saint john's organic farm

Beef and Pumpkin Panang Thai Curry

by Courtney Meyerhofer

I went through a phase where I was obsessed with Thai food. Coconut-milk based curries with kabocha squash or pumpkin were my jam.

This recipe was like a trip down memory lane. The rich curry, the creamy pumpkin, the hearty local beef…this one hits the spot!

This recipe was modified from a Cook’s Illustrated volume.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Tbsp lard, tallow, or cooking oil

  • 2-3 lbs Saint John’s organic grass fed beef sirloin

  • 2 - 4 Tbsp thai red curry paste

  • 1 15 oz can coconut milk

  • 2 tsp sugar

  • 2 Tbsp fish sauce

  • 3 cups peeled and cubed pumpkin, cubed into 1-2 inch cubes

  • 5-7 kaffir lime leaves or zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime

  • extra salt to taste

  • chopped peanuts

METHOD

Several hours, up to 24, before it’s time to cook, slice the meat into thin strips and salt and pepper generously. Cover and refrigerate.

Remove meat from refrigerator 30 minutes before beginning to cook.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. You want it really hot to get a good sear on the beef.

Add cooking fat of choice and get it smoking hot.

Add 1/2 of meat slices to pan, less if you’re using a smaller pan. You don’t want to crowd the pan because that will steam and not sear the meat.

Once the meat is nicely browned, after 3-5 minutes, transfer meat to large bowl to rest.

Turn heat down to medium and add curry paste. Cook and stir for 3 - 5 minutes, until the paste is a deep brick red.

Add coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Stir to combine. Taste to see if you need to add salt or more curry paste depending on your preference. I ended up adding 1 tsp salt and 2 additional Tbsp of curry paste.

Add pumpkin and bring to simmer.

Add meat and continue to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until meat and pumpkin are done.

Once meat and pumpkin are done, add kaffir lime leaves or lemon and lime zest. Simmer for 1 - 2 minutes and then serve!

Serve with rice and garnished with chopped peanuts if desired!

The Importance of Touch for Humans and Animals

by Claire Dill


Healthy loving physical touch and contact is a pretty important part of life.

There have been studies and articles about humans needing physical contact, babies and grownups both, and it makes sense because humans were made to be in community.

Hermits and recluses are extremely unordinary in humanity. Historically, a hermit or recluse was either called by God to make that sacrifice and to live alone in prayer, or was mentally unstable and a social outcast.

Humans are designed to be together. Even hardcore introverts are very lonely if they don't have their small group of close friends available.


For human babies, being held and snuggled makes a huge difference in their emotional state and their physical health, day by day and also for the rest of their lives. Particularly snuggles from the mother, or main caregiver.

Babies with plenty of healthy touch have much more interest in life, self regulate as babies and children much better, and have good trust mechanisms and bonding in relationships. Healthy touch has been shown to improve the baby's immune system, and helps with pain management and pain reduction.

 
Human adults don't grow out of the need for physical contact.

Have you noticed how people almost always light up when a friend gives a hug? Or the aura of determination and joy when someone slaps a shoulder in recognition or praise; or the encouragement when someone lays a hand on the shoulder of someone grieving, and simply squeezes for a few seconds, with no words?

 
I think about this a lot when I'm feeding bottle calves. Especially the ones that have tight tendons and can't stand for a few days until their legs loosen up.

Cows are herd animals, they are also "designed to be in community". So it makes sense that they also need touch to thrive.

A mama cow dries her baby off by licking it, immediately after birth. And cows spend considerable time with their babies, and with their friends, not only playing and grazing together, but also licking and grooming each other. Nearly every time after a calf nurses, when it is full, it will meander up to its mama's head and get some grooming and attention. The calf will sometimes play at butting heads with its mama, and run in crazy play circles, but nearly always will settle in for at least a few minutes of stretching and relaxing while the mama licks its neck and sides. Often, mama cow will also be reaching around and licking her baby while it nurses, as well.

 
So, I try to pet and play with a bottle calf, at least once or twice a day, extra and beyond whatever handling is necessary for feeding the bottle, especially if it's the only calf in the pen, to simulate a little of the physical contact it would have with the herd.

When we get a second calf in the pen, or a nurse mama, then my need to fill that job goes away.

But in particular, I have noticed with a sick calf, or one who can't stand at first, that if I give a few minutes of extra attention, rubbing my hands on their head and neck and sides several times a day, they respond pretty drastically with improved interest in life, bonding, ability to nurse from the bottle, and relaxing their tight muscles and not worrying about things so much.

Beef Breakfast Recipe: 20 Min Sausage Breakfast

Beef.

It’s what’s for…breakfast??

Yes.

I’ve tried several beef breakfast recipes and this one is closest to a traditional sausage flavor.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lbs Saint John’s organic grass fed beef

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 2 tsp onion powder

  • 2 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 1 ½ tsp dried sage

  • 1 ½ tsp dried thyme

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes

  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

  • Tallow or lard for frying, optional

METHOD

You can bake these for 20 minutes or pan fry.

Pan frying will yield a crispier, more authentic “breakfast sausage” vibe to the dish. But baking is more convenient if you don’t have time to watch a skillet.

  1. If baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Mix together beef and spices well.

  3. Form into small, about 2 oz thin and flat patties.

  4. If baking, lay patties in a glass baking pan or other baking pan lined with foil. If pan frying, preheat a pan over medium-high heat and melt tallow or lard.

  5. Place patties in the oven for 20 minutes or pan fry for about 8 minutes.

  6. Cook until patties reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

  7. Serve with hash browns, eggs, and hot sauce of choice.

The breakfast hot sauce line-up.

Importance of Sunlight for Health: 5 Reasons Sunlight is Foundational

In our culture, eating fake food and living a sedentary life indoors is just normal.

The holistic health movement has done good work to move us toward real food and exercise, but what’s often left out of the conversation is SUNLIGHT and the power of our indoor lighting environment.

On a personal note, my health has radically improved over the last year, with the main change I’ve made being getting adequate sunlight, changing my indoor environment, and grounding daily.

Here’s what you need to know:

  1. Morning sunlight balances hormones, improves mood, and keeps the metabolism chugging.

Every cell in the body needs to know what time it is in order to perform optimally. The light entering our eyes provides that information via the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which has a direct connection to the eyes.

Your hormones, your mood, your gut bacteria, and your metabolism all must know what time it is, and sunlight tells your body this.

2. Light from the UVA rise (first 2 hours after sunrise) builds the solar callus, which makes vitamin D synthesis more efficient and reduces the need for sunscreen.

Now that it’s Spring, it’s time to build your solar callus. This is a mostly invisible callus on your skin that prevents you from burning in the Summer and helps you process and utilize UVB light to make vitamin D.

3. UVB in the afternoon is the foundation for full spectrum vitamin D.

After the sun reaches solar noon, there’s move UVB in the sunlight. Exposure to your full body at this time of day will help you make vitamin D.

4. Sunlight sets our circadian clock for sleep. Inadequate sunlight and too much blue light can be a root cause for many sleep disturbances.

Sleep disorders have become so common that there’s a boom in professional sleep coaches. The foundation of sleep is the circadian rhythm, the internal clock that runs every process of the body. To optimize your circadian rhythm, you must:

  • See morning sunlight in naked eyes

  • Spend 30 mins outside during the UVA rise (first two hours after sunrise)

  • Take frequent light breaks throughout the day (looking through a closed window doesn’t count)

  • Wear blue blockers after sunset and eliminate or reduce sources of blue light in your home

    5. Sunlight restores the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system.

Sunlight is incredibly regulating to our nervous system. If we’re tired, Sunlight gives us energy and stimulation. If we’re in a state of fight-or-flight, the infrared frequencies from the Sun gives a calming, mood-stabilizing effect.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Carrie Bennett YouTube

Sarah Kleiner YouTube

Quantum Biology Collective Podcast

Baked Custard Recipe: 5 Minute Overnight Breakfast Recipe

by Courtney Meyerhofer

I’m always looking for ways to eat a high protein breakfast.

This custard is delicious, high in protein, and I can put it in the oven right before I go to bed.

There’s nothing like waking up to breakfast already made.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups Saint John’s raw organic milk

  • 6 eggs

  • ¼ cup honey, maple syrup, or sugar

  • Splash of vanilla

  • Pinch of salt

  • Optional: 2 scoops collagen or casein protein powder

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 475.

  2. Warm milk in a medium pot until steaming.

  3. Whisk together eggs, maple syrup (or other sweetener), vanilla, and salt. Slowly whisk in milk once it’s steaming and optional protein powder.

  4. Pour into a loaf pan or other baking dish.

  5. Bake for 5 minutes.

  6. Turn off the oven and leave the custard in the hot oven for 6-8 hours (or overnight).

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

  • Maple syrup

  • Honey

  • Berries

  • Cinnamon

  • Eggs and toast on the side

If you try this recipe, tag us on Facebook or Instagram!

Why Choose Local Seeds for your Garden This Year

by Courtney Meyerhofer

With Spring right around the corner, it’s time to plan the garden.

Here’s why we encourage you to choose local seeds for your garden this year.

Local seeds are from plants well-adapted to your local growing environment.

Seeds saved locally are uniquely prepared to meet our area’s growing conditions.

Plants naturally adapt to their environment, so seeds from local plants are already adapted for the local area’s climate: temperature, humidity, disease, pests, and soil types are all adapted for and this information is stored in the seed itself. (Life is amazing).

Buying local seeds also keeps our money local. This supports local seed saving work and supports local farms who use regenerative practices we can get behind.

Snake River Seeds are uniquely adapted to our region, the Intermountain West. They’re open-pollinated and untreated. We highly recommend them!

March is a wonderful time to order seeds and get started on your backyard garden.

When you get your seeds, take a picture and tag us on Facebook or Instagram. We can’t wait to see what you’re growing!

Farm News February 2024

by Claire Dill

January was... fun... With all the snow and the deep cold, we managed pretty well, but there were some long days trekking around getting everyone fed and watered and trying to keep things from freezing up.

Jonathan cleared the snow off the machine shed roof, which was marvelous.

Thankfully we have plenty of hay, and the cows are looking pretty good, they came through that cold snap pretty satisfactorily.

Ice crystals built up on the wires and grasses.

The beauty of the hydrant, the hose, and the float working.

Last year was a struggle with calving mortality, and I'm not sure what to expect for this year, we may not have very many calves. And for sure, I'm not expecting any for a while yet.

It's odd to not be getting into high alert mode, but I also don't mind a slower start to the calving season. Spring and fall calves are much easier to watch for and manage than winter and summer calves.

Winter is hard because the calf can freeze if the mom isn't attentive, in summer we have to watch pretty close because of the potential for dehydration if the baby doesn't nurse in good order.

Clover should be up first, probably in March or April. 

We haven't tested the cows to have specific due dates much these last few years, but we may do that soon to be able to plan this year with more information.

A tired puppy at the end of the day.

Hours of miles of snow travel.

Finding mice under the snow.

I am definitely enjoying the feeling of spring these last few days, and could be very happy if it just continues and stays. :) but if we get more winter, I guess that could be good to hit the insect population.

So I guess whatever God sends we'll have something to be thankful for!

Julie found a nice sunning place, even with the snow.

Dad and I hauled hay while Jonathan cleared the machine shed roof.

Thick fog, but enjoying clear ground with no snow!

Lia watching the milk cows eat.