- Tonight: Friday, October 20 (week 4 pickup): Rain or shine Member Potluck and Lamb Roast at the farm 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- We’re low on red bags! If you have a bunch laying around your house, garage, trunk or back seat – please bring them by!
- Infrastructure continues to grow: new hayloft is complete, winter quarters for the pasture pigs is almost complete and our cows and sheep are moving off pasture and up towards the barn for winter hay feeding.
- We labeled prices on the organs in the customer freezer. This is self-serve (Venmo @anavery, cash or check). Let someone know if you are interested in other organs you may not see here.
Your meat cuts for Friday, October 20:
Lamb: Lamb subscribers will see two packages of ground lamb and shank this week, which is perfect for that classic shepherd’s pie. Our larger lamb subscribers will also see a lamb neck roast, which we covered in Box #7 over the summer.
Pork: Look for our giant smoked Polish sausages this week. These smoked beauties are a little larger than our brats and sweet Italian sausages and are lightly smoked. They still need to be cooked before you eat them but they cook a little faster than the other sausages we offer. We are also sending out pork breakfast sausage this week. Our 50+ pound subscribers can also expect a full spare rib rack in their bag,
Beef: Our featured cut this week is the classic chuck roast. Perfect for pot roast or for a classic beef stew now that the weather has fully cooled and dampened. All our members are also receiving steaks this week with a mix of sirloins, NY strips and our 50+ lb. subscribers will enjoy a Denver steak.
News from the Pasture:
Come out on Friday, October 20th 4-7ish PM rain or shine for a whole lamb roast “al Asador”. We’ll set up “lamb al asador”, an Argentinian-style whole lamb (a whole adult male “meat” sheep”) over an open oak wood fire pit. Bring a small dish to pass, your favorite camp chair and your favorite beverages. We’ll kick off the heart of fall and toast the end of the warm months with all of our members together on the farm. We’ll provide plates, utensils and copious paper towels for this juicy lamb.
We need your red bags!
Check your car! Check your trunk! Check under your bed! SO many members do a great job of returning their red bag each week. These bags are surprisingly expensive and we do our best to keep our costs down for our Members in every possible way. If you’ve got a stack of bags you’ve been meaning to return, we’d love to take them off your hands!
Bones, Organs Lard:
Organs and some bones are now price-labeled in our freezer in the customer pickup room. Please email us or seek out a farmer when you stop by if you are interested in soup bones or organs and we can set up a special purchase.
- Rendered lard is in the fridge in half gallon jars – $20 for 3.5 pounds.
- Lamb, beef and pork bones: $2/lb.
- Lamb, beef and pork organs: $4/lb.
If you are organ or bone-curious we can provide you with a full list of what we have and some great hints on how to enjoy these incredible cuts, which are so healthful and important to consume.
Eggs! Eggs are available above and beyond what you may have already paid for with your subscription. We welcome Meat Club Members and friends or family to purchase as many eggs as you would like for $5 a dozen. Please leave cash/check in the dropbox on the wall next to the freezer or send Venmo @anavery.
Finnish Pannukakku: An Upper Peninsulan recipe for an abundance of eggs
Welcome guest food writer Ellie Hudson, who happens to be the wife of Farm Manager Dave Waeltz. Ellie shares her favorite use for eggs when the cartons start to stack up in the fridge. Say hi to Ellie tonight at our Lamb Roast and Member Potluck!
One trick I use to reverse this trend before it starts is by channeling my Yooper heritage (born and raised in Iron River, MI) by making Finnish Pannukakku, an easy oven-baked pancake that uses 5 eggs! This is unbearably simple to make and mouthwateringly rewarding to eat: mix all ingredients except butter together, melt the butter in the pan for a few minutes in the oven, pour in the batter and then bake for a half-hour at 425 (or 218 Celsius because we’re celebrating Finland today). The butter bubbles to the top while the sides puff up. This can be served on its own, with real maple syrup, topped with fresh or cooked fruit, or with any of the toppings mentioned in the note below. Fruit can also be added to the batter and baked within the pancake.
Note: It is worth mentioning that there are many European culinary traditions resulting in a very similar dish, including versions from other Scandinavian countries and thinner counterparts made with special pans on the stovetop as in Sweden (served with lingonberries) and Iceland (served with skyr yogurt). Michganders might be familiar with the “Dutch Baby” (which is actually German and adds vanilla) or even Yorkshire Pudding from the UK (doesn’t use sugar and is often served with beef). All of these variations will be delicious, but in my house we listen to Finland’s Calling (Yoopers know). Suomi Kutsuu and Sisu!
Finnish Pannukakku – adapted from “The Finnish Dish,” A Michigan- based Finnish food blog. Read below for our recipe.
Ingredients:
- 5 eggs
- 1 ½ cups of flour
- 2 cups of whole or 2% milk
- ¼ cup white sugar (we sometimes substitute with coconut sugar, which results in a slightly darker dish)
- 5T butter cut into individual pats
- Heat oven to 425F (218C)
- Mix the first four ingredients together until frothy.
- Add butter pats to a 9×13 pan, large cast iron skillet, or enameled Dutch oven, and put it into the oven. Melt the butter in the oven for a few minutes. Watch carefully so the butter melts but doesn’t brown. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven (Use two hot pads) and swirl the butter so it evenly coats the whole pan bottom.
- Slowly pour the batter into the pan. Carefully return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (watch it puff!). The pancake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut and serve immediately on its own, with Michigan maple syrup, or any of the variations mentioned above.
