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From the kitchens of Thistle Hill…
…and yes while we have two kitchens…son Church continues his triumphs on the Kamado Joe grill. This time it’s a pork belly smoked by that apple wood tree we harvested a few weeks ago. Church recommends scoring the fat side diagonally and then rubbing all sides with Bone Suckin’ Seasoning and extra brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Place over indirect heat and smoke until the meat reaches 200 degrees. My preference is to hold off and make a midnight sandwich. While pork belly isn’t very popular in the States, I have Asian friends who consider this the peak of American cuisine! It is also very popular in Scandinavia, Latin…
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A Thistle Hill special weekend treat…
…applewood smoked pork ribs. Son Church got the recipe for the rub from a trucker…a mix of paprika, salt and pepper and chili, garlic and onion powder. Still a long way to go with the 3-2-1 method of wrapping, unwrapping and mopping. The secret of course is the apple wood smoke and we’re using our very own apple tree as the source! Are we sustainable now or what? David
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Holding you hostage…
…hackers have been targeting American consumers recently…by going after fuel and food. First the cyber-attack on Colonial pipelines which cut off gasoline supplies on the East Coast. And now the second largest meat packer in the US has been hit. Apparently Russian hackers are behind this one and demanding a ransom. The two attacks demonstrate how foolish we have been to allow the huge conglomerates to take hold. A neighboring cattleman Joel Salatin addresses the problem here. https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/blog/6/2/2021/mmiidpz556j8jmsaopt0ta7peswvdg David
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The war against red meat…
…seems to have gathered some steam in recent years. Undoubtedly there’s new…and serious…money (Bill Gates) behind the campaign. We haven’t given much thought to what has always seemed like a religious cult…but here’s an Australian who confirms what I only suspected. Vegetarianism goes way back in history but really only flourished near the end of the 19th century when it attracted the attention of the 7th Day Adventists…and yes (following the money) Big Businessmen in Battle Creek, Michigan. Their business was cereal…does the name Kellogg ring a bell? In fact there were about 100 cereal manufacturers in the new industry…all centered in Battle Creek…and all now Adventists and vegetarians. That…
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Meat sales soar…
…according to a survey of supermarket and on-line buying. Meat during this pandemic year has gained about 20% in sales volume…it’s now 35% of the food dollar and twice as much as chicken. https://www.supermarketnews.com/meat/meat-sales-reach-record-highs-2020-increasing-192 It’s interesting that on-line sales have really increased while at the same time people are more concerned about healthy food. Now note this summary is based on dollar sales…not pounds. But now that younger people have broken the restaurant habit, will they continue cooking at home? Will their interest in healthy foods continue? Most smaller farmers we know haven’t been able to gear-up production to get a piece of this action. Nor do they have the…
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Lest we forget…
…pork is on the way. Five pigs that look like they’ll be ready from now to Christmas. This year we’re raising mostly Berkshires…with some Tamworth thrown in. Most pig growers seem to eventually settle on Berkshires for the flavor…and all-around performance. In the past we’ve favored Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spot, but we thought it was time to try the popular favorite. All three of English heritage breeds and each has their advocates. These Berkshire are the best-mannered we’ve had so far…and finishing faster than others. In this picture they’re being fed a mixture of spent brewers grain and a growers ration heavy on corn. Ours pigs are raised entirely…
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You should know…
…the food you eat. China is the leader in world pork production…that is when disease isn’t decimating their pig farms. Somehow we suspect this innovation isn’t going to make things any better. And you need to remember, Chinese pork is now in our food system…and without country of origin labeling! David https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/18/a-12-storey-pig-farm-has-china-found-a-way-to-stop-future-pandemics-
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The vegan wars…
…have spilled into print. There are three giants in the chemical artificial burger fight…and it ain’t pretty. Neighbor Joel Salatin is enjoying the fight, though, and you can read his blog – https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/blog/9/1/2020/when-the-vegans-fight David
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What could possibly go wrong…
…China will protect us! The United States and China are wrapping up the agriculture portion of their trade talks and the two countries have agreed to open their markets to chickens. China has a history of dumping its contaminated food products here…well other things too, including toys. Our only protection is going to be an occasional audit…whatever that entails…after China’s chickens have already been shipped! Here’s the story: https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/12811-usda-confirms-approval-of-chinese-chicken?v=preview How will we know when we’re eating chicken from China? We won’t! David
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The danger of Super-Sizing…
It’s been some years now since Michael Pollin set the beef industry on its ear with his article in the New York Times expanded into the book The Omnivores Dilemna. Speaking in England…Pollin pulls back the curtain on the real story behind McDonalds French fries…or as they’re called over there…chips! David