Pork

Tips for keeping your farm fresh meat

Stocking freezers is on many minds as we approach winter and I've been answering a lot of questions about the shelf life of frozen meats. With grocery stores full of foods with sundry shelf-lives, it's no wonder we find ourselves confused when it comes to knowing how long something can keep.

That made me decide to share tips I've learned about storing farm-fresh meats over the years. Some of the info is specific to our farm but most of it can be applied to meat from any local farm so feel free to share with friends and family if you feel it could help them too.

I hope this finds you well! Today is full of sunshine and Adam and Silas are out planting one last batch of grass seed into a hay field. I will move on to plant more garlic once I've finished here. All the best to you and feel free to get in touch if you ever have questions about any of our foods.

~ Kelly

FROZEN FACTS:

Fortunately, when buying meats directly from a farm, you are probably getting food much fresher than that in a grocery store. That tends to give you ample time to use it up. Here's why--

  • Typically, meat in a grocery store has been butchered, packaged, and then shipped under refrigeration to the store where it may sit on a shelf for a few weeks to a few months (depending on the product). Once grocery store meat goes home with you, it may be nearing the end of its shelf life.

  • Should you choose to then freeze your refrigerated grocery store meat, the display packaging from the store will not protect the meat well for long-term storage. It is probably wise to use up such products rather quickly, i.e. within a few months.

Whereas our beef, lamb, and pork is frozen immediately after being processed and packaged. It never has time to sit on a shelf, aging in a refrigerated package. This alone keeps it fresher.

  • We also use packaging intended for long-term frozen storage. You may have noticed the lack of air space in frozen meat purchased from a farm. By vacuum sealing the package (the food-nerd term is cryo-vac if you want to sound all fancy), the meat is better protected from temperature fluctuations and freezer burn.

  • When kept in a stable freezer environment, meat cuts packaged this way have a long storage life -- up to a few years.

On our farm we've always made sure to sell our frozen meat cuts within one year of having them packaged. It's worth pointing out that we are currently selling most of our meat within a month or two of having it processed and packaged - about as fresh as a small farm can get.

I think the most important thing to know is that well-packaged farm meats kept well and consistently frozen can remain good for years. So if you're inclined to stock up, you needn't worry if you can't eat through it all within a few weeks or months. YOU HAVE TIME.
I once found a steak which had been set aside for us farmers to eat for SIX YEARS before I thawed and cooked it... It was just fine. :)

FROZEN TIPS:

  • A clean freezer prevents off-flavors. Clean any spills and defrost as necessary or recommended to prevent any funky freezer build-up.

  • Keep your freezer as cold as possible when storing meats. Remember that cold air sinks and so the coldest part of your freezer will be the bottom - keeping meats on or near the bottom can help ensure they remain at a stable temperature.

  • Handle your meat packages with care - tossing them about can break the vacuum seal and create a loose package that won't keep as well long term. Over time, loose packages allow freezer burn and potentially for the meat to take on a "freezer flavor".

  • There are some products where a tight vacuum seal are not really possible - bones are a good example. Or you may purchase or create a package with a loose seal. For these products we advise using them within 6 months for best quality.

  • You may want to invest some time into organizing your freezer. This will help you find what you need quickly, which keeps the cold in.

  • Once thawed, farm fresh meats should be used as quickly as possible - we aim for within 24 hours and are sure to keep thawed meat refrigerated during that window.

THE NOSE KNOWS:
Our sense of smell is what nature used to keep us safe long before there were thermometers and food safety agencies with their temperature recommendations. If raw food ever smells gross and it's not surströmming or limburger, you might not want to eat it... then go check your freezer/fridge temps!
But again, if kept consistently frozen, the odds your meat will become bad in storage are slim to none and can be kept for a long time. In the end, buying directly from a local farm, coupled with careful storage and timely cooking will help ensure you can purchase and store nutritious meats with confidence and use them at your own pace.

Cooking with Cupboard Contents on the ides of March!

 

The following is a recipe we made up last week.  We wanted to taste-test our newest batch of sausage and this is what we found in our cupboard to go with it.  We decided to share the recipe because it was really easy and it turned out to be really yummy. Like we said, sausage is considered a FAST FOOD around this farm. :)

Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter (can also use tallow, lard, coconut oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups bone broth- pork is best for this dish but can use chicken, or veggie, or just water in a pinch
6 to 8 ounces organic mushrooms (any variety works), sliced
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans/chick peas, drained
½ to 1 can organic tomato paste, use more if you want more pronounced tomato flavor
10 ounces fresh spinach
1 pound Quarry Brook Farms bulk Pork Mild Italian sausage, thawed
Salt (optional and to taste)
Red pepper flakes (optional and to taste)
 
6 servings of something complimentary over which to serve the sausage and spinach mixture.   We used angel hair pasta because that is what we had in our cupboard but rice, polenta, mashed potatoes, any other pasta, or fresh bread would all work nicely too.  Can also serve alone if you prefer to skip grains/carbs but will make for less servings.  Prepare which ever you choose according to your tastes while the other ingredients simmer.  Then set aside and keep warm until time to serve.
 
Over medium-high heat, place butter (or fat/oil of your choice) into large skillet or Dutch Oven.   Add onions and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stir. 
Add tomato paste to onions and garlic and spread around pan.  Cook for about 1 minute until paste starts to darken slightly and smell good!
Add Italian sausage and immediately start to pull sausage apart using two forks.  Continue to pull sausage apart into crumbles as it browns.  Stop when sausage crumbles are a size you like and allow sausage to continue browning for about 5 minutes.  Stir frequently. 
Add sliced mushrooms and garbanzo beans.  Stir well and allow to cook together for another 3 to 5 minutes. 
Add bone broth and stir.  Wait for contents of skillet to start bubbling then lower heat to medium, cover and allow to simmer until mushrooms are tender and everything smells really good!
Add spinach and stir.  Replace lid and allow to cook just long enough for the spinach to wilt and turn bright green.
Sample and add salt/pepper to taste if desired.  Some may want a dash of salt with this dish and red pepper flakes are a great addition if you would prefer a little kick.
 
Serve over grain/carb of your choice and enjoy!  Or skip the grains/carbs and enjoy!