Greetings!

Wow! West Wind Farms' Customer Appreciation Cookout & Farm Tour was terrific! It was a beautiful day! With the exception of the wagon getting stuck in a wet spot during the first hayride (yes - stuck!), it was a perfect day. West Wind Farms' beef, pork and chicken were heartily devoured, and the locally grown vegetables were also well-consumed. Thank you for making it a huge success. We look forward to next years' event!

Now summer's been great, but we're thankful for fall. Surrounded by trees with leaves of scarlet and gold, the farm has a different look and smell that we welcome. You can hear the turkeys gobbling in the fields, and the pigs are enjoying a wealth of hickory nuts that have fallen to the ground. The busy-ness of summer is coming to a close, and it's time to ready the farm for winter. We're planting seed for winter greenhouse crops and expect to have a limited supply of vegetables, in addition to our meats, poultry and dairy, for winter deliveries and mail order. Fresh vegetables in winter are such a treat!

in this issue
	Turkey Time! Winter Deliveries of Meats, Vegies, Dairy & Eggs Life and Times of a Chicken West Wind Farms Gift Certificates Available How to Roast the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Winter Deliveries of Meats, Vegies, Dairy & Eggs

Tennesseeans, good news! You don't have to eat tasteless, industrial food all winter! The farmers markets may be closed, but West Wind Farms still delivers! West Wind Farms' delicious meats and poultry are available thoughout the winter and early spring months on a biweekly or monthly schedule. In addition to West Wind Farms' grassfed beef, lamb, pork, chevon and poultry, we also expect to have fresh ready-to-eat organic green salad mixes, fresh herbs, hopefully some other winter vegetables such as cabbage, bok choy, and brocolli, and of course our hens' big brown eggs, raw milk cheeses, organic butter, milk, and lard. We're expecting at least one other farmer selling honey to join us as well. We received an exceptionally positive response to our inquiry about winter deliveries, but we understand that when the winter wind blows, many folks batten down the window sashes and snuggle in for winter. So we'll start with the following schedule. It may be necessary for us to revise one or more of the dates or locations in the future after we guage the relative interest at each location. Check times and dates throughout winter on the calendar at www.grassorganic.com. West Wind Farms' tentative winter delivery schedule is: -- KNOXVILLE (BEARDEN) from 4:30 to 6 pm EST on Nov 25, Dec 9, then the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, January through April. -- OAK RIDGE from 9 to 11 am EST on Nov 22, Dec 13, then the first and third Saturday of every month, January through April. -- FRANKLIN from 10 am to noon CT on Nov 22, Dec 13, then the second and fourth Saturday of every month, January through April. If you're not near one of our Tennessee delivery locations, there's good news for you too... The cooler temperatures of winter are great for mail orders of fresh and frozen farm products. West Wind Farms ships nationwide once every two weeks. More Pickup, Shipping & Deliveries Information »

Life and Times of a Chicken

A friend gave us a book called Productive Poultry Husbandry, a textbook written in 1913 on methods of poultry production in what was then a newly budding poultry industry. Store-bought chicken was gaining popularity around the turn of the century, and in 1907, by economic value, chicken was beginning to rival corn, the highest value agricultural product in the U.S. This was a turning point for our feathered friends. Extensive research went into converting the small backyard flock into a mass produced commodity. Of course, mass production is a matter of scale, and even the largest of the new commercially produced flocks in 1907 consisted of only 2000 birds per poultry house. Most of these units incorporated daily outdoor runs, not so far derived from backyard flocks where the importance of sunshine and green grass for a chicken's health was still recognized. However, as the demand for chicken continued to grow over the century, poultry production became more centralized and intensive. A commercial poultry house today holds 20,000 to 100,000 birds. Once beloved, today's chicken never sees daylight or grass, breathes dusty ammonia-filled air, and is crowded shoulder to shoulder with at least 19,999 other nameless, unrecognized birds. The chicken, once appreciated and loved on its homestead, is now at the bottom of the pecking order. Our culture's appreciation for a chicken's quality of life is at an all-time low. Even the price of the product reflects the relative value of the chicken's life. Nearly 100 years ago, a chicken cost 26 cents per pound. Today, you can purchase chicken on sale at WalMart for nearly the same price. Hooray for low prices? When a Coca-cola costs more than the life of a chicken, something's wrong! This January, the international environmental think tank, Worldwatch Institute, will be addressing the life of today's modern chicken in its annual flagship publication, State of the World 2004. West Wind Farms was interviewed for this edition to present an example of how a chicken can have a better life in these times. Small family-owned farms provide the ONLY alternative to large-scale modern livestock production practices today. Thank you for spending your food dollars on food raised humanely by small, local farms. worldwatch.org »

West Wind Farms Gift Certificates Available

West Wind Farms Gift Certificates are ready for holiday giving! West Wind Farms offers three different levels of gift certificates: $25, $50, or $100. Our Gift Certificates may be applied to any of the products offered on our website (subject to availability), or to shipping charges. Consider combining one $100 certificate for a full box of meat with a $25 certificate for shipping. It's a great way to introduce your friends and family to delicious, healthful, organic and grassfed meats and poultry. Last minute? Call us with the recipient's mailing address. We will send their West Wind Farms Gift Certificates directly to them with a note that the gift is from you. A very nice gift of good food and health at the holidays. West Wind Farms' Gift Certificates are available throughout the year. Gift Certificates »

How to Roast the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Here are a few tips to help you roast the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey. First, brine your bird. Historically brining was done as a method of preserving. However, today it is used primarily as a vehicle to impart flavor and moisture into a lean cut of meat. Here are the steps to brining a turkey. 1. Start with a non-reactive container such as a large food service container or other food-safe container. 2. Determine the amount of brine mixture you will need by putting your turkey in the container and covering it with water. Remove the turkey and measure the remaining water. This is the amount you will need to make. Discard this water and use fresh water for your brine. 3. Place your turkey in the container and cover with the brine (recipe to follow). Refrigerate in the brine for at least 12 hours or up to two days if desired. If you are concerned about the bird being too salty, stop after the 12 hour period. Better to err on the side of less than too much. 4. When the brining process is complete, rinse the bird well and pat dry. Air dry the bird over-night in the refrigerator to let the skin dry. This will help in the crisping of the skin as it roasts. This is a general brine recipe. You may need to double the recipe to get enough to cover your bird. Spices may be added to this mixture to create your own unique flavor. In a non-reactive container, mix until dissolved the following ingredients. 1 gallon of cool water. 1 cup of kosher salt 1/2 cup of white or brown sugar (optional) Pour the mixture over the turkey and refrigerate. Additional spice and seasoning suggestions: Add any or all of the following to your brine mixture: bay leaves, juniper berries, black pepper corns, dried thyme, and garlic cloves. If you have a syringe or injector, you may also want to try injecting your turkey with some of your brine before roasting. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, put the turkey in, then reduce the heat immediately to 350 degrees. The higher initial heat will help to seal in the juices. Unless you want a Norman Rockwell presentation, you can roast your bird upside down. This technique can help keep the white meat from drying out before the dark meat is fully cooked. Another benefit is that you don't have to baste an upside-down bird while it's cooking. Roast your turkey, either right-side up or upside-down, for no more than 20 minutes per pound. Here's a recipe for giblet gravy. Finely chop the giblets and boil with the neck in 1-1/2 cups broth or water. Reduce to approximately one cup. Set aside. When cool, remove the neck from the broth and pick off any meat. Discard the remaining bones and skin. When the turkey is done, strain the juices from the roast turkey and reserve. Pour off the fat and heat 1/4 cup of it in a small pan. Add 1/4 cup flour to the warmed fat and stir until blended. Stir in the turkey giblet stock plus one cup of roasting pan juices, for a total of 2 cups of liquid. Cook and stir the gravy until smooth and simmer for 5 minutes. If you don't like little chunks of organ meats in your gravy, put it in the blender and blend. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired, and serve. Herb Roasted Turkey Recipe »