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GrassRoots Meats Newsletter February 2008
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in this issue
-- Snow, Snow, And More Snow
-- How To Shop In A Grocery Store
-- Lamb Specials
-- Lamb Recipes
-- Beef Specials
-- Beef Recipes
-- Supporting Local Foods
-- In Closing...

Snow, Snow, And More Snow
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Greetings from sunny Colorado! What a winter we are having here in the southern part of the state. Any of you wanting to enjoy the beauty of snow - deep snow - should plan a trip to Pagosa Springs this winter. We have had more than our share of snow and cold, and it is absolutely beautiful. Snow plows have piled the snow higher than my SUV on either side of the roads. Wolf Creek Pass has been closed many days due to snow slides, and although I have not been over the pass in awhile, I can only imagine that if it is as in years past one passes through a white tunnel of snow blown so high that the chance of accidently sliding over the side is non-existent. Would someone please remind me about global warming? When our daytime temperature doesn't get up to, not even close to, 32 degrees, global warming sounds awfully nice. Looking around Pagosa Springs right now you would think the ice cap has traveled south.
The up side of this is lots of spring water for the grasses, lots of grasses for the animals, and a good year for ranching. The drought appears to be a bad memory and river flooding will be the concern this spring. Always something to contend with. If you have never been to Pagosa Springs this would be a wonderful year to come, as there will be some great river rafting, waterfalls, and many natural wonders that good moisture produces. And we would love to meet you while you are here.

How To Shop In A Grocery Store
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Years ago I read an article about shopping in a grocery store that has made maintaining a healthy lifestyle a lot easier to manage. The article said that all the healthiest products in a store were arranged on the perimeter, and that the least healthy and most processed foods were down the isles. So the trick to shopping well is to stay on the outside of the store.
If you must travel down an isle, leave your cart parked at the end. That way you will be more inclined to only grab that article or two that you need, and not be tempted to grab unnecessary and impulsive things. You can also make a quicker exit because you do not have a cart to maneuver. Also go to the fresh produce section first. That is where you should spend most of your time, and once you do you will be more inclined to speed through the rest of the store. I have used this method for years now and find it saves me lots of wasted money, and once I arrive at the checkout stand I feel quite satisfied with the quality of my purchases. When I arrive home I seldom regret not having the more convenient processed foods as I have learned to "cook from scratch," and that is definitely a lot more fun.

Lamb Specials
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Enough chit chat. Let's get down to the best part of the newsletter - the specials! We have the largest supply of lamb we have ever had, but also an overabundance of certain cuts. Our loss, your gain. For February we are marking the Lamb Shanks down from $3.99 to $2.99 per pound, the Ground Lamb from $7.79 per pound to $5.89 per pound, Whole Boneless Loins from $14.59 to $10.99 per pound, and Lamb Tenders from $14.59 to $10.99 per pound. Lamb Ribs will be a whopping 50% off of the regular price of $2.49 per pound, or $1.25 per pound. Great buys this month so stock up!!!
Just a note about the Tenderloins and Tenders. If you think about the Loin as a T- Bone steak, the Tender is the smaller filet portion, and the Tenderloin is the larger New York portion. This is the best of the best from the lamb, and can be prepared in so many wonderful ways. Also want to mention that we have whole and half lambs (already processed, cut and wrapped) available. The price is $6.89 per pound for whole and $7.25 for halves, another great value.

Lamb Recipes
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I get asked over and over how to cook the meat we offer. Please send me your favorite recipes that we can share with others. Here are a few of my suggestions. Since I am not a "recipe person," but rather just add a little of this and a lot of that until the flavor suites me, you will have to create your own recipes based on these ideas.
The Lamb Shanks are wonderful stewed with green chilies, or just cooked with fresh vegetables as you would a beef stew. I suggest you try marinating the Lamb Ribs in beer for at least 8 hours, then BBQ'd or broiled in the oven or on the grill. The Whole Loin can be basted with spicy mustard (Dijon style), rolled in seasoned bread crumbs and cooked to a medium rare. Let stand for 15 minutes after removing from the oven to allow the meat to come to a perfect medium doneness. The Lamb Tenders can be marinated in teriyaki sauce, grilled, sliced thinly and served with lightly steamed vegetables over cooked rice noodles tossed with your favorite oriental dressing - a great cold or hot meal. The Tenders are great with any salad, actually. Allan loves them braised in an iron skillet with garlic and olive oil, plus a few secret spices that only he knows about. Just get creative - and then be sure to share that great idea with the rest of us!

Beef Specials
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We have a number of Bottom Round Roasts available, marked down from $5.99 per pound to $4.49 per pound. Sirloin Tip Steaks are $7.89 per pound, marked down from $10.49 per pound. Beef Kabob/Stew Meat is $4.99, a real bargain from the regular price of $6.99 per pound.
Beef Soup/Stew Bones will also be 50% off of the regular price of $2.49 per pound, marked down to $1.25 per pound. Be sure to take advantage of this one! And last, but never least, if you order 10 pounds of Ground Beef you will get 10% off, and if you order 20 pounds of Ground Beef you will get 20% off, so fill out those orders with Ground Beef for maximum savings on your shipping costs.

Beef Recipes
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I just wanted to share with you about the Bottom Round Roasts, because many of you have probably never cooked one, or if you did it was probably called something else. I saw it called Bottom Round Rump Roast at the grocery some time ago. I cooked a Bottom Round this last week and it was incredible - tender, juicy, and very lean. I basted the roast with olive oil, seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, cooked it for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, then turned the oven off for two hours, leaving the roast in the oven (No magic here - more than two hours is fine too). I then took the roast out of the oven, preheated the oven to 325 degrees, and cooked it to a medium rare (a meat thermometer is vital!). Take it out of the oven and let it stand on the counter for 15 more minutes and you will have a perfectly cooked medium roast. Be sure to cut across the grain for maximum tenderness. When cutting roasts you need to carefully watch the grain as it can change from one direction to another part way through the roast.
Bottom Round Roasts make wonderful jerky, for you jerky enthusiasts. It also makes great corned beef - an alternative to using brisket. This is a leaner corned beef and makes wonderful lunch meat. Since it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to marinate corned beef you should get your roast now to be ready for St. Patrick's Day in March. There are lots of good recipes on the web for corned beef, but if you would like a suggestion just email me and I will send you one. And remember, nitrates are an option, not a necessity, in corned beef and other prepared meats.

Supporting Local Foods
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Got an interesting card from Rebecca Winning about supporting local foods. She has a website where she blogs about issues of interest to the health conscious consumer and I found her latest blog to be quite interesting. Thought you might enjoy reading it as well. Be sure to read on to her previous blogs about corn and high fructose corn syrup. She does a very good job of exposing the health hazards of processed corn. Just click on the following link to read Rebecca's articles. You might want to save going to this link until after you have read the whole newsletter, since there is no way to get back to the newsletter after you link to it.
Where's the Beef? The Corn vs. Grass Debate

In Closing...
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Allan and I will be out of town for about ten days, so we will not be able to ship your orders right away. You will still be able to reach us by phone or email so be sure to send those orders in and we will process them as soon as we get back. If you need something right away our daughter will be able to pack and ship it before we return. We are going to be in Oklahoma, where we keep our cows and bulls, getting things ready for spring. You know, the usual stuff - preg checking, fixing fence, building new fence - all that fun stuff. All the ranching things Allan loves to do! We are looking forward to getting to a warmer place for awhile, and really looking forward to working the animals. It is so rewarding to see the young calves, and to glory in the joy of having such a wonderful herd of cows, heifers, bulls and calves. God is good, and this is a great way to make a living. God bless you all with work that you love to do.
Lois & Allan

Quick Links...
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Contact Information
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Email: grassroots@centurytel.net
Phone: 970-731-1471; 800-681-2260
Website: http://www.grassrootsmeats.com
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