Week 10: Home again, home again, jiggety jig

We had a great time in Maine last week, but its also great to be home--there's a lot to do and too much time away from the farm makes me itchy! I dove right back into working on fencing at Chestnut Hill Farm and am making pretty good progress. So, back home, back in the field, and back to a full kitchen, its time for one of my favorite summer recipes: cousa mihshi. This ground-beef-stuffed summer squash recipe was given to us by a CSA shareholder about 10 years ago. Her father was Lebanese and she said that he made it every year only during the summer because that was when the zucchini were the sweetest. This has become the staple stuffed zucchini in our household and we look forward to it every summer as well.

Cousa Mihshi
1.5 lbs of cousa or zucchini squash up to 8 inches in length
1 small chopped onion
butter for sauteing
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 lb of ground beef
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp salt
pepper to taste
1lb can of stewed tomatoes

Cut the squash lengthwise and remove the cores leaving 1/2 inch of sidewall, careful not to pierce the sides. Rinse in cold water and drain. Saute onions in butter in a large pan. Place rinsed, drained rice in a bowl and add meat and seasonings, mix. Add half of the diced tomatoes to meat mix. Stuff the zukes 3/4 full. Arrange the stuffed zucchini over the onions and pour the rest of the tomatoes on top. Barely cover with water and a little additional salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 35 minutes or until the rice is done. Enjoy.

Good fences--and vacations--make happy farmers

Hello from Maine! I'm up in Acadia National Park with my family. As a farmer it's always a special treat to be able to take a summer vacation and it's been several years since our last one. So, a special thanks to Connor for handling chores this week!

In farm news, fence posts are all set in the big field at Chestnut Hill farm. This stage of fence construction is always interesting. I like to use Google Earth to plan fence systems and figure out gate locations for efficient rotations, cattle handling, and trail access. As much as the system needs to work for grass and livestock management, it also needs to allow the multiple use goals of various human activities: walkers, birders, etc, and at Chestnut Hill Farm, vegetable production with its need for deer exclusion fencing as well.

Then, of course, comes actually putting posts in the ground and the rocky landscape imposes its own constraints. It's a compromise. Next week I'll be stringing wire, which goes fairly quickly, and the cattle should arrive in Southborough soon.

The beef share this week is bone-in sirloin steak. These are nice, big, classic steaks, and a special treat because industrial meat cutting and packing practices have made them less common and more difficult to find. They present nicely on a plate, and are big enough to easily share if you prefer a smaller portion.

Another option is to trim them down. When camping, hauling big steaks around (and keeping them cold until ready to cook) can be a challenge. The following recipe for Korean bulgogi (BBQ beef) is a camp-friendly option that is equally delicious at home. Any flavorful cut of beef will work, steaks or boneless roast, but I prefer sirloin, round, or London broil. It's simplest to start with boneless steaks, but while bone-in steaks or rolled roasts add an extra preparation step, it's well worth it and a great option for a kid-friendly meal that can travel.

Camp-friendly Bulgogi Skewers

Meat:
 2 lbs boneless steak or roast, about 1" to 1-1/4" thick pieces, partially frozen

Marinade:

1/3 cup Sesame oil

1/2 cup Soy sauce

2 Tbs Rice vinegar

1/4 cup chopped scallions

2 Tbs Sugar

1 Tbs Ginger, minced, or 1/2 tsp powdered

1 Tbs Garlic, minced, or 1/2 tsp powdered

Supplies: 
A very sharp knife

Skewers

Ziplock gallon bags, or similar sized Tupperware container

If necessary, start by defrosting and boning out the steak, or removing kitchen string, unrolling the roast and cutting to 1" or 1-1/4" thick and anything over about 2" or 3" long, with the grain running lengthwise. Then, back in the freezer. You want the meat partially frozen so it can be sliced thinly--fully defrosted it will be too squishy to safely cut.

Using a very sharp knife, slice the partially-frozen beef as thin as you can manage--ideally less than 1/8." A deli slicer works great if you have one, but isn't necessary. 

Now you have a decision: do you want to do all the prep at home, and carry Tupperware, or carry a smaller ziplock package which can be frozen but will need more prep in camp. If you are traveling a long ways, the latter is preferable, but if you aren't going far and you want to speed up onsite prep you can carry finished skewers in Tupperware.

Mix up the marinade, mix in the beef, and give it a few hours to overnight. For camping, I mix the marinade and beef in a ziplock bag, press all the air out, double-bag, and refrigerate or freeze it prior to travel--which is nice because it helps keep the cooler cold. At home or at your destination, thread the beef onto the skewers in a zigzag pattern.

Grill over high heat, and enjoy!

Week 8: cranking along in the deep summer...

Hey folks-- Sorry I missed the blog post last week, but the big news is that the wayward steers are back with the herd! What a relief! Our plan to tempt them into one of the pastures near the rest of the cattle finally paid off, and Connor and Kate were able to quietly shut the gate behind them one evening. We brought the rest of the cattle to them and they are slowly settling down.

I've been cranking along putting fenceposts in at Chestnut Hill ahead of the cattle. The regular rainfall has kept the grass growing well--so much so that it is well ahead of us. This has meant a change in plans; we are cutting hay at Powisset Farm rather than grazing the first growth and will bring the steers to graze in the early fall, after grazing at Chestnut Hill Farm in late August. Every year is a little different!

We're offering chuck roasts this week with a recipe for pulled BBQ beef. The nice thing about this is while it needs a long cooking, you can quickly throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and then only have a few minutes of prep time in the evening! Just the thing after a long day...

Cheers,

Jesse

Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwiches

2 to 2-1/2 lbs bone-in chuck roast
1/2 cup ketchup
2-4 Tbs brown sugar, if desired
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper--black or cayenne as you prefer
6-8 sandwich buns

Optional toppings: cheddar or monterey jack cheese, onions and peppers (cooked or not as you prefer), pickles, etc

Yield: 6-8 sandwiches

Place roast in slow cooker. Combine additional ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and cook 8-10 hours on low heat or until tender. Remove meat, allow to cool slightly and, using two forks, shred meat and remove bone(s). Skim fat from cooking liquid, return meat to cooker and cook an additional 15 minutes. Serve using slotted spoon to ladle shredded beef onto buns. Top as you prefer and enjoy!