Breaking Out the Crockpot for Grass Fed Beef!

Saturday was a beautiful day for a drive!

Becky and I spent a gorgeous early spring afternoon driving up to Robinson's Farm in Hardwick, Ma in a quest for raw milk... so off we went! It was a great drive through fields and woods bordered by old stone walls. We finally got to the farm and saw that the "stand" was just a little room off of the main house, but inside there were treasures to be had! Robinson Farm sells organic eggs, organic raw milk, yogurt, some goat cheese (cheveres), and then there is grass fed veal and beef! I definitely needed milk and there was one 1/2 gallon so I take it as a sign that it was meant for me! But in the freezer there is grass fed stew beef and beef bones! I feel like I've hit the jackpot! I have never had grass fed beef before and I haven't gotten to really cook in my new appartment yet, so I picked up two pounds of stew meat.

I am currently reading Real Food by Nina Planck. I read something very interesting about cooking grass fed beef. As I understand it grass fed beef is a bit leaner than factory farm beef, so one of the problems is that it is a little easier to overcook. Planck recommends two methods, either "cook it very quickly and keep it rare; or cook it slowly with moisture." (Planck, 119-120) So I plan on making a beef stew in my slow cooker. So a couple carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, along with a onion and herb soup packet and several hours on low will hopefully give me a nice beef stew tomorrow! I also found a bottle of Jerram Winery Northeaster... a red wine from a local vineyard here in Connecticut... I am hoping that the bottle, which has been sitting around for a while, will still be good and that it will add some depth to my stew. I look forward to trying it out!

It's maple season and Becky and I hope to check out some sugar houses now that the thaw is upon us! As I eat beef stew I will be dreaming of pancakes and french toast with local maple syrup!

Simply,
Aimee