The Pastures of Rose Creek: This Week's Harvest

From: Pastures Rose Creek

Date:12/13/2013 2:24 PM (GMT-05:00)

To:

Subject: The Pastures of Rose Creek: This Week's Harvest

Hello all!  And this week we kick off the weekend with the very first ever Bishop Central WINTER Market! (…and a recipe for the worlds best secret to the perfect steak.)

Wait…hold the phone.  A winter market? 

It has the right nostalgia…the right amount of charm and whimsy to its name….the winter market. But how practical is it?  What is "in season" in winter?

Well, while the rest of the garden beds are snoring…hibernating in their warm winter slumber, nestled deep under a thick blanket of soil…things like collards, kale, some of your favorite root veggies (beets, radishes, turnips…), cabbage, broccoli…these things are thriving!  Even greens like arugula and salad greens can make it pretty deep into winter. 

Now some of these greens and things can handle a little snow….siberian kale, to name just one!  But others of them do need a little extra TLC to carry them through.  In fact one of my favorite garden scenes is an early spring or late fall/winter garden, protecting it's delicate and cherished emerald tops from the elements…warmly draped under beautiful linen white cocoons that stretch and wind through the garden.  Row covers can really extend the life of a garden through these colder fall-winter, winter-spring months.  

So, in short…ole' farmer Joe doesn't just hang up his shovel and hoe…even in the winter.  And beyond produce – there are things like… farm fresh eggs, grass fed meats, local cheeses, honey, hearty breads and baked goods...these things can go all year round!  Get ready for the holidays and the season of gift giving and gift getting J with beautiful hand crafted farm crafts, handmade soaps, knitted items, jewelry…

SOOOO…come on out and find your favorite local farmer or vendor this Saturday, Dec 14 and every Saturday through Jan 18, downtown Bishop hwy 441, right beside Bradford Pottery.  10:00 am -2:00 pm – rain or shine.  It may just be the only winter market happening in the Oconee/Clarke County area – which means lots of quality vendors with a healthy variety of your favorite local products!

Just a little olive oil…salt…pepper…oh! And a dash of magic…

Well, we all have one in the family.  They usually, if you should be so lucky, will come out of the woodwork during a family event…you may find them getting worked up in the kitchen – talking to the food on the stove top in soothing tones, they probably insist on  words like, "amuse bouche," and pleading with you to be their guinea pig just one more time.  Yup, everyone has someone in their family who can truly claim…chef-dom, culinary artistry…someone who really brings out the gourmand in you.

For us on the farm, it's Will's cousin, Matt.  Former cook at Farm 255 and The Branded Butcher…Matt's creations are a-mazing. 

And about once a week, Matt puts together an incredible dish – straight off the farm...veggies, eggs, beef and all.  And whatever ambrosial delight he has created – the steak is always outstanding.  And yes…Piedmontese is amazing.  Grass fed makes it even better.  And it is gratifying to have grown that delicious beef from birth to finish.  BUT – there is something that Matt does that makes it EXTRA special. 

Every time we ask him…he modestly shrugs and says…"olive oil, salt, and pepper."  In fact it has become a running joke…when something is so beyond delicious, it must just be that extra virgin olive oil…oh, and a little salt & pepper. 

But when Matt cooked up some round steak...no breading and frying…no slow cooking to soften it up…just in the pan….it was de-li-cious.  The jig was up…there was no way it could just be "a little olive oil, salt, and pepper." 

So, I approached Matt. And I just knew that once I cracked the code – I was going to find that the big "gourmet" secret to the perfect steak was going to be something like McCromick's Montreal Steak Seasoning or discover some sort of A1 steak marinade being horded by the gallons, hidden away in some false wall of the kitchen.

But, no.  In fact, it was so much simpler than that.  So simple I never would have guessed….butter. 

Butter your Beef.

Yup.  Butter.  Butter makes it better.  It makes sense….butter is kind of magical.  The amazing thing though is that the steak never tasted buttery or greasy…just really, really good.  In fact, the butter really just draws out the flavors of the steak and as the butter browns, it picks up a slightly nutty flavor.  And it's easy to do!...

And if you're really gonna do it right…try it with the Amish Butter you can find at The Granary….delicious!   It comes in a 2 lb roll – as John says, you won't feel richer in life until you have a 2 lb roll of butter hanging out in your fridge!  You'll never go hungry again.  J 

ingredients and materials.

• ·      any ole steak ya like (thawed to room temp for a better sear)
  
• ·      a pre-heated pan (Matt says, cast iron is best – especially for more good searing action)
  
• ·      the 3 essentials:  olive oil, salt, and pepper
  
• ·      butter!...about 1 tbsp per 1 lb steak
  

method.

• ·      Pre-heat the pan over medium-high heat.  Add a splash of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
  
• ·      Season the steak with salt and pepper to taste, then add the steak to the hot pan.
  
• ·      Cook the first side for about 3 minutes.
  
• ·      Flip the steak over and add butter to the pan.  At this point, if you want to get really creative, add a sprig of fresh thyme to top the steak.
  
• ·      Cook 2^nd side for about 3 minutes.  As this side is cooking, baste the steak by spooning the melted butter and pouring it over the steak (and over the sprig of thyme of you have added it).
  
• ·      Remove steak from pan and allow to stand for about 10 minutes to allow juices to settle.
  

*These instructions are for a 1 inch thick steak cooked to med-rare (recommended for grass fed beef).  Length of cooking time may vary due to different stovetop temps and pan selection.

Alright, well that wraps it up for today.  We hope to see y'all out and about tomorrow, rain or shine at the Bishop Central Farmers Market!

For the love of community and all things farming...

Your local farmers (and chef),

Will, Matt, John & Dana, and the rest of the farm fam

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The Pastures of Rose Creek, LLC
1051 Rose Creek Drive
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706.254.9391
575.613.2029