Is Organic Certification Worth It? Yes... But There's More To The Story

Clover in bloom in our pasture.

Certified organic products are becoming increasingly available and prioritized in grocery budgets across the nation. Our family farm is certified organic, and it’s a priority for us to produce the highest quality foods for our family and community.

Organic certification requires time, money, and effort to stay up to date with requirements and regulations. Naysayers contend organics are not that different from conventional agriculture, and it’s not worth the price. Others may think organics is the ideal system for growing food.

Here’s our take on being certified organic.

What is organic?

Saint John’s cows eat grass in pasture year round.

Organic certified foods are regulated by the USDA and must follow all federal guidelines.

In general, this means that, for a product to be certified organic, it must be free of additives, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and be non-GMO. For meat to be certified organic, the USDA 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.”

Currently, USDA organic is mostly a list of “don’t”s rather than a list of “do”s. This system inherently leaves out critical descriptors in terms of soil quality and how that puts nutrients into our food.

When the organic movement first came to North America, it was centered on the idea of “feed the soil, not the plant”. The focus on soil and microorganism health means that plants will have the nutrition and growing environment to produce optimal food. Modern agriculture has this backwards and is currently steeped in a paradigm of “feed the plant, not the soil”.

By spraying toxicants to kill pests and weeds and administering fertilizers to “feed” the plants, there have been unintended consequences in harm to the life present in the soil. Soil is absolutely teeming with life. Microorganisms, worms, bacteria, and networks of fungi are present and they work together to give life to the seeds we plant.

Unfortunately, liquid “plant food” and toxicants have done significant harm to these lifeforms. The original organics movement sought to change this by putting soil health at the center of the system.

Problems in Organics: Revolving Door of Industry and Regulation

Saint John’s calf, curiously looking at the camera.

Organics is not perfect. People and systems are imperfect and require pressure, patience, and time to change.

Over time, there has increasingly been a drive for production of organic foods that can sometimes be at the expense of the nutrient content of the food. However, we know that while producing an adequate amount of food does matter, the quality of our food matters more than production and volume.

An example of the production for quality trade-off in organics is hydroponic and aeroponic systems. These systems create a very high yield for minimal inputs or maintenance. Hydroponically and aeroponically grown plants are not grown in soil but typically in shredded coconut husks and given “organic” fertilizer for the plant’s nutrients. This is the antithesis of the organic mantra “feed the soil, not the plant”, and fundamentally an opposing system to organics. Nevertheless, hydroponic and aeroponic producers are able to label their products as “organic”. You’d be hard-pressed to find an organic tomato, pepper, or berry at the grocery store that isn’t hydroponically grown, but that information isn’t on the food label.

We deserve to know the quality of our food and how it was grown, and these systems are piggy-backing off of the organics movement to make big bucks. One of the most unfortunate consequences of these hydroponic and aeroponic practices is that they are able to produce food so cheaply that they undercut organic farmers that are growing their tomatoes and strawberries in the soil. Real food takes real soil and real work, and this is reflected in the price, the true cost of food.

Ninety-nine percent of meat, milk, and eggs come from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the United States. Organics should not be part of this, as the requirements state animals must have access to pasture in order to accommodate their natural behaviors.

There have been several instances of enormous “organic” operations that are using CAFOs and not giving animals access to pasture. Some of this information was leaked by whistleblowers while other instances were reported by investigative journalists. Sometimes, when information on organic farms has been reported to the USDA or media, the infractions don’t come to the attention of the supermarket buyer, the companies get off the hook by paying fines, and little to no change is made to the farm’s practices. Functionally, the farm is “organic” in name only. It’s a far cry from the picture of the happy eating grass on the carton of milk.

A serious consequence of all this is how difficult this makes charging a fair price for quality food. When everything is “organic”, the differences are difficult to distinguish for the unaware consumer. Huge organic farms are able to cut corners and undercut small family farms that are producing food higher in quality.

Real Organic Project: Part of the Solution

The Real Organic Project (ROP) is part of the solution because, rather than fighting within the current bloated system, it creates a new label, certification process, and network that people can trust. The Real Organic Project builds on USDA certified organic by focusing on traditional organic systems with an emphasis on “feed the soil, not the plant”. This focus is of utmost importance because the soil will feed the plant and steward the soil for generations to come.

The ROP standards and network remind us that we are accountable for the soil health, the products we grow, and for our communities.

Take a look at the Real Organic Project difference, with insightful side-by-side photos demonstrating what “real organic” looks like.

Our take on organic certification

Sunrise at Saint John’s Organic Farm.

We think USDA organic certification is a needed and necessary first step in ensuring a quality food supply and doing our duty to steward the planet. There are many USDA certified organic farms producing high quality food. Avoiding toxicants and other harmful substances is a big and worthwhile step in the right direction. Unfortunately, certified organic is simply no longer the gold standard of healthy food.

It all comes back to accountability. We are accountable to ourselves, our community, future generations, and to God. If we act with this in our minds and in our hearts, then we can say that we are doing “our part.”

Because we believe in accountability, we are certified organic with USDA and with the Real Organic Project. 

I hope you are encouraged to seek out and support organics, including the Real Organic Project. Connecting with local farmers can be a true joy and eating nutritious, organic food is a pleasure. 

Grass Fed Beef & Acne: Support Your Skin from the Inside Out

Saint John’s mama and baby. Healthy pasture, healthy cows.

People often ask about the connection between what we eat and acne. There is a common myth that beef, dairy, meats, and other foods containing fat are the primary culprits in causes of acne.

If meat consumption contributes to acne, then is grass fed beef any different? Does it really make any difference from a greasy-skin-perspective, if beef is grain fed or grass fed? We absolutely think that there is a difference between grass fed and grain fed beef, as far as skin and overall health are concerned. 

The key to understanding skin health is to remember the health and quality of our skin is downstream from the state of our overall health. Skin is the last organ to receive nutrition. This means that if someone is in a state of malnutrition, their body will ensure that every organ gets nutrition before their skin does.

Our skin health is a reflection of our overall health. Skin and other health issues may signify that we are missing key nutrients, are overtired or overstressed, inflammation is high, or that a hormonal or microbiome issue is at play.

Saint John’s organic pastures. The nutrition starts here.

Grass Fed Beef & Omega Fatty Acids

The truth is that not all fat is created equally. A greasy feeling can follow the consumption of many foods, but the healthy fat of grass fed beef will help support and heal your skin by providing your body with superb nutrition.

Healthy skin, and really, all aspects of health starts at the cellular level. When we have healthy cells, we can have healthy skin.

Every cell in our body is coated with a cellular membrane. This membrane is responsible for keeping the right nutrients and cellular parts in the cell and keeping unwanted compounds and free radicals out of the cell. The cellular membrane is primarily made of cholesterol and omega-3 fatty acids.

Free radicals in our cells do damage, causing inflammation. Inflammation manifests in adverse health outcomes, including acne.

Grass fed beef is significantly higher in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are “essential fatty acids”, meaning that our bodies cannot produce them, so we must consume them through diet. These two essential fatty acids work together to support human health.

Most Western diets contain an excess of omega-6 fatty acids and a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are not necessarily harmful to our health, but omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids must be consumed in an appropriate proportion. Grass fed beef supports our essential fatty acid requirement by its abundance of omega-3 fatty acids and low amount of omega-6 fatty acids.

Grass fed beef is an abundant source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is a polyunsaturated fatty acid found in ruminant animals (cows, sheep, etc.) that convert grass into nutrition through a prolonged digestion period.

CLA is known for being a powerful anti-inflammatory, and therefore can help alleviate inflammatory conditions like acne. For maximum CLA density in meat, it’s important to choose grass fed beef, as conventional grain fed beef is not a good source of CLA.

Saint John’s cows munching as the weather turns colder.

Grass Fed Beef: Glowing Skin

Grass fed beef is rich in acne-fighting, skin-supporting nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin E, anad zinc. The vitamin A in grass fed beef is in retinol form and is a primary contributing nutrient to glowing skin.

Vitamin A (the animal form of beta-carotene) is high in grass beef because the cow turns the beta-carotene from grass into vitamin A through its digestive and assimilative work. You may notice that the fat in grass fed beef steaks is more yellow in color while the fat of grain fed beef is closer to white (it’s very obvious on a cut like a NY strip steak).

This yellow color is a key sign of nutrient density for vitamin A. Vitamin A is highly bioavailable in grass fed beef, and it gives rich flavor to the beef as well.

Organic Grass Fed Beef: Free of Added Hormones

Many studies and stories show that acne and other skin issues are closely tied to hormonal conditions. Teenagers going through puberty and women going through hormonal changes often experience acne as a sign of hormonal change and possible imbalance.

Organic, grass fed beef supports hormon health in two primary ways. First, grass fed beef is an excellent source of zinc. Zinc is essential for the human endocrine system, and the endocrine system is what produces our hormones.

Second, organic grass fed beef is free of added hormones, something that is commonly given to conventionally raised cows. The hormones administered cause the cows to grow bigger and faster, and can improve the productivity (and profit) of a beef operation.

This productivity shortcut, however, comes with a cost. Cows fed growth hormones have higher IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) levels in the meat, and there is some evidence that this can contribute to cancer and other diseases. The hormone content is present in the meat, and this consumption of added hormone can contribute to hormonal imbalances.

In summary, grass fed beef supports our whole body health (and therefore skin health) by supplying us with a balanced ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids to stop free radicals from entering a cell, conjugated linoleic acid to reduce existing inflammation, vitamin A for glowing skin, zinc for endocrine system support, and it’s free of potentially harmful added hormones. What’s not to like?

References

http://cwcreekranch.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Enhanced_nutrient_content_of_grass_fed_beef.253124455.pdf

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/skin-health

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16440602/

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!