Grilling Special-$100 Beef Bundle

Grilling time is here! This means picnics, party's reunions and just beautiful weekend afternoons around the grill. We have made up some special beef bundles intended for your grill. It's a $115 value for only $100!

$100 Grilling Bundle includes:

2# Rib-eye steak

1# NY Strip and/or Tenderloin Fillet

1# Porterhouse or T-bone steak

1# Sirloin Tip Steak

1# Top Sirloin Steak

4 One pound packages of 1/4lb pre-made burger patties

3 One pound packages of natural all beef wieners

4 One Pound packages of ground beef

As always our beef is raised with great care and free of antibiotics, hormones, steroids and other unnecessary junk. Please contact me (Jen) at 815-494-2821 or riemerfamilyfarm@gmail.com if you are interested. We are always willing to arrange deliveries.

Just because it's the first day of spring here is a bonus picture of one of our hens eggs standing on end due to the Vernal Equinox. The girls decided to stand many other food items on end as well:)

Corned Beef Brisket in the Pressure Cooker

Our St. Patrick's day dinner is Corned Beef and Cabbage. I make it the quick way though in the pressure cooker. If you don't have time to slow cook, or if you want to make use of one of the handiest items in the kitchen use the pressure cooker!

So throw your corned beef brisket in the pressure cooker and enjoy some March Madness this St. Patrick's day! Brisket is the cut corned beef is made from. It is from the chest and upper front legs of the beef which can be quite tough, so it needs to either be cooked slowly or cooked in a pressure cooker to make it tender.

1. Place a 3-4lb brisket in the pressure cooker. Our processor preseasons the corned beef. If it is not seasoned it should have a spice packet included. Put enough water in the pressure cookers pot to just cover the beef and bring to a boil.

2. Place the lid with the rocker on the cooker and set so that there is a slow steady rocking motion on the rocker for 1 hour. Watch it for a while to make sure it does not blow out steam...these new pressure cookers can be testy! I wish I still had grandmas old style one (ugh...I sound old).

3. Take off of heat and let stand 5 minutes in order to release pressure. Cut and eat.

4. I roast potatoes, cabbage and carrots separately so they are all done at the same time. Grab a Guinness and a slice of Irish Soda Bread and you are good to go!

"The first corned beef was packed in salt, and sometimes spices, in order to cure it. It got its name from the corn kernel-sized grains of salt it was packed in."

Today, corned beef is usually made by soaking a brisket roast in a brine of water, salt, and spices. While it's not traditional in Ireland, corned beef is what most Americans prepare for St. Patrick's Day." taken from www.allrecipes.com

Note: This is a post taken from last March, but I thought it was worthy of reposting.

Winter Squash Black Bean Bake

I am trying to finish off the winter vegetables I have stored in my root cellar. We had a bumper crop of Butternut Squash this year, so we are finding ways to get them used up before we begin getting tender spring greens in the next couple months.

Here is one of the recipes that I make often and hear: "Mom can you make this all the time" I think it originally came from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It puts a seasonal spin on the classic tamale pie.

1lb Riemer Family Farm Ground Beef

2 C 1/2" pieces peeled pie pumpkin or winter squash

1 medium onion, coursely chopped

1 15 oz can black beans, or 15 oz rinsed and soaked black beans

1 C frozen corn

1 4oz can diced green chilles

1/2 t salt

1/2C beef broth

3 oz cream cheese

8 1/2 oz pkg corn muffin mix (use a natural or organic brand, corn muffin mixes can have scary ingredients in them).

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup pumpkin Puree

1. Heat oven 400 degrees. In large skillet cook ground beef, pumpkin/squash, and onion over medium heat until meat is browned and onion tender, breaking up ground beef with spoon. Stir in black beans, corn, chiles and salt. Heat through. Stir in broth and cream cheese until blended. Gransfer mixture to 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

2. In medium bowl stir together corn muffin mix, egg, milk and pumpkin puree until just combined. Spoon over beef mixture.

3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into topper comes out clean.

Serves 6

Meet Zinnia

The new calf has been named! Thank you to those of you who made suggestions on Facebook! Elli choose the name from the list and happened to choose her 7 year old cousins suggestion. I guess 7 year old's think alike, or maybe it's a genetic connection.?

Zinnia is doing great and enjoying the sunshine. She has about an acre paddock and a portion of the barn which she shares with her mommy and two goat friends.

New Inspiration, Friends, Car and the First Calf of the Year!

What a week it has been! I finally feel like I have landed on this Saturday afternoon! We have had so many great experiences this week starting with the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse last weekend. We were inspired, educated and encouraged by other farmers who care about sustainable agriculture right here in the mid-west. We learned a lot about how to make our farm better. I hope to share in more detail in later posts but for now, here is a little pic. of our hens taking advantage of the small piece of bare ground they could find. They are not big fans of snow!

We were able to connect to another great entrepreneurial couple in the are who grow a vast amount of vegetables with the purpose of donating everything back to the Green County Food Pantry. Visit them at Bountiful Hope Farms. We also went to two Monroe Chamber of Commerce events to learn of all the great business going on in this county and gained a greater appreciation and excitement for life and business in this county. We even heared Casey FitzPatrick, olympic gold medalist speak and...he even had the gold medal to show off. It was awesome!!

This was also car shopping week, due to the fact that I (Jen) totalled our trusty CRV a few weeks ago (everyone is fine!). We found a great used mini-van that had fairly low mileage and I'm pretty sure we will have until our 7 year old starts driving. That is unless I drive it into a guard rail in the next 9 years.

The best news of all though is the fist calf of the spring! She is a healthy little Hereford Heifer and came before the snow storm, so is happily residing with her mommy and two new found goat friends in the barn. There is a conversation about what to name the calf on my facebook page. Please give your opinion. So far I think the best name is "Seven". My 3 year old nephew came up with it. I think it's cute!