Thank you and welcome!

December’s CSA box consists of grass-fed grain-finished beef cuts from

Mike and Amy’s Otter Creek Cattle Company. Included in the box are

recipes and tips that you may follow as a guide to help you cook your beef.

We also want you to get to know us a little better!

Mike and Amy Stiefel are native New Yorkers who spent many years living

out west. While living in Wyoming and Idaho, Mike found his passion for

beef cattle from living and working on large cattle ranches. Soon after

moving back to NY to be closer to family, Mike and Amy purchased their

own farm and started raising their own herd of beef cattle. Mike hopes to

pass on his passion for raising beef cattle to his two young sons Ty (age 7)

and Luke (age 4). Ty already has three cows of his own, and Luke is just

starting out with one cow of his own. Mike and Amy continue to work to

expand the herd and produce quality beef for local consumers.

Along with your beef cuts is pasture-raised lamb from Honey O’s Family

Farm, from Alia and Joseph Ososkalo. You will also find helpful tips to

cook your lamb meat.

Joseph is a junior in high school this year, and is really looking forward to

full-time farming next summer. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and

thrives on outdoor activities. Alia graduated from high school in 2014, and

enjoys her part-time job with Care Net Pregnancy Center. She also loves

cooking and baking Ukrainian specialties (their dad immigrated from

Ukraine.) Alia and Joseph's family (the Honey O's) enjoys performing

concerts together for events at churches, senior centers and outdoor summer

activities. Alia loves sheep farming and has a dream of expanding the family

farm into a big operation some day.

Please fill out and return the survey by December 22 if possible. We would

like to make your experience with us the best it can be.

For questions regarding the CSA please contact Amy Stiefel at 315-775-

6075.

No Co Local Meats CSA Newsletter December 2016

NORTH COUNTRY LOCAL

MEATS CSA NEWSLETTER

Like us on Facebook or visit our website at

www.nocolocal.wixsite.com/2016

Grass-fed grain-finished beef tips and recipes

Our beef are rotationally grazed on our pastures. The last 90-100 days of their life they are also fed a

supplemental grain and hay to allow the qualities we like for finishing. By supplementing with grain and

hay along with access to pasture, this allows for the meat to become more flavorful and increases

marbling.

Tips for the “Perfect Steak” from Amy

No grill required! Get a perfectly cooked steak using a cast iron pan and your oven!

Season your favorite steak (ribeye, porterhouse, NY Strip, filet) with salt and pepper…that is it—nothing

else! (Coarse ground salt is great for seasoning meat.)

After seasoning let the steak rest for about 1 hour to bring it to room temperature.

When you are ready to cook, place your cast iron pan in the oven on the top rack closest to the broiler

and set oven to the highest broil setting (usually about 550 degrees…yup, that hot!)

When the oven is heated, remove the skillet and place it on a burner over HIGH heat. Brush both sides

of the steak with oil. We like grapeseed oil because of its high smoke point, but vegetable or canola oils

work fine.

Don’t add the oil directly to the pan… it will smoke you out of your kitchen! (You still will have some

smoke in your kitchen with this cooking method, but not as bad if you put the oil on the steak itself!)

Place your steak in the hot pan and sear for about 15 seconds, then flip and sear the other side for about

15 seconds After searing the second side, put the skillet with the steak directly in to the hot oven, on the

top rack under the broiler.

For medium rare: cook the steak under the broiler for 1 minute 15 seconds, flip the steak and repeat on

the second side.

For medium: cook the steak under the broiler for 1 minute 30 seconds, flip the steak and repeat on the

second side. (Adjust cooking times by 15 second intervals to get a more rare or well done steak.)

Remove steak from oven, place on a plate and cover loosely with foil. Although you will be tempted to

cut right in to that juicy deliciousness, give it a little rest, for 2-5 minutes to let the juices soak into the

meat.

These cooking times are for steaks cut one inch thick. Times will need to be adjusted for thicker or

thinner steaks.

No Co Local Meats CSA Newsletter December 2016

Pastured lamb tips and recipes

Interested in lamb but unsure how to prepare it? There’s no reason to be intimidated. Lamb is easy to prepare and fun to cook! When cooked properly, lamb is flavorful and juicy, and the

methods for preparing it are no different than those you use for beef and pork.

Tips from Alia:

For lamb breakfast sausage: Thaw and form into patties. Fry in a frying pan on each side until nicely

browned and cooked through. The sausage is completely seasoned, so nothing needs to be added.

For lamb chops: Thaw chops and sprinkle generously with each of the following: seasoned salt, black

pepper, granulated garlic, a few dashes of liquid smoke, and steak sauce. Allow to marinate in the fridge

for 24 hours in a dish. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes. 160*F for medium or 170*F

for well done.

Lamb steaks and lamb chops can also be marinated in your favorite marinade. I like "Herb and Garlic"

or "Smokey Barbeque." The longer you marinade the better it tastes. Marinating in the fridge for 24-48

hours is ideal. Let the lamb sit covered and in a warm place for 3 to 5 minutes after removing from heat

to let the juices redistribute.

Other tips:

Similar to the grass-fed beef, lamb is very easy to overcook so cook it low and slow or else it will dry out.

Stovetop cooking is great for grass-fed lamb chops because you have more control over the temperature

than on the grill.

No Co Local Meats CSA Newsletter December 2016

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Chops

Garlic cloves (4-6)

Rosemary, fresh (1 small

bunch)

Thyme, fresh (1 small

bunch)

Cayenne pepper (pinch)

Butter or olive oil (4 TBS)

Olive oil for oiling pan

Sea salt and freshly

ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Peel garlic and place into food processor.

Rinse and dry both the fresh rosemary and thyme. Remove about 1 TBS of

the needles and add to the bowl of the processor. Add in about 1 teaspoon of

the thyme leaves as well. You can also use dried herbs, but use fresh herbs if

you can.

Add to the bowl a pinch of the cayenne pepper.

Pulse until combined in the food processor.

Add in the butter or olive oil and pulse until the mixture becomes a paste.

Rub the paste onto both sides of each lamb chop and allow to marinate for at

least one hour in the refrigerator.

Remove chops from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

Cover and cook on low to medium heat on both sides until done.

Check the temperature; it should read 120-145 degrees F.

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.