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Time to Celebrate

6/13/2023

We've been so busy we almost forgot to celebrate a monumental moment in our farm journey with you! Last month we closed on 120+ acres of the farmland we have been renting. This is truly momentous - for beginning farmers accessing farmland let alone purchasing it is pert near impossible.

So CHEERS and thank you to our community farm members for helping us get here! While we have secured the financing, if you feel inclined to contribute to our farm's regenerative agricultural mission you can make a donation to our farm fundraiser.

Father's Day is just around the corner and we've put together a Father's Day Gift Bundle for the beloved father figure in your life. You can choose to get the Father's Day Gift Bundle in a gift box for $55 or in one of our quality logo cooler bags for $65.

Tamara is back at farmers markets this weekend! Saturday is her monthly visit to the St. Croix Falls Farmers Market and Sunday she returns to Kingfield (probably). Stay tuned to our social media pages for any updates or changes.

Thank you for celebrating with us,
Tamara & Chris Johnson

Summer Markets & Skillet Roasted Pork Chops w/ Spring Veggies

5/7/2023

May is month full of excitement - Lambs are being born out on pasture. The cattle are looking for ways to jump the fences because you know, the grass is always greener. Spring flowers are buzzing with bees and the pigs are laying in the mud.

Our family is soaking in all these wonders this weekend, because Saturday, May 14 is the kick-off of Summer Farmers Market Season.

New this season! Find us at the St. Croix Falls Farmers Market the third Saturdays of May-October. We'll continue to take pre-orders for markets and for our Western WI followers Friday On-Farm pickups. Psst - on-farm orders receive 15% through Memorial Weekend.

In hopes that spring will cooperate, we've put together a Grill Season Bundle. Save 10 % on some BBQ essentials. Plus check out the recipe below for Skillet Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Vegetables and Mustard Sauce.

Happy spring,
Tamara & Chris Johnson

P.S. Don't forget to place an order by Thursday at noon for the best Grassfed Meat!!!

Skillet Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Vegetables and Mustard Sauce
RECIPE COURTESY OF GEOFFREY ZAKARIAN

CAFO update & Oven-Roasted Pork Loin Recipe

4/9/2023

Our community breathed a sigh of relief this week as the Wisconsin DNR rejected Cumberland LLC's permit application for a hog CAFO due to lacking a complete nutrient management. Simply put - they did not have a good plan for managing all that manure and waste!

Those who have been following us since 2019 know the story. Out-of-state developers have been applying to site what would be the largest factory farm in the state of Wisconsin. They chose a region vulnerable to runoff pollution with its abundant freshwater lakes and streams - the St Croix River Valley. A location within sniffing distance of some your favorite farmers. They used unethical and, what may be determined as, illegal methods to push industrial pork production on our community.

Thanks to the diligent grassroots efforts of the people of Burnett and Polk county for protecting our rural community including the land, water, air, the living and the non-living.

Thank you to our customers for voting with your fork - for choosing to buy food from sustainable farms like ours. Over 90% of the meat and eggs consumed in the United States comes from CAFOs. Intentional customers like you are essential to the survival of sustainable farms.

-Tamara

OVEN-ROASTED STUFFED PORK LOIN
BY KITA DEC 30, 2019, UPDATED JUL 02, 2022

Grill, Braise, Roast, Saute

3/19/2023

Have you ever tried a Coppa Steak? What about a Tri tip? Buying in bulk from our farm can give you access to cuts you won’t necessarily find in your grocery store, which is all the more reason home cooks should give it a try.

If you’re nervous about how to cook new cuts, our friends over at the Good Meat® Breakdown have created easy guides for learning how to cook any cut with simple cooking methods.

It’s all about knowing where the cut came from on the animal. Harder working muscles, like roasts from the shoulder or legs, need to be cooked at a lower heat for a longer amount of time (low and slow!) - making them great for braising or roasting. Less-used muscles, like the tenderloin or loin chops, can be cooked more quickly over high heat, making them excellent candidates for the grill or in a sauté pan. After that, turning any cut into a meal can be as simple as adding your favorite sauce, vegetable and starch.

Just like our chef and farmer friends, Tia and Matthew Raiford, say: Grill. Braise. Roast. Sauté. That’s it! If you know those four cooking methods, you’ll be able to cook any cut you buy from Johnson Family Pastures. Cooking any of the cuts from our bulk shares is easy, and you’ll barely have to plan ahead aside from moving a few cuts at a time from the freezer to the fridge.

Bulk Buying From Johnson Family Pastures Is Easy

3/13/2023

Stock Up
Ordering meat in bulk means more possibilities in the kitchen and less stress for your meal planning. But it requires thinking ahead, and we’re here to help. Before picking a bulk option, like a meat bundle or share, it’s helpful to think about how much meat your household consumes.
To do so, use the simple chart below. Then, think about which size share might make sense for you. Before going all in on a whole hog, you could try a smaller pork or beef sampler bundle, and see how it fits with your cooking habits.

How to Store
One of the common questions we get from bulk buying customers is how much space they’ll need at home to store all the cuts that come in their share. For many of our shares, you’ll be able to fit them neatly in the freezer you already have. Check out these graphics to get a better sense of how much space you’ll need.

Win a Free Chest Freezer!
If you’re daydreaming about having more space to stock up our meat and make fewer trips to the store, then you should enter our Local Meat, Local Flavor sweepstakes to win a free chest freezer, virtual cooking classes from Meredith Leigh and The Fermentation School, or an ultra-accurate, digital meat thermometer from Bunzl! To enter, head here.

An Irish Blessing and Corned Beef

2/25/2023

The house on our farm came with an old Irish blessing that I want to share with you -

"Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps the kindly light of hope - and though I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams teach me to be thankful for life and for time's olden memories that are good and sweet - and may the evenings twilight find me gentle still."

Our corned beef is made with our 100% grassfed beef, Irish beer, and good clean seasonings. No synthetic nitrates, nitrites, or msg. It's simply excellent when served with cabbage for the Feast of St. Patrick.

Placing an order today helps us figure out how many roasts to put in the brine for this year's batch of Corned Beef.

Wishing you the luck of the Irish,
Tamara

Celebrate National CSA Week

2/19/2023

Support Farmers who you can Know and Trust. Celebrate National CSA week by signing-up for a meat share from our regenerative farm.

Have a Bounty of Good Meat on Hand. Buying in bulk is like having a butcher shop in your freezer. It makes meal planning easier and gives you a sense of assurance in your kitchen.

If this is your first time buying meat in bulk, don’t worry! Stocking up is not as hard as you think. Ordering and storing your grassfed meat means a little planning for a big payoff.
Experiment with New Recipes. Buying in bulk means you’ll often get cuts you won’t get anywhere else. Knowing just a few simple cooking methods will make cooking these cuts easy and fun.

Not Ready to go Whole Hog? You could try our Beef and/or Pork Bundles and see how it fits with your cooking habits. These are available for order online.

We look forward to being your farmers this season,
Tamara & Chris Johnson

P.S. Don't wait! We have a limited number of shares this year and spots fill up quickly.

Isn't Coulotte a style of pants? No silly, it's a steak worth trying.

12/29/2022

This boneless, tender beef steak boasts bold flavor. Cut from the sirloin cap, this unique cut can be baked or barbecued whole, or cut into portion sized steaks.

The coulotte, aka Picanha steak, is a staple in Brazilian steakhouses where it is served with chimichurri sauce. Coulotte can be prepared many ways, while traditional picanha is always skewered and grilled.

This cut is nearly impossible to find in the grocery store and when you do it is often cut too thin to grill or bake. We request that our meat cutters leave the coulotte whole so that you have a variety of options for preparation.

We've included a couple recipes below to use as a guide. During the winter season I like to top this steak with an herb butter, serving it with sides of potatoes and brussels sprouts.

You may want to pull out the meat thermometer for this cut - the key to making a juicy and tender Coulotte is a dry-rub and not overcooking it.

COULOTTE STEAK
November 20, 2021 | Updated December 28, 2022 By Milena Perrine

Happy Holidays from your Farmers

12/13/2022

Blessed is the season that engages the whole world in the conspiracy of love
- Hamilton Wright Mabel

Our family has settled into our winter routine. Daily chores change with the season. Chris is moving bales of hay to our livestock instead moving the animals across the pasture. Tamara is spending more time analyzing the sales than making them. The work hours are gratefully shorter, often matching the day-length.

We take the opportunity during this winter season to play and spend quality time with family. To cook, share, and eat elegant dishes with locally-raised ingredients. To share in the joy of the season. We wish the same for you and yours.

Happy Holidays,
Tamara & Chris Johnson

P.S. Yes, that is the only family photo we have from 2022.

Grassfed Holiday Gifts & Prime Rib Roast w/ Fresh Herbs Recipe

12/5/2022

Whether you are an elf or a Grinch, having a kitchen well stocked with quality ingredients is exactly what we all want this holiday season.

We only have a couple farmers markets before the holidays. Now is the time to order -

Grassfed Holiday Roasts
Local Food Gift Bags
New Year's Eve Steaks
Handmade Soaps & Gift Certificates

While I'm notoriously a Grinch, I've learned to enjoy the holidays more by simplifying our holiday obligations. We'll be enjoying simple celebrations at home with family and really good food.Wishing you a peaceful holiday,
Tamara & Chris

Grassfed Prime Rib Roast with Fresh Herbs
by Puget Consumers Co-op

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Skillet Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Vegetables and Mustard Sauce ​RECIPE COURTESY OF GEOFFREY ZAKARIAN

OVEN-ROASTED STUFFED PORK LOIN​BY KITA DEC 30, 2019, UPDATED JUL 02, 2022

COULOTTE STEAK November 20, 2021 | Updated December 28, 2022 By Milena Perrine

Grassfed Prime Rib Roast with Fresh Herbsby Puget Consumers Co-op

Categories

Skillet Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Vegetables and Mustard Sauce
RECIPE COURTESY OF GEOFFREY ZAKARIAN

OVEN-ROASTED STUFFED PORK LOIN
BY KITA DEC 30, 2019, UPDATED JUL 02, 2022

COULOTTE STEAK
November 20, 2021 | Updated December 28, 2022 By Milena Perrine

Grassfed Prime Rib Roast with Fresh Herbs
by Puget Consumers Co-op