Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

Farm Update & How To Cook A Really Good Roast

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

March 29, 2020

Last weeks "frank" Newsletter received a lot of positive reply's and was the most read Newsletter yet with 74.31% Open Rate, 9.7% Click Rate, and ZERO Unsubscribes.

What a privilege to be a blessing to so many people by providing access to nutritious farm fresh food and a reassuring spirit. Since March 1st we have had 107 new customers sign up and 27 First Time Buyers. Our number of orders have been over 210.

That being said, i want to apologize in advance for being slow answering emails, text, and phone calls. While I have not tried to keep up with the increase of communication I can truthfully say the numbers have at least doubled.

So, if I have been slow to respond and possibly missed responding, please accept my apology and keep trying. We are also working hard to generate increased production to help feed your families.

A few observations from March 21st delivery. I delivered 37 cases of eggs to four Jackson Metro stores. We are now in Ramey's in Brandon, MS. Beth took 8 cases to Ellisville locations.

Have you noticed egg prices lately? The USDA reported commercial eggs are up 185% which means they are now higher in price than our pastured free-range eggs!

We chose NOT TO INCREASE prices during this stressful time like the industrial suppliers. Another observation is we are the ONLY supplier delivering eggs to many of the stores. Other regional suppliers like Vital Farms are not servicing our local stores.

Please see product availability updates below!

How To Cook A Really Great Tasting Roast (by Beth)
At Nature's Gourmet Farm we sell five beef roast to include: Brisket, Chuck, Loin Tip, Rump, and Shoulder.

One of our original customer's told us several times that she had a magic pot and anything she put in it turned out wonderful. Ben finally asked her what her magic pot was.

It was a Le Creuset dutch oven (enameled cast iron), which Ben ordered me for Christmas that year.

As these are pretty expensive, I have found other more reasonably priced enameled cast iron that work just as well so I now have different sizes.

She was right! I can put a roast in there with some liquid and onion, put the lid on and turn my oven down to 200 or 250 degrees, and let it cook slow for about 3-4 hours and it is falling apart tender.

I will admit that I have on occasion put it in the dutch oven still mostly frozen and it still turned out great (turned up the heat a little to compensate for not being thawed).

As grassfed beef does not have quite the same amount of fat as supermarket beef, be careful with the salt as that draws moisture out of the meat, making it tough. Lightly salt just before cooking.

Using a dutch oven, you can braise (brown in a little oil) the roast in the same pot that goes in the oven which means less cleanup (always a winning combination).

However, if you are good at planning ahead the crockpot can be your next best friend. Thaw your roast in the fridge, braise it if you choose in a skillet on the stovetop, and throw that baby in the crockpot with some potatoes, carrots, onions, etc., and cook on low.

By suppertime, dinner is ready!

Those vegetables get to soak up the juices as they cook along with the roast. On low, a crockpot is generally 200 degrees, and on high, 300 degrees. One hour on high equals 2 to 2-1/2 hours on low.

I don’t have an instant pot, but I would just advise to use caution as these cook fast which may not allow your roast to have enough time to be tender.

Overall the best way to cook grassfed beef roast is to cook it slow, whether you use a dutch oven or a crockpot, to allow the tissue to soften and tenderize.

** Product Update **


Chicken - Restocked Wednesday, March 25. Whole chicken sold out in 30 minutes! Next processing is April 8th and again every two weeks.

Eggs- Fully Stocked. Thank you for introducing our farm to your family & friends by sharing a dozen of our FREE EGGS

Beef- Limited Stock BUT relief is on the way! I was able to secure a NEW slot for March 30 to process two cows all for hamburger. Additionally, I have a slot for 6 beef on April 1st and 2 beef April 13th. For a total of 10 beef in April.

Pork- Individual cuts - Restocked fresh cuts and some sausage the evening of March 21st. Will pickup the balance of the sausages before mid-April. I have 6-Whole Pork Loins available that weigh about 12 pounds each. Let me know if you are interested in buying one.

Roger F. recently left this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google Review:

"Just met Ben at Nature's Gourmet Farm . Tried hamburger and eggs and both were exceptional! It is great to have a non-GMO farm near us!"

More from the blog

Taste Test

Greetings Ben and Beth, I'm really looking forward to my next order pick up. I'm trying to improve my cholesterol numbers, thus eating more chicken, and ran out of your chicken products. I ended up buying some industrially produced chicken, and man was that a mistake! It smelled terrible raw, also while it was being sauteed, and also later when I reheated it to put into an otherwise healthy salad. I have enough of this subpar stuff to last until I pick my order, but I don't think I can ever buy this CAFO stuff again.

Beef Update & A New Product

Beef Update – Typically this time of year folks are hesitant to buy bulk beef for their freezer due to hurricane risk. That is why we have delayed our next custom half & whole beef processing until September. If you are interested, our next harvest will be September 2nd with pickup on September 22nd. If you want to be included then please email me your name, email, and cell number to be added to our wait list - and be the first folks contacted and guaranteed to receive an order. Beef prices continue to increase and hit a new All-Time high this week fueled by strong demand and limited supply. For example, based on what a 700 pound steer sold for at the Hattiesburg Stockyard Monday, I could make more than feeding him till he weighs 1100 pounds and sell as packaged beef - but our mission is to provide nutrient-dense, clean food to our customers. Effective immediately custom beef half and whole prices will increase $0.50 to $6.25 per pound based on the hanging weight. Retail cuts will increase for September deliveries as well.

Real Health Is NOT A Pill. It's A Practice!

Two Great Must Read Articles – Typically I don't make a big deal about articles we have read, but these two are so good that I felt they needed to be shared. The first is by Joel Salatin titled "Food Think" that is part of his The Lunatic Farmer blog. You can read the full article at this link. The second article is one Beth forwarded to me from the Health Viewpoints section of Epoch Times titled "Americans Spend Trillions on Health Care but Remain Unwell - Here's Why" Dr. Yang, FAPA, a board certified psychiatrist, begins by stating the difference between treating disease and building true health lies in a proactive and preventative lifestyle. Note - Beth and I would agree with other folks who commented that his article is spot on and very important for folks to read and understand. You can read at this link.