced potatoes.

Add in chicken broth and simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Turn off heat, add in spinach.

Enjoy with a slice of crusty artisan bread or a side salad!

What substitutions are you going to make?

Are you eating Paleo, following the Carnivore diet or eating gluten free?