Greetings!
Welcome
to West Wind Farms' second edition of the Grass Whistle! We've
been busy this year with a bushel of new projects. See if
you recognize them. (1) On-line ordering; (2) Mail order option;
(3) Credit card acceptance; (4) Expanded delivery locations;
(5) Expanded and improved product offerings from other small
farms; (6) On-line calendar of West Wind Farms deliveries
and events; and, (7) Customer Appreciation Cookout & Farm
Tour. Drop us a line and let us know how you like these new
offerings.
Do you want deliveries of West Wind Farms meats, dairy, eggs and
vegies to the usual farmers market locations throughout the winter
months? We're proposing a delivery to each location once per month.
Let us know soon if you'd like winter deliveries to your area.
| A New Face on the Farm |
 |
 West Wind Farms gained two more hands and
a cheerful face this summer to help with the farm. Nancy, an
avid gardener and bird lover, is our latest addition, joining
us this April under the farm's Internship Program. Very
friendly and helpful, she has been a delight to have around.
You may meet Nancy at the Chattanooga Farmers Market, or
you may see her at the farm. Please give her a hardy HOWDY!,
and a big welcome to our farm family!
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| Preserve Small Farms |
|
 According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a
small farm is 179 acres or less, or grossing $50,000 a year or
less. Small farms typically sell directly to consumers in a
local market, but may also depend on other direct markets.
Most small farms are sustainable, or strive to be.
Sustainable small farms make use of all of the farmer's
resources before purchasing off-farm inputs. Sustainable farms
don't deplete the soil, the farm family, the farm community,
or the world at large.
Here are 5 of the many benefits small farms offer you: (1)
Secure, local food system. You know where your food comes
from, and you know how it is produced. (2) Support of the
local economy. Privately owned and managed agricultural land
generates more in local tax revenues than it costs in
services. (3) Food dollar stays in the community. In contrast,
money spent at large grocery chains like Wild Oats and Earth
Fare leaves the community. (4) Scenic, cultural and historic
landscapes away from the growing sea of pavement and
development. Small farms provide beautiful views, a wealth of
recreational activities, a unique and identifiable community
character, and add to the quality of life. (5) Food at a cost
that reflects sustainable agricultural practices. Appropriate
inputs and management maintain the land into the future. In
contrast, agribusiness provides cheap food at the cost of soil
depletion and inhumane animal management. When you pay more
for your food from a small sustainable farm, it is an
investment in the future of food and the land for your
children.
You can vote for small farms with your food budget dollars.
Buy fresh food from small farms like West Wind Farms to
preserve their contributions to your community. It's worth the
investment!
Full
Story...American Farmland Trust »
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| Update on Recent and Upcoming Community
Events |
|
 (1) On August 3, the Chattanooga Farmers Market hosted
a 5-Star Chef Cook-Off featuring West Wind Farms' poultry.
Five local chefs arrived at the market without ingredients nor
recipes, and were each given a West Wind Farms' chicken and a
trip around the other farmers' booths to pick up the rest of
the ingredients for their presentation. Meanwhile, five local
judges readied their palettes for the competition. It was a
hot and furious competition; all the dishes were not only
delicious to the taste, but also fabulously designed for the
eye. The winner was a chef from The Cupboard restaurant in
Chattanooga. Everyone had a lot of fun. Check out our photos
on our website's News, Views & Links page.
(2) On August 7, West Wind Farms' products were the feature
of a Slow Foods Dinner hosted by the Chattanooga Aquarium. The
chefs of the 212 Market Restaurant in Chattanooga prepared a
wonderful meal. The menu consisted of: - Chicken Ravioli
Appetizer with West Wind Farms' Organic Ground Chicken -
Deviled Eggs with West Wind Farms' Organic Free- ranged Eggs -
West Wind Farms' Berkshire Pork Loin Chops with Cider Sauce -
Peach Tart prepared with Ralph's Bee-Loved Honey. A 212 Market
chef demonstrated how to prepare the Chicken Ravioli. The
dinner was a sell-out event! Many thanks to the Chattanooga
Aquarium, 212 Market Restaurant, and the Slow Foods Movement!
Recipes are on our website (see link below). Slow Foods is an
international movement to preserve and promote culturally
distinctive, traditional foods prepared or grown the slow way.
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
(3) September 5, Ralph and Kimberlie presented at a meeting
of graziers (farmers who raise their livestock on pasture) on
West Wind Farms' experience as the only certified organic
livestock farm in the southeastern United States. They
discussed the process of obtaining organic certification as
well. The meeting was alot of fun. Thank you, Sally and Rural
Resources, for the fabulous accommodations and food!
(4) September 26, Ralph and Kimberlie are presenting the
story of West Wind Farms' success, challenges, and dreams to a
local working group addressing the change that inevitably
comes with growth within communities. Looking for approaches
that nuture the people, natural resources, and economy of the
Deer Lodge Community, West Wind Farms hopes to model one of
many possible approaches. Deer Lodge has been identified as
having a high potential to successfully balance social,
economic, and environmental resources as it grows and changes.
We're very excited about this working group, initiated by
Allyson Muth and other graduate students from the Department
of Forestry at the University of Tennessee, and supported at
the grassroots level by our community members.
Recipes from
the 212 Market Restaurant Slow Foods Dinner »
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| How Much Pork for a Pig Roast? |
|
| Summer's nearing its end, and the culinary mark of fall
is a pig roast with friends. Roasting a whole suckling pig is
the traditional fare, but these days most folks do their
roasting in the oven or in a patio smoker. How ever you
prepare it, you need to start with high quality pork and have
ready a variety of cuts for everyone's tastes.
West Wind Farms' Half Order of Pork is, on average, 63
pounds of take-home meat including stock bones. This is one of
the most economical ways to purchase West Wind Farms' pork,
and it gives you plenty of variety for your cookout as well as
a reasonable number of leftover cuts for your freezer. In
volume, West Wind Farms' Half Order of Pork is the equivalent
of approximately three brown paper grocery bags of meat. From
a Half Order, depending on how you have it cut, the trimmed
take-home meat breaks down as follows: (1) Fresh ham (lean
meat from the rear leg), 14 lbs (22% of total cuts); (2) Loin
roast or chops (highest quality cuts from the back), 12 lbs
(19% of total cuts); (3) Pork belly (fresh uncured bacon), 12
lbs (19% of total cuts); (4) Spareribs, 3 lbs (4% of total
cuts); (5) Boston Butt Shoulder Roasts , 6 lbs (10% of total
cuts); (6) Picnic Arm Roasts, 5 lbs (8% of total cuts); (7)
Ground Pork, 6 lbs (10% of total cuts); and (8) Bones, 5 lbs
(8% of total cuts).
To find suggestions on how the pork may be cut differently
from above, visit West Wind Farms Pork Cut Chart. West Wind
Farms charges by the pound of finished, packaged cuts
received, so you don't pay for trimmings that are discarded by
the butcher as you would if you were paying by hanging weight
or live weight. Contact us if you would like to try some of
our pork for your pig roast this fall.
West Wind
Farms Meat Cut Charts »
| |
| Customer Appreciation Cookout & Farm
Tour |
|
| Mark you calendars now for West Wind Farms' 1st Annual
Customer Appreciation Cookout & Farm Tour!
West Wind Farms invites the public to join us on Saturday,
September 13, from 10 am to 2 pm-ish, for an old-timey
barbeque with West Wind Farms' organic chicken, beef, and
pork. In addition to good eatin', we'll be going on a guided
tour of the farm with an opportunity to meet the family - our
cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens! Laurel Crosby,
coordinator of the Oak Ridge Chapter of the Weston A. Price
Foundation, will be our guest lunch speaker, discussing the
history and virtues of raw milk. The children will love the
livestock petting area and milking demonstration (so that's
where milk comes from!). We'll also go for a walk by the
creek. Yahoo!
It's FREE and it's fun! What could be better? Bring your
family and friends for a great day in the country. Safety
rules: (1) Wear closed-toed footwear with substantial soles.
(2) Absolutely no pets - even if they stay in the car. (3)
Parents must accompany their children, unless prior
arrangements have been made with us.
Who: You, your friends, your family, your neighbors, What:
West Wind Farms 1st Annual Customer Appreciation Cookout &
Farm Tour. When: September 13, from 10 am to 2 pm. (Rain date:
October 18, from 10 am to 2 pm). Where: Directions are on our
website. See link below. Cost: FREE!
Find out
more.... |
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