The popular cuts of grilling steaks, such as striploins and rib eyes, are wonderful but represent a small percentage of the whole cow. The rest of the cow offers a fantastic diversity of great steaks. They sometimes mean a decrease in tenderness but often offer superior flavour to the premium. They also usually offer great value. You’re missing out on some great culinary experiences if you only stick to cuts from the short loin and the rib section. Most people understand the importance of using all parts of the animal, a philosophy often labelled ‘nose to tail’. It makes sense for environmental reasons as fewer animals need to be raised to feed the same number of people. It also shows more respect for the animal whose life has been sacrificed to feed us. When we raise fewer animals for food, it becomes more manageable to raise a higher percentage of them in higher welfare, sustainable situations. It also makes the economics of raising animals on a small farm more reasonable for the farmer. And of course, there are the aforementioned taste advantages. Short of giving up meat altogether, eating the less popular cuts is one of the best choices you can make. Often, people miss out on the great flavours available in the whole cow because they don’t understand how to cook the value cuts. You can’t just throw a chuck steak on a hot grill and expect it to taste like a t-bone. This is the first in our series of sustainable cuts, explaining what they are and how to cook them, including one of our favourite recipes for each one. What is Blade Steak? When a cow is butchered, it is first broken down into larger cuts, called primals. One of the largest primals is called the chuck. It comes from the front chest of the cow, including the shoulder and part of the neck. The chuck can be separated into two sections, the chuck roll and the chuck shoulder clod. When a butcher slices across the entire shoulder clod, the resulting steak is called a chuck steak. Often, the clod is separated into its individual muscles. There are five of them and three of those are tender enough for making into roasts and steaks. One of those three is called the top blade. The top blade is a very tender piece of meat. It is often trimmed into roasts and makes an ideal pot roast, but in today’s world we don’t often need that large a piece of meat. The whole top blade muscle can be sliced into steaks which are called blade steaks or top blade steaks. Blade steaks are flavourful and the meat is tender. The challenge in cooking them comes from a seam of tough connective tissue running through the middle. This makes the blade steak less appealing for grilling or other high temperature cooking techniques. One way to get around this is to further trim the top blade before slicing steaks. The butcher slices lengthwise above and below the connective tissue. The resulting strips are called flat irons and can trimmed into tender steaks suitable for grilling. The centre strip with the connective tissue is processed into ground chuck. Another way to deal with the connective tissue is to cook the blade steak differently. How to Cook Blade Steak? If you buy a blade steak labelled as a grilling steak, don’t believe it. The meat is fine for grilling but the connective tissue in the middle will tighten up and become extremely chewy. If you must grill a blade steak, cut slits across the centre cartilage about an inch long and an inch apart. This will keep the cartilage from curling as it tightens. Grill to no more than medium and simply eat around the cartilage as you would a bone. The meat will also benefit from a tasty marinade. You can also simply trim out the connective tissue and end up with two small flat iron steaks. The best way to get great results for blade steak is low and slow with moist heat, in other words, by braising it. The braising will break down the connective tissue and leave you with a tender delicious steak. Here are some general tips for braising
LINK TO RECIPE: PORTUGUESE INSPIRED BLADE STEAK At Two Calves Standing, we have a variety of blade steaks available. Check out the following items at our online store. Speckle Park Steak ~ Blade Organic Angus Steak ~ Blade Wagyu Steak ~ Blade For a great grilling steak cut from the blade, we have a small quantity of flat iron in stock: Speckle Park Steak ~ Flat Iron If you’d rather buy a blade roast for a pot roast, we also have those: Young Pastured Beef Roast ~ Blade Speckle Park Roast ~ Blade Wagyu Roast ~ Blade Any way you slice it, cuts from the blade are flavourful, beefy cuts that also have great texture when properly prepared. Portuguese Inspired Braised Blade Steak Recipe from Two Calves Standing:
The flavours of the Iberian Peninsula come through in this simple yet delicious braised blade steak recipe. Blade steaks from Two Calves Standing are about 600 to 700 grams and can feed a whole family, but you may want to cook two for heartier eaters or amazing leftovers…full recipe.
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It can be a little confusing to know what you’re eating when it comes to eggs. So many classifications and labels, ‘free range’, ‘cage free’, ‘Canada No 1’ and so on. What do all of the different labels mean to you, the consumer, when it comes to eating nutritious and delicious eggs that are consistent with your values? Eggs are eggs, you say. They taste pretty good, fill a hunger void and are mostly good for you. You can sometimes pick them up from the grocery store for less than $3/dozen and get up to a half dozen meals from them (maybe three meals for me though). That’s pretty good value. Why would you want to spend more for something different or have to travel out of your way to pick them up from a farm. If you want eggs that taste amazing instead of pretty good and are packed with nutrition instead of mostly good for you, farm fresh eggs are the way to go. But even farm fresh eggs are not all created equal. There’s an abundance of terminology to describe it and not all of the terms are legally defined. How are eggs farmed in conventional farms? Chickens in large factory farms are generally raised in crowded conditions, often in individual cages that allow little room for movement. There are standards that limit just how crowded but these standards are pretty lenient. Cages make it easy to put in systems to safely collect the eggs and control the food that each hen eats, among other advantages. You get consistent product and good yield. That equals maximum profit and most people are happy with consistent mediocrity. Ninety percent of laying hens in Canada are kept in cages. Of course, these crowded conditions maximize risk of bacteria growth and spread of disease. Diseased chickens also make for poor profit margins so hens raised in these conditions are routinely administered antibiotics. In some parts of the world, they are administered hormones to increase growth and production. Added hormones are not approved for use in Canada. If you see Canadian eggs labelled as hormone-free, that’s a marketing trick to convince that something special is being done for those eggs. What about Cage Free eggs? Cage free eggs represent a small improvement over conventional cage raised eggs. Hens are free to roam inside the hen house and have the ability to exhibit some of their natural behaviours. They are still kept indoors their whole life and often just as crowded as caged hens. They have no access to fresh air or sunlight and are unable to forage for their natural foods. Free Run vs Free Range Free run eggs are very similar to cage free eggs. The hens are free to roam the barn but don’t have access to the outside. You may see that free run barns have more perches and roosts for vertical flight than cage free barns but this is not always the case. Free range is one of the most common terms used to identify housing conditions for laying hens. It is essentially the same as free run except the chickens must have access to an outdoor area. They must also have freedom to move about both horizontally and vertically. There are several different certification standards for free range eggs but generally speaking, the amount of outdoor space can be very small and not covered in vegetation. Free range hens can get some sunshine and fresh air but generally do not have the ability to forage. The chicken’s nutritional choices are limited to what they are intentionally fed. Organic Eggs Organic is a different type of certification. The hens are raised in a free range setting, cage free and with access to the outdoors. They may or may not have access to pasture, but most farms that are large enough to justify organic certification are too large to effectively raise their chickens on pasture. The feed that the chickens receive must be certified organic and any pasture that they have access to must also be organic. Overall, they are a pretty good option for environmental purposes and animal welfare. The nutritional content of the eggs is not necessarily any better than free range or conventional eggs. Omega 3 Enhanced Eggs Omega 3 enhanced eggs are from hens that are fed a diet of flax seed and/or fish oils. They are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids, up to 12 times as high as conventional eggs. Not all fatty acids are created equal however, and the best fatty acids for our health (DHA and EPA) are not as well represented in Omega-3 enhanced eggs as ALA, which is not as well processed by our bodies. Omage-3 Enhanced hens are not necessarily raised in any particular condition and are most likely to be found living in cages on factory farms. Vegetarian Eggs Chickens are not vegetarians. They are omnivores and will pretty much anything they can stuff in their beaks. Vegetarian eggs are from chickens whose diet is free from meat, insects or any kind of fish products. This usually means a diet of corn, soybeans and grains. It’s not a natural diet for chickens and doesn’t allow for nutritionally robust eggs. Vegetarianism can be an admirable pursuit for humans but we don’t need to impose our values on other species. If you need to eat vegetarian eggs, you should maybe think twice about eating eggs at all. Pastured Eggs: the best solution for happy chickens and healthy, tasty eggs Pastured hens have access to large amount of green space. They often have free run of the farm or have a large defined space that can be moved around for new pastures. They are often part of a rotational grazing system involving other livestock. Pastured hens will have access to a coop for protection from the elements and predation but usually have the ability to choose when they want to go outside and forage. Some farmers in cold climates will limit the hens’ access to the outdoors in extreme weather but in many cases, they are free to make this choice on their own. Chickens can handle all but the coldest weather on a sunny day as long as they have somewhere warm to huddle up at night. When compared to conventional eggs, pastured eggs have been shown to be nutritionally superior. On average you will get: 2/3 more vitamin A Twice as much Omega-3 3 times more vitamin E 4-6 times more vitamin D 7 times more beta-carotene 1/3 less cholesterol 1/4 less saturated fat Of course, we could always eat more of the cheap eggs to get the good stuff but that means eating more of the bad stuff and eating many more empty calories. Other studies have also found higher levels of folic acid and vitamin B12 in pastured eggs. You will often see egg marketing boards quoting studies stating the nutritional differences are non-existent or insignificant. These tend to be comparisons between conventional eggs and cage free or free range eggs. They don’t include pastured eggs in their studies. Generally, farm fresh eggs will live up to their billing as being fresher than supermarket eggs. Eggs in the supermarket have to go through a process of delivery, consolidation and grading before even reaching the package. They then need to be shipped to their various destinations. Their listed expiration date can be as much as 60 days after they were harvested. When you buy eggs from the farm most stages of the process are eliminated and the eggs can be harvested and sold on the same day. The yolks of fresher eggs stand higher in the pan and have thicker whites. Does this make for better taste? Again, only you can answer that one. Bright Orange Yolks and a Rainbow of Shell Colours Often people cite the bright orange yolks that are often found in pastured eggs as being a sign of higher nutrition. Yolk colour in and of itself is not really indicative of increased nutrition, but it is directly affected by what the chicken eats and what pigmentation the food contains. For the hens, it really is a matter of you are what you eat, or in their case, you lay what you eat. The colour itself does not necessarily mean better nutrition but it is often associated with a more varied diet, which in turn is correlated with healthier eggs. Shell colour is also something that can create a lot of confusion. Everyone is familiar with pure white eggs and light brown eggs from the store. Chickens also lay eggs in a wide range of shades of blue, green, cream, pinkish and dark brown colours, not really a rainbow but just as beautiful. Shell colour is determined by the breed and individual genetics of each hen. So which colour is best? Nutritionally and culinarily speaking, egg shell colour doesn’t impact taste or nutrition, but if you like the look of a specific colour, the go for it. Who doesn’t love a beautiful (almost) rainbow? Why doesn’t everyone pasture their chickens for eggs? If pastured eggs are clearly superior, why doesn’t everyone raise them that way? In a word: profit. In order to sell millions of dozens of eggs at supermarket prices, pastured eggs would be economically unsustainable. Feed costs for pastured eggs are usually lower because they forage for most of their diet, but other challenges exist. Predation and other losses: pastured hens are at an increased risk of predation than hens in an enclosed barn. They also occasionally, but rarely wander off and are at risk from traffic or extreme weather. They are very rarely administered preventative antibiotics so do have some risk of disease. Overall, they are healthier happier birds living in a an environment that is closer to their natural one, but that comes with a risk of loss. It’s always said when you see that one of your favourite hens was taken by a great horned owl overnight but you know they had a better life than the ones raised in barns. Egg yield and collection: As long as your hens are provided with clean and cozy nesting options, most of the eggs will be laid where you can get them but in a pasture situation there will always be a few hens that go their own way and create a nest elsewhere. Oftentimes, those nests aren’t discovered right away and the age of the eggs can’t be determined. They may be fertilized if there are roosters onsite or too old to sell. Those eggs can be left alone and may become chicks, or fed to other livestock. Pigs love them. Space required: The main reason egg farmers don’t profit from pastured eggs is the amount of land required. Commercial egg farmers need to produce millions of eggs annually to turn a profit. The average Canadian egg farm has 20,000 hens laying 320 eggs a year. This can’t be managed with a pastured set-up. In order to have more pastured eggs, we need more farmers, with smaller flocks, selling eggs at higher prices. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of pastured eggs yourself when you can find them. Warmth: Pastured hens spend much of their lives outside, often in cold conditions. They need to eat more to stay warm and healthy. This is at least somewhat offset by the fact they forage for their own food. With a small flock, they often end up costing less for feed but a large flock wouldn’t be able to find enough forage to survive without substantial supplementation. Light and laying cycles: chickens lay eggs year-round but naturally lay fewer in the winter. Their laying cycles are determined by the length of the day. In a barn, hens can be fooled into thinking it is summer year-round by manipulating the duration of artificial light. This means bigger yields and more profit. This is much harder to do with pastured hens that have outside access all year. Grading Most eggs produced on commercial farms are sold to grading stations. At the stations, they are washed and sterilized. The insides are inspected with a bright light, a process called candling, and they are weighed and sorted by size. Eggs that receive a Canada Grade A certification are packed, stamped with a best before date that is about 35 days after grading and shipped to stores. Grading can be a useful process for mass produced eggs. The consumer is guaranteed a certain quality and food safety standard. Unfortunately, grading is not feasible for small farmers, which means that pastured eggs are rarely graded. Once the eggs have reached a grading station they are mixed in with eggs form other producers and the care that an individual farmer puts into their eggs is lost in the shuffle. Some farms ae large enough to have their own grading stations and can sell eggs under their own name. When you buy ungraded eggs, you should know where the eggs come from. Ungraded eggs are available for farmgate pick-up only. This allows the consumer to make their own judgments about the quality and freshness of the eggs. In many cases, ou can mee the farmer directly, and if you are not happy with your eggs for any reason, they will be happy to correct the issue for you. Washed vs Unwashed and Shelf Life. In many parts of the world, eggs are sold unwashed. In that state, the eggs have a protective cuticle and a longer resulting shelf life. They can be stored unrefrigerated for a longer time without refrigeration. All eggs sold in Ontario are required to be washed (and inspected for cracks). This is because the exterior of the shell can harbour bacteria and the consumer may not be aware of the necessity for washing them before use. Washed eggs need to refrigerated in order to stay fresh longer. Our eggs here, at Two Calves Standing in Baden, are available daily for roadside pick up or call us to select a pick up time :)
Best, Farmer Bryan A Brief Introduction to the Beginnings of Two Calves StandingTwo Calves Standing was founded in the bitter cold of January 2017 with the intention of creating a farm that could make a difference to the way people think about agriculture, the culinary arts, community and how they all interconnect. If we can improve people’s lives in the present, and more importantly, help illuminate a pathway to improve humanity’s prospects for the future, we will feel great about what we’ve done. They sound like grandiose ideas but we don’t expect to be able to change the world by ourselves, just to make whatever contribution we can. We started with a relatively blank slate when we took over our Baden, Ontario property and have started to build a farm that aligns with our principles. The farm has a small pasture so we began to raise grass fed meats with a rotational grazing system. Our animals are also fed spent brewer’s grains from Elora Brewing Company. This supplements their diet with additional protein while using up what would otherwise be a waste product. We plan to introduce more produce, particularly beans and legumes, to increase our ability to grow food while decreasing the environmental costs. At the same time, we recognize the importance of rotational grazing for soil preservation and carbon capture. Community is an important part of what we do. We welcome farm visitors on a regular basis to see how we operate and learn more about what we do. We run cooking classes for kids and adults to connect them more closely with their food. We stress the role that meals can play in families of all kinds and in bringing communities closer together. For 2019, we are planning to introduce a cooperative farming project to bring urban and suburban dwellers out to the farm to participate in their own mini farms in a hands on way. We also believe that this type of experience can be an important factor in enhancing food security. Last, but not least, we believe that delicious food does not have to incompatible with healthy eating and societal betterment. The ingredients that we produce are intended to remind us of just how excellent food can taste when it is grown with love and attention. Our meats are full of flavour and we encourage everyone to embark on a culinary adventure with meats and cuts of meat that are unfamiliar. Our meat boxes are sold with recipes so that you don’t have to be intimidated by the unfamiliar. Our classes take this learning to another level. As we add more produce to our farm, we will continue on an adventurous path with uncommon and forgotten plants and seeds.
Join us as we continue to explore and learn. Order some meat, request a class or just follow us to see what new developments occur in 2019. |
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