• I know one when I see one….

    …Devon, that is.  We’ve had several posts in recent weeks about what might be called “the proper Devon”.  Both Devon breed associations spend a lot of time arguing over standards and use all sorts of measurements and “pop science” to prove their case. The gold standard for this kind of thing is the Angus breed, once a perfectly fine cow that has gone a long way down the road to ruin chasing standards that were imposed by giant breeders in league with outsiders (such as feedlots, slaughter houses, and university professors) chasing a supposed ideal.  Today, thanks to all the experts, the Angus breed is plagued by a multitude of…

  • In the tank…Pt 2….

    …do you ever wonder how much of the so-called “scientific research” we treat as gospel has been bought and paid for by Big Ag, Big Food, Big Chemical and Big Government?  The other day we posted an article about how the association of nutritionists was essentially a propaganda arm for the likes of Kellogg and Pepsi. Naturally, no one is more active is corrupting what used to be called “research” that our good buddies at Monsanto.  Just the other day we read how soon we’ll be eating what is labeled as salmon, but in reality is a genetically-engineered combination of two types of salmon and…..eel!  You see, this wonder salmon grows…

  • Are nutritionists in the tank….

    ….for Big Food?  You probably aren’t surprised to learn that the answer is “yes”.  Again and again, though, I am stunned by the details of the unholy alliance of industry, bought-and-paid-for experts, and government that have so  thoroughly corrupted our food system and devastated the health of our country. Chris Kresser, a blogger on health matters who specializes in covering holistic health issues was interviewed recently on the sell-out by the professionals we believe are protecting our well-being…and he discussed a press release on the subject: Chris Kresser:   So, the press release was “Public health attorney and author Michele Simon asks: Are America’s nutrition professionals in the pocket of Big…

  • Thistle Hill alumni club….

    …a happy Thistle Hill mom and daughter happily at home in their new pastures at Tomina Farm in Tennesse. We delayed the shipment of Q1 for a few weeks until she had safely delivered her heifer, now named Shenandoah. The heifer’s sire is one of our herd bulls, U2.  Two lovely additions to the Tomina herd. It’s been our feeling that would-be buyers often make a mistake when they overlook older cows in making their decision.  Q1 has many good years ahead though she’s a “used cow” and is a more reliable prospect than a heifer.

  • What’s in a name (continued)….

    The European horse meat scandal has now spread to the United States, but with a twist.  In Europe, they’ve discovered that some brands of prepared beef dishes actually have been using horse meat.  Actually, there is some history of the use of horse meat there; sauerbraten, for instance, technically should be made using it and our aversion to its use is based in culture, not really nutrition. Still, in the United States, it’s illegal to serve horse meat but in California, a local tv station has discovered horse meat is being exported. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/02/12/undercover-investigation-reveals-little-oversight-at-california-horse-auctions/ What the story doesn’t point out, is that it would be easy….and profitable….for a foreign supplier to…

  • Cocoa Puffs “good”….

    ….Aunt Matilda’s pickles “bad”! Virginia natural farm spokesman Joel Salatin has issued a blistering indictment of our commercial food system in a speech at Willamette University in Oregon.  Salatin  said the U.S. food system is too industrialized, too opaque and too segregated to be sustainable. Here’s the story as reported by Capital Press.   “We don’t have a way for food innovation to occur on a local level because … (the USDA and Food and Drug Administration) don’t allow small-scale, embryonic innovation to come to the marketplace, unless it comes through their infrastructure and regulatory and paperwork sieve,” Salatin said. “And that sieve is prejudicial to all small-scale operations.  …

  • Setting some standards….

    ….there is debate from time to time (one is going on now) within Devon circles about what makes “a proper Devon”.  Folks can get pretty dogmatic, and some in the two Devon associations think they should impose the answer. My old “mate” in Cornwall, Ivan Rowe, came up with this old picture to make his point.  She is a Devon heifer—Clampit Gay Lass 27th—female winner of five shows in 1929 and Grand Champion in three of them!  As a longtime judge for the British Devon society, he “knows one when he sees one”. I would call Gay Lass the Tilbrook Cashtiller of her era. It was when we saw the Devon…

  • For the love of bacon…

    I’ve come late to the ranks of Baconuts.  Like most people I thought it was too fat.  Either that, or burned to a crisp and tasteless.  But then (forgive me) I tasted Thistle Hill bacon and I’ve been hooked ever since. Call me greedy, but I resent every package that we part with.  Our sausages are great, too, but the bacon…. Now if you’re still worried about “too much fat”….you might read this: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/for-the-love-of-bacon/ PS:  our pigs are doing fine and should be ready in the spring.  Acorn fattened!  Can’t wait to see the effect of that.

  • Lookout world, here I come….

    ….this little bull at Elim Springs farm in Amelia, Virginia.  Rojo is the son of Thistle Hill S483 (“Izzy”) and one of our former herd bulls, Watson. Perhaps that makes us grandparents, but we’re always proud to see Thistle Hill animals doing so well for other folks.  We have made a lot of friends through our Devon sales, but none better than Kristi and Rich Hamilton of Elim Springs.  We’ve supplied their herd bull and cows and heifers. But we “weaned” them some time ago and they have developed a thriving business featuring not only beef, but pork, chicken, eggs and produce.  If you’re in southeast Virginia we highly recommend…

  • Thawing frozen steaks…

    …it’s a question we get asked frequently and we have always recommended thawing gradually in the refrigerator.  But the Stockman Grass Farmer quotes the USDA as saying that’s best for roasts, but not necessary for steaks. USDA researchers test-thawed more than 200 one-inch thick strip steaks…some in the refrigerator, some at room temperature in constantly circulating water, and some in a water bath at 102 degrees.  The conclusion was that the last, the warm water bath, was the most efficient and the steaks leaked less juice.  There was no difference in tenderness. For roasts, however, room temperature thawing resulted in surface bacterial growth to occur before the center was fully thawed.  Therefore,…