Sometimes I just don’t have time to cook a big meal after I get home from work. I still want us to eat well, but I need to have something quick. These meatballs can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until it’s time to cook them. Cook the beans ahead of time, too, and…
(Read all the way to the end for information about our annual Shearing Day open house!) When it’s cold outside, my thoughts turn to wool, and what a great resource it is. Here’s a quick Wool 101 class. Wool is renewable. Sheep are shorn once a year, providing a good supply of new wool all…
Perfect for a cool fall or winter evening
One of the things we’ve learned from people at the farmers market is how few people actually cook anymore. It might be a dying skill. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Let me guess—you don’t have 60 minutes each day to spend in the kitchen? Neither do I. Let’s try one or two…
Article by Rich C. Lakeberg, Ottawa County Department of Strategic Impact (posted with permission) The West Michigan growing season may not have started yet, but the Ottawa County Agriculture Preservation Board is celebrating a bumper crop after officially protecting its sixth property, Shady Side Farm, with the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. This agreement guarantees…
I know you’ve been looking at seed catalogues lately. It’s still plenty cold outside, but now is the time to dream. And as you plan, I’d like to encourage you to consider incorporating wool in your garden. Why you should use wool: Conserves water. Wool holds 20-30x its own weight in water and releases it…
We definitely eat differently in the winter. More oven, less grill. More low and slow, less eat and run. And in my humble opinion, lamb shanks are best saved for fall/winter eating. Although they are an easily overlooked cut, you will be surprised and delighted once you try them. This recipe is a little work…
Years ago I had an online conversation with someone about sheep shearing that made me realize that there are a lot of misconceptions. It was a startling conversation, and no matter what I said, I couldn’t help the other person to understand that what she believed about the process didn’t match reality. At all. It…
I just made this delicious heirloom bean and lamb stew. It’s turned cold again, and this hearty meal is a great option for a cold winter evening. The Farmer reports that it was tasty, hot and filling. (He usually doesn’t use any more words than necessary.) Our daughter was visiting at the time, and made the…
This is the time of year that we are in planning mode. I just finished setting up all the harvest dates for the year for our lamb and beef, and that feels good. I thought you might like a little glimpse into what we have in store this year with our grass-fed meats so that you…