How to Cook a Roast: Simple, Everyday Beef

Herbed Saint John’s organic roast.

Wondering how to cook a roast?

Roasts are a cost-effective way to enjoy our organic, grass-fed beef. They're versatile and go with just about everything.

We've eaten a lot of roast beef over the years! Here's how we get a nutritious, filling dinner on the table -- with minimal prep or active cooking.

Simple Preparation

The easiest preparation is to salt and pepper the outside of the roast, put the roast in a slow cooker with 2 cups water or broth, and cook on low for 7-8 hours. If an Instant Pot is more your style, follow the same steps and cook on the Meat/Stew function for 70 minutes.

How to crank up the flavor

Add even more flavor to the roast by searing 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat on all sides of the roast before cooking in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Add quartered onions, carrots, and minced garlic to your slow cooker or Instant Pot for a traditional pot roast meal. 

Serving Ideas

When we have the time, we serve roasts with mashed or baked potatoes, bread, carrots, and a crisp salad.

For a quick lunch, try a homemade roast beef sandwich! Slice the roast thinly and add to bread with mustard, mayo, tomato, and onion.

Warm Weather Roasts

With Spring just around the corner, having a hot slow cooker in the kitchen all day isn't always ideal. If you don't have an Instant Pot, a great alternative is to move the slow cooker outside and use an outdoor outlet.

For a warm day, try a "roast beef salad", similar to a chicken or tuna salad. Chop cooked and chilled roast beef and toss with celery, mayo, mustard, diced onion, and any herbs or spices you enjoy. We enjoy it with cilantro, lime juice, and paprika or chili powder on tortillas in the summer time.

Our favorite roast recipes

• Oven Braised Chuck Roast

• Instant Pot Roast with Red Wine

• Herb Rubbed Top Round Roast

Enjoy our organic, grass fed beef roasts, the simple, everyday meat!

Grass Fed Beef Burger Recipe: Herb Infused Burgers

Hungry for grass fed beef burgers? Try this delicious herb infused hamburger! My buddy Josiah introduced this to me at a guys night recently. I took ground beef from our farm, and he asked what I thought about adding rosemary, thyme, and garlic. I thought it sounded amazing, and it was!! Try it for yourself!

Ingredients:

Rosemary

Thyme

Garlic

Saint John’s Organic Ground Beef

Process:

Dice herbs and mix thoroughly into the ground beef. Form patties.

Fry in cast iron or fire up the barbecue. Cook until you reach the desired level of doneness.

Toast and butter Kaiser buns, add bacon and lettuce. Enjoy!!

We paired these burgers with the spice of jalapeño potato chips and a vanilla porter.

Why Organic Matters

Curious Saint John’s cows enjoying the organic, lush pasture.

What is organic?

In order to proudly display the USDA organic label, a product must be free of additives, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and be non-GMO. For meat to be classified as organic, theUSDA requires “animals must be raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors (like the ability to graze on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not administered antibiotics or hormones.”

Why choose organic?

Organic food used to be the standard, the way our great-grandparents and earlier ancestors ate. It wasn’t called “organic food”, rather, it was just “food.” Today, our conventionally, industrially grown food has been contaminated through the use of herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, and additives. Instead of being a source of nutrition for our bodies and families, conventionally grown food has been shown to harm our health by increasing our toxic load, promoting inflammation, altering our microbiome, and possibly increasing cancer risk. By choosing organic, we choose pure and nutritious foods that restore our health and enable us to live to our fullest potential.

Why buy organic meat?

Saint John’s cows on a beautiful day.

Sourcing high-quality animal foods is important because the pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones an animal is exposed to are present in the meat we consume.

1. The animals are fed 100% organic food.

In conventional agriculture, many animals are fed diets that are unnatural for the species and food that does little to promote good health in the animal. The lack of quality nutrition for animals in addition to poor living conditions necessitate the use of antibiotics and other drugs to keep animals alive and growing. At Saint John's Organic Farm, we take the greatest care in feeding our cows a 100% grass-fed and grass-finished diet that is free of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and commercial fertilizers. They receive natural health care that avoids antibiotics, stimulants, and growth hormones, and they are looked after by our family. This care creates exceptionally healthy animals that yield the highest quality beef.

2. Free of antibiotics and other drugs

Preventative antibiotic administration is a matter of routine in much of the livestock industry, especially for beef. The overuse of antibiotics in conventional agriculture may be a major contributor to poor gut health in Americans and the development of "super-bugs" that are antibiotic-resistant. Steroids are also commonly given to increase the rate animals grow in order to improve profit margins.

3. Avoiding additives

Many meat producers inject their meat with a solution of water, salt, and sodium phosphate in order to add moisture, improve meat tenderness, and extend shelf life. These additives are not permitted under the USDA's organic label, and avoiding them is likely beneficial to human health.

4. GMO-free

By choosing meat that is certified organic, you are choosing meat that comes from an animal that is not genetically modified and is fed a diet that is not genetically modified.

5. Animals are humanely raised

Because the USDA requires certified organic meat to come from animals with "living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors", these livestock are much more likely to be raised in a humane way. At Saint John's Organic Farm, our cows are raised on diverse pasture grass, sunshine, and quality care from our family.

6. Environmental preservation

Conventionally grown meat uses an abundance of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that deplete soil and harm the surrounding environment. Our grazing practices add to the fertility and health of our soil, instead of constantly taking nutrients that need to be replaced with synthetic fertilizer. We use less fossil fuel, have less water runoff, and run into fewer pest problems than our industrial counterparts. As providers for people and caretakers of the earth, we seek what is best for you and the world we inhabit, and will continue to offer a vision of sustainable agriculture for future generations.

How to Shop for Organic Produce

Source: Wellness Mama

It is possible to greatly reduce exposure to pesticides and herbicides from produce by sticking to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen list. The EWG created these lists by looking at the spraying practices of conventional agriculture and also testing produce from supermarket shelves.

In summary, organic, grass fed beef is superior for our health, the planet, and for future generations.

Grass Fed Beef Paleo Recipe: Hungarian Beef and Cabbage Skillet

Hungarian beef and cabbage, ready to enjoy.

This one-pan paleo recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner -- total cook time was about 25 minutes!

The cabbage, paprika, and celery seed is a classic Hungarian combination and melds with the tomato paste to create a delightfully savory and rich flavor.

Cabbage is a nutrient-packed vegetable, an abundant source of Vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. Vitamin C is an important vitamin and co-factor for absorbing iron, so eating cabbage with beef helps to boost the uptake of iron into our bloodstream and tissues!

Pair this meal with any of your favorite starches. Our favorite way to eat this is with spaetzle, sour cream, and sauerkraut. Enjoy!

Hungarian Beef and Cabbage Skillet

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp fat (oil, butter, tallow, lard, or bacon fat)

• 1 onion, sliced in half-moons

• 1 lb Saint John’s organic, grass-fed ground beef

• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp paprika

• ¼ tsp celery seed

• 3 Tbsp tomato paste

• ½ medium cabbage, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup water or broth

• Salt and pepper

METHOD

Melt fat in a large skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat.

When fat is melted, add onions and cook 5-7 minutes or until translucent.

Onions sauteeing in butter.

Add ground beef to skillet and break into large chunks. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until beef is half pink and half brown. Season with a hefty pinch of salt.

Beef added to onions.

Add garlic, paprika, celery seed, and tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes until garlic is cooked.

Beef, spices, and tomato paste in skillet.

Add cabbage and water. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes.

Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Scrape bottom of the pan and stir frequently to prevent burning. This step caramelizes the cabbage and onion.

Dinner is ready!

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve promptly and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

What to serve with this skillet:

• Rice

• Spaetzle

• Roasted potatoes

• Mashed potatoes

Delicious Garnishes:

• Sour cream

• Sauerkraut

• Pickled jalapenos

Did you give this recipe a try? Tag us on Instagram to let us know what you think!

Grass Fed Beef Environmental Impact

Saint John’s cows grazing on lush, green grass.

We’ve heard much in the media over the years of the environmental harm caused by the beef industry, and that the trend of humanity toward vegetarianism - or even veganism - is inevitable. While we share a common concern for environmental sustainability with our vegetarian and vegan friends, we would like to offer a different (and we hope very interesting) view on how cultivating grass fed beef may be a valuable part of the effort to care for the environment and all the ecosystems of the earth. 

Without further ado, here are a few ways grass fed beef’s environmental impact contributes to multi-generational sustainability and regeneration.

Organic and Grass-Fed Environmental Practices

At a baseline, the USDA organic certification requires that no commercial petrochemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are used on our pastures, and that everything the animals eat are GMO-free. Our cows are grass-fed and pasture-raised. When cows are confined to a feedlot, unsanitary conditions for the cows and high concentrations of animal waste runoff pollutes groundwater and surface streams and rivers. Beyond the organic concentrates from the animals themselves, there is almost always a large amount of antibiotic and drug content in the runoff since the beef are highly medicated to attempt to ward off disease in those atrocious conditions. Conventional agricultural practices also cause a loss of habitat for important wildlife ecology. Our organic and grass-fed practices protect wildlife, water purity, air quality, and soil health for future generations.

How We Take Environmental Stewardship A Step Further

Saint John’s cows grazing and lazing.

Because we are a small, grass-fed, and organic family farm, we know our animals and land in great detail. We care for our animals and land with attention and love, and we are able to react to the individual needs of our animals. Our regenerative practices are proactive: we tend and build soil, foster diversity and nutrient density, and encourage quality of life for our land and animals. We want the best nutrition for our cows, so we grow a widely diverse mix of grasses, legumes, and herbs that provide complementing nutritional strengths.

With a small scale local, organic farm, there is much more transparency. There are factory farms that are certified organic, but it’s still factory farming. Conventional agriculture practices do not create the best quality of life for animals or the environment, nor do these practices create as high quality of a product. Beyond organic and grass-fed, it’s also necessary to consider the aspect of local farms. Food grown local to you contains custom specific nutrients and micro-nutrients that fit specific needs of the animals and people in their local environment.

“We care for animals with dignity and respect, and steward the soil for the health of the planet, the animals, and ourselves.”

— Aaron F. Dill, Share the Gift

Grass Fed Beef, Greenhouse Gases, and Carbon Sequestration

Everything we eat has an impact on the environment. Although cattle produce methane and use carbon, they also provide significant nutrition per unit mass. All foods have a carbon and greenhouse gas emission -- whether you examine an omnivorous, vegetarian, or vegan diet. According to Dr. Jude Capper, “Although all foods vary in greenhouse gas emissions, it’s also important to look at the bigger picture – we need to account for the nutritional value of foods as well as the greenhouse gas emission. For example, lettuce may have a lower carbon footprint per pound than beef, but beef provides far more nutrients per unit of mass. Furthermore, we need to look at the bigger environmental picture – biodiversity, water use, land use and many other factors need to be considered, not just greenhouse gases.”

Contrary to popular belief, grass fed beef may be a net carbon sink. The keys to putting carbon back into the ground is to prevent overgrazing and over-tilling. When plants are not tilled, their root structures can grow several feet deep, sometimes up to 12 feet below the surface. These roots are essential to break up compacted soil, build topsoil, and sequester carbon. When pastures are overgrazed, the plants can be killed and the soil is negatively affected. When enough grazing has occurred and  the ground has been fertilized by the cow’s manure, the plants are stimulated to grow and this is where regeneration happens.

A study from Michigan State compared the effect of conventional feedlot agriculture and adaptive multi-paddock grazing (a strategy using fencing to move cows from section to section to prevent overgrazing) on the carbon lifecycle over a period of 4 years. The study concluded that while the feedlot system produced fewer greenhouse gases, multi-paddock grazing produced a net carbon sink. The cows put carbon back into the soil! This means that well managed farms, working in harmony with nature, can be a net positive to our environment. This is the small, organic, grass-fed difference.

Our organic, grass-fed beef farm works in tandem with nature to regenerate soil, maintain wildlife ecology, protect water and air quality, and put carbon back into the earth.

References

• Share the Gift, Aaron F. Dill

• Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon Morell

• https://sustainabledish.com/its-not-the-cow-its-the-how-new-study-shows-grass-fed-beef-can-be-a-carbon-sink/

•  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X17310338

• https://www.bestfoodfacts.org/are-cows-bad-for-the-environment/

• https://sustainabledish.com/podcasts/sustainable-dish-episode-60-adaptive-multi-paddock-grazing-with-paige-stanley-jason-rowntree/

Farm News Update Feb 2021

Hello all,

January has been a mix of busy days, and winter rest. Working with the seasons, we often have some quieter days in the winter. The sun rises later and sets sooner, and the daily workload is such that we are able to come in and sit by the fire and read for an evening. 

The largest development, and it’s 40 feet long and 10 feet tall, is a new walk-in freezer unit we moved to the farm so we can store all our beef here onsite. Now, instead of storing most of our inventory in downtown Boise, we can have easy access to it for customers coming to the farm and to bundle for deliveries.

We are glad to note that we have slots reserved with our processor, Northwest Premium Meats, for all our beef this year. It was a little questionable around the first of the year, whether they would have any space for us. All the local  butchers have been run off their feet with a massive increase in demand for their services in the wake of the upheavals brought on by 2020. However, things seem to be steady for now, and we are planning our first harvest in June.

It looks like spring is beginning to stir. There’s increased warmth in the sunshine and on my daily rounds I have been seeing more birds coming back. I noticed the Collared Doves came back a couple weeks ago to scout nesting locations, this week we saw skeins of Canadian Geese flying north, and on Friday I saw two geese paired off, as well as flocks of Starlings singing fit to beat the band. 

Several of our heifers are looking closer and closer to calving, stay tuned on the IG/FB pages for photos of baby calves!

My mother, Susan, is excited because her garden seeds arrived this week, she’s planning the layout for this years garden and ready to get her hands in the soil. She is also reading Gabe Brown’s “Dirt to Soil” and finding encouragement and new ideas for inter seeding and cover crops to strengthen our already vibrant pastures, we’ll see when I get sent to borrow the local extension office’s no-till drill seeder to start experimenting.

We feed hay once a week, and our cats, and my border collie Ragnar, have discovered the haystack is a target rich environment to catch a mouse or three for a quick snack!

All the best, and feel free to look us up for some tasty nutritious beef!

Aaron

Beef Pot Roast Instant Pot Recipe: Red Wine and Herb Infused for Valentine’s Day

Red wine and herb infused beef pot roast.

This beef pot roast recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day, a dinner party, or any time you want to have an elegant dinner without spending hours in the kitchen.

The red wine, vinegar, and herbs infuse the roast with an earthy and complex flavor. The result was a sophisticated, savory, and deeply satisfying dish. I served with creamy mashed potatoes, warm dinner rolls, and a bright green salad.

While the roast was cooking in the Instant Pot, the smells that filled our house were truly delightful. The combination of red wine, thyme, and rosemary was very enjoyable.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Red Wine and Herb Infused Pot Roast

Inspired by this recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp butter, avocado oil, lard, or tallow

• 2-5 lb Saint John’s organic grass fed beef pot roast

• Salt and pepper

• 1 cup beef broth (or chicken)

• 1 cup red wine (I used a cabernet)

• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 4-5 sprigs thyme

• 4-5 sprigs rosemary

• 1 red onion, chopped into 1.5 - 2 inch chunks

• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped into 1.5 - 2 inch chunks

• 4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1.5 - 2 inch chunks

• ½ lb cremini mushrooms, chopped in half

• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced

EQUIPMENT

• Knife

• Cutting board

• Tongs

• Vegetable Peeler

• Instant Pot

• Slotted Spoon

METHOD

Pat roast dry and season all sides well with salt and pepper.

Roast seasoned with salt.

On Instant Pot Saute mode, melt fat in Instant Pot. (I didn’t do this because my roast was too big to saute in the Instant Pot. I used a skillet then transferred it to the Instant Pot.)

Sear roast on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Set roast aside.

Roast searing in skillet. This Saint John’s roast is huge!

Add broth, wine, vinegar, thyme, and rosemary to pan, scraping up bits from the bottom of the pan. If using the Instant Pot Saute function, turn off. If using a skillet, remove from heat.

Deglazing pan with wine mixture.

Place roast in Instant Pot and cover with wine mixture.

Place lid on Instant Pot, set valve to “Sealing” and select “Meat/Stew” setting for 70 minutes. Enjoy the aroma filling your house as you prepare for a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner at home.

While roast is cooking, peel and chop the vegetables.

Vegetables chopped and prepped.

Allow Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release.

Add vegetables to Instant Pot, place lid on, set valve to “Sealing” and select “Manual” high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release.

Vegetables added to Instant Pot, on top of roast.

Remove vegetables with slotted spoon. Place roast on cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon wine mixture over roast to serve. Enjoy!

Pot roast, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

Did you give this recipe a try? Tag us on Instagram to let us know what you think!

Grass Fed Beef Benefits: Health

In recent years, we’ve all learned how what we eat affects our health and well-being. The quality of our food, especially protein sources, determines what is available for our body to heal, recover, and grow. Here are some of the benefits of choosing organic, grass fed beef, as it relates to health.

Saint John’s Organic Farm cows grazing on summertime grass.

Grass fed beef is more nutrient dense than grain fed beef. Grass fed beef is 10 times higher in vitamin A, 3 times higher in vitamin E, and substantially higher in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins in comparison to grain fed beef. Grass fed beef is lower in cholesterol, and it’s rich in stearic acid, which lowers cholesterol.

Grass fed beef is an abundant source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an important group of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. CLA has strong anticancer properties, encourages the buildup of muscle, and prevents weight gain. When cows are fed their natural diet and given quality, individualized care, they are able to provide us with an abundance of life-supporting nutrition.

There is a notable difference in the toxic load between conventional and organic beef. Organic beef has no risk of GMOS, synthetic fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, or the notoriously harmful glyphosate. “Animal products pose a multiplied scenario – animals fed and fattened on corn, soybean, and alfalfa feed are basically accumulating and concentrating glyphosate, as well as other toxins including animal antibiotics.” - Dr. Zach Bush, MD

Maintaining health affects every aspect of our lives. When we are adequately nourished, we feel invigorated and have energy to pursue our life’s purpose and connect deeply in relationships. When we are ill, we feel and perform poorly, and health issues can have a significant impact on mood and emotional health. Ultimately, there is a financial cost associated with health, for better or worse. Healthy people have reduced medical bills, fewer lost days at work; they are happier people who are fruitful. Children with adequate nutrition have higher test scores and fewer behavioral problems. Because food is preventative ‘medicine’, there is an economic advantage to investing in your health. The phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” comes to mind.

Pikaberry enjoying the sunshine.

Health starts at the cellular level, ultimately through nutrition. Our beef is packed with essential nutrients to power you and your family to live and love your life. If you want to boost your health, strength, and vitality, give our organic grass fed beef a try!

Grass Fed Beef Instant Pot Recipe: Creamy Taco Soup

Bowl of Creamy Taco Soup

This creamy soup is Tex-Mex at its finest. My Texan mom is an Instant Pot whiz, and she created this soup that I’m eager to share. Growing up in Texas, zingy and creamy dishes like this served with cornbread and butter were a staple.

As I was cooking this recipe, the smells that filled my house transported me back to late 90s north Texas, full of happy memories, simpler times, and delicious food. She was a busy, working mom, and she made a lot of effort to cook a nutritious meal for us every night.

Now that I’m a toddler mom, I use the Instant Pot several times a week to make my life easier. This soup is prepared entirely in the Instant Pot, so there is very little cleanup after cooking. All in all, active cooking time was about 25 minutes.

This recipe is flavorful without being spicy, making it a kid-friendly dish. If you like it spicier, adding a seeded and chopped jalapeno with the other pepper would be a delicious addition.

I hope you find comfort and flavor in this dish! Thanks, Mom!

Creamy Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup dry or 1 15 oz can pinto beans

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, optional

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 pepper, chopped (I used bell pepper, poblano or anaheim would work nicely as well.)

• 1 lb Saint John’s organic, grass-fed ground beef

• 2.5 Tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 c chicken or beef broth

• 15 oz tomato sauce

• 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained

• ½ block cream cheese

Optional garnishes:

• Sour cream

• Cheddar cheese, grated

• Roasted hatch green chiles

METHOD

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

If your pinto beans are dry, here’s how you cook them in the instant pot. If your beans are canned or already cooked, skip ahead to “Creamy Taco Soup”.

The night before or about 8 hours before cooking, soak the beans in the instant pot with water about 2 inches above the beans. Add 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, stir into beans, and let sit 8-12 hours.

Soaking the beans before cooking helps pre-digest them and neutralize lectins and other anti-nutrients. This also reduces cooking time and promotes a more even cook on each bean, preventing splitting and bursting.

Pinto beans soaking in water and apple cider vinegar.

When the soaking time is up, drain the beans in a colander and rinse well. Add back to instant pot and cover with water about 2 inches above the beans. Place lid on instant pot. Set valve to sealing. Select manual pressure, high setting, and cook for 25 minutes. If you didn’t soak beans, cook for 35 minutes. 

When cook time is up, allow instant pot to depressurize for 10 minutes and then quick release. Drain and rinse beans and set aside.

Drained and rinsed pinto beans.

Creamy Taco Soup

Set the instant pot to the “Saute” setting and add butter. When butter is melted, add chopped onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally as the saute function is very hot.

Chopped onions, sauteeing in butter.

Add ground beef and season with 2 pinches of salt. Break up ground beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks, stirring frequently. When ground beef is 75% cooked, add pepper.

Green pepper and Saint John’s ground beef sauteeing in Instant Pot.

When ground beef is finished cooking, add chili powder and cumin and turn off Saute function.

Chili powder and other spices added to Instant Pot.

Add broth, tomato sauce, and drained diced tomatoes with green chiles. Stir to combine.

Place lid on instant pot. Set valve to sealing. Select manual pressure, high setting, and cook for 10 minutes.

When cook time is up, allow Instant Pot to depressurize for 10 minutes and then quick release.

Add beans and cream cheese and cover, stirring every minute or so until cream cheese is melted into soup. When cream cheese is melted, add salt to taste. The amount of salt you need will vary as sodium content in canned items and broths can vary quite a bit. Start with ¼ tsp, taste, and add more if needed. I ended up adding about ½ tsp.

Set to “Keep Warm” setting to keep the soup warm until you’re ready to serve!

We served it with sour cream and roasted hatch green chiles. Rice or tortilla chips would make a nice pairing with this delightful soup.

Creamy Taco Soup topped with roasted green chiles.

We all had seconds and my husband had thirds! This soup is a perfect quick dinner for wintertime that is packed with Tex-Mex flavor. Enjoy!

Tag us on Instagram to let us know what you think!

2020 at Saint John's Organic Farm: A Year in Review

What a year we have had! As a nation and a world, this has been a roller coaster. Averting WW3 in February, a global pandemic and fear sweeping to the forefront in March as well as an earthquake here in southern Idaho, lockdowns in much of the world through the spring and again in places this fall, a murderhornet freakout, massive riots in major cities across the country during the summer, followed by enormous wild land fires, and then a contested election: it has been an eventful year to say the least.

But we have also seen enormous positives. As the global system of shipping commodities every which way staggered and shook this spring, people turned back to a local resilience, searching for nutritionally dense and healthy food, a connection to the earth, friendship, and a return to old ways of inter-dependence within a local community.

Saint John’s Organic Farm

We have been largely insulated here on the farm, our work continues day by day. Cows need new pasture every day, so I’m out walking around in the sunshine moving fences to give them access to fresh grass and in the summer running irrigation to replenish pastures as they are grazed.

Since we harvest much of our beef in the autumn every year, we were positioned well this spring to meet the quick increase in demand. I was running every week to our cold storage in Boise to refill our freezers and make deliveries.

We hosted farm tours here in the open air and sunshine twice a month through the summer, showing people our cows, fields, and growing practices, tasting wild plants and the beef we raise, and enjoying conversations with people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, united in the pursuit of a healthy life and delicious food. We are thankful for the renewal and continuation of old friendships, and the beginning of new ones.

Saint John’s Organic Farm

---

On a personal note, this has been a good year for me! I got my book Share the Gift finished and published, had a number of adventures hiking mountains and camping (including summiting two more Idaho 12ers with a buddy this summer), spent a number of gorgeous days out on Black Canyon Reservoir with a canoe or sailing our little Sailfish, and in November I proposed to the girl I’ve been dating for the last year and she said yes!

January 1st I kicked off 2021 with bagpipes at midnight, and then running a Murph workout at the Emmett City Park later in the day.

Aaron Dill, New Years Murph Workout 2021

As we enter a New Year, I am reminded of the ‘Litany of Fear’ in Frank Herbert’s “Dune”:

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

(is anyone else excited for the new film to be released? I loved the book, and the movie trailer looks like they might capture it really well)

And so by the grace of God we go forward. Here’s to a rich 2021, full of the joy of family and friends and delicious food!

 All the best,

Aaron