Venison Stew

A friend gifted us with a lovely venison roast from a recent hunting trip- seriously, if you aren't a hunter, make sure you're at least friends with one. I happen to love venison; it is a stronger flavored meat than beef, but I don't think it's as "gamey" as some of the others out there. Alex, on the other hand, seems to pick up on that flavor and isn't as big a fan of it as I am. (Which is pretty much the only reason we haven't gone deer hunting yet...)

Anyway- back to the roast. Alex saw a recipe on Facebook that looked pretty good at first glance, but when I dug into it a little further- and by that I mean I actually read the recipe, and didn't just drool over the photo- it seemed like it needed some work, for my tastes. The one thing that really stuck out at me was the mention that tomato sauce or vinegar can be used to tame some of the gaminess of the meat, if you're so inclined. So, with that in mind, I grabbed my slow cooker and started thinking.

First, I trimmed off some bits of silver skin that were there, just because I have a "thing" about weird chewy bits of meat. Then, I seasoned the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and the let that rest while I heated a frying pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil was nice and hot, I placed the roast in the pan and seared the meat for a few minutes on each side, in order to get some really nice carmelization going.

While the meat was searing, I chopped up some veggies: onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. As I've mentioned before- I hardly ever measure when I'm making things like this, so... maybe a cup to 2 cups of each, except the celery, which was probably a little bit less by proportion. These were all cut into relatively similar-sized pieces, so that they'd all cook at the same rate.

For the stew base, I used a package of Lipton's (kosher) Onion Soup mix. I know that might sound weird, seeing as how I'm a huge proponent of making things yourself, but I'll tell you what- there are just some things I won't make without it. So, into the crock went the soup mix and the veggies, and the nicely seared roast went in on top of that. I de-glazed my searing pan with some hot water; once the little stuck bits were dissolved I put that liquid into the crock as well. Then, I topped it all off with some boiling water, just up to the level of the veggies. The last ingredient was a pint of plain tomato sauce, from the pantry. I gave the top a little stir, just to incorporate the tomato sauce, then on went the lid and away I went.

Some hours later, everything was finished cooking and the house smelled amazing. I fished out the roast and set it aside to carve up into bite sized chunks. Once that was out f, I added some corn starch in water (maybe 2T in a 1/4 cup of cold water) to thicken the sauce a little bit more. I also threw on a pot of egg noodles to boil, but you could use rice or another grain if you prefer. I finished cubing up the meat, and put that back into the pot while we waited on the noodles. once they were done, I dished everything up and we dug in.

The verdict? Alex was positively over the moon about it! The addition of the tomato sauce really surprised me; it added a nice depth of flavor to the stew and while the venison still tasted like venison (thank goodness!) he said it wasn't gamey at all. I couldn't have been happier with the way it turned out.

What's your favorite way to cook venison?

Making Stock

I use a lot of stock in the kitchen, for everything from the base of a soup to cooking rice or other grains. Does a recipe call for adding water? I'll often sub in stock instead, as it adds nutrients and depth of flavor that water alone can't bring.

Canned or boxed stock from the grocery store can get pretty spendy, though. Even if you skip the organic, and wait until the cans are on sale, you're still (at best) paying dollar for 12 ounces of stock- along with the extras like preservatives and too much salt. Sure, the cans are handy to have in a pinch, but I'd much rather make my own. Not only does that let me control the salt level, but making my own stock lets me use up scraps from the kitchen that would otherwise go to waste.

I keep a designated container in the freezer for veggie scraps. It's nothing fancy, just a one gallon zip-top bag. Every time I cook, I put whatever vegetable trimmings from cooking that meal into the bag, until it's filled. I mostly just keep onion ends and skins, garlic bits, carrot peels and ends, celery leaves, tomato cores and the occasional parsnip for my stock because those are the veggies I prefer. I leave out all brassicas- things like cabbage and broccoli are a little too funky in stock, and potatoes because they'd break down and make everything cloudy. Nothing moldy or slimy- it has to be good enough to eat, after all.

Next comes the chicken... I love making a roasted chicken for dinner. When I don't have time to do it myself, I don't mind picking up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. For $7 we can get at least two meals out of one chicken; even more once you factor in the stock. The bones are really what we're after; once we have our main meal, I'll take whatever meat is left and set that aside for leftovers. If my veggie scrap bag is full, then we move straight on to stock. If not, the bones go in their own container in the freezer, until all of the ingredients are ready.

Once I have everything I need, I break out my roasting pan. The bones and veggies all go in the oven, for at least an hour, at 300F. Roasting them together brings out a whole lot of flavor, and while it's not technically necessary, I think it's worth taking the extra time and wouldn't skip the step. Next, I take everything out of the oven, and the contents of the roasting pan goes into my slow-cooker. I add water to the roasting pan, to loosen up any of the pan drippings- exactly like I would to make gravy. The pan drippings go in the slow-cooker as well, and then I top it off the rest of the way with more water, making sure everything is covered with liquid. On goes the lid, the temperature gets set to low, and I walk away. Well, mostly away. I'll walk back occasionally to stir and check the seasonings- stock definitely needs a little salt, once in a while. I find though, that if my chicken was seasoned well enough to begin with, adjustments are slight.

The longer I can let this cook, the better. This is where my stock crosses over into bone broth territory; I don't consider my stock done until the large bones (like from a drumstick) have softened and start to crumble. What's happened by this time is that the water has begun demineralizing the bone, pulling out calcium and bringing a ton of minerals and amino acids into play. Bone broths are nutritional powerhouses, and are a cornerstone of many traditional diets.

Once I see the bones start to soften, I separate the liquid from the solids by using a colander lined with cheesecloth. The bones and veggies have given up all that they have by this point, so once everything is strained, the cheesecloth bundle goes straight out to the trash. The stock then goes into the fridge, covered, for an overnight chill to make defatting the stock easier. The fat will solidify on top of the stock, making it easy to lift or skim off.

After it's been defatted, I'll either can or freeze my stock, depending on how much time I have. Either way works just fine. Since stock is considered a low-acid food, it needs to be canned in a pressure canner, for about 20 minutes- which ends up being around an hour total with the warm up and cool down factored in. (So yeah, I freeze a lot of stock, except after Thanksgiving, when I have turkey stock to contend with. Bigger carcass means LOTS more stock.)

If you wanted to make some vegetable-only stock, you wouldn't need to cook it for nearly as long- just simmer a couple of hours on the stove, after roasting the veggies at say, 250F or so. Besides that, the possibilities are endless... Beef, Pork, Rabbit, Chicken- those stocks are all made the same way, either with or without veggies added. I think fish stock is done differently, but I don't know for sure. (If I need a fish-based broth, I just use bonito flakes. It's way easier to store.)

Do you make your own stock?

Butchering Day, Part Two

Man, yesterday was tough.

First off, I have to hand it to the guys that came out with the mobile abbatoir (isn't that a nice sounding word?) from Del Fox Meats. They worked together so seamlessly that it was nearly a dance: beautifully orchestrated, every man having a job to do that overlapped with the others. It was really quite stunning to watch, all things considered. From start to finish, they were done with everything -clean up included- in under 45 minutes. (It takes me about that long to process one rabbit. One! Rabbit!!)

I took a lot of photos while they were working, and some of them are very graphic. The ones I've chosen to use today are still powerful images, but in many cases are more so in their perspective than they are in actual blood. Note that I said in many cases- it was butchering day, after all, so there are a few bloody ones. That being said, I'm relegating most of the photos and this post to "after the jump" status. This way, if you don't want to see and/or read about what happened yesterday, you totally don't have to. I get it. This is not for everyone.

If you want to continue, please click below.

Food Preservation: Freezing

Now that the garden is more or less on auto-pilot, it's time for me to focus on getting things brought in and stored for the winter. With the weather still being really warm, however, I don't really have an interest in breaking out the canning supplies and making up huge batches of... anything. I'd much rather put that sort of project on hold for a rainy day. So, I turn to my freezer. It's a great way to put up small batches of produce, keeping things manageable in the kitchen.

Berries lend themselves particularly well to freezing. Yes, the texture can change dramatically once thawed, but with frozen berries I feel like I have more options on their use. I can put them in baked goods, use them in smoothies, make fruit leather, or even make a jam out of them. If I were to can them up front, I'd lose that flexibility. 

Freezing berries couldn't be any easier. First, wash your fruit and let them dry a bit. I just leave them to drip dry in a colander for a few minutes, while I gather up my baking sheet and make sure there's a space cleared in the freezer. Then, I spread the berries out in a single layer, and pop it in the freezer. The next morning (or in a couple of hours, if I remember) the berries are frozen solid and can go into a freezer bag or your container of choice. Since they were frozen individually, they stay separated and I can just measure out whatever I need as I go. 

Veggies are also easy to freeze at home, but they generally need a quick blanch in some boiling water, in order to halt enzyme activity and keep the texture/color at its best. Here's a handy link to the National Center for Food Preservation website and their list of blanching times, by veg. Once the blanching is done, I treat them the same as I do the berries: freeze in a single layer, then portion out into vacuum-sealed bags. I even have a couple of bags of green beans left from last year in the freezer, and they still look and taste great!

I also like to make use of my freezer for pre-cooked meals. Whenever I make a batch of something that I'd consider a one-dish meal (soup, stews, chili, etc.) I like to make a little extra so I can freeze it for lunches or a fast dinner. I like using my straight-sided canning jars for this, as they can go right from the freezer to the microwave (minus the metal ring/lid), if someone's in a hurry.Otherwise, they thaw nicely in the fridge. I generally avoid using jars with a necked-down opening, just because it's harder to get something out if it's still frozen. 

The key to using glass in the freezer is to always remember that liquids expand as they freeze. In order to avoid any shattered containers, I do two things: first, I make sure to leave at least an inch of space between the food and the top of the jar. Second, I initially freeze the jars overnight without their lids on, and then cover them the next morning- no lid means that the filling in the jar has a place to go, if I happen to have overfilled it. If you're not keen on leaving something uncovered, then use some plastic wrap or foil in the interim. Once everything is frozen and the lids are on, the jars stack nicely in the freezer until you're ready to use them. 

Do you make use of your freezer to preserve foods from your garden? Stop by Facebook and tell me about it!

Composting Links

Yesterday, over at Grit, I wrote about how building soil is the most important part of sustainable gardening and growing healthful food. If you missed that post, here's the handy link-  go check that out, first.

There are loads of resources online about building a compost pile, so I thought I'd curate a selection just for you, so you don't have to get mired down in research. I happen to enjoy doing that, but I also know that not everyone else does and/or has the time. Consider it a gift! :)

Articles About Composting

• Different types of compost bins, from the Whatcom County WSU Extension office.
• What can and can't go in a home compost pile, and why.
• What's better than a list within a list? Not much! Check out this collection of resources on small-scale composting, courtesy of our friends at Cornell University.

Videos and Other Resources

• If you aren't sure where your local Cooperative Extension Office is, this locator at the USDA webpage can get you there. Extension offices can help provide you with information specific to your region and unique growing situation.
• Supplies: It amazes me how many things you can buy for composting. Truth be told, you don't need to buy anything. But if building a bin isn't your thing, then click over to Gardener's Supply (there's also an ad in the right sidebar) and type "compost" into their search box in the upper right hand corner. They have everything from bins and tumblers, to little crocks to keep in your kitchen to make collecting scraps easy. (Disclaimer- I am an affiliate of theirs, so anything you purchase through that banner sends a small commission my way, and in turn supports the blog.)
• For us visual learners- here's a great video from Kitchen Gardners International about setting up a compost pile. 
• Here's an entertaining TED talk on composting from Mike McGrath called "Everything You Know About Composting is Wrong".  

Whew, that's quite a lot of info- I hope it helps get you started on the road to composting, if you're not already there. Next week, I'll do this same type of companion piece to the upcoming Grit post, so if you have any composting resources that you would like to share, let me know.

Still have questions about compost? Drop by Facebook and ask away! 

Grow Your Own Food!

Time for a real food shout-out: I wouldn't be promoting this event if I didn't believe that a) this will provide something of value to you, and b) that growing your own food really is one of the most important things that we can do. I'm pleased to be an affiliate for the event, and I hope you'll take a moment to register today! 

The Grow Your Own Food Summit will teach food-growing people, both novices and experts, how to improve the world more than any other event in the last decade. Learn step-by-step instructions for what you can do today to put healthy, trusted food on your table in the future! Plus, it's ONLINE and FREE from July 7-14, 2014.

  
Enthusiastic food growers and community builders, Valerie Kausen and Gary Heine, have created 34 presentations to show you how growing your own food can change your life. This event is truly for everyone... because growing your own food contributes to improved health and connected community. It’s also an activity for the whole family that builds friendships in your neighborhood as you share each other’s skills and interests.

  

Register for FREE now at the following link:

https://nf130.isrefer.com/go/foodreg/Acorn13/

  

WHY ATTEND?

Don’t let anyone else decide what’s in the food you eat! Change your life. Gain access to the information you need RIGHT NOW to optimize your health and connect with both nature and those you love. It’s that simple.

• Learn how to grow and eat healthy, local food.
• Change your health and life, and that of your family, friends and neighbors.
• Feel satisfied that you can depend on yourself.
• Trust your own ingredients.
• Learn how growing your own food helps make your local community stronger.

  

There are serious issues to address related to our health, our community and our planet. The answers begin in your backyard–growing your own food reduces toxicity, transportation and pollution, and gives you a trusted, sustainable source of nutrition and increased happiness.

  

Here are a few of the incredible presenters:

• The Good Food Revolution is Here... Take Action!, by Will Allen, Founder, Growing Power; Winner, McArthur Genius Grant; Farmer; Author, Speaker
• Why Our Current Food System “Just Ain’t Normal” and How to Change It, by Joel Salatin, Sustainable, Maverick Farmer; Lecturer; Author
• How Mushrooms Created, and Can Save, the Living World!, by Paul Stamets, World-renowned Mushroom Researcher; Inventor; Entrepreneur
• Saving Seeds, Growing Food and Ending GMOs Can Save the World, by Vandana Shiva, World-renowned Indian Activist
• The Food Revolution and How GMOs are Disrupting It, byOcean Robbins, Co-founder, Food Revolution Network; Author, Speaker, Educator

  

With 34 presenters sharing their wealth of knowledge, this invaluable (and FREE) resource is intended for you, whether you live in a city or on a farm!

  

Better yet, if you register today, you'll have access to the following FREE GIFTS as soon as you register!

• Food Growing 101, eBook by Gary Heine and Valerie Kausen
• Saving seeds, growing food and stopping GMOs can save the world, 17-minute presentation by Vandana Shiva
• How to create a simple home composter to supercharge your garden soil, 57-minute presentation by Mark Forman 

Come listen to the Grow Your Own Food Summit ONLINE for FREE and be inspired from July 7-14, 2014.

  

Register for FREE at the following link today:

https://nf130.isrefer.com/go/foodreg/Acorn13/

  

We’ll see you at the Summit!

Good Fences and Good Neighbors

On Saturday, Alex and I headed over to the neighbors' house- it was our turn to check on the electric fence and trim back any stray weeds that were encroaching on the hot wire. It was also my first opportunity to see our latest sustainable food project in action: 

If they had names, they might just be Lenny and Squiggy.

 The boys were a little wary of me, at first, despite their barreling across the pasture to see us. They stopped just short of the fence (much to my relief)- maybe 10 feet or so, to get a better look before coming closer. I was more than just a little wary too, I will admit. I don't have personal experience with bovines of any sort, let alone two good-sized steers running at me. So, I opted to make friends the best way I know how: with food. 

I picked a huge handful of grass from my side of the fence, and offered it to the fellas. They seemed pleased with the gift, and apparently figured I must be okay. They came right over to eat the grass and see what else I had. My gloves were interesting to them, as well... I had to keep moving my hands to avoid getting nibbled. They were surprisingly gentle, though, which I wasn't really expecting. Oh, and the white-faced one in front likes having the top of his head scratched, particularly around his ears. 

We didn't spend a lot of time there; it was just a quick stop to check the fence and make sure everyone was doing well, but I was really pleased to finally see our co-op beef plan in action. These guys will spend the summer being rotated between two pastures, getting nice and fat off of the land... and come winter-time our three families will have a nice supply of beef in our freezers. I really couldn't ask for much more.

As usual, I'm super excited to see how this progresses and to learn new things. I've been reading about how other folks raise their beef for years (thanks, Matron of Husbandry and Head Farm Steward!) and while I'm a firm believer that reading is a great foundation, there's nothing quite like hands-on practical learning. Most importantly, though, I have to say a huge thank you to our neighbors Scott and Beth for providing the know how and the home base for this new adventure. I truly couldn't be more grateful.

Have you ever raised your own beef? I'd love to hear about it! Come on over to the Facebook page where you can post photos and tell me all about your experiences with cattle- beef and dairy, both! 

Thursday Links

Hey everyone! Here's a collection of things that caught my eye this week:

• This new-to-me website for canning supplies! Pantry Paratus has a bunch of interesting and useful kitchen supplies. I like it so much, in fact, that I've signed up to be an affiliate. Check out their ad in the sidebar to the right- if you click through and buy something, I'll get a small commission from them. (It's just like that little Amazon box down below... if you buy anything from Amazon through that widget -whether it's something I've listed or not- then I get a little money as well. It all adds up, so keep an eye out for some new advertisers, coming soon!)

• I enjoyed reading this article in Mother Earth News about urban homesteading. It reminded me of when we lived in the city, and how it's possible to live simply and be sustainable, even if you don't have a lot of property to work with. 

• The drought in California is scary stuff, considering how much of our country's food is grown there. Just one more reason to plant your own!

• Another new-to-me blog that I'm loving is Edible Perspective. The author, Ashley McLaughlin, has a great writing style and I am really impressed with her photography. Check out her Photography 101 collection for some great tips on how to take better photos.

• Speaking of photography, here are some more fantastic photos. I love visiting National Parks!!

• I want to make these bread and butter pickles. I have a couple of months to wait, though, I think. Patience, grasshopper. 

• I'm really excited to go here this weekend. If you happen to be in the area, you should go too! If you're not, follow me on Twitter (@acornandthistle) and Instagram (acornandthistle) for updates as I wander around. 

• This article about rabbit recipes in my local newspaper has me thinking about dinner already. Hmm, which one to choose?!?! 

What have you been reading about this week? 

Grit Post

Hi folks! There's a new post up over at Grit...in which I talk about the thoughts behind our decision to start raising meat rabbits, and how it's going so far.

Take a look and let me know what you think!

You can read the full post right here.