Pick up your Meat Share:
Friday (3/6) and later, self service
Dear Shareholders:
The snow is still falling and the sap is running. Hopefully this means a good sugaring season ahead. As things begin to thaw at the farm we begin planning for the coming season and start dreaming of warmer days. We can also begin to dream of longer days, as daylight savings will swoop in to give us a lift into spring this weekend. Over the past couple of months we have been dutifully restocking the store and can now say with confidence there is plenty of bacon available. While we are starting to draw-down on our reserve of chicken cuts from last summer we do have two chicken sausages in rotation, cilantro lime and new Tex-Mex barbeque. These sausages are lean, light and very tasty. In the coming weeks we will also be focusing on holiday specials like corned beef and ham. As always, we are happy to fulfill any special orders for your holiday.
Thank you!
– Maggie (for Mark, Alona & the Archway Farm team)
Special Items in This Months Shares
(depending on size and meats you selected)
Pork Shoulder & Butt Roasts: Both of these cuts come from the Boston butt primal on a pig shoulder. While some may prefer the boneless Shoulder roast for easy serving, others prefer the extra flavor a bone-in Butt roast provides.
Chicken Thighs: Without question dark meat is the best and whoever disagrees with me is the perfect person to split a roasted chicken with. Thighs get high praise for me because they are perfect for portioning. The flavor options are endless but some of my favorite ways to cook them are Butter Chicken, Soy and ginger glaze, and Mustard and maple glaze with apples. Pair this protein with a starch and a veggie and you’re done!
Beef Meatballs: These meatballs were made by hand with TLC exclusively for our CSA this month. Made with Archway farm beef, Five Sigma farm eggs and a mix of herbs and spices; these meatballs aim to please both the mouth and the meal planning departments. Just thaw, brown in a pan and simmer in sauce for around 20 minutes and you’ll be good as gold.
Recipe of the Month
Slow Cooked Moroccan Pork Shoulder
This spiced, but not spicy, slow cooked pork shoulder is sure to be a hit as a stand-alone protein for a main or as an addition to any combination of bread, cheese and condiments. You can cook this on the weekend, during the work day in a crock-pot or like me, you could cook it overnight. I put my pork shoulder in the oven Tuesday night and took it out first thing Wednesday morning. All that’s needed is a little reheating. I ate mine on Hawaiian buns with a red cabbage and mint slaw and savory cucumber yogurt.
Serves 4 – 8 people.
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Shoulder roast 2-4 lbs
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons of pepper
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 small red onion rough chopped
- 2 medium sweet potato cut into large wedges
- 2-3 carrots cut into large wedges
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/3 cup dried apricots or sultanas
- 2 lemons cut in half
- 2 cups of chicken stock
Steps to make it
- Take roast out of package, pat dry and allow to rest at room temp.
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Mix together spices and rub 2-3 tablespoons on roast.
- Slice up veggies and add to cooking container (I use an enameled cast iron).
- Add honey and olive oil to vegetables, plus a sprinkle of spice rub and mix together.
- Place pork on the veggies and add the apricots or sultanas around the outside of the pork. Add 1 lemon halved. Pour 2 cups of broth into the pan. Pouring the broth over the meat will wash off the rub.
- Cook uncovered at 275 for 6 hours, or until falling apart. If you can check on it a few times to baste or make sure there is still liquid in the pan please do. You could also cook this covered in order to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
- Pull out of the oven and shred. Add some of the remaining spices to taste and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Use a slotted spoon to take some of the root veg from the pan and serve on the side.
Enjoy!
Because I pulled mine from the oven early in the morning and would not be eating it until that evening I allowed the roast to cool and put it in the fridge without shredding it. To reheat it I simply put the pan back on the stove-top to heat it up for 15-20 minutes and then threw it under the broiler for a few minutes until the fat cap was nice and crispy. I then shredded and served immediately.