From our good friend, owner and master brewer Clay Robinson @ Sun King Brewery

1 – 64oz Growler of Fresh•Local•Beer
(Sunlight is a great choice. Wee Mac or Osiris will add even more depth of flavor and of course our seasonal beers per your tastes)
4 – Cups Water
1 1/2 – Cups Kosher Salt, Sea Salt or Mineral Salt
1 – Cup Sugar
2 – Large Onions – peeled and chopped
3 – Stalks Celery – chopped
3 – Carrots – peeled and sliced
4 – Cloves Garlic – peeled and smashed
3 – Bay Leaves
2 – Tablespoons Black Peppercorns
2 – Sprigs each: Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, Sage (adjust to your personal taste)
2 – Gallon Freezer Bags filled with ice
2 – Lemons / Oranges (or both)

– Heat 2 cups water in a saucepan and mix in the sugar and salt until dissolved
– Add the Onions, Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns and fresh herbs then simmer for 10 minutes
– Pour the mixture into a 5 gallon bucket or cooler that is sized appropriately for the task
– Add beer to the bucket
– Submerge Turkey in liquid (after you have removed the giblets and such)
– Place Freezer Bags of Ice on top of Turkey to help keep it submerged and cold.
– Refrigerate for at least eight hours. Preferably 24 to 48 hours

– Once brined, remove the bird from liquid and pad dry inside and out.
– Stuff the cavity with the onion, carrot, herb and spice mixture. You can event add a couple of quartered lemons and/or oranges to the mix.
– Cook the bird in the manner which you are accustomed to. If not sure about weight / time / temperature please consult the internet.

The event will feature a discussion on a proposed Indiana constitutional amendment that would give special protection to industrial-scale livestock farming operations, at the expense of other business activities which benefit from a cleaner environment – including sustainable or organic farms, as well as hunting, fishing, and tourism-related businesses.

Saturday, November 16th, 9:00 AM
Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis – Campus Center, 450
Register: www.hecweb.org/annualforum

The keynote speaker will be John Tuma. As a Republican state senator in Minnesota, John was a dedicated champion for positive environmental and sustainable agriculture legislation. Today he represents Conserving Minnesota, and continues to be a passionate advocate for the rights of both small farmers and communities seeking to control their own destiny.

We recently added a listing for our farm on the Fresh Nation website. Just wondering if you’ve heard of it and maybe already using it. What do you think?

If you’re already a user at Fresh Nation – Buy Local. Eat Fresh, then be sure and add us as a “Favorite” as well. Also, we’d love to hear what you think about the site and how you think we might be able to use it more and be helpful for you and others.

Cooking grass-fed beef is a little different, but in a good way. Since it is much leaner than grain fed beef, you’ll find that your cooking times don’t take as long nor do they require as high of a temperature. A great way to add to your success is to let the steaks thaw completely, and then just before grilling allow them to come up to room temperature on the counter. Then, grill them at roughly 350 degrees for no more than 4-5 minutes per side maximum. You will find that an overcooked grass-fed steak is not as enjoyable and we suggest cooking only to about medium rare on the grill. Then, let your steaks rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving and enjoy!

Did You Know?

Grass-fed meats improve and balance fat levels. Eating moderate amounts of grass-fed meat for only 4 weeks will give you healthier levels of essential fats, according to a 2011 study in the British Journal of Nutrition.

The British research showed that healthy volunteers who ate grass-fed meat increased their blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and decreased their level of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. These changes are linked with a lower risk of a host of disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, and inflammatory disease.

Interestingly, volunteers who consumed conventional, grain-fed meat ended up with lower levels of omega-3s and higher levels of omega-6s than they had at the beginning of the study, suggesting that eating conventional meat had been detrimental to their health.

Source: British Journal of Nutrition (2011) Red meat from animals offered a grass diet increases plasma and platelet N-3 PUFA in healthy consumers. Volume 105, pages 80-89.

Directions:

1. Completely thaw chicken frames, then rinse.  Place in a medium size stockpot and lay flat.  Cover with water and then add an additional 3-4” over the top of the frames.  Cover but vent slightly, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 2.5-3hrs to make your stock.  Once your stock is done, remove frames and let cool in a 13×9 baking dish and let stock sit.  While the frames are cooling, move on to step two.
2. Preheat an oven to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9-inch square casserole dish with coconut oil.
3. Sift the 3 cups flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together into a large mixing bowl. Place mixture into food processor and add the cold butter into the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some chunks the size of peas. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing, until the flour mixture is moistened. Work the dough as little as possible if you prefer a super flaky crust. After half the water has been incorporated, watch closely, as mixture will come together suddenly. Once it begins to stick together, gather into a ball, divide into halves, and roll each ball out to 1/4-inch thickness, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Press one of the dough portions into the prepared casserole dish, covering bottom and sides completely.
4. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add ½ cup of chicken stock to the pan.  Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Cover and cook the carrots, celery, sweet potatoes and about half the diced onion in the chicken stock until the carrots soften (about 15-20 minutes).  Remove and place into a large mixing bowl.
5. By now, your chicken frames should be cool to the touch.  Simply using your fingers, remove all of the meat, separating out the bones and skin, and place into the mixing bowl with your veggies.  One package of chicken frames should yield at least 1-1.25lbs of meat if you take the time to remove it all.
6. After removing the veggies, increase the skillet heat to medium. Add 1-1.5 cups of chicken broth to the skillet and bring to a slight boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan.
7. Stir in and cover the remaining onion, garlic, salt, pepper and sage with the broth until the mixture reduces and thickens up, about 8-10 minutes.  Once done, pour over the chicken and veggies in the mixing bowl and mix completely.  This is also a great time to add another 1/4-1/3 cup of chicken stock to help the mixture come together.
8. Pour the mixture over the crust in the casserole dish. Top with the remaining portion of dough and pinch the edges together to seal the edges. Cut a few slits into the top to vent.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and, about 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly before serving, 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Enjoy!