Good Afternoon
Summer is cruising by and this week feels like Summer. This week we've got a lot of fun stuff to talk about, including:
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Turnip the heat with holiday meat bundles - Bundle and save this weekend. We put together some of our favorite deals to make your holiday weekend tastier. Sorry, bad veggie pun there.
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Sweat it out. Feel lucky you can sweat because most livestock can't. Learn about how the heat effects our livestock.
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Bag Contents - grilling themed bag brings Independence Cheer
Enjoy!
Trevor (Lauren, Allyson, Katie, Connor, and the rest of the FFM Summer 2021 Team!)
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If you or a friend are still considering joining, we would love to have you!
Late signups are pro-rated, you'll only pay for the weeks you receive (full upfront rates will adjust automatically). Weekly payment also available.
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We know it is a holiday weekend and you might have plans. However, it is too late to enter for a vacation hold this week. Vacation holds must be entered by Saturday at midnight. The food is already ordered for the week.
If you can't make it to your normal location you are welcome to show up at any of our 20+ pickup locations, Wednesday thru Saturday (before or after your usual pick-up time). You don't even need to tell us. You can also send a friend of family member to pick-up in your place (they can also go to any location) -- all they need is the name on your account + account email address.
Here is a link to all the pickup locations, days, times, and addresses.
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It cracks me up when someone - particularly those who sit inside all day - complain about the heat. Changes in weather are all part of the ecosystem that provides Ohio with such a lush landscape that is capable of producing an abundance of some of the finest foods around.
On a farm, hot days require additional coping. While pumping water to the vegetables is the easy thing, here is a little about how the different animals make do.
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The Honeybee spins its own fan. A colony of bees can generate quite a bit of heat, and they don't have central air conditioning. So what do they do?
The bee is really creative. The hive is divided up into different roles. The worker bees do everything from collecting food to cleaning the hive and keeping it cool.
But how do they cool the hive? The bees have figured out how to use the honeycomb as a kind of diaphragm. Together, a swarm of bees can gently push the comb back and forth to help the hive "breathe." In one motion, the motion pushes out stale air from the hive and on the return motion it pulls in cool air from outside.
This creative "concentric venting" - to steal a term from my HVAC guy - allows the hive to stay at a comfortable temperature.
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Beef give a whole new meaning to the "meat sweats"
Managing beef in the summer is also a challenge. They like to stay cool as well. Therefore, shade trees are a premium. On the down side, a shade tree doesn't offer much good eating.
A full grown cow can generate up to 4,500 BTUs of body heat per hour. For comparison sake, your home furnace is probably 80,000 BTU, and that just kicks on and off a few times per hour.
So these are the weird things I think about. How many cows would it take to heat my house? I'm guessing 10 lazy cows lounging around would do it!
So thinking about that, it's a hot day and the beef create a lot of heat....what to do?! Let me throw one more challenge in there. If I'm pushing my beef hard - pushing the protein that is - they can get the "meat sweats." Protein is the most difficult compound for the body to break down and causes them to create additional heat. Protein is also necessary for the beef to gain weight.
A pasture too rich in protein will cause the beef to overeat and overheat. If I see a group of beef standing tightly together in a circle panting hard, I know they've had too much protein. They are trying to cool themselves and their buddies down. The solution there is to try moving them more frequently and giving them a little at a time so they don't over eat all at once. If given too much pasture, they will pick out the best tasting forage - the high protein clover, alfalfa, and young grasses - and give themselves the belly ache.
In general, to answer the basic question here of how bovine stay cool - drinking water, panting, and shade. I can help them by managing their diet.
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A Pig Has No Sweat Glands.
We all know pigs like mud and to wallow in it. The mud helps keep them cool.
But each Monday when we haul hogs in for harvest, there isn't a mud puddle on the trailer. Days like yesterday are really challenging on moving livestock around. It's also the days where you cross your fingers and hope that you don't have a breakdown on the side of the road.
We start by loading the beef and hogs at sunrise. Beef go on the trailer first and you can immediately feel the temperature difference. They are kept in the front compartment and the hogs go on next.
After sorting out the hogs we want, they get moved onto the trailer. The clock is now ticking. Almost immediately, you can hear them starting to pant.
Before hitting the road, the next stop is a shade tree and a garden hose. The hogs get sprayed down with cool well water for about 30 minutes to help them get comfortable. Once they are cooled down and soaking wet, I give them the old Model 2x55 air conditioner (yes, old man joke about 2 windows, 55 mph).
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Celebrate your sweat
Next time you are sitting on the deck sweating in the afternoon sun, be thankful that you don't have to dive in a puddle of mud, spin your own fan, or breathe on your buddies to stay cool!
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We have been finally able to catch up on our meat inventory, so this week we want to say thank you for sticking with us through the Covid shortages last year.
Here are some bundles we have available for pickup THIS WEEK! Summer Share members, place your order by 11:59pm tonight!
NOTE: Meat Bundles are Only Open to members this week. We will be releasing an "open to all" order form in the near future!
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Steak, and nothing else: $100
No explanation needed here. Let’s get to the center of the steer. 100% grassfed.
Price: $100. Approx 9#
- 2, Beef Ribeye Steaks (approx. 2.5#)
- 2 Beef T-Bone Steaks (approx. 2.5#)
- 1 Beef Sirloin Steaks (approx. 3#)
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Get Grilling Bundle: $100
This package incorporates our best cuts for the grill. Fast cooking, high heat cuts that take well to grill marks.
Price: $100. Approx: 12# of meat
- Pork: 2, 2 packs Boneless Loin Chops (approx. 2.5#)
- Beef: 2 Steaks (Ribeye or T-bone) (approx. 2.5#), 2# Ground Beef
- Chicken: 2, 2 packs Chicken Breast (approx. 2.5#)
- Sausage: Beef & Bacon Burger Patties (4 patties, 1.25#), and 1 package nitrate free hot dogs (1#)
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Smokehouse Bundle: $90
Part science, part culture. Smoking meats can be a great way to have fun and eat well.
Price: $90. Approx 17#
- 1 Grassfed Beef Brisket, (half cut, approx 5#)
- 1 slab heritage pork spareribs (approx 3.5#)
- 1 Pasture Raised whole chicken (approx 4.5#)
- 1 package smoked kielbasa, 1.25#
- 1 heritage pork Boston Butt Roast (approx 2.5#)
- 1 bottle Pope's Bourbon BBQ Sauce (12 oz)
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Sausage Sampler Bundle: $40
Try all of our sausage varieties!
Price: $40. Approx: 7.25#
- Caramelized onion, apple, and bacon poultry brats - 4 links, 1.25#
- Green Onion Brats (pork) - 4 links, 1.25#
- Italian Sausage Links (pork) - 4 links, 1.25#
- Andouille Sausage Links, Smoked (beef/pork blend) - 4 links, 1.25#
- Kielbasa Sausage Links, Smoked (beef/pork blend) - 4 links, 1.25#
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Ground Beef Bundle: $30
Save $5 when you stock up on our grassfed, ground beef.
Price: $30. 5#
- 5# Grassfed ground beef (in 1# packages)
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Burger Night Bundle (Single): $35
Burger Night Bundle (Double): $45
Have fun with some burgers this weekend. Here is a bundle that includes all the fixings ready to go.
Burger Bundle (Single) - $35
Upsize the bundle to include 2 packs of burgers + 2 packs of buns (other contents the same) for just $10 more.
Price: $35/$45.
- Grassfed Beef Burger Patties, 4 pack 1.3#
- Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, 4 pack
- Sweet Pickle Relish, 12 oz
- Pepper Butter (homemade pepper mustard), 16 oz
- Lettuce (1 sleeve field grown), Tomatoes (2#), and Candy Onion (1 fresh bulb)
- Grassfed Smoked Cheddar, 8 oz
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Small Omnivore
Grassfed Beef Burger Patties (4 pack)
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Radishes
Lettuce
Green Cabbage
Candy Onion
Balaton Cherries
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Small Vegetarian
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Radishes
Lettuce
Green Cabbage
Candy Onion
Balaton Cherries
Snow Peas
Broccoli
Garlic Scapes
Zucchini/Squash
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Mini
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Radishes
Lettuce
Garlic Scapes
Cherries
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Large Omnivore
Grassfed Beef Burger Patties (4 pack)
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Radishes
Lettuce
Green Cabbage
Candy Onion
Balaton Cherries
Smoked Cheddar
Hamburger Buns (4 pack)
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Pepper Butter (16 oz)
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Large Vegetarian
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Radishes
Lettuce
Green Cabbage
Candy Onion
Balaton Cherries
Snow Peas
Broccoli
Garlic Scapes
Zucchini/Squash
Smoked Cheddar
Black Raspberries
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Pepper Butter (16 oz)
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Small Vegan
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Radishes
Lettuce
Green Cabbage
Candy Onion
Balaton Cherries
Snow Peas
Broccoli
Garlic Scapes
Zucchini/Squash
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