The area also received a fair amount of rain while he was there, creating a lot of optimism as we look towards winter. The grasses are growing well and for now we do not feel we need to cut back on our herd size. This is especially important in order to insure that we will meet the growing demand for our beef over the next few years. Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued support. It pushes us to grow GrassRoots Meats to the next level.

When I went outside about 7:00 to let the chickens out of the chicken house, there was a dead fox in the driveway, compliments of our Anatolian shepherd, Sholey. I hate touching dead things, but I put on my rubber gloves, grabbed that sucker by his feet, and flung him over the fence into the pasture, hoping that the crows would do the rest. That did not work, and I later had to get a pitchfork and take the critter down to a brushy area.

Lest you think this is one hardy farm girl, let me assure you that I grew up in the city and every aspect of farm life is a challenge to me. Most are welcome challenges, but some push me to deal with situations that I would not choose to deal with, but that leave me feeling stronger, proud that I met the challenge. So I will chalk up one mouse and one fox to my list of challenges met and conquered.

Monday we received a supply of their Cornish chickens, and Tera and Gary spent a wonderfully informative night at the ranch. They have many years of experience farming and ranching, and it was a delight to get to know them. While our price on this new chicken is a bit higher than before and our supply is not huge, the chickens are larger and they look really good. For now we will only be offering whole chickens (we still have a very small supply of wings, drumsticks, and livers left from Troyer Farms). We would really appreciate your feedback on the new chicken as we are trying to work out a way to have the birds shipped to us from their processing plant, if our customers are happy with them. They are on the order form and available for immediate shipping.

While I had never heard of pepperoncini, I am determined to find it and try this recipe. Sandy said it was actually pretty easy to find in the grocery. She said she uses our Chuck Roast, but I am sure you could use a Rump or even a Sirloin Tip. Another option would be a Brisket. If you decide to try it be sure to let us know how it came out.

Pepperoncini Beef Recipe

We also have an overstock of Lamb Stew Bones and are offering them during October for $2.99 per pound, reduced from $3.99 per pound. These are great for stews and soups, perfect for a wonderful fall meal.

Lois, Allan, Lisa, & Dusty