Ninja Cow Farm LLC

October 25, 2016March 8, 2017

NRCS grazing update

The pasture nearest the golf course continues to be the best field on the farm. This is despite the traffic generated by feeding the pigs.

Driving the tractor over there every day has severely compacted the path we use. Combined with the area the cows lounge in that is now devoid of grass and we have our work cut out for us along that narrow strip. The rest of the pasture looks awesome though. Topsoil continues to build and is now reaching about 2.5 – 3″ of rich topsoil.

Grazing stake and green grass

Pre-grazing grass. About 14″ tall.This picture is well into October and the grass has begun to go dormant but there is still lots of grass available.

Grazing stake, post grazing — Post grazing, 4-6″ grass remaining

Because this was the last grazing, we grazed this area more than normal.

The area where we drive the tractor has begun getting treated with large amounts of wood chips. I’ve given up on recovering the grass that we had. Instead I’m focusing on absorbing the water that is being trapped and adding organic matter to break down and help with the compaction. We also added a new trailer to our plan which allows us to only make one trip vs. 4-5 each day. This really cuts down on the traffic.

When it’s time to recover this area, it will be very rich with broken down chips, heavy with topsoil, and prime for turning back into grass. We also expect dirt to come from a jobsite in Garner, 26,000 yards of it. We’ll use it to shape our swales and get the water to go where we want it. We’ll also raise the areas where we drive so they no longer hold water.

October 25, 2016

Please let us know if you bought eggs last weekend

Saturday late in the day Lucy noticed that the cooler under our counter was warmer than it should be. That’s not unusual during the day as the door is open and closed often however when I checked it, I found that it wasn’t maintaining temperature as it should. We only keep water and eggs in this cooler because it’s already let us down once before. Eggs don’t NEED to be refrigerated but they keep fresher if they are. Of course, you can’t hurt water but it’s nice to have it cool and crisp.

However, when I cooked breakfast Sunday, I made sure to use eggs from the store to check them. I noted that our farm fresh eggs were not as fresh as they should be. We still ate (and are eating) them at our house, and they tasted fine BUT, they are not the fresh eggs we would sell to our customers.

So, if you bought some eggs this weekend, and you’re not happy with them, just pop in and let us know and we’ll give you replacement eggs and our apologies for your trouble. No need to bring the old eggs back. Make scrambled eggs for your dog.

As for our under counter cooler? As soon as we get time, we’ll pull it and get it back to the shop to figure out this problem. In the meantime, I have an appointment today to buy a new commercial fridge for the store. More capacity, more cooling, and less trouble, I hope.

October 22, 2016

The kids are working today, and there are warm cookies

The girls got up early and made chocolate chip cookies. They were at work on time (8am) and Spork was already up giving tours first thing this morning. They are doing great.

Kids at work in farm store — What work is supposed to look like

They cleaned the store, set out the cookies, goat cheese samples, and have everything ready to go.

However the reality of this moment was actually the below picture, not the picture above.

Kids playing on iPad in the store — Ohh? An iPad? Shiny! Press buttons!

They are actually writing a story on the iPad to entertain themselves in between customers. The first picture’s instruction from me was, “Alright, pretend you’re working!” Go back and look at that first picture. Pretty good pretending, right? I’m so doomed when it’s a boyfriend they are pretending they aren’t dating. Sigh.

Stop by and get some cookies, milk, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, etc today so the kids aren’t pretending to work. If they spend more than about 10 minutes without a customer, they start playing. More than 20 minutes, and they start trying to kill each other.

Save a life! Buy some hamburger! We are here till 5pm.

October 22, 2016October 20, 2016

Congratulation to our friends!

One of our farmer friends, Adam’s Vineyards (we carry their wine in the store) was just recently featured on WRAL for being a century farm. This means they’ve been farming the same plot of land, in the same family, for over 100 years. Adams has been farming this land since the 1700s!

It’s not their first press, by far, but it’s great to see them get some recognition.

Click here to see the video.

October 21, 2016October 20, 2016

We have fresh beef showing up today

This morning Lucy and I will be riding to Siler City to pick up our latest cow’s worth of meat. That means we’ll have shiny new beef for you, and all cuts in stock, by the time Lucy opens at 2pm on Friday. It also means we’ll still be well stocked this Saturday so if you’d prefer to get a fresh chocolate chip cookie with your beef, come Saturday 8-5 instead and indulge.

On the way home from Siler City, we’ll stop off at Celebrity Goat Dairy and pick up new cheese, and Mango gelato! A brand new flavor just for us. (Did I mention that SWMBO LOVES mango?) Well Brit said if I ordered enough, he’d make me some. SWMBO will be a happy girl, and you can be one too (unless you’re dude, then you’re on your own 🙂

Boston butt pork steaks — New cuts! Boston butt steaks

We also restocked on pork Thursday, along with chicken and dairy so all in all we have goodies for you in the store. Lucy and the processor had some sort of high end meat cut conversation this last time. I didn’t follow it all but I know she was ordering new stuff. I opened one of the boxes and discovered what you see above. Boston Butt Steaks! If that’s not a pork ribeye, I don’t know what it is. I’m ready to slap it on a plate and try it out, but SWMBO already has the menu set for this week. Next week, we are trying these! If you want to beat me to the punch, we have plenty of them to try. Just let me a few!

The only thing missing in the store is we were shorted all of our heavy cream this week (they were out!) so I’m sorry if you are a coffee drinker! We will restock heavily next week on cream but EVERYTHING else is in stock, including pet milk so stop by today or tomorrow.

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016

Update on cows for the next year or two part 2

So we weighed our cows and found…. what? Who cares? If you like steaks, then you should.

Remember when I said that you get a weight of 1100-1200 for grass finished cows? That’s what everything I read and hear says in the industry. However lets look at the first two cows in that list.

#39 – Yellow – 1516
#Steve 10- Red – 1457

#39 was born on our farm in February of 2014. He is grass fed, grass finished. He’s never had anything in is diet except grass, hay, and produce. He’s not a bully, doesn’t push others out of the way. He is a completely normal cow, except we’ve held him, quite by accident, past the 24 month window until he’s actually 30 months old. When we weighed him in June of 2016, he weighed 1289 pounds. A great weight, but look what happened in the last four months. He’s gained 227 pounds and that’s after he was already “fully grown!”

Maybe he just had great genetics. Some people are tall. Some are short. Maybe. But Steve 10 is from another farm. A different breed, different genetics, same diet, same time frame. He’s probably 32 months old and he’s right there in weight, not 50 pounds different and well over the 1100-1200 target. So it’s likely not genetics. My thought is it’s time.

It’s expensive for a cattleman to keep cows in the pasture. The grass #39 is eating could be used to raise two smaller cows. But we aren’t in the in cattle production business. We are in the, “Oh my God! This is the best steak I’ve ever had!” business. In other words, we are a retail store, not a factory. We strive for quality, not quantity. By holding this cow for another six months, we’ve gotten a cow to the weight that a normally grain finished cow would attain. WITHOUT GRAIN! The last several cows we’ve finished have all been at these weights meaning we are hopefully establishing a trend of finishing some awesome cows. Our yields at the processor have certainly gone way up. Last year we got about 525-550 pounds of hanging weight. The last cow had a hanging weight of over 800 pounds. Per the grass experts, any yield over 550 pounds is really good. We’re beating that by 250 pounds!

I have no idea if we are making money at this currently. I’ll be working to figure out the logistics and economics of 30 month cycles for cows vs 18-24 month normal cycles. But if higher yields mean better results, we are on to something. And if the comments from customers about their steaks mean anything (they mean EVERYTHING) then we are definitely onto something.

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016

Update on cows for the next year or two part 1

Last week we ran our finish herd across our scales here in the barn yard before moving them onto new pasture and starting our rotation all over again. This is something we do a few times per year to see where we are in our progress, and where we are going for the upcoming years. It takes about two years till a cow is ready to process, so sitting here in fall of 2016, I’m planning on what my needs will be in fall of 2018. It takes a bit of a crystal ball, as I’m sure you can appreciate.

We currently have some cows in the finish herd that were born on our farm, some that were born at another farm a few years ago, and our newest batch that came from a certified Organic farm in South Carolina. Going forward, our home grown cows and our SC cows will be our primary source for beef.

Finishing cows is something that I had to learn about when we decided we’d change the way we farmed. I thought, originally, that you just kept them a bit longer and then processed them instead of selling them. This is a common misconception. Since we are grass fed AND grass finished, finishing cows is the hardest part of this business. I’ve been told by more than one experienced cattleman that you CAN’T finish cows on just grass. It took us years to get it right and I’m still learning every day.

One of the things you have to adjust to is that a grass finished cow weighs only about 1100-1200 pounds vs the 1400-1500 pounds that a grain finished cow does. This means less yield for the farmer, less fat in the meat, and maybe a bit tougher meat as a result. However, we’ve come across a happy circumstance this last weighing. First, let me list the weights.

Ear tag number, then color, then the weight in pounds

#39 – Yellow – 1516
#Steve 10- Red – 1457
#42 – Red – 787
#A9 – Yellow – 810
#A12 – Yellow – 902
#A2 – Yellow – 668
#37 – Red – 632
#13 – Red – No weight
#50 – Red – 428
#A5 – Yellow – 515
#21 – Red – 987
#43 – Yellow – 1289
#A1 – Yellow – 677
#46 – Yellow – 1154
#47 – Yellow – 1006
#54 – Yellow – 817
#A3 – Yellow – 764 (Hard to read)
#A4 – Yellow – 908 (Crazy)
#41 – Red – 689
#57 – Yellow – 810
#LF18 – Red – 1219
#A10 – Yellow – 650
#A8 – Yellow – 524
#A6 – Yellow – 753
#55 – Yellow – 755
#30 – Red – 875
#759 – Red – 1255
#40 – Red- 743
Bernice (Milk cow’s baby initial weight) 508

What does all this mean? That’s the next post.

October 20, 2016October 19, 2016

Pork Osso Bucco Ragout

Last week left me without much time to cook. Due to Hurricane Matthew most meals were eaten at friends houses or out. Then the end of the week was so busy with obligations that dinner was out once again. Now the evenings are longer and cooking is something I want to fill our home as well as our stomachs.

NCF carries pork osso bucco for $4.50 lb. Osso bucco comes in all sizes, from small to large. Personally I prefer the smaller more delicate cuts.They take less time to cook and are very flavorful. Fortunately we carry all sizes in the store. The tomatoes, potatoes and sage came from the NCF garden making this a fairly inexpensive dinner for our family. Ragout is a french stew of vegetables usually served with meat. I served the Ragout on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes although rice polenta or noodles would serve wonderfully.

Pork Osso Bucco Ragout

3 lbs Pork Osso Bucco
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tsp + 2 Tbsp kosher salt
1Tsp + 1 TBSP (divided) fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp Dried Sage Leaves (Not Rubbed)
1 cup Sherry
1 cup unsalted Beef Broth
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups diced tomatoes – I used frozen tomatoes from our summer garden it was about 1/2 cherry tomatoes and 1/2 beefsteak tomatoes.
1 large yellow onion sliced
5 crushed cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 280 degrees
In a 6 qt dutch oven heat EVOO on med heat till glistening
Add Onion, Garlic, 1 Tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper cook until onions start browning .
Remove onion & garlic to a spare bowl
Turn burner up to med-hi
Salt & Pepper pork with remaining S&P
Brown Pork on each side about 3 min just until it releases from pan.
Remove pork to spare plate
Deglaze pan with Sherry
Add in broth & Apple Cider Vinegar

Now we are going to stack our ingredients

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Into the liquid place the onions and garlic
Place the Pork Chops
Cover with dried Sage leaves
Cover with tomatoes
Place lid on dutch oven and place in stove for 2 hours
Remove pork
On a med lo burner place the dutch oven on it uncovered let simmer and reducing until reduce by 1/2
Add pork in simmer for 10 min
Remove and serve over a starch of your choice.

October 18, 2016

Braised Lamb Shanks with Red Wine

Fall has finally arrived here in North Carolina, the past few days I have been at the NC Choices Women in Meat Conference. The Conference was held at a camp over in Efland, NC. There the leaves were beginning to change slightly. I came back with many new ideas full of inspirations from the talented women I was surrounded by.

With cool mornings and crisp sunsets it is time for some heavier flavored dishes. Lamb can be a finicky creature but the shanks are a great part to start with as a beginner. They can take a bit of abuse with cooking times and still turn out melting in your mouth. Lamb Shanks are a cool weather treat when braised with Carrots & Prunes. My braising liquid will be Red Wine. The wine lifts the flavor of the lamb and the prunes add a sweetness without leaving the savory realm.

In the NCF Store we carry Pasture Raised Lamb from High Rock Farm and Thistle Down Farm. The shanks are priced at $10 lb. The dish I am making with the shanks pairs well with Rice, Quinoa or Roasted Potatoes. Each Shank should yield about 1 1/2 servings and are packaged in twos. Dinner for 4 will run about $25 making it a great alternative to a leg of lamb if you have a small family. And at this cost you don’t need an occasion to make it. Lamb warms your soul with its depth of flavor.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Red Wine

4 Lamb Shanks
2 TBSP EVOO
2 6″ sprigs of Rosemary
2 cups red wine (for cooking I rely on Rex Goliath Pinot Noir)
1 cup diced prunes
1/2 cup diced carrots
4 crushed garlic cloves
Salt & Pepper to taste

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Preheat oven to 350
In a Dutch Oven heat EVOO on med hi heat
Season shank with salt & pepper
Working in batches of 2 shanks brown shanks on all sides
Remove shanks to cutting board
Reduce heat to medium add in prunes, carrots & garlic, brown about 3 minutes
Pour in red wine deglazing the pan ( run a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan to get up the crispies)
Add in the lamb shanks
Rest Rosemary on lamb shank cover and place in oven
Cook for 60-90 min. Lamb shanks size are dependent on the lamb if smaller they will cook faster. You want the meat to pull away gently with a fork. If it is not place back in stove and check in another 15 minutes. Lamb shanks take abuse of heat easily so do not fret if you are new to this.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

October 14, 2016October 14, 2016

Hurricane Matthew relief with the Civil Air Patrol part 4

You have to remember, Spork has never attended school. He has been home schooled since day one. We were billeting in a public school where folks from the community were staying in the gym. We, however, were given a hallway of classrooms to ourselves. When we walked in, I expected to stop and explain to the nice folks at the front who were were to gain access. They just smiled and waved us on. I forgot we were in uniform, the perks of being part of the team. The male cadets all went in one room. The few female cadets all went into another room across the hall. Cots were procured from the red cross and snacks were readily available.

Civil Air Patrol cadet billeting in a classroom. — Spork, in a classroom for the first time

I did remark to Spork that this was school, finally. The fact that he played football, and slept with a bunch of his friends, made school look pretty good. But the idea of being locked into one of these desk/chair things didn’t seem to have any appeal to him. Plus I couldn’t get him to take a shower in the gym shower. No shower curtain, but exposed to the locker room? Ahh middle school, it brought back memories.

Spork, while roaming outside looking for a phantom playground the cadets had heard about did get stopped by the police marking this as his first official run-in with “the man.” Being in uniform and part of the team limited the amount grief they received to “almost nothing” but it was another milestone.

We awoke to another day, got everyone up and cleaned up the school. Then it was another meeting at the EOC where, small world, I ran into the son of one of my former employees. That was a real treat. He had joined the Air Force and was now a Guardsman medic. He had been activated for support as well.

Then we had a trip to the warehouse with the guard to get supplies and onto another POD to serve another community. Once again, the kids were exemplary and a credit to teenagers everywhere. Once we finished for the day, it was back to the EOC for debrief and dinner, where we learned we were suddenly done. Spork and I jumped into the truck and headed West for home trying to get there before dark. We’d heard stories all day of washed out roads, flooded bridges, etc. We didn’t want to drive in these conditions in the dark. But thankfully we made it with no issues right on time.

We arrived after dark but before bedtime and finally had a chance to sleep in our own beds. But not before Spork asked if he could cancel his awesome class I had scheduled for him this weekend, and his airsoft adventure for next week. Instead he wanted to go to Lumberton to be part of the next POD and assist wherever he could. It’s true, the more you give, the more you want to give. I’m trying to work it out to see if we can get away again. We’ll see.